Road closures downtown for tomorrow's festivities. City of Austin needs more lifeguards to keep summer water programs operating. Holly Street neighborhood concerned about five-story condo development set to be built across the street from the old power plant. New Leander high school will be named after a soldier (and Leander High grad) killed in Iraq. A woman may have lured a man into a Fourth Street alley where he was robbed and beaten by two men Monday night....

evso/Flickr Fired Police Commander claims that APD punishes whistle-blowers. Someone took photos of steamy activities taking place at the Expo Center during the ROT rally and turned the pics in to the Travis County Commissioners. Criminal Appeals Court will hear the case of Adam Reposa, the Austin attorney who made a "lewd gesture" in court and could face up to 90 days in jail for it. Bo Pilgrim (of Pilgrim's Pride) donates $100,000 to the......

Man who escaped Fayette County jail over the weekend found in Houston. APD chief fired a detective today for insubordination (keeping up financial investigations when he had been told to stop). This sort of thing seems to work better on TV. Three men from Central Texas are sentenced to two years in prison for identity theft after cashing fake checks. Grand jury rules that the Pasadena man who shot the two men robbing his neighbor's house shouldn't be charged. District Judge rules that Democrat Bill Dingus can run against current State Speaker of the House Craddick for his seat....

A fire this morning at the San Marcos Municipal Airport leaves one person with minor burns. June 2008: the hottest June on record for Austin. Shady Hollow Homeowner's Association might allow T-Mobile to build a 12-story tower in their neighborhood. Pastor from Houston's Windsor Village United Methodist Church - the same one who officiated Jenna's wedding and who introduced Dubya at the 2000 Republican convention - launches the James Dobson Does Not Speak For Me site in response to anti-Obama statements by Mr. Dobson. Kay Bailey Hutchison comes in first as Texas' favorite politician in a recent poll, beating out Gov. Perry....

evso/Flickr The City of Austin has set up a site online to serve as a local carbon reduction resource. Austin Public Library Foundation hires new Executive Director. Dripping Springs Rep. Patrick Rose testified about the Pedernales CoOp before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in D.C. today. Swimsuits, sleeping masks and more were found at the home of Billy Dan Carroll and said to be used in his crimes against children. Alleged gang leader......

Texans want better roads but don't want to pay higher gas taxes or tolls for them, a recent poll shows (and we already assumed). Men's Health says Austin is the #7 best city for men to live. Georgetown makes This Old House's top-12 list of best cities to buy an old house. Police say the Austin hotel manager who is accused of sexually assaulting two boys showed the children threatening photos in an attempt to keep them quiet. Cottondale man duct-tapes his stepdaughter to a tree (with tape over her mouth), says they were "playing". Sunset Advisory Commission thinks DPS needs a management overhaul. Secret proceedings taking place under tight security while the grand jury (possibly) looks into alleged sexual abuse at the Eldorado FLDS compound....

Local couple charged with running a prostitution ring in Northwest Austin. Cities in the Edwards Aquifer zone must cut down on their water usage because levels are low. Pure Casting in East Austin has been in operation since 1969, but there have been recent environmental concerns brought up by neighbors. Police are looking for an 18-year-old man who shot his infant daughter in the ankle. Ted Nugent held an estate sale in Waco over the weekend....

A wall at Rice University campus collapsed this afternoon, trapping four people. Millions of pounds of toxins from Mexico may soon be headed for incineration in Port Arthur if the EPA approves an exemption. Gov. Perry agrees with his buddy in the White House on lifting the ban on offshore exploration. "This is likely not the finest moment for DPS," Texas Public Safety Commission chairman admits after an internal investigation into how an arsonist was able to bypass security and set fire to the Governor's Mansion. Worst exit in Texas at southbound IH35 and MLK, second worst at northbound IH35 and Riverside. Or so this study says, anyway....

This doesn't bode well for the summer: Austin Energy set a new peak usage record yesterday. City's Chief Information officer placed on leave after allegations of using city funds for personal projects. More details on green restoration possibilities at Governor's Mansion. Carver Library branch to hold Juneteenth event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow....

APD seeks help in finding the man (pictured on the right) who hit a South Austin convenience store on June 15. Georgetown landscaper charged with deceptive trade practices (taking customers' money and not doing the job). Austin firefighter who was fired for sexual harassment of a co-worker (and for viewing porn at work) is appealing. Visitability organization asking city officials to require homebuilders make new homes handicap-accessible....

Fire department lieutenant fired after he told a co-worker in September on the 9/11 anniversary that "he would have wanted to rape a female passenger had he been on a plane used in the attack." Southwest flight from Austin lands in Phoenix with flames coming out of one of the wheel areas. Investigators say that the Governor's mansion fire was likely politically motivated. (Insert sarcastic comment here.) Two state troopers should have been working the night of the fire, but only one was on duty. Rep. Lloyd Doggett proposing a global warming bill....

ATF thinks that someone threw a Molotov cocktail at the Governor's Mansion and the fire started that way. Former Perry chief-of-staff to resign from Secretary of State position; the next one will be the 6th SoS under Perry. The ACLU is suing the Texas youth prison system over strip search, solitary confinement and other practices at a girls' lockup in Brownwood. Pflugerville man arrested for pistol whipping an auto shop worker before robbing the shop....

Central Texas truck dealers trying to come up with enticing deals to move the vehicles off the lot. State police guarding the home of state District Judge Barbara Walther after Arizona and Utah authorities warn of FLDS "enforcers". Judge says that Billy Carroll needs to provide his own attorney because he can't prove that he doesn't have access to funds. Four homebuilders to pay fines after EPA goes after them for failing to control runoff from construction sites; Texas will receive part of the settlement. Employee killed at Houston chemical plant explosion this morning. And Texas goes back to executing felons after a nine-month halt....

Candidate for City Council Cid Galindo failed to list over $60,000 worth of expenses on his campaign finance forms. 21-yr-old man accused of propositioning 12-yr-old boy at Ruiz Library. After this second alcohol-related arrest in a month, former Longhorn Cedric Benson is cut from the Chicago Bears. San Antonio man driving the wrong way on IH35 in Georgetown dies early this morning after hitting a truck head-on. Not really a surprise: burn ban set for Travis County....

State fire investigators wondering if the arsonist who set ablaze the Governor's Mansion acted alone. Cedar Park paramedic among those dead after a medical chopper crashes near Huntsville. Three boys may have been exposed to a rabid bat at the Northcross bus stop. CapMetro holding public meetings this week to take comment on proposed fare increases. FBI says crime nationwide has decreased, but in Austin it has increased....

Oak Hill developer accidentally destroys ancient oaks. Salmonella case in Travis County linked to those tainted tomatoes. APD is on the lookout for aggressive drivers. Chief Acevedo fires officer for lying about a 2007 arrest he made. Billy Dan Carroll, accused of molesting six kids (at least), requests a court-appointed lawyer. City staff prefer the Trammel Crow plan for the Green Water Treatment Plant site. Texas Democratic officials in no hurry to change the primary/caucus process, but may set up a committee to collect opinion about it....

TxDOT is using eco-friendly asphalt to repave SH71. Sunset Advisory Commission finds that TxDOT "could not be an effective state transportation agency if trust and confidence were not restored." Obama aide tries to keep the current vice-chair of the Texas Dems from running for chair of the state party at convention this weekend? FLDS says they will no longer marry off underage girls to older men in the sect. Killeen's trash may be on its way to Hutto. ...

Austin places #6 on Kiplinger's 10 Best Cities (Houston is #1). Suspect on the run after shooting someone in Southeast Austin yesterday afternoon. Early voting for the city council runoff starts today. Round Rock Roller Rink going out of business. FLDS kids on their way back to their families....

Police have filed new charges against Billy Dan Caroll, who kept videotapes of his sexual assault of women and girls. The ex-boyfriend of Deysi Gonzalez Hernandez has been charged in connection with her murder. He allegedly told a friend, "I was drunk and I killed her because she made me mad." Test scores were up this year, but that may not save Johnston High. Some of the FLDS kids can go back to their parents starting on Monday, judge in San Angelo says. "He's a very disappointed person in that he knew what could have been and what can be," Carole Keeton-Strayhorn says of her son, Scott McClellan. ...

Police have identified more victims of former CASA volunteer who sexually assaulted an 8-year-old girl. Far West Tropical Sno stand-owner protests against Kneaded Pleasures. Local reaction to McClellan's book, What Happened. "We should be appalled and enraged as Texans and as patriots at his behavior on the Senate floor," Democratic US Senate candidate Noriega said about current Senator Cornyn's vote against the GI Bill. Texas Observer poll shows that 2/3 of the Democrats who voted in the primary were new voters....

Former convention center director pleads guilty to tampering with governmental records. State Board of Education deciding on English curriculum in a difficult and somewhat hostile process. Baseball player traded to Laredo minor league team for ten bats. Yes, you read that correctly. CPS is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn yesterday's ruling by the Third Court of Appeals on the removal of the children from the FLDS compound. Williamson County developers are funny....

Red light cameras start working at midnight. Of the more than 7,000 AISD employees whose background was checked, 652 have criminal records. The City Council voted today to ban plastic water bottle purchases by City Hall. CPS workers barred from entering FLDS property near Eldorado. And the Third Court of Appeals ruled today that the state had no right to remove the kids from the FLDS sect....

The Texas House is looking at ways to curb "ghost voting". Hutto residents speak out against the proposal to set up high-voltage transmission lines through the town. At least ten of the "girls" removed from the FLDS sect are really adult women; officials have been told that there may still be some children at the YFZ compound. Preliminary autopsy results are inconclusive for Raymond Moxley (the 81-year-old with 50 bee stings); officials think the toxicology results will provide them with answers. Nuclear waste will soon be on its way to West Texas, and some New Mexico residents aren't happy about it....

Professional basketball players are real people too: after their victory, the Spurs had to spend last night at the New Orleans airport. Area home sales were down last month (for the tenth month in a row). Former Georgetown police officer sentenced to two years in jail for sexual assault. State senate committee discussing the costs of the Eldorado FLDS raid....

The hearing on LULAC's suit against the TDP cancelled; judge says, "numerous gallons of $4.00 a gallon gasoline would be expended for a significant number of persons to appear with the result being an oral presentation of already written arguments." Fortune names Georgetown the #2 place in the nation to live and set up business. Austin Symphony Orchestra receives grant from NEA to fund the season-opening work by Theofanidis. Hearings started today regarding the custody of the children from the FLDS sect. Loss of controversial Texan campaign staffer Loeffler could hurt McCain's fundraising ability....

Texas Insurance Council estimates Wednesday night's storms caused $25 million worth of damage. During the storm, someone broke into a South Austin public storage facility. Job growth for our area lower than it was last year. Texas Border Coalition suing to stop construction of Bush's border fence....

The storm hit the Capitol last night, breaking windows and throwing down trees on the grounds. Was your property damaged by the storms last night? Kerouac's scroll manuscript of On the Road on display the the Ransom Center until June 1. Another Austin-area teacher in trouble for having improper relations with a student. California's supreme court says a state gay marriage ban is unconstitutional; Sen. Cornyn now set to work on a national ban. ...

Australian investment company wants to operate ABIA. Man found this morning hanging from Oak Hill cell phone tower. 18-year-old Austinite found guilty of killing a Tennessee state trooper. Invasive species: Crazy rasberry ants swarming in Houston. Good news for the Cowboys? Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo are dunzo, supposedly....

Austin the most "digitally-savvy" city in the nation? At least 12% of residents buy purchases off the internet. Fire at Northwest Austin home leaves a woman critically injured. Someone drove a Jeep into a house off of E. 12th near Pleasant Valley last night. Allstate Insurance will pay its Texas customers $71 million in refunds, credits and rate reductions for homeowner policies after a settlement with the state....

It may be best to stay off IH35 this weekend; the highway closure in Buda will surely slow down traffic in Austin. Don't forget the municipal election tomorrow! Yeah, yeah, we know already: Perry reaffirms that he will run again for governor in 2010. Sinkhole overtaking the town of Daisetta....