Obama administration to overhaul Fannie and Freddie? How will Bill Clinton's visit to N. Korea affect future nuclear talks? 15-year-old Iraqi girl sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for her part in an attempted bombing. But was she a willing participant? Woman and her baby, both kidnapped from North Austin, rescued (sort of) in Uvalde; authorities let their kidnapper walk away. Louisiana politician William J. Jefferson found guilty on corruption charges. ll the cool kids are studying statistics. Bens out of At the Movies; film critics A. O. Scott and Michael Phillips in. Beastie Boy Adam Yauch recovering after having a cancerous tumor removed. more ›

The Teresa Long Center for the Performing Arts (formerly the Palmer Auditorium) will be opening with a bang in early March 2008. Enter: "The Earth Harp," a gargantuan outdoor stringed instrument created by these guys. /// Art thieves strike in Brazil! They robbed the Sao Paolo Museum of Art (MASP), making off with two paintings worth a total of approximately $100 million dollars. The paintings: Portrait of Suzanne Bloch (Picasso) and The Coffee Worker (Portinari). The holdings at the MASP are regarded by many as Latin America's most important art collection. more ›

Before the Austin Film Society announces their Texas Film Production Fund grants tomorrow, they’ve got a gift for the rest of us: A screening of Gas Food Lodging with director Allison Anders in attendance at The Alamo. Anders brings a strong woman’s voice and vision to independents that have been praised for their unapologetic and gritty truth. Named a Nicholl Fellow in its inaugural year, she has written and directed standout indie features, Mi Vida... more ›