On October 30, 26-year-old Burke Burnett was attacked by three men at a private Halloween party in Reno, Texas. The undeniably vicious attack appears to have been motivated by anti-gay bigotry.Late last week Burnett was informed by the Lamar County District Attorney’s Office that his attackers will face hate crime charges. more ›

• Ballet Austin director looks at "Black Swan.”
• Mmm, locally made goat cheese. We had no clue that the Pure Luck Farm & Dairy can make up to 550 pounds of cheese each week.
• Ewww! What a drive -thru burger really looks like, compared to the ads.

While many consider Austin to be the liberal oasis of Texas, that doesn't always make it a safe haven for members of the LGBT community. Last Friday night, two members of a gay softball team, the Shady Ladies, were attacked by four men who followed them from Oilcan Harry's to the parking garage at City Hall. Matt Morgan and Emmanuel Wilson had been attending Softball Austin's Jersey Night and were wearing their team jerseys when they claim they were attacked by a group of men shouting gay slurs. more ›

more ›

After an intensive manhunt to find the perpetrators of the Juneteenth murder of David Rivas Morales, Austin Police announced on Tuesday that they've arrested the man believed to have delivered the fatal blow that left Morales unconscious. Kurtiss Colvin, a 20-year-old former high school athlete, has been charged with manslaughter—a second-degree felony—as well as several lesser charges. His bail has been set at $215,000. Morales was leaving a Juneteenth celebration when the Ford Taurus he... more ›

• As smart as we think we are, we can barely remember the names of the people were introduced to yesterday. Dolphins have us beat, damn brilliant creatures.
• The energy-producing windmills that are supposed to be uber-environmentally-friendly have some bird lovers in a tizzy. Is anyone else eerily bothered by the Grackles? We're thinking we need some of those windmills scattered around town. Incidentally- Grackles are known for imitating human speech better than parrots. C.R.E.E.P.Y.
• In response to the brutal, racially motivated attack on a Houston teen, a State Senator wants to set up a "Hate Crime Registry" similar to the registry for sex offenders.
• It looks like thunderback Henry Melton could also see action at DE: With the Horns so loaded in the backfield, Brown and Melton decided to give [playing Melton at defensive end] a shot. The 270-pound Mack truck played both ways in the spring and might find himself in some situation roles at an equally stacked end position. Other news from that scouting report: We should look for WR Jordan Shipley, TE Jermichael Finley, and all three of our linebackers to make some big plays alongside all the returning talent. The big question, of course, is at quarterback.
• Ironically, the UN's latest Human Rights Forum contains members that have reputations as being the World's Worst Abusers.
• I want someone to eat me. That's what one German dude really did tell a cannibal that he met on the internet. Satisfying sexual urges has never been so easy. Said cannibal is getting life in prison where he just might take on a new fetish.
• Is there anything that your cell phone can't do? Nokia now offers a phone that acts as a personal trainer. We're just going to hold out for the pocket liposuction phone that might come out next year.
• Disney and McDonald's are ending their business deal that puts those worthless cute toys in Happy Meals. Disney doesn't want to be associated with a role in childhood obesity.

* Photo (c) Austin Police Department The Austin Police Dept released video footage of the two vandals who defaced the Texas Hillel on December 2, painting swastikas on the facility's windows and leaving animal remains at the door. Hate crimes like these are generally shocking and outrageous, but for them to happen in what should be one of the most educated, well-read parts of our admittedly backwards state is simply disgusting. Investigators described the... more ›

Looking back over the past couple of years we realize how much time we’ve spent thinking about how the U.S. is pissing off the rest of the world in gigantic, expensive and extravagant ways. Really, intolerance on a global scale has driven us to distraction. more ›