On the brink of having a home for the first time in decades, 72-year-old Kevin Hawk passed away last month. more ›

Forget what you think you know about Austin’s homeless, this weekend's Art From the Streets: The 2011 Show and Sale is a showcase of their talent. more ›

Front Steps and Mobile Loaves and Fishes, two nonprofits which serve Austin's homeless population, are scheduled to receive 76,000 bottles of water from Houston's I Am Waters Foundation on Wednesday. This foundation is dedicated to providing clean drinking water to the homeless, with words of inspiration on the bottle. 26,000 of their donated bottles will go to MLF, with 50,000 going to Front Steps, the organization that manages ARCH downtown. Given the extremely hot summer our city is set to face, Front Steps expects to hand out about 500 bottles of water a day. [KUT News] more ›

This past weekend, I managed to deeply offend a woman I’d met just the day before. The initial meeting went well—we were at a conference that encompassed all facets of a shared passion. Day two, when we bumped into each other again, she mentioned she was from New Jersey, which is where I spent my first eighteen years before escaping as fast and far as I could. As I recall the conversation of great offense, I see now I was talking out of both sides of my mouth, concurring with her that the state holds some real natural beauty (it does) but not making any secret out of my overall disdain for the place. Based on her response—which was swift, angry, and conversation stopping—I’m going to say that to her ears, I said one thing and one thing only: “New Jersey is a shithole.” Never mind that I didn’t actually ever say the word “shithole.” I could tell that whatever professional relationship we might’ve formed was gone in an instant. more ›

There are many great art events taking place around town this weekend. Here is a rundown of the highlights: Yard Dog Art will be hosting an opening reception for their latest exhibit from 7-9pm on Friday. Over and Under is a group show curated by Jenny Hart from Sublime Stitching. Austin's embroidery queen first exhibited her work at Yard Dog and has now selected work from a list of stitching all-stars. Over and Under showcases the wide range of styles and techniques that stem from the simple stitch - from Emily Eibel's quilt squares that depict modern folk scenes to the delicate hoop-framed work of Veronica Fuentes. The truly inspired can pick up a Sublime Stitching kit and do the over and under all night long. more ›

G8 set global warming targets (while we swelter in Austin). Help the homeless survive the heat. Young punks: two teenagers responsible for the loss of 150,000 gallons of water in Johnson City and 420,000 gallons in Blanco. Sen. Cornyn could care less about what you think of his travel expenses. LA's tax dollars hard at work to remember MJ. Madoff won't appeal because he is about to hop the next jet to Ken Lay's private island. The size of the signs will definitely do the trick. more ›

Over a span of 6 months I trekked out on the weekends/weeknights to converse with some of Austin's houseless (as they like to be called). These images are my attempt to share what I took away from each of these individuals. more ›

This week's news on art, books, music, and film. more ›

Photo by pisti on stock.xchngAustin City Council will discuss a resolution today that calls for expanding services for the local homeless population. Councilmember Jennifer Kim, citing the need for a "comprehensive and compassionate" strategy in dealing with Austin's estimated 6,000 indigents, sponsored the proposal. From what we've seen, the measure mostly calls for re-prioritizing and increasing social services funding, providing more beds at local shelters, and collecting more data on the homeless. Critics of the... more ›

Photo by dground on flickr City Council considering the gathering of information about Austin's homeless and the expansion of services that help them. The council may also merge Park Police, Austin Aviation Police and City Marshals with APD. Travis County officials aiding Hays County officials in the search for a woman who may have witnessed the murder of her son. Williamson County man on the run from child sexual assault charges captured in Costa Rica.... more ›

Poster by christoball Acknowledge MeSaturday, December 1Scoot Inn (1308 E. Fourth)$5, 8pm-2am, 21+[info] As if you didn't have enough fun events from which to choose this weekend, we'd also like to mention the Acknowledge Me shindig happening on Saturday evening at the Scoot Inn. Billed as "for the creatively disposed and the disposably creative," the event begins at 8 p.m. Among the things to see and do: Over thirty vendors at a DIY craft market... more ›

The death toll from the cyclone that hit Bangladesh is over 3,000 now; the UN says a million people have been left homeless. We're (*cough*) so surprised: Austin named the fall allergy capital of the nation. Alberto Gonzales didn't have an easy time speaking at the University of Florida last night. After child workers were found at one of their factories in India, Gap is determined to improve working conditions there. US Military calls... more ›

Overheard in Austin is back! If you've heard anything worthy of repeating, or good for a laugh, send your quotes to overheard@austinist.com and we'll publish the best ones. Girl eating brunch across from a guy:Try this. Guy:It’s okay. Girl:You don’t know how to taste food right. You know why? It’s because you leave a little bit of food in your mouth from your last bite. (Pause) You know what I mean. Photographer at Fun Fest,... more ›

Former Westlake High teacher resigns to teach at a lower-income school; less than pleased, Eanes school district attempts to get him suspended A UT journalism student has a nice chat with Dan Rather during a morning Jet Blue flight from Austin to New York City A routine traffic stop in Hunt County turns up two dozen embalmed human heads in the back of a tractor-trailer A woman in the Dallas/Fort Worth area comes forward with... more ›

One burrito to rule them all: 10,000 lb burrito to be built at October fundraiser for local charities. Texan Dan Rather is suing CBS (and others related to his ouster) for $70 million. GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson visited Dell today. Southwest Airlines is sticking with open seating, but families with small kids will no longer get to go first. A rabid bat was found this morning at St. Edwards. A local filmmaker is... more ›

Best known as the frontman of alt-country group Richmond Fontaine, Willy Vlautin is now also an author. His debut novel, The Motel Life, takes the same bleak, resigned-to-fate look on life that fuels his music. The story centers around the relationship of brothers Frank and Jerry Lee, who flee town after one of them accidentally kills a boy in a drunken hit-and-run accident. They find a strange kind of freedom in their ensuing travels; it's... more ›

Greece is burning up. Meanwhile, China is simply self-destructing (with a little help from the world). It was about two years ago...remember? Viagra makes people fall in love. With each other, not Viagra. Hopefully. Some guy tried to open the airplane door in midflight. (Probably had a seat next to a two-year-old. Desperate times...) Sam Jackson got mistaken for a homeless guy, but didn't mind. Ang Lee's new movie is too hot for America... more ›

Settle down, gore hounds, for this weekend’s movie releases are clearly not for you (put your blood-soaked dreams of a modernized Michael Myers on hold for one more week). The real question is – are this week’s new releases for anyone? If fans of Scarlett Johansson’s panty lines and Rowan Atkinson’s crotch shots really do exist, then there must be at least a few audience members out there reveling in the fact that their time... more ›

Austin police nab the asshole who (allegedly) pretended to sublet several campus-area apartments to unsuspecting folks, who'd later discover they'd been dupedHaving temporarily lost their brand new skate park, kids in Round Rock promise to behave A Fort Worth cop who slapped a girl's ass after catching her fooling around with her boyfriend in a parked car gets arrested Two con artists in North Texas are convicted for scamming would-be vacationers out of over... more ›

So far this year, eighteen people have been murdered in Austin. Six of those murders remain unsolved. One of these unsolved murders occurred in a drainage ditch under 30th Street in a bustling campus area busy with all day (and night) bike, car and foot traffic. The victim was a 50-year old blind man named Randall Hays. Robbery is believed to be the motive in this murder and he wasn't stabbed or shot, but... more ›

[Editor's note: Cockfight Ethics is a biweekly column written by a long-time Austin opinion-monger and word-slanger, Percy Julian. The opinions expressed herein are the writer’s, and the writer’s alone. They do not necessarily represent those of the Austinist or its editorial staff.] If the other articles don’t hurt me later, this one will, initially. I go to Spider House and Beauty Bar quite often. And each time, I can’t help but to think “Are these... more ›

Want to join the ranks of the Austinist staff and publish fawning love letters to things like White Denim, Green Energy, and homeless people? Great, because we're looking for new contributors! Specifically, we're out to find 6 or 7 folks who'd like to write about any of the following: Food and Wine (e.g. restaurant reviews, special tastings) Books (book reviews, author appearances, lectures) Fine Art (gallery previews/reviews, artist interviews) Fashion News (local/regional/national) Sports Theatre/Comedy Community/Nonprofit/Volunteer... more ›

Austinist was deeply saddened and disturbed to hear of the horrific murder of Randall Hays, better known as Tennessee, a long-term resident of Hemphill Park. A frequent presence in the park, Tennessee was blind and spent most of his time in the immediate area. Police are still searching for Tennessee's family, but in a sense the people with whom he came into daily contact were his family. Austin's homeless community is mourning one of their... more ›

The usually busy streets of 30th and Hemphill, near late night hot spots Trudy's and Spiderhouse, just east of Guadalupe Street were at an eerie standstill this afternoon when it was discovered that a middle-aged, white transient was found murdered in the drainage ditch that runs down the middle of Hemphill Park, just a few blocks north of The University of Texas. This neighborhood, especially the specific section of the drainage ditch, is frequented... more ›

As you might recall, a homeless man inadvertently started a fire on the outdoor patio of Mother's Cafe earlier this month, causing an estimated $500,000 in damage. No charges were filed against the man, John Evans, who was merely trying to stay warm; Mother's co-owner Cameron Alexander demonstrated an extraordinary degree of compassion in agreeing with fire investigators that Mr. Evans should not be punished. While no one was injured by the blaze, much... more ›

A little under a year ago, the building where community radio station KOOP resided was destroyed in two freak fires. Rendered homeless and limited by meager finances, the station temporarily moved its broadcasting space to 89.5FM KMFA's headquarters, while taking up residency with the ACLU Foundation of Texas to house their offices. Thanks to an enormous outpouring of aid from the local community, KOOP was recently able to relocate to a new studio of... more ›

Although Art From the Streets has had their show and sale benefitting the homeless for 14 years now, last year was the first time we visited the show (after reading about it here). We were stunned by the amount of great works available for purchase. We had already paid for two abstract paintings (one by John Monbelly and one by Stacy) when we realized there was a whole room full of art we had... more ›

It's the time of year to get out and make some connections. The cool weather has arrived, and the holidays are just around the corner. No one wants to spend New Year's Eve alone sober, so it's time to find someone more booze. Until then, you can just kick back with the best of last week's Missed Connections... one leg, all heart - m4w you were on your cruches and whistling at the homeless... more ›

Apparently the nuclear testing by North Korea has made South Koreans a tad frisky. Obese people are totally bad for the environment. And we aren't talking about methane gas. Students in business school are a bunch of cheaters. That explains quite a bit. On its death-bed, the Ford Taurus is considered to have been a huge influence within the auto industry. Grandpa would be glad to know he's storing a piece of history. In... more ›

Mobile Loaves and Fishes has recently started a program called Habitat on Wheels. This program supplies homeless and working-poor Austinites with gently-used trailer homes for very reasonable rental rates. This weekend the organization is presenting a renovated mobile home to Elalein Hathaway, a 63-year-old single homeless woman whose husband died in service in Vietnam. Mobile Loaves and Fishes is currently seeking land in Austin to develop its own trailer park community for this program,... more ›