Melissa Del Bosque, reporter for the Texas Observer Magazine, couldn’t have said it any better: “Is he a cop playing an actor, or an actor playing a cop?” The same actor that is famous for his over-the-top action hero flicks like Hard to Kill and Under Siege, Steven Seagal is now the newest border deputy in Hudspeth County in west Texas. more ›

Photo by clickykbd on flickr Two state pension fends haven't yet divested from Iran, even though Perry asked them to. Kelso takes on Hyde Park Baptist Church's treatment of the Austin Area Interreligious Ministries Thanksgiving service. Mother of weekend murder victim is still missing. Drivers of both vehicles involved in Burnet County wreck this morning died at the scene. UK organization working with Texas law enforcement officers to set up Trace.com, which keeps records of... more ›

This fall, you may begin noticing our local law enforcement looking a bit more, well, stylish. Austin Police Department is revamping its uniforms and vehicles, in the hopes of "creating a new version" of the organization, says Police Chief Art Acevedo. Part of the changes include larger badges, which will feature the Star of Texas above the Capitol. Gone are any traces of red on the uniforms themselves—in some cases, they'll be replaced with a... more ›

Ah, the verbal blunder. The slip o’ the tongue. The stutter, the stumble, the embarrassing gaffe at the company Christmas party. You’ve been using language practically all your life, so why does your tongue continue to betray you so? The truth is, for just about every person on the planet, verbal blunders are unavoidable. We like to test ourselves with tongue twisters (why does Sally keep selling those seashells by the seashore? It can’t... more ›

From the tallest skyscraper in the City of Brotherly Love to Canadian tourism copywriting brilliance, here's what you should know from our -ist cities: This week, Phillyist took a gleeful listen to the White Stripes' exciting new release, watched in awe as their new tallest skyscraper was finally completed, found a cheaper way to get to Gothamist, invented a tasty new dessert, and brought back their Craigslist Round-Up feature with a bang. Bostonist watches... more ›

A father and son were walking home from church last night in the Capital Plaza area (around Cameron Rd. and Reinli) when they were robbed. After taking everything the immigrant family had on them, the robbers shot and killed the teenage boy, in front of his father. If you were in the area behind Popeye's Chicken and the Austin Cornerstone Church last night around 10pm and witnessed anything, please call 477-3588 (the homicide tip... more ›

The Texas Observer is releasing a fascinating story this week about a new intelligence database called the “Texas Data Exchange” (aka, “TDEx”). The stated purpose of this database is to catch criminals, hunt down terrorists and allow law enforcement agencies throughout Texas to share valuable information. Close to $4 million has been spent so far on this behemoth, and it’s already chock full of records. Now, the existence of this database is hardly news; such databases are often necessary for effective law enforcement these days, assuming they're used ethically for their intended purpose. The real story here is that TDEx isn’t being run by the state's top law enforcement agency, the Texas Department of Public Safety, as required by current law. It’s being run by Gov. Rick Perry’s office. more ›

The Supreme Court takes up its first climate change case. Dedicate your yoga practices to swing voter Anthony Kennedy. Need more evidence that the post-Google YouTube has jumped the shark? Cops are on there now. Wal-Mart's sales fell in November for the first time in a decade. That capitalism, she's a fickle mistress. One in every 32 American adults were under law enforcement control (jail, probation, parole) last year. That's a record. Go team!... more ›

The more things change, the more they stay the same. And in some senses, that's a good thing. Louisiana state troopers, notorious for being overzealous in their pursuit of people travelling with drugs, busted Texas legend Willie Nelson and four others with mushrooms and weed. Law enforcement officials issued citations for the men after an early morning commercial vehicle inspection on I-10. "When the door was opened and the trooper began to speak to the... more ›

As part of a summer movie selection featuring all things that slither, live underground and otherwise make us go, “Eww,” is the Austin-filmed How To Eat Fried Worms, based on Thomas Rockwell’s timeless children’s book. more ›

Cometh the 2006 American midterm election season. Hark! Let the melee commence! Bring on the ideological struggle! Loose, let the personal insults fly! Thus far: Plenty of false starts in the news, nothing much interesting to share. Sure, Bush came out against homosexual marriage again the other day. Blah. Typical, predictable, Christian Coalition rabble-rousing, failed President flailing in his death-throes, blah-blah nothing to see folks, move along. But the REAL opening salvo for the... more ›

Grrr. There's some straight-talking, cut-that-jive-or-I'll-slap-you karma in the air this week. Out in Washington, members of congress are smacking around their local law enforcement, in NYC, city detectives have been shooting people for money, and here in Texas, some ass on the Sunset Advisory Commission has issued fightin' words 'gainst our arts community. Well theatre-goers, we're fighting back. Grrr, again. Earlier this week we told you how local artists have rounded up mad cash... more ›

The ETA, a separatist group in Spain, has declared a ceasefire after several decades of often violent campaigning for a separate state. Their intention is to focus on their own democratic process in the Basque Country. Russia has promised a "significant supply" of energy to China's evergrowing population by building a pipeline directly from Siberia to the populous country. Bobby Brown's original boy band- New Edition-yeah you heard me- is going to reunite-what, are... more ›

The Austin Lesbian/Gay Political Caucus (ALGPC), whose mission is to "unite and organize Austin-area LGBT citizens and our friends and supporters in political action against all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender expression," recently extended an opportunity to the Democratic candidates running in March's primary elections for ALGPC endorsement. Those seeking endorsements were asked to fill out a questionnaire, answering questions such as: more ›

The Austin Police Deparment is having trouble filling its cadet class for the summer session. They are still seeking another 50-70 good folks to join the legion of those who protect & serve, and sometimes illegally mace and shoot. The summer class usually reaches enrollment capacity by mid-February, but they have extended this year's deadline to mid-April. more ›

Austinist despises drunk drivers. But we rest easier knowing that Austin's police force is out on the streets, actively patrolling for scumbag DUI'ers. more ›