On October 17th, a slew of Texas music legends including Willie Nelson, the Dixie Chicks, and George Strait played a benefit show at the Erwin Center for the victims of the Central Texas fires. That event raised a staggering $725,000 to go towards the Central Texas Wildfire Fund. The CTF and the Austin Community Foundation have gathered upwards of $1.2 million dollars together for fire relief, and now they're starting the grant process. more ›

This post is by new news writer Chris Galis. - ed. Austin Energy will be hosting the second of a series of four public meetings regarding the proposed 13% rate hike set to take effect next year. In an effort to appeal to public opinion and engender public knowledge of why the rate hikes are occurring and what they are designed to fund, Austin Energy and the City’s Electric Utility Commission (EUC) have laid out a comprehensive Public Review Process. more ›

Please welcome new news writer Chris Galis. -- ed. Earlier this week, residents of badly hit neighborhoods in Bastrop, such as Tahitian Village, were allowed to return to their homes and take inventory of the damage for the first time since their evacuation. The worst fire season in Texas history has caused upwards of 250 million dollars of damage across Central Texas. 150 million dollars of damages occurred in Bastrop alone. Reports are coming in today that the Bastrop area fire is now 80% contained. more ›

The city council stuck with most of the proposed budget for 2011-12, but did make some adjustments in their vote yesterday. The extra money in city coffers (mostly gained from high energy use through Austin Energy this summer) meant that the city council could keep some things in the budget that had been suggested for cuts. more ›

In the words of the Wu-Tang Clan, C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me). . .and cash especially rules in politics. Super PAC Make Us Great Again has Texas-sized ambitions in its quest to make Gov. Rick Perry the Republican candidate in the 2012 presidential election. more ›

While the previous school year was wrought with budget cuts, layoffs and the threat of school closures, this new year is starting out on a positive note. more ›

The proposed budget presentation put together by the City Manager and being currently considered by the City Council is now posted online (in .pdf) . A few items of note suggested by the proposal: shaving ten hours off the Central Library's weekly schedule, implementing new fees for the Zilker Botanical Garden, converting Austin Recreation Center from a full service center to a lease/rental venue, bumping the APD cadet academy start date from this October to April 2012, and raising property taxes as well as water and energy rates (if the Council approves Austin Energy's rate increases). Public hearings on this budget proposal will be held in August, with the City Council making the final decision in September. [KVUE] more ›

The Texas Department of Public Safety stated Monday that they indeed have records tracking the cost of security for Gov. Rick Perry before 2008, after originally claiming the documents had been "purged." The department still refuses to release these records, citing security reasons. more ›

Add to the list: he sure travels like a candidate. According to the Texas Tribune, Rick Perry's hefty traveling schedule has raised some eyebrows recently, especially as the governor has been unofficially roped into the running for the 2012 presidential election. more ›

Time Warner, in an attempt to make more money off the internet (which the UN declared a human right), is now offering "Wideband" service for $99.99…when bundled with other Time Warner Cable services, natch. Thing is, Wideband is simply a clever marketing term for greater working bandwidth in your home (i.e. wider-bandwidth). This particular upgrade would be offered on top of TWC's $64.99 Road Runner Extreme package; the price scheme involved should be familiar to anyone who has gone to a third party for web hosting services and seen the vastly different prices between storage brackets. more ›

• So much for using the Rainy Day Fund. . .
• State Sen. Fraser files bill to regulate electric co-ops.
• Nuclear crisis in Japan may mean no expansion for South Texas Project's plant.

• The infamous abortion sonogram bill has passed the Texas House and is on its way to the Senate.
• With all the brouhaha over school district budgets, you might like to see the rundown of salaries for Texas district superintendents.
• Over the weekend, the Texas Nationalists rallied for secession at the Capitol.

Last night the Austin School Board met to muddle over how best to deal with a troubled budget. Suggested cuts have included the possible closing of schools and laying-off about 536 staff. The school board refrained from slashing the budget for school librarians -- that $600,000 will have to be found elsewhere -- but did vote to eliminate 485 other positions, a majority of which are teachers. These cuts will go into effect next school year. AISD expects to use about $28 million from savings to aid the budget, with teachers' merit pay reduced and no performance bonus for Superintendent Carstarphen. Unfortunately, school closings aren't off the table . . . they will be discussed as that AISD task force meets tonight. [KUT] more ›

The City of Austin has a survey open until January 12 on how Austinites use parking downtown. According to this survey, the city is looking into extending the hours of downtown parking meters until midnight Mondays through Saturdays (Sundays would still be free). If you live or work downtown, or just enjoy spending a lot of time in that area of town, let the city know what you think about this idea. [City of Austin survey] more ›

• Texas to Federal Gov: We don't need your sex ed money.
• The Flagship Hotel on Galveston’s Seawall will likely be torn down for an amusement park
• Lacharlesla Edwards, girlfriend of Baylor University basketball player LaceDarius Dunn (and mother of his 3 year-old son), wants assault charges dropped. Edwards claims Dunn didn’t hit her, and her jaw isn’t broken.

• U.S. envoy's N. Korea trip brings no commitment on nuclear talks.
• Defense Secretary Robert Gates predicts new sanctions against Iran.
• Obama garners rare unified praise for Nobel speech.

• City Council was told today that Austin faces a $30 million budget gap in the next year.
• Waco lawmaker suggests moving the governor to the Pease Mansion, as buying that property would cost much less than restoration for the current mansion is expected to cost.
• Legislation to accept the federal stimulus money for unemployment insurance passed in State Senate and moving to the House; Gov. Perry not happy.

Only about 4% of the $24 million recommended for Gov. Perry's office budget still remained after the House voted Friday. Democratic Rep. Jessica Farrar proposed using $4 million for veterans programs instead of that money going to Perry's office. A House Republican (Rep. John Davis of Houston) proposed taking $18.7 million from Perry's planned budget, to go instead towards community "crisis services" which aid the mentally ill. Both proposals passed the House with little debate. more ›

• North Korea is no longer talking.
• Loosening up on Cuba.
• Changes may be coming in credit card land.

• Psst! Procrastinators! Wednesday Is Tax Day
• Somalian Pirates vowing revenge, target U.S. and French sailors
• Anti-abortion recruitment on rise

There is a really great album dying, just dying, to escape from this 53-minute minefield. Because, sure enough, excellent sounds abound here, and perhaps even enough for an LP, but, unfortunately, they are burdened by a slew of headache-inducing sonic experiments no less than difficult to tolerate, let alone enjoy. more ›

State Board of Education holding a hearing today in Austin on the teaching of evolution. In these troubled economic times, don't our state legislators deserve to spend $140,000 on chandeliers and expensive granite countertops for their members-only lounge? Progress Coffee is selling food for donations tomorrow (from 6:30am-7pm); all proceeds will go to Bread for the World and Capital Area Food Bank. Family security lanes now in use at ABIA. Federal officials holding a hearing on the South Texas border fence. Seven Katy varsity cheerleaders indicted for hazing charges. Will Smith and Tony Romo stopped by a pep rally at Lake Highlands High School yesterday. more ›

An Austin Police Department employee may have dipped his hand into Santa’s toy sack. APD civilian supervisor Nicholas Medina was charged with theft by a public servant for stealing $959.17 worth of Wal-Mart gift cards from APD’s Blue Santa fund. more ›

• Obama thinks tonight's the night.
• Tampa gives nation the massive creeps.
• Teddy's surgery goes well; nonetheless, his prospects are not stellar.

Cabela's has to return $173,000 in local tax incentives after failing to meet job goals. After failing to update their billing system after annexations, Time Warner Cable owes the city over $1 million. Three armed robberies in three weeks on the UT campus; police think the robber may be targeting Asian students. Some of the kids removed from the FLDS sect will be placed in foster care in Austin. more ›

Photo by jenn_jenn on flickr
• Find out how much money your neighbors make at Statesman.com
• Make it work! ‘Project Runway’s’ Tim Gunn coming to Austin
• AMD's chief technology officer resigns, no plans to replace him

Meanwhile, both Obama and Clinton are pulling out all the stops to appeal to our state's Hispanic population, which account for as much as 25% of Texas' eligible voters, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. Obama today launched a Spanish radio ad (mp3) stressing his humble working-class roots. Each campaign is also spending upwards of $1 million on TV ads that began running this week. more ›

Dame Edna had to cancel her entire North American tour due to complications from appendix surgery. Said the Dame in a letter to her loyal Austin fans, "Texas is no country for sick Megastars, so I will see you in November 7-9, 2008 [at the Paramount], possums." more ›

At the Vortex, Rob Nash continues the saga of the Smiths in the holiday edition of his Holy Cross series, 12 Steps to a More Disfunctional Family. Nash is a wonder to behold as he switches characters, and you don't have to be familiar with the storyline to enjoy the current installation. more ›

The Paramount presents White ChristmasDecember 9th, 11th and 12thParamount Theater (713 Congress Avenue)$7 / $5 Children, Students and Seniors, 7pm-ish, Tickets available at the box office day of show[info]Being that we live in a heat belt where it is not uncommon to see kids raking leaves in tank tops and jorts on Christmas Day (seriously, we've done it...well, not the jorts part), dreaming of a white Christmas is something that we are intimately familiar... more ›