Photo by lilapants ln flickrPatrol car video footage that documents the final, pleading calls of police shooting victim Kevin Alexander Brown was made public by the city of Austin yesterday according to The Austin American-Statesman. "Please turn me over," Brown asks repeatedly from the distant background of the grainy video. His last request falls on deaf ears. "I'm gonna die," he says to the officer who shot him. The cop in question, Sgt. Michael Olsen,... more ›

Photo of the Walls Unit gurney from Britannica Student Encyclopedia 25 Years of Lethal Injection: What Have We Learned?Friday, December 7Texas Prison Museum (map) This Friday marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first execution by lethal injection in the United States. Naturally, Texas, along with the city of Huntsville -- sometimes referred to as the "execution capital of the world"-- took this honor. With executions effectively on hold in Texas while the U.S. Supreme Court... more ›

Image of criminal couple (Bonnie and Clyde) from WikipediaThe media often portrays criminals as warped master-minds, or at least uncaring creeps. A less popular, but more true to form characterization would be just-plain-stupid. Aspiring criminal master-minds, the husband and wife team of Alan and Basilia Gonzalez, were able to round up "four to six accomplices" according to KXAN, but we wouldn't go so far as to call it an organized burglary ring. A moniker like... more ›

Comic from ToothPasteForDinner.com State science curriculum director Chris Comer says she was forced to resign today according to the Austin-American Statesman. She walked away from her nine-year career with the Texas Education Agency amid accusations of insubordination and misconduct, both of which appear to be connected with her apparent bias against the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to the theory of evolution. The senior adviser on statewide initiatives, Lizzette Reynolds, who previously served... more ›

Sunday marks the tenth anniversary of Komen Austin Race for the Cure. With 24,000 attendees and a fundraising goal of over $1 million, this year’s event is expected to be the largest in the Austin's race history. Throughout the past ten years, 150,000 Austinites have raised more than $6 million dollars to support those affected by breast cancer in our community. Susan G. Komen for the Cure started as a promise between sisters back in... more ›

As reported in a heartfelt eulogy on Michael Barnes' blog, Austin lost one its treasures yesterday. Karen Kuykendall passed away at the age of 69 from complications from cancer of the lungs and spine. Ms. Kuykendall was so many things: funny, kind, amazingly talented, beautiful, friendly, bright...the list goes on and on. We met her a handful of times; she was always warm and truly delightful. And of course legions of Austinites will remember her... more ›

Usually, street closures around the Capitol hail the arrival of one of Austin's many street festivals, where you can listen to a wishy-washy blues-rocker do his best to channel Stevie Ray Vaughn while you eat a turkey leg amongst a sea of fanny-packed families and homemade jewelry vendors. But once a year it means it's Texas Book Festival time. As literary events go in this town, it is the big one. For two days... more ›

Austin writer, journalist and musician Lance Hahn died Sunday afternoon. He had been in a coma since collapsing during dialysis treatment on Friday, October 12th. Lance was 40. His contributions to the punk scene both in Austin and internationally are too many to list. He was the creative force behind Cringer and the prolific, self-described "anarcho-situationist pop-punk" band, J-Church. His chops on the guitar eventually landed him the job as Beck's guitarist in 1994. He... more ›

Austin author, entertainer, and all-around Renaissance man Owen Egerton is finally receiving some formal recognition for all of his hard work and hijinks. He's one of this year's two Best of Austin "Best Authors," in no small part due to his darkly-comedic book of short stories, How To Best Avoid Dying, released earlier this year by Austin-based Dalton Publishing. Egerton tied for the prestigious award with journalist-turned-punk-rocker-Texas-Rollergirl Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan. Her bruiser of a memoir,... more ›

We were strolling through West Campus this morning when we came across a gaggle of cops, endless yellow Police Line tape and, of all things, the bomb squad. Rio Grande between 22nd and 24th streets had been sealed off. Word was that some residences had been evacuated as well. Minutes earlier, the ubiquitous post-9/11 "suspicious package" reared its ugly head and was reported to the police. We stuck around, alongside the small crowd of bleary-eyed... more ›

Once the camera crews, exuberant (and nostalgia seeking) fans, and Illuminati-crying conspiracy theorists had retreated to their respective rocks last week, former President Clinton decided to do some shopping at BookPeople. In town to raise money for Hillary's campaign at the home of long time Clinton family friend Roy Spence of GSD&M, Bill made a stop at BookPeople where he signed over a thousand copies of his new book, Giving: How Each of Us Can... more ›

Dale Rice over at the Statesman is reporting that a rash of vandalism has erupted among downtown restaurants because they serve foies gras, the pate made from the liver of geese who are force-fed. The vandalized restaurants comprise Aquarelle, Eddie V's Edgewater Grille, Fleming's, Restaurant Jezebel, Ruth's Chris Steak House, the Spaghetti Warehouse and Truluck's. Apparently, what's getting the restaurants' collective geese are obscenities spray-painted on their signs and doors. photo by cappellmeister on... more ›

Today in Austin, a noteworthy collection of independent venues, booking agents, and filmmakers have announced their intention to collaborate to bring the city a new approach to live music and events. Transmission Entertainment is the first of its kind here in town, aiming to be the "independent alternative to booking in Austin". From their press release: Transmission Entertainment plans to coordinate the talents of great musicians, venue owners, talent buyers, filmmakers, and industry experts to... more ›

Save Our Springs Alliance, long-time advocate for Barton Springs and other environmentally-sensitive zones throughout Central Texas, issued a press release yesterday stating that it's being forced into bankruptcy by a court judgment won against it by Central Texas residential developers. In 2004, SOS Alliance filed a lawsuit against Lazy Nine Municipal Utility District, seeking to prevent the district -- which is allegedly just a puppet-agent of Wilshire Homes and Forest City Properties of Cleveland, Ohio... more ›

Last year, Microsoft came to central Texas looking for a spot to build a new $550 million data center. Austin lost out to San Antonio mostly because the City of San Antonio offered the company a better break on electricity rates for the new project. Since then, Mayor Will Wynn and the Austin City Council have been pursuing a new proposal to cut electric rates for certain types of large high-tech companies in order to... more ›

With all the recent responses, we get it - you're passionate about food. Austin is no longer a one chicken fried steak town with a burgeoning fine dining scene and three "best new chef" honorees by Food and Wine Magazine. In that spirit, the city has announced plans for its fifth annual industry-specific start-up conference: Ingredients for Success: Opening a Restaurant. The one-day forum, sponsored by the City of Austin Small Business Development Program... more ›

In the 80th Texas Legislature – going on right now in case you haven’t been near the Capitol lately and seen all the people with megaphones and message-slathered posterboards on the lawn – a bill has just been filed that would regulate commercial party boats on Austin’s local lakes. Senate Bill 997 – filed by freshman State Senator Kirk Watson (D-Austin), former Mayor of Austin and former candidate for Texas Attorney General – would essentially... more ›

This Saturday, P & K Grocery will hold a Fresh Start Fundraiser for our friend Sarah Calhoon. Around Christmastime -- you might recall the media blitz -- she and her mother lost their home and most of their possessions to a devastating South Austin fire. Many loved ones stepped in to offer a stop-gap backbone of support, providing Sarah and her mom with food, clothing and shelter. But since the pair's financial needs are long-term... more ›

We've just received word that Emo's has decided to cancel tonight's shows because of the unwavering ice storm. After two days of closure, we'd hoped to sled downtown and catch The Politics, She, Sir and Haunting Oboe inside the club proper and double-back to the lounge to attempt a glimpse of A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Weird Weeds and Ralph White, but alas. We're crossing our fingers that things start getting back to normal... more ›

If you didn't already have the day off of work or school courtesy Martin Luther King, Jr, you probably do now courtesy Mother Nature (or the rapture, your choice). Even the MLK parade is canceled! Austin roads are wet and slippery, the temperatures are dropping, and everything is going to get worse before it gets better. If you absolutely can't stay home today, please take a minute and familiarize yourself with the Emergency Conditions... more ›

The City of Austin has taken all the recycled Christmas trees and made them into a nice green, free mulch. The mulch is available at Zilker Park on a first-come, first-serve basis. It has been available since Tuesday, but there is still a large pile for the takin'. If you go to pick up mulch, bring your own gloves, bags and such, because you're on your own getting it in your vehicle. The city... more ›

As you make those New Year's resolutions, you may wonder how to get more involved in the Austin community for 2007. January is National Mentoring Month, and one way to mentor here in Austin is through a volunteer teaching position at Citizen Schools. The Boston-based nonprofit arrived in Austin last year, and helps children in lower-income middle schools to prepare for the rigors of high school and college. They've already won 2006 and 2007 Fast... more ›

Our own Austin Energy will snip the ribbon to their newest, most greenest power plant on Tuesday. Christened the Mueller Energy Center, part of the gigantic Mueller redevelopment project, the design and function of the building sports some pretty radical new fuel-saving developments. Utilizing the best technology available, the capabilities of this project point down exciting new avenues in energy conservation. Then again, this is what people have come to expect from Austin. This... more ›

All images in this post by special guest contributor Megan Griffiths This is the second post highlighting the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The first is here, but we'll ask again: if you know of good local resources to help Katrina and Rita evacuees, or if you know of any artists who were forced from their homes and into Austin, please let us know. In this installment, we highlight the work of Megan... more ›

All images in this post by special guest contributor Brandon Edwards More than a year later, the official ceremonies and memorials for the anniversaries of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have come and gone. The best, in concept, had to be the cattle drive to commemorate Rita, which had the added bonus of drawing attention to the devestation of the Southwest Louisiana's cattle industry (an ongoing catastrophe, as the saltwater that cows and trees drank... more ›

Some people think that being a professional musician is the best job in the world, and most of the time musicians probably think so, too... until they sprain a wrist or their kid gets the flu and they wind up paying $4,932 out-of-pocket. Live music being sort of a freelance occupation, it doesn't attract many healthcare providers willing to carry the extraordinary financial burden of unregulated US healthcare. Enter the Health Alliance for Austin... more ›

It appears that everyone is getting drunk and doing stupid shit nowadays. Like some sort of fad. It seems like only yesterday that you could only find depraved drunken shenanigans in college bars, border towns, or in the alleyway behind 710. It used to be considered the blissful activity of youth, or the cursed habit of unfortunates. Not anymore, buddy. Nowadays regular t-bill buyin’ local hills-dwellin’ lawyers are getting blasted on weeknights and dicking... more ›

Austin is a generally peaceful city, and we've got no issue demonstrating that we're all for it. The wars in the Middle East are serious, offering not much more than unnecessary and seemingly endless civilian casualties. Today, a rally is being organized by Instruments for Peace at the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge (the pedestrian bridge that parallells Lamar). People are encouraged to bring instruments, banners, signs, flags and costumes. The event is during rush hour so... more ›

Local chipmaker AMD is dropping $4.2 billion in cold hard cash and 57 million in shares to acquire high-end graphics chip maker ATI. The move is expected to strategically prepare AMD for the mythical release of Vista, Microsoft’s new version of Windows, which has been repeatedly pushed back. According to a press release from AMD’s site, the acquisition will result in $7.1 billion in combined sales and 14,900 total employees. The company will maintain... more ›

If you're one of those enviro-avengers styled after the heroes of I [Heart] Huckabees who chained themselves to bulldozers in the name of protecting Mother Earth, a new environmentally friendly business called Austin CarShare may appeal to you. Like Zipcar, it aims to provide urbanites with short-term car rentals, something especially useful to students who typically use mass transit, or to families with an occasional use for a second car. The neat thing is that,... more ›