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......

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......

In case you’ve been holed up in your apartment/home/condo with no electricity for the past few days, we’re sad to tell you that Southern California is currently being devoured by raging wildfires, and there are no signs of the fires stopping. CNN is updating like, every 2.3 minutes, and it’s one of the most devastating things we’ve ever seen. Times like these, it feels like there’s not much you can do but sit and refresh......

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......

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......

The age-old question: “What makes a hit?” Ever since the American music industry was born, record companies have engaged in the endless search for that magic formula that will predict the “next big thing” with reliable accuracy. So far, no success. Record companies may have plenty of information at their disposal, but when you get down to it, choosing to market one artist over another is still little more than an educated guess. A new......

People of Austin, patrons of the World Wide Web, you’re about to get ripped off! If you’ve ever rented a car, you know how this works. You don’t want the Mercedes, just something reliable that will provide the basic necessities. “I’ll take the Lincoln, please.” This seems like a good, mid-level choice. The clerk obliges and enters your credit card information. Then, with a plastic smile, she looks up and asks you: “Would you......

Tomorrow marks the 30th year of the American Cancer Society’s day-long Smoking Cessation program, The Great American Smoke Out. The premise of the day is to get smokers to quit smoking for just one day. The hope is that with each passing hour, smokers will want to "Stay Quit," and resist the urge to light up until smoking addiction is no longer an issue. It doesn’t take a Rocket Scientist to tell you what you......

What does this story have to do with Austin? Well, nothing really, except for the fact that we're all humans first and Austinites second. Or something like that. OK, enough defending ourselves, but we had to pass along this story. You have probably seen this story already, but for those who haven't, last week in Rochester, New York something very special happened in a high school gymnasium. Greece Athena High School student Jason McElwain......

Looks like Dick Cheney will be spared the public humiliation of any further investigation into the events of earlier this week, as the Kennedy County Sheriff's Department has said the case is closed. But, we imagine, the damage is done. Literally and figuratively. Whittington said the shooting "was just an accident," and he was concerned all the media attention would give hunting in Texas a bad image, the report said. Give hunting a bad......

In a recent letter released under the Freedom of Information Act, the National Security Agency (NSA) revealed that it is paying two news agencies - Reuters and the Associated Press - for information. Other government agencies purchase news wire services, but no other agency presents the NSA's level of secrecy and defensiveness with such purchases. Is it possible that the NSA is influencing the media and free speech? The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EEF) has......

Guns don't kill people; vice presidents (almost) do. Guess who's having the Worst Week Ever. We would have to say that local attorney Harry Whittington is definitely in the running. After losing some property in the fire of a week ago that ravaged the KOOP building, Whittington was shot over the weekend. In the face. With a shotgun. By Richard Cheney. Yes, that Richard Cheney. The VP was on a quail hunting trip with......

Right, right, right. This isn’t “Austin-specific”, but it’s damn-sure important. Wow. It will never cease to be fascinating how some people are incapable of any empathy whatsoever. As if their way is not only the best, but the only way. And all other solutions, being bogus, deserve to be squashed. By violence, if necessary. Sure, there’s a couple of conclusions being jumped here. The first one being that the kid in the CNN article......

The US Senate has, rather begrudgingly, named Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. the 110th US Supreme Court justice. The conservative former federal judge will replace the moderate and graceful Sandra Day O'Connor. Good look, great justice. We just hope Alito takes to wearing doilies when out on the town. The vote indicates that DC is more divided along partisan lines than ever before. With very important congressional elections looming in the coming years, the two......

Texas - A lobbyist hired by the Texas Office of State-Federal Relations once worked closely with DeLay cohort Jack Abramoff. The lobbyist, Todd Boulanger, was a member of what was known as "Team Abramoff" (lawyers are so creative) while they were working at a law firm together. We won't bore you with all the details, but essentially Todd worked with Abramoff as registered lobbyist for Indian tribes who were coerced into "donating" money in......

Texans are a scrappy lot, even if they come from pampered Bush stock. Once they get it into their heads to, say, abolish a woman’s right to choose, it is hard to stop them. But Planned Parenthood found their own Lone Star hero in Cecile Richards, daughter of former governor Ann Richards and the incoming PPFA president. The announcement coincides with the beginning of the Samuel Alito Supreme Court nomination hearings, a historic event......

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused Monday to intervene in the prosecution of DeLay on money-laundering charges. This comes two days after he abandoned his hopes to reclaim the job of majority leader for the U.S. House of Representatives. Currently Reps. Roy Blunt and John Boehner are set to duke it out over who should take over as majority leader. It finally looks like the gangsters are turning on one of their own.......

But the price of stamps is about to go up, kiddos. Beginning January 8th, a 1 ounce first-class stamp (man, that's a classy piece of paper) will cost you 39 cents. FYI- they cost 37 now. The two ouncer will go from 60 to 63. And even our friend Mr. Postcard will go up a Lincoln to 24 cents. Get all the new rates here. You can still use your 37-cent stamps, but you......

A bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives might make it illegal for churches to help undocumented immigrants. Two Austin-area representatives, Michael McCaul and Lamar Smith, cosponsored the bill. The bill, called the Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, would block employers from hiring illegal immigrants, increase surveillance along the border and increase penalties for alien smuggling. The bill also mentions criminal penalties for anyone who "harbors, conceals, or......

In a four minute session, Congress approved a brief extension to the Patriot Act through February 3rd, preventing its unconstitutional anti-terrorism provisions from running out at the end of this year. The PATRIOT Act, or "Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism" (say that five times fast), previously faced a six-month extension that was blocked by House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner's staunch refusal to agree to the terms: "A six-month extension,......

Image from http://www.epa.gov/kids/ The EPA has proposed a new rule regarding the testing of toxic pesticides on humans. On August 2, 2005, Congress had mandated the EPA create a rule that permanently bans chemical testing on pregnant women and children, without exception. But the EPA's newly proposed rule, is ridden with exceptions where chemical studies may be performed on children in certain situations like the following: 1. Children who "cannot be reasonably consulted," such......

A man is arrested and charged for murdering his mother-in-law in 2001. Today is the busiest day the post office will have, as it is the last chance to mail those gifts if you want them to arrive before Christmas. If you want to give something back besides that pink bunny suit your aunt made for you, check out this list of organizations looking for volunteers that was compiled by The Statesman. After working......

We told you last week about good ol' W. authorizing the NSA to spy on people inside the country without first getting warrants from a court. Well, fortunately, the bozos in Washington are not going to let the Prez get off with just a smirk, a shoulder shrug and a sarcastic comment (well, as sarcastic a comment as can be conjured by a moron). Democrats and Republicans in Congress are seeking a bi-partisan investigation......

Washington - In an effort to "shut down" illegal immigration, the House has called for contruction of a 700-mile wall along parts of the U.S. border, including parts of Texas. The proposal was offered as an amendment to the immigration bill, which passed 260-159. The barrier will stretch from the Pacific Coast to the Gulf of Mexico, with priority being placed on the crossing around Laredo. Both sides of the political "fence" will debate......

President Bush admitted that deciding to go to war with Iraq before checking the facts was his bad. Panhandlers are making headlines again, as the Austin City Council is set to vote on new ordinances regarding "panhandling, solicitation, and sleeping on the sidewalk." Owners of Mickey's and Click's Billards are headed to court because some people were caught smoking inside the bars. Click's actually has 9 violations. Each citation could cost the bar owners......

We find it shocking that President Bush sounded - how can we say this politely - silly in his interview with NBC Nightly News on Monday. The man is obviously an oratory genius, and like 99.9% of his public appearances, we're guessing an interview on network television would be carefully scripted and rehearsed. Yet these choice snippets actually came out of his mouth. We recommend the Bush administration hire new PR people. (We also......

In their quest to provide the ultimate caffeine buzz, Coca Cola has created Coke Blak. This coffee-infused soda will be distributed throughout France in January. Americans will have to wait until mid-2006 to experience what is sure to be a delicious heart palpitation in a can. Speaking of coke, we would like to remind you that not all white powder is appropriate for snorting. If it is, say, queso fresco, we don’t recommend hiring......

Have you all noticed there have been lots and lots of car accidents lately? Another happened this morning, one person died. Tapes of Julie Schroder (former APD officer) describing what happened the night she shot and killed Daniel Rocha have been released. Should the military be allowed on college campuses for recruitment purposes ? Sadaam boycotts his trial, so they go on without him. The latest fad in diets is the no diet diet.......

Parents traveling with screaming children this holiday season should learn to make them hush up; your fellow passengers can once again be armed and dangerous. Beginning Dec. 22, you will be allowed to carry scissors, screw drivers, and the notorious nail clippers on commercial airlines. The thousands of dollars we have spent replacing confiscated manicure equipment is depressing. Apparently many in the airline industry are disturbed by this logical turn of events. Our favorite......

-Austinites can help raise government bred labs who will grow up to become bomb sniffers. They foot all the bills, but you've got to give the dog back when it's 14 months. -UT gets a new President. -Rice says the definition of torture is relative. -And your parents thought you had problems. -Brad Pitt is adopting Angelina's children. -Britney kicked Kevin out because the "weedman" showed up at their house again, also firing two......