12:38pm: The latest news is that the pilot who flew the plane into the Echelon Building is believed to have written this manifesto. If you view the source code (as we did), you'll note the content was first created on Feb. 16, and last saved early this morning. The content author is shown as "Joe Stack." In this, Mr. Stack addresses his beef with the IRS, saying among other things,

"In a government full of hypocrites from top to bottom, life is as cheap as their lies and their self-serving laws. . . I choose to not keep looking over my shoulder at “big brother” while he strips my carcass, I choose not to ignore what is going on all around me, I choose not to pretend that business as usual won't continue; I have just had enough."

Another interview with our governor: he tells the Washington Post, "just because you're a liberal doesn't mean that you can't be loyal, trustworthy and kind and obedient." Good to know. Federal judge decides to suspend the law preventing groups from raising funds to lobby for the ouster of the Texas Speaker. Is Craddick soon to be outta here? Dukes campaign manager complains about Thompson's big donors; Dukes herself has received a chunk of change from GOP donor Bob Perry. Double homicide on East Sixth Street early this morning. Firefighters fighting garage fire in Northwest Austin this morning find a body inside. more ›

The high winds aren't helping the firefighters working on the grass fires in Burnet, Williamson and Hays counties. People involved in ACL fire are suing the makers of the RV and the manufacturers of the parts on the propane tank. Complaint filed with Texas Ethics Commission against Dawnna Dukes for her incomplete reporting of $90,000 worth of campaign credit card charges. more ›

Photo by Miss Barbara on flickr After all that this morning, no one was found inside McBride's after the police got in. Over the weekend, a Hays County deputy found 730 pounds of marijuana when he pulled over a Suburban in Buda. LaBare trying to get permits to set up shop off of Braker and IH35; the neighbors aren't too excited about it. Cops on the lookout for woman (and two accomplices) who robbed a... more ›

Late night fire at police commander's house in Northwest Austin leaves over half a million dollars worth of damage. Firefighters from various regions of the country attend Central Texas wildfire training school. Hays County Area Food Bank starts their Thanksgiving food drive. Hannah Hawley, announced missing yesterday, is back with her family. Notice a different taste to our tap water? Sen. Cornyn votes against bill that would grant citizenship to young illegal immigrants who... more ›

Austin is full of small, out of the way places that we have grown to love. These aren't the big name restaurants that everyone already knows about or the restaurants in the warehouse district or downtown locations. In fact, two of them are in nondescript strip malls, and one is surrounded by giant safety cones. These places offer up good (and in the case of Tomo, great) food in locations away from the city center.... more ›

It's always awesome when Austinites earn national recognition — unless it's coming from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Back in May, a 20-something-year-old woman robbed a Northwest Austin Wachovia bank, while sporting a UT cap and a rather confident smile. The sassy lady evidently had such a good go of her first robbery that she took her one-woman-act to the west coast. According to the FBI's "WANTED" poster, the "Ponytail Bandit" is believed to have also robbed banks in Roseville, California, and Lynnwood, Washington. In all three cases, her M.O. remained the same: shoulder-length blonde ponytail pulled through the back of a baseball cap, she'd simply saunter into the building, demand money from a teller, and walk out. She's also characterized by a rather unique waiting line stance: arms crossed and shoulders slouching forward ever so slightly, the stick-thin Ponytail Bandit bears a striking resemblance to one Montgomery Burns. Those with info on this fugitive are invited to ring the FBI at 202-324-3000.

Austin police are on the lookout for a 20-something woman who robbed a Wachovia Bank in Northwest Austin yesterday. Described as being about 5'2" tall and weighing roughly 115 pounds, the itty bitty bandit sported a red "sweater-jacket" — in 86 degree weather, for shame — and a UT cap. While it's unclear whether a weapon was used during the stick-up, this sassy lady was able to sandbag the bank teller into handing over a... more ›

While this writer may be of mixed minds about the show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC, it is worth noting that this Sunday night the show will focus on the construction of a home in Austin. Ty Pennington and crew worked on the house in Northwest Austin in December. The Austin family benefited is currently the only family in the nation with five biological children with autism. The episode will feature an appearance by... more ›

In this hot season, when you finally get your car at a constant cool temperature, you start thinking strategically. If you're only just dropping in somewhere to grab something quick, wouldn't it just be easier on your car and your body heat to leave the car running while you run in? Well, besides the fact that such an action is illegal, if you did so, your car could very easily be stolen. more ›

Completion of the first leg of the new Capital MetroRail is less than two years away. The 32-mile-long Red Line will run between Leander and Downtown Austin, with stations positioned strategically near the new Northwest Austin development, Highland Mall, Lakeline Mall, Plaza Saltillo, and more. Currently, both the rail vehicle and many of the stations are still being designed, but they're already promising that the former will include Wi-Fi connections. more ›

We read a few months ago that Concordia University, the Lutheran school that sits on the IH-35 access road, is looking for a new campus location. Manor was considered a possibility, along with Round Rock and other locations in North Austin/Pflugerville (see this Daily Texan article for more). Well, this morning the Statesman reports that the school is negotiating to purchase the site of the former Schlumberger facility in Northwest Austin. While they are... more ›

Random figures collected over the past two weeks: Number of voter signatures collected by Kinky Friedman's staff: 169,574 [reference] Percentage of Americans who believe that "things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track," according to a new Harris poll: 69% [reference] Minimum cost of new sprinkler system to be installed in Zilker Park over the next three years, perhaps eventually rendering ACL Fest actually bearable: $500,000 [reference] Minimum peak computing power of... more ›

Northwest Austin's Bull Creek Park is a, idyllic, quiet refuge replete with ancient trees, a bubbling brook and a nearby hiking trail that winds lazily through the hillside. On Saturday mornings we like to take our dog there for a dip in the water. It's a nice spot to reflect quietly on the week's insanities. And, evidently, it's also a great place for wild group orgies. Yesterday Austin police arrested 16 people after an... more ›