Police are asking the community to help identify the man that was found Saturday afternoon in Barton Creek. There is no evidence to suggest foul play so far, but for now the homicide team continues to investigate the case. According to police, the body is a 25-35 year-old man with short dark hair and a receding hairline. The release noted that he was approximately 170 pounds, 5'9" and had brown eyes. He was discovered wearing brown Gap jeans, a black t-shirt, and a tan nylon "tactical belt". He had two distinctive tattoos: eyes tattooed across his shoulders, and a small symbol on his left outer forearm. If you have any information about this man, please call the Homicide Tip Line at 477-3588 or Crime Stoppers at 472-TIPS, or text "Tip 103" and your message to CRIMES (274-637). more ›

Wednesday morning, after sixteen hours of flying, three hours of layovers, and another couple of hours in security, customs, and passport control lines, I arrived back in Austin after two weeks in Israel. My son picked me up and we ran errands for a while, including a stop so he could sign his very first lease. And then, annihilated by jet lag, I headed home to sleep. Which is when I noticed my back door had been kicked in, my house intruded upon. And then the cops came. As one who cannot resist making connections, it didn’t take me long to relate my trip to the Middle East, my son’s foray into first time tenant-hood, and the violation of my personal space by a stranger who, had I had the misfortune of coming upon him, could well have beat the shit out of me or killed me. more ›

• This is the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the event that signaled the end of the Cold War. The “Wall of Change” project at UT marks this historic moment.
• President Obama to attend a memorial service at Fort Hood on Tuesday.
• The New York Times has a detailed story about the background of the Fort Hood shooter. It’s part of their larger package on the tragedy.

Authorities have charged 19-year-old Austinite Michelle Lozano with theft after she allegedly looted what sounds like a small weapons depot in an AISD police car. more ›

• Tip on how to get along in life if you are a criminal: Do not fire your replica gun in a police officer’s face. He’ll just have to take you into custody.
• Ewwww, ick! It’s not even Halloween, yet a Houston man was found asleep inside a closet, with a corpse next to him! The corpse may have also been treated "in an offensive manner."
• Being a billionaire won’t keep you out of fights while you are in prison.

• Acevedo acknowledges bias in police investigation into Sanders shooting
• Obama tells congressional leaders he has no plans to lower troop levels in Afghanistan
• Health secretary declares H1N1 vaccine safe; urges parents to take precautions

This weekend human rights activists protested against the family immigration detention center in Taylor. Body left for San Antonio medical examiner after traffic accident wasn't dead yet. McKinney man caught after following UPS trucks and stealing packages left outside homes. Was Jessica Simpson's appearance at the Cowboys game yesterday the reason they lost? If not, can we blame her anyway? more ›

Those with any helpful information are invited to call Sgt. Koen at 512-232-9640 or Det. Riojas at 512-232-9641. Or, ff you know where this individual is right now, call dispatch at 512-471-4441. more ›

The Holiday season is in full swing in NYC, with holiday lights in Brooklyn, a giant snow globe in Bryan Park and Chanukah specials for ham. One citizen decided to go vigilante on annoying car alarms, a murder suspect used a fake Asian accent on the stand and a video of a man being beaten up by teenage girls on a subway shocked the city. And we interviewed soon-to-be-leaving-Gawker editor Choire Sicha, who said,... more ›

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 by dground on flickr City Council considering the gathering of information about Austin's homeless and the expansion of services that help them. The council may also merge Park Police, Austin Aviation Police and City Marshals with APD. Travis County officials aiding Hays County officials in the search for a woman who may have witnessed the murder of her son. Williamson County man on the run from child sexual assault charges captured in Costa Rica.... 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 ›

Photo from KXXV-TVAround 2:10am this morning, nineteen-year-old Kenneth James Jones drove his Ford Contour into the bedroom of a Temple couple's house. His car and the debris from the collision ended up quite close to the sleeping couple's bed, but they were not injured. The driver ran off from the accident; police found him later walking on Highway 317 with some slight injuries. An accident reconstruction team is trying to figure out what exactly happened,... more ›

Photo of Rick Noriega by Matt Wright on flickr After the muggy weekend, some Central Texas counties (not Travis) are under freeze warnings tonight. Today Rick Noriega officially launched his campaign against Cornyn for the Senate seat. Cedar Park police going after drivers who skip out on paying 183A tolls. House State Affairs Committee to review TxDOT's "Keep Texas Moving" ad campaign. Gov. Perry is now heading up the Republican Governor's Association. AT&T is leaving... more ›

"Barista Babe" From Unrelated Source, Found on Seattle MetblogsA new coffee trailer in South Austin is hoping to capitalize on the recent "sexpresso" fad that's taken over Seattle. Latte Dolls offers a selection of coffees and espresso drinks served by scantily-clad female baristas with stripper fascinating names like Kyana, Alysha, and Reyna. Touting itself as a "highly-personalized, memorable and convenient coffee alternative to morning commuters and the mobile labor force of Austin," the stand plans... more ›

The first U.S. troop cutback in Iraq has officially begun. The tentative working title for this one is "Operation Mistake Acknowledgment." Human rights organization takes the Kenyan police force to task on allegations of mass murder. In order to prevent the "destruction of culture," the French government has outlawed certain forms of P2P downloading. Event is referred to as a "victory" for the recording industry. Oh reeeeally? Economist suggests that we could soon know... more ›

Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan blames President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for efforts to mislead the public about the role of White House aides in leaking the identity of a CIA operative. Police Chief: "Missing Student Ignored Due to Race." A drunken man broke into a central London park and attempted to have sex with a fence: Daniel French, 24, made "sexual motions" towards metal railings in Leicester Square Gardens... more ›

Photo by punchup on flickr East Austin halfway/"sober" house to close after neighbors complained. Mother and child hit by truck in Georgetown HEB parking lot. Double B Foods recalling 98,000 pounds worth of sausage roll products for listeria contamination. After a fight at Taylor High School, the police tasered a girl, arresting her and two other students. 109,263 mistakes in the math textbooks proposed to be used for the 2008 school year at Texas elementary... more ›

Photo by swanksalot on flickr After losing a chunk of the AT&T account, this week local ad firm GSD&M could layoff up to 15% of their staff. Today's standoff at Webberville and 12th ended with the suspect in custody. Austin Police Association is filing a grievance against the city and requesting an independent review, saying that private information regarding the officer who shot Kevin Brown shouldn't have been released. Austin Cantina in Seattle plays Austin... 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 ›

AFS Essentials Presents Black DjuTuesday, November 13thAlamo Drafthouse South Lamar (1120 S. Lamar)7pm, $4 / Free to AFS Members[info] | [tickets]It's bad enough being a stranger in a strange land, but when you need assistance from the local people to help solve the mysterious disappearance of your father, things can get downright maddening. Tonight, the Austin Film Society sends us on a suspenseful quest as they presents Black Dju, the fifth offering in the... more ›

Before dawn this morning, someone broke into McBride's Guns on San Gabriel, and they are thought to still be there, surrounded by ammunition and weapons. Schools in the area have been put on lockdown, and a SWAT team has surrounded the store. It seems to be unknown whether there is someone still actually there in the store, but the security company contracted by McBride's detected movement earlier this morning. Streets in the area (Lamar between... more ›

Poster image from Wikipedia Starship TroopersFriday, November 9th / Saturday, November 10thAlamo Drafthouse Lake Creek (17329 Research Blvd)Midnight, $8.25[info] | [tickets]It takes a certain type of movie to make it to midnight-movie cult status, and on first glance the big-budget gloss of Starship Troopers would seem to preclude such distinction. When was the last time Con Air or Timecop played to a packed house of screaming fans in the middle of the night? But hang... more ›

• I-35 frontage road shut down in south Austin due to accident.
• Judge rules in city's favor in Wal-Mart dispute.
• Ben S. Bernanke predicts the U.S. economy to grow more slowly in the coming months.

Photo by Will Pate on flickrInteractive + ScreenBurn The preliminary list of Interactive panels has been released, and includes topics like "The Great Debate: Is Web 2.0 Bulls#!t?", "The Porn Police: Know the Rules," and "The Suxorz: The Worst Ten Social Media Ad Campaigns of 2007." [Preliminary List] Additional, several panels for the gaming-centric ScreenBurn fest have been revealed. These include "The Future Virtual World Game Development: Rise of the Indies," "You Are Here: Gaming... more ›

Photo by hamron on flickr Austin City Council is pretty much ready to sign a contract setting up red-light cameras at 15 intersections (to start with). Big Brother - er, APD - is watching your energy usage. And Austin Energy is cool with that! Southeast Austin standoff this morning ends with cop shooting the suspect. Round Rock police on the lookout for a suspected stalker. Local company under Neil Bush (Dubya's bro) is being investigated... more ›

There are reports of an armed man on the roof of a downtown building, near Guadalupe and 14th St. A nearby preschool has been evacuated. Police have blocked off the area around the building. 10:45 update: A witness had spied a man in all black fatigues, perhaps holding a gun, in a parking garage, and called it in earlier this morning. But now police have stopped the search for the armed man, thinking that he... more ›

All state constitutional amendments passed in the election yesterday. Famed architect Frank Gehry is being sued by MIT for the design for the Stata Center. "Product of a judicial system dominated by men": According to the Board of immigration appeals, genital cutting isn't enough to grant asylum, but forced sterilization is. Anti-Musharraf protesters angry about emergency rule were beaten by police in Pakistan today. Surgery to remove 4 extra limbs from an Indian girl... more ›

Skeletor playing drums, found on Joystiq.comLast night's town hall meeting on the proposed noise ordinance changes drew a record turnout at Momo's, bringing out a crowd that consisted mostly of local venue owners, musicians, and longtime residents. As we mentioned yesterday, the meeting was held to discuss a proposal put forth by the Austin City Planning Commission that would basically lower the decibel (dB) rating for music venues from the current limit, 85 dB, to... more ›

Have a happy and safe Halloween! If you're headed to Sixth Street, leave your light saber/fake gun/billy club at home. Williamson County won't kick privately-run immigration detention center out of Taylor now that they aren't liable for it. Some Texas prosecutors will wait for the Supreme Court's decision next year before asking judges to set execution dates. After a soldier died in a Ft. Hood training exercise, his supervising officer is facing court martial.... more ›