A general worker's strike loosely organized by Occupy Austin will be taking place tomorrow, mirroring demonstrations across the country. While Austin's protest doesn't look to have the complexity of L.A.'s “4 Winds” demonstration, striking Austinites also have other May Day activities from which to choose. more ›

It’s a tough time to be a bank, but even more so when a major social network launches business pages that it seems anyone can create. more ›

Despite what had been almost amicable dealings up til now between APD and the folks of Occupy Austin, a number of arrests were made in the wee hours of Sunday morning after protesters objected to the new ban on food tables and remained in the plaza to block the scheduled power washing... City officials met with representatives of the Occupy Austin movement today and concerns on both sides were discussed. more ›

Several hundred protesters braved the heat at the Capitol on Saturday. The "Rick Perry: Bad for Texas, Worse for Our Nation" rally served as a reaction to The Response and the increasing possibility/reality that Gov. Perry is going to run for President. more ›

UT students walked out of class. Shouts of ¡Sí se puede! filled the air. Today thousands have converged on the Capitol to rally against the numerous anti-immigration bills to be taken up this legislative session. more ›

• Austin volunteers spent Father’s Day fixing up Flo’s Comfort House, an unofficial community day care center serving kids in the Montopolis neighborhood. (Picture number three in the related photo set shows how dirty these volunteers were after spending a day cleaning and repairing the place!)
• The Cactus Cafe isn’t closing, but supporters wonder if it’s really “saved.”
• Actress Meggan Anderson was arrested at a PETA protest in Dallas, "for trying to incite a crowd." The Dallas Observer reported that the event involved 20 protesters, and at least eight cops arresting the topless girl. As one commenter asked, “how many DPD officers does it take to arrest a naked chick?

The Austin chapter of the NAACP is planning a protest of Highland Mall this Saturday, April 11. People will be gathering at the mall at 9am. NAACP President told News8Austin, "We're going to encourage folks, number one, to not to shop at Highland Mall, pretend it's still closed." This after the mall closed early last Saturday afternoon because the Texas Relays were in town; the mall management defended the action by saying they lacked adequate security. [News8Austin] more ›

In the midst of the impending transformation that most of us celebrated on November 4th, the inhumane passage of Prop 8 saddened a nation already geared up for progress. But on Saturday, we have the chance to participate in a national uprising that could help overturn Prop 8 – thus promoting a generous leap toward real equality for the whole country. Bring your signs, banners, and friends to City Hall at 12:30 p.m. this Saturday, and don’t forget to send out the call to allies across state lines. Demonstrations are scheduled in every state in America on Saturday, so make sure everyone you know is aware that their protest will be heard. [More info] more ›

If you walked down the drag yesterday hoping to grab a barbacoa burrito at Chipotle, you may have been interrupted by a throng protesting the chain's alleged poor payment of Florida tomato pickers. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), from Immokalee, Florida, is on a small "Chipocrasy" tour, on its way to the company's home base in Denver. The CIW's complaint is that workers are paid 40 or 50 cents per 32 lb. bucket of tomatoes, the same price paid in 1978. more ›

As we move to the next square on the calendar you're still out there trying to make a connection. Sadly you let most of them slip by without saying a word. We understand, no one wants to be overzealous and get shot down. If only you had some place to find a second chance. Oh yes, Missed Connections. If only you had someone to sort through and find the best of the above. Oh, right, read below....

The Asarco smelter in El Paso has sat dormant for the last seven years, but lately, there has been a cacophony of voices debating the pros and cons of its return. more ›

Britain creates new drug to combat obesity...dog obesity. Dear Abby supports gay marriage. A London judge has found nine lies in Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, orders disclaimer to air before being played in schools. The Empire State Building will glow green for the end of Ramadan this year. In China, there is a 95-year old woman growing a horn out of her forehead. Houston ISD is thinking of charging students (and their parents)... more ›

Delaware State University is locked down after two students were shot there in the wee hours of the morning. Burmese monks have been walking in protest of the dictatorship for four days now. The Justice Department hasn't forgotten DeLay (or his staffers). Military cemetery at Ft. Riley in Kansas is full. The Vatican actually approves of China's pick for bishop of Beijing. In case you were worried: Paddington Bear still eats marmalade. Well, it... more ›

University of Florida journalism student provokes John Kerry, gets Tasered by campus cops. A 10-year-old boy has woken up with a posh English accent after undergoing life-saving brain surgery. Betty Perry is charged with resisting arrest and failing to maintain her landscaping, both misdemeanors. Fed up with the threats, tired of natural disasters, Nebraska's longest-serving state senator is using his legal muscle against who he says is the culprit - God. State Sen. Ernie... more ›

M.I.A.'s Friday ACL performance felt so seductive because it was both spicy and sweet; but what else can you expect from a girl who salts and peppers her mango? She burst onto stage wearing pink pedal-pushers, white trainers, wrap-around glasses and war paint, all the while shimmying her heart out to Kala's "Bamboo Banga." Her dancing seemed confounded by tentative limb placement, and it marked her as one extremely sexy dork. (Hawt!) It's this... more ›

Austin’s rising population and stagnant housing supply have resulted in increased housing prices. Even though there are a lot of condos under construction, few have hit the market. Our pal Wells Dunbar over at the Chronicle has a nice article discussing the complicated answers to the problem of affordable housing. One undiscussed simple answer would be to get people to stop moving to Austin. Despite our commenters efforts, that plan isn't working [ed: isn't... more ›

Austin police nab the asshole who (allegedly) pretended to sublet several campus-area apartments to unsuspecting folks, who'd later discover they'd been dupedHaving temporarily lost their brand new skate park, kids in Round Rock promise to behave A Fort Worth cop who slapped a girl's ass after catching her fooling around with her boyfriend in a parked car gets arrested Two con artists in North Texas are convicted for scamming would-be vacationers out of over... more ›

Tonight, unless an unlikely eleventh-hour reprieve is granted, Texas will execute its 400th inmate since the state resumed the practice in 1982. Johnny Ray Conner32-year-old Johnny Ray Conner was convicted for murdering Houston resident Kathyanna Nguyen during a grocery store robbery in 1998. Nguyen, the store's owner, had been trapped behind the counter and was surrounded by a bulletproof enclosure; the killer reached his gun through the change slot and shot her in the head.... more ›

Illustration by David Gilmore
more ›

Have you ever found yourself yearning to be lost in the sea of lesbians that is the Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs, but you can’t seem to get away? Do you want to have a night off from struggling to figure out where all the lesbians go in Austin and why the full-fledged lesbian bars in town can't keep from closing? More importantly, have you been patiently waiting since the year 1930 to attend... more ›

RGK Ranch, a proposed suburban development in the Hill Country west of Bee Cave on the south side of Highway 71, was the subject of some protest at the Travis County Commissioners Court hearing last night. The commissioners delayed their vote on the project by at least two weeks. The project would add another 1,500 single family homes to the area. Two similar projects, Sweetwater Lazy 9 and West Cypress Hills, are already in... more ›

Banner week for SFist as the site's new editor introduced himself -- hooray for Brock! While the NY Times weighed in on SF's mayoral race, only SFist had the (insert tongue firmly into cheek) hard-hitting latest on candidate/activist Josh Wolf. Coverage of a protest vs. gentrification spawned a fantastic debate amongst SFist's readers. Finally, from the sublime to the ridiculous: video of a man that confused a Board of Supes meeting with "open mic... more ›

As most of us know, the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) is making it harder and harder for Internet radio producers to finance their stations. Retroactive royalty fees and increased future fees are forcing webcasters into a corner: the fees increase both per-listener and per-song rates, and are based on audience size, increasing as listeners do. This proposed scheme would put public radio stations that stream their broadcasts and web-based radio programming at a great disadvantage... more ›

Jeff Friedman (1945-2007) became involved in politics at the young age of 26 (fresh out of law school), when he joined the city council in 1971. Friedman's run for office was part of a reaction of progressives/pacifists city-wide to Austin officials' refusal to allow an anti-war protest after the shootings at Kent State [Statesman]. In 1975, Friedman became Austin's "hippie mayor", indicative of the new liberal movement taking charge of local politics (and it's pretty much been that way ever since). During his tenure as mayor, he helped to equalize electric rates, instated a public ambulance service, and aimed to make city hall a more accessible place. more ›

Students at Trimble Tech High School in Fort Worth picketed their school district headquarters yesterday, in protest of a decision to prevent seniors who'd failed the TAKS exam from participating in commencement exercises. Screen capture from WFAA-TV... more ›

Our friendly neighborhood Tax Assessor/Collector Nelda Wells Spears (shown right) looks nice, but don't be fooled - if you own a home in Travis County, she wants your money. Don't want to give it to her? Then protest your 2007 valuation. Unlike most types of protesting, protesting your property tax valuation is easy and often effective. Click here to get your 2007 Preliminary Valuation. Click here to get the protest form. Fill it out. Mail... more ›

It looks like we dropped the ball on this one, as it's officially No Pants Day. A "Pantsless Protest" was staged in front of the Capitol at 8am this morning, and a day-long rally will take place on the West Mall of UT campus. "No Pants Day is a day where everyone, be they students, respectable businessmen, or cherished community leaders, leave their pants behind," reads the official website. "When large groups of people... more ›

more ›