The Williamson County Sheriffs Office had received a bomb threat for Deerpark Middle School and Live Oak Elementary last night, but assumed it was a hoax. This morning, some students said they had heard word of the threat also, and authorities decided the situation might be serious. After noon, students were bussed to McNeil High's gymnasium for parents to pick up. Bomb sniffing dogs are currently checking out the campuses. Despite this, Round Rock ISD expects both schools to be in session tomorrow. [KUT News] more ›

An Austin technology company has teamed with the Round Rock Express to make it easier for you to get food and drinks while at the ballgame. You can now look at the menu, place your order, and pay without leaving your seat. more ›

Round Rock police have charged 18-year old Round Rock High School student Jeremy McKnight with assault after he allegedly hit a school administrative assistant in the eye with a plastic bottle. more ›

While Austin is well known for having a strong arts and theater community, the same can't really be said for its surrounding suburban and rural areas. However, things may be changing in Austin's neighbor to the north, Round Rock. In 2000, according to the census, there were slightly more than 60,000 people in Round Rock. Today the city estimates just under 100,000 residents. With this kind of population growth one can expect to see industries and communities of all kinds flourish, including the arts. Round Rock has been home to Sam Bass Community Theater since the early 1980s. Outside of that venue, there hasn't been much by way of live theater in Round Rock in the past. Now there are several individuals working hard to create a vibrant live theater scene in Round Rock. In the not too distant future Penfold Theatre Company hopes to find a home in downtown Round Rock, and in the immediate future The Lair is opening up its doors to showcase improv and other forms of alternative theater. more ›

Concealed handguns on their way to a campus near you? State Senate gave preliminary approval today to a bill allowing concealed handguns on public university campuses.Police searching for the suspect from a mugging at UT this morning. The Statesman now has a nifty online crime map. Round Rock ISD employee steals 100 computers from the district, tries to sell them on Craigslist. CapMetro set to use $10 million loan, if needed. Statewide smoking ban bill, we hardly knew ye. 4-year-old Waco man in stable condition after being stung more than 250 times by bees. more ›

The city of Round Rock has been selected to host the USSSA's national championship soccer tournament in December. more ›

Earlier today Diedre Blackburn of Round Rock pled guilty to going with her 16-year-old son on a short bank robbing spree in December 2007 and January 2008. In all, they robbed four banks in the town of Round Rock. Her son, Charles Blackburn Jr., is now 17; he has already been tried as an adult, convicted for two of the robberies, and sentenced to 30 years in jail. Ms. Blackburn today was sentenced to 35 years in jail for her part in the crimes. [KEYE via Twitter] more ›

In a move sure to piss a lot of people off (and conversely make others rejoice) Dell announced that they will make all of their U.S. campuses smoke-free by January 1, 2009. Citing decreased insurance costs and increased health benefits, a Dell representative stated that approximately 28,000 U.S. employees were notified of the policy change on Wednesday. In an effort to help employees kick the habit, Dell will provide employees with free smoking cessation programs and a discount in health insurance premiums for all non-smoking employees. more ›

Polls are open from 7am to 7pm. more ›

Brian Thompson seeking an injunction against Dawnna Dukes; her campaign ads say he's never voted. New KXAN statewide poll of Democratic voters has Obama with 50%, Clinton with 47% and 3% undecided. McCain will hold a town hall meeting with Dell employees tomorrow in Round Rock. New City Manager Ott made two appointments today. Someone at Liberty Hill ISD hasn't heard of a shredder. more ›

A lawsuit against the City of Kyle for violation of the federal Fair Housing Act started yesterday. The suit was filed by the national and Austin branches of the NAACP, the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin and the National Association of Home Builders. It alleges that Kyle has increased the cost of local housing by instituting revised zoning ordinances. According to the NAACP, the resulting increase in prices disproportionately affects minorities and the Fair Housing Act prohibits cities from zoning in a way that excludes housing for certain classes of people, even if officials did not intentionally discriminate. more ›

Lots of young people got their voter registration cards in on time. News?: Door-to-door magazine salesmen harassing Austinites. Farmer's Branch city leaders sued over their anti-(illegal) immigrant ordinance. Meat from abused cows in California sent to Round Rock and possibly Austin schools. more ›

Perhaps Perry should have held off on his endorsement: after losing to McCain last night in Florida, Giuliani is expected to soon drop out of the race. Bouncer assaulted after denying a couple guys entrance to his club and not allowing their friend to urinate in front of it. City may soon switch to LEDs in light fixtures to conserve energy. more ›

Photo by mybloodyself on flickr
• Paramedic who came to the scene of Erica Smith's accident last month in San Antonio didn't check her pulse; she died after being left for dead for an hour at the site of the accident.
• Wooten Elementary was placed on lockdown this afternoon because police thought someone in a residence nearby was holed up with a weapon; the home was found to be clear.
• At an Academy store in Round Rock, a suspected shoplifter backed over a store clerk who was trying to mark down her license plate number.

Photo by cote on flickr Fans of creepy, overpriced and sort of socially awkward grocery shopping will be disappointed to read that after weeks of redesigning, adding more people to the store employee rosters, doubling the checkout lanes and stocking shelves with the kind of stuff most of us have become accustomed to buying, H-E-B is ready to re-open two Albertsons stores that had mysteriously remained open under the quirky Albertsons brands into the new... more ›

Image from AmericanApparel.netAustin will move three steps closer to becoming Southern California a real city a place where you can try on those high-waisted hot shorts and shiny tights before buying them with the opening of three new American Apparel locations (two real stores in Austin and an outlet in Round Rock). The first location will be on the Drag at 2316 Guadalupe, which is good news, because there are few things as vital to... more ›

Photo by hamron on flickr 48 cats rescued from deplorable conditions in Rescuties' founder's home earlier this month; a judge is allowing her to keep 3 of them and recommended psychological counseling. Capitol One will not be buying Austin-based business NetSpend for $700 million as was planned, but will buy a minority share of the company. Work starts on making Cesar Chavez fully 2-way. Starting this week and going through January 1, APD will be... more ›

Photo of Z. Bechtol from statesman.com Man found dead under car at a Round Rock Walgreens. Zenobia Bechtol, 14, has been missing since last night around 10pm. More than half of the state's school districts pass on the teacher merit pay plan. Smoking ban started today at some Central Texas hospitals. The two suspects who broke into McBrides earlier this week weren't after guns. State Rep. Dawnna Dukes receives a $10,000 donation from Bob Perry's... more ›

Photo by debaird on flickr Austin City Council met today; they passed the LCRA water deal and unanimously approved the red-light camera contract. Councilmember Leffingwell wants to lighten the SOS ordinance to allow for redevelopment of older buildings. Two women are dead after a church van drove off IH35 in Round Rock this morning. Travis County sheriffs are keeping an eye out for shoulder-passers on Loop 360. Round Rock cops pepper-sprayed a student for taking... 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 ›

Power lines by Frenzied Vole on flickr"Texans have shown little interest in nine billion dollars worth of initiatives." Have you voted yet? Sorry, Ice Bats. Cedar Park has another team in mind for their arena-to-be. Upcoming 2008 state anti-pollution law is causing problems already; if TCEQ is too lax on coal/power plants, cities and school districts stand to lose a lot of money. Fed Chairman gave speech in San Antonio today. This morning a suspect... more ›

Round Rock ISD announces another case of MRSA. Wash your hands, y'all! (see video at right) Woman attacked and sexually assaulted by man and two women in her South Austin apartment earlier this week; Police think she was specifically targeted, but didn't know her attackers. Laura Hall won't get a new trial, but her family isn't giving up. Southwest Key moves to their new facility. Local Ron Paul supporters ask Leslie to participate in... more ›

Police are on the lookout for three sneaky pranksters who tossed a 3-foot-long python into a Round Rock Taco Bell last Sunday night. more ›

Tomorrow night at 7pm, Austin firefighters will be training (and using theatrical smoke!) at 4th and Guadalupe. Gov. Perry trying to get disaster declaration for counties seriously affected by Humberto. Buffalo Bills player whose spine was seriously injured in a game earlier this month is now in Houston for rehab. LBJ football player hits off-duty cop after a game last month; is charged with assault on a public servant. Today the State Board of... more ›

Red light cameras (the traffic cameras that capture instant images of cars who run red lights) are catching on, it seems. Round Rock is now planning to join the other Texas cities that use the devices, once the city decides which vendor to use and which intersections need them most. It is very likely that, once approved, a camera will be placed at the intersection of Greenlawn Blvd and Louis Henna Blvd. During a... more ›

Drippings Springs Baptist Church has been on fire since 3:30 this afternoon . . . and 290 (in Dripping Springs) is closed because of it. Inmate dies in Travis County jail. Perry and Dewhurst visit local schools to celebrate the signing of the 'defibrillators in schools' bill. Texas Historical Commission pays $490,000 for Davy Crockett's last letter. Animal control finds 41 dogs in a Round Rock home. Man saved from rising water in Leander early... more ›

The Houston Astros showed their appreciation for Round Rock Express manager Jackie Moore, calling the 50-year veteran up to the major leagues to serve as bench coach for the rest of the 2007 season. The 68-year-old Moore has been in professional baseball for half a century, starting as a catcher and outfielder in the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox organizations. He played one season in the majors, spending the majority of the 1965... more ›

ACL Previews Interview: Ghostland Observatory Previews: The Broken West, Big Sam’s Funky Nation & Rose Hill Drive Previews: Billy Joe Shaver and Fionn Regan Previews: Brandon Rhyder and Ocote Soul Sounds Interview: The Broken West Previews: Sylvia St. James, Jeffrey Steele, and Amy Cook Interview: Bloc Party ACL Fest Updates: Google Mashup, Contests, Eco-Chic Previews: Augustana, Amos Lee Interview: Peter, Bjorn, and John ACL Band Clash, Round 3: Wilco Vs My Morning Jacket Travis... more ›

Looks like Round Rock ISD is headed to court over their policies on organized prayers at school events. Washington-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State, representing six students and one former student, have filed suit against the district, saying that its policy of allowing school-sponsored prayer at graduation ceremonies violates the First Amendment principle of church-state separation. Every year, each of the four Round Rock high schools (Round Rock, Stony Point, McNeil... 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 ›