Texas in general, and Austin specifically, has attracted lots of national attention on the food front as of late -- thank you, Top Chef: Texas, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, and The New York Times, to name a few. But now the Lone Star State is beginning to create a little buzz on the cocktail scene, as well. We're no longer just margaritas and micheladas, which is why Sasha Petraske, one of the fellows at the forefront of the current cocktail renaissance, has teamed up with Bohanan's Restaurant and Bar to create the first-ever San Antonio Cocktail Conference. The organizers liken the event to such industry heavy-hitters as the Manhattan Cocktail Classic and New Orleans' Tales of the Cocktail. more ›

You may not have heard of it, but last month San Antonio promoter Aaron Mendiola and partner Tim Pittides staged a daring, ostentatious three-day metal festival called the Goregrowler's Ball, a summation of their talents as bookers and cheerleaders of local metal shows. Held at a venue called The Korova, the festival boasted fifty bands and was headlined by Brutal Truth, Exhumed and Suffocation. While strong on local acts, the festival also managed to tempt an international roster of artists. The festival took place on November 18th-20th after months of preparation and ticket sales that included a three-day pass that went for just $60 if purchased in advance. more ›

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Note: This post is by new contributor Andrew Hilbert. Tonight, award-winning Texas poet Naomi Shihab Nye will be speaking and signing her latest collection of stories There is No Long Distance, Now. more ›

• There’s a musical instrument drive to help out the kids in the foster care system.
• It’s not easy being a heterosexual male, and the Lege wants to help ease the trauma.
• Have you seen this Hitler/Franklin’s BBQ Internet meme hoo-ha?

Every Sunday through May 15th, Pearl is having a party and you are invited. The festivities are free and open to the whole family. Pearl is hoping to start a new Sunday tradition, bringing friends and family together from all over the San Antonio community, and from the looks of the last few turn-outs, it’s safe to say a tradition has begun! more ›

• Fabulous video that captures what SXSW felt like this year.
• The “paper of record” covered SXSW. They also liked the bands Joy Formidable and 1,2,3!
• Yes, there really was an official British invasion of SXSW.

• The BBC's coverage of Obama’s memorial address at Fort Hood on Tuesday. (This story is part of the BBC's extensive coverage of the tragedy.)
• Need a kidney? Make sure you tell your priest about your needs! It worked for this Dallas woman.


• Prison inmates found a stash of weed hidden in a delivery of prison-bound produce. This was after the fruit had already been searched by police officers/pot-sniffing dogs!

• Teacher who was killed in his classroom in Tyler had previous concerns about the student who stabbed him.
• Oops! The State of Texas invested with Madoff!
• Emaciated toddler found in Houston. Child Protective Services had previously investigated his mother, but no charges were filed in the earlier investigation.

James Lee Whitehead, who performed in drag as Niki Hunter, was fatally shot by a police officer trying to save him early Sunday morning in San Antonio. Whitehead and a friend were walking home when three men attacked him. One of the attackers began pistol whipping Whitehead on the ground when a passing police officer was flagged down. The attacker refused to put down his gun and advanced toward the officer. The officer fired his gun repeatedly, accidentally shooting Whitehead in the chest. Jesse Ramon, the attacker, survived four gunshot wounds. more ›

A San Antonio court has ruled that Whitney Harper, a now college-age woman sued by the RIAA for using Kazaa to download music when she was 16, was indeed an "innocent infringer," dropping her penalty to $200 per infringement instead of the RIAA's desired $750, asked for in a request for summary judgment. more ›

"We're not publishing the list in our news columns, period": Statesman Editor Oppel on why the paper will not include a listing of precinct voting locations on election day. McCain stopped in San Antonio today. Bill Clinton spoke in town today. On the primary race between Glen Maxey and incumbent Nelda Wells Spears. Power outage in East Austin this afternoon. While her father was tied up, a robber sexually-assaulted a 15-year-old girl in a South Austin apartment yesterday morning. Semi veers off Dallas highway ramp and falls onto Continental Avenue; at least 3 are dead. more ›

Unlike San Antonio, Austin has so many more opportunities for musicians to play in actual venues attended by actual attendees, so at first glance the need for more private, unique places for bands to play seemed to be less of a necessity. But the deeper a person burrowed, the more they could uncover – with The Church of the Friendly Ghost, out on Pedernales street, standing in as the most odd and accommodating venue for which a music geek could wish. A former site of a real, honest-to-god church whose landlord was glad to rent it out to musicians and curators of The Church of the Friendly Ghost – a step above the wacky fundamentalists who had the space before – the Church had a distinction of being a welcoming place that also catered to fringe music for those in the know. more ›

Photo by gina pina on flickr
• Sgt. Michael Olsen's appeal hearing started today.
• AISD Superintendent Forgione will retire in June of next year.
• Bastrop teacher accused of sending obscene text messages to a student.

After taking statements and checking evidence, APD thinks that Tevin Park-Flowers' death at NYOS was accidental. 3-year-old rescued from meth lab home in South Austin. Fire in neighboring building that damaged the Austin NAACP's office last night ruled to be arson. Flame-themed bar coming to E. Sixth Street, brought to you by the 36-year-old owner of Qua and Vicci. Catholic church leaders angry at St. Mary's University in San Antonio for housing a Clinton rally last night. more ›

This Thursday through Sunday, improvised music is going to grab a foothold in both Austin and San Antonio. Featuring thirteen artists from all over the world – from the close confines of Houston and Austin to the far-off reaches of Tokyo and Boston – the No Idea Festival is poised to showcase a diverse array of acts you likely won’t see anywhere else, anytime soon. more ›

Looks like ACL Fest organizers have chosen Groundhog Day to release their mildly discounted multi-passes. 3-day passes priced at $150 including service charges are on sale now at ACLFest.com. more ›

Seven-year-old boy found injured under "suspicious circumstances" at local charter school yesterday. Pedestrian hit this morning on Burnet Road. Now Gov. Perry is backing McCain (if anyone cares). Watch it now: Austin added to Homeland Security's list of cities with a high risk of terrorist attack. more ›

Dear reader, we’re sure you’ll agree that it’s been too long since we’ve heard from our favorite Bear Den/music venue, The Chain Drive, up there on Willow Street. more ›

David Berman, the head honcho behind the massively influential Silver Jews, made a turnaround these past couple of years that has both shocked and delighted his many loyal fans. While Berman became renowned through Silver Jews releases like The Natural Bridge and American Water, not to mention a turn at poetry with 1999’s Actual Air, he more recently experienced a religious rebirth and crawled out of his “hell-hole life,” as he described it, discovering an only hinted-at passion for Judaism as well as a renewed appreciation for everyday life. more ›

After being closed to new subscribers for a period of time, Austin Energy's GreenChoice program is extending its green arms for Austinites far and wide. Claiming to be the nation's most successful utility-sponsored green power program, GreenChoice is an opportunity to walk the sustainability talk. more ›

Photo by gunnyrat on flickr
• The oil that spilled onto Sixth Street and into Waller Creek last week came from a 100-year-old underground tank.
• Jennifer Kim on the Northcross WalMart: "It's going to be a freaking disaster."
• Celebration Church in Georgetown has its own Starbucks and 5,000 attendees. Sayeth the pastor: "You can't do church without money."

Photo by Payton Chung on flickr
• Two remaining candidates for City Manager: Jelynne Burley of San Antonio and Mike Ott of Ft. Worth.
• City Council approved McCracken's downtown parking proposal at today's meeting.
• Cars who park in marked bike lanes can now be ticketed by a few workers from the Public Works Department Bicycle and Pedestrian Program.

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.

Cap Metro bus caught fire on northbound 183 this morning. Ronnie Earle endorses Rosemary Lehmberg, his co-worker, to run for his current position. A case of death, mutilation and possible cannibalism in Tyler over the weekend. more ›

Two area high schools will trade the Friday night lights for the Saturday spotlight when they play for state football championships this weekend. The Pflugerville Panthers play the Katy Tigers at 7 pm Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio for the Class 5A Division II championship, while the Lake Travis Cavaliers take on the Highland Park Scots for the Class 4A Division II title at 1:30 pm Saturday at Baylor's Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco. more ›

After an automobile accident Sunday morning in San Antonio, paramedics placed a yellow tarp over the body of Texas State student and Austinite Erica N. Smith, thinking her dead. When the medical examiner came to investigate the scene of the accident over an hour later, she discovered that Smith was still alive. Smith was immediately sent to a hospital, where she died from her wounds Monday afternoon. more ›

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 ›

Image from MySpace Ear to the UndergroundSunday, December 9Salvage Vanguard Theatre ()$5, 8pm-12am, BYOB[info] This Sunday, The Church of the Friendly Ghost and the Misc. Music label are banding together to bring new, mind-expanding music to the Salvage Vanguard Theatre. The event, called Ear to the Underground, begins at 8:00 p.m. and ends at 12:00 p.m. Four bands will be performing; Damage Pants and Aliens from Austin, and Make Your Own Maps with the painful-sounding... more ›

Photo by Pat Rioux on flickr Wanna see the Cowboys game tonight and don't know anyone with the NFL network? Local sports bars are getting ready for what could be their busiest night this year. Former Chester's site to house a community-service-oriented Christian congregation. Currently only one in five 5th graders who fail the TAKS are made to repeat the grade. Father of UT student killed in 1996 accident doesn't think the driver needs to... more ›