Australian investment company wants to operate ABIA. Man found this morning hanging from Oak Hill cell phone tower. 18-year-old Austinite found guilty of killing a Tennessee state trooper. Invasive species: Crazy rasberry ants swarming in Houston. Good news for the Cowboys? Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo are dunzo, supposedly....

It may be best to stay off IH35 this weekend; the highway closure in Buda will surely slow down traffic in Austin. Don't forget the municipal election tomorrow! Yeah, yeah, we know already: Perry reaffirms that he will run again for governor in 2010. Sinkhole overtaking the town of Daisetta....

Fire Chief J.J. Adame resigned today. Some non-stop flights from ABIA to be discontinued. Man charged in yesterday afternoon's shooting off Decker Lane. Dr. Pepper shares debuted at the NYSE today to tepid reception. Prospective juror for Houston marijuana possession trial caught smoking a joint by the courthouse....

Former Longhorn/current Chicago Bear Cedric Benson arrested over the weekend for driving (boating) while intoxicated and resisting arrest. Couple arrested for making meth in their Hutto home; 2 of their kids had the drug in their system. Someone left their pickup packed with 1,200 pounds of pot on the side of the highway in Baytown. Rick Noriega closing in on Sen. Cornyn in recently released poll numbers. Oh yeah, Jenna Bush gets married in Crawford on Saturday....

Perry names two (including his former chief of staff) to the Texas Transportation Commission. Authorities say some boys from the FLDS compound may have been sexually abused there. Four people died in a head-on collision near Bastrop last night. 21-year-old man tries to get a Ft. Worth bank to cash a $360 billion check that a) was forged (obvs) and b) not even made out to him....

UT student charged with making a terroristic threat after telling a pal he wanted to hit the campus "Virginia Tech style." Postal worker upset over loose dogs in his neighborhood leaves a Chihuahua on the Irving mayor's doorstep over the weekend. One of the teenage girls from the FLDS sect is giving birth in San Marcos today. $3 million worth of pot found by Border Patrol in El Paso as the driver attempted to truck it into the States in a shipping container....

The Longhorns' starting backcourt of D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams have each signaled their intentions to enter the NBA draft, according to the Statesman....

There are a ton of reasons for you to come out Saturday to the Austin Convention Center to see the Toros play the winner of Sioux Falls/Dakota for a spot in the D-League playoffs. But before we get to them, let's eliminate some misconceptions you may have about the Toros. Let’s play a little True-False game. ...

San Francisco braces for Olympic torch protests today The Army's new weapon in Afghanistan? A handheld lie detector General Petraeus heads back for a second day of testimony before Congress Greenspan calls it: We're in a recession Baby with two faces worshipped as goddess MTV reality show goes inside the high school newspaper Tennessee wins second straight women's basketball national title......

State judge says strip club fee violates First Amendment rights. No matter what you may have heard, the Democratic county conventions are indeed on for tomorrow. Don't let the Capitol 10K thwart your attempts to get downtown on Sunday! Here's some information on street closures. State Board of Education says standard English and social studies guidelines can be applied to elective Bible courses for Texas high schools....

Both the Texas men's and women's teams are set to begin play in basketball's big dance: the NCAA tournament. The Longhorn men are the No. 2 seed in the South Region, and they take the floor against Austin Peay at 2 pm today at Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Texas' women's team is the No. 8 seed in the Greensboro Regional and opens against Minnesota at 8:30 pm Sunday at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn. ...

Today both the Clinton and Obama campaigns announced upcoming town hall meetings. Obama's will take place tomorrow at the Austin Convention Center, while Hillary's sounds like more of a "virtual" town hall meeting - on TV the Monday before election day....

Foreclosures went up like crazy in January as mortgages readjusted. China, with Olympics looming in the background, is now willing to talk about human rights. More Americans now jump around from religion to religion, survey says. Teenage drivers are lagging in getting licenses....

McCain sex scandal or improper journalism? You decide. Here is some raw video of the satellite shoot-down from yesterday. Hillary mentions Kirk Watson's gaffe in this campaign video. Man gets 8 years in jail for not 1, not 9, but 19 DUI's. Another hacker has made iTunes more accessible. Michael Moore wants to bring Castro to the Oscars. The center of the universe tonight will be the UT Rec Sports Center.......

A season ticket for the Longhorns' seven home football games this year will cost you $385, according to the Statesman's Bevo Beat blog....

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. Odds of winning a place on the guestlist for Thursday's debate = less than 1%. While Wisconsin and Hawaii voted today, Obama spent the afternoon in San Antonio. Border fence skips over the land of Bush supporter in South Texas. Jason......

At least it has a cool roofUPDATE: The Statesman has just released information from Hector Nieto of the Texas Democratic Party that attendance to the Feb. 21 Barack Obama/Hillary Clinton debate will be by invitation only. Well, while we were all was guessing The LBJ Library, Hogg Auditorium or The Frank Erwin Center, UT has announced that the February 21 Democratic Debate will officially be held at The Recreation Sports Center. Yes, this no name......

Hillary Clinton says we really matter! Texan self-esteem at an all-time high (and that's saying something). GM wants to buy out every single one of its United States hourly workers. Texas beats No. 3 Kansas in basketball, 72-69, in front of a sold-out Erwin Center. By 2050, one in five Americans will be foreign-born, survey saith. ...

Photo not to scaleNow that we're finally settled into the new year, we're on the prowl for a few fine individuals to join our motley crew of writers and photographers. Specifically, we're recruiting contributors in the following areas: Arts & Entertainment Film, Art, Theater, Comedy/Improv News Local/State Politics, GLBT News, Items of an Offbeat/"WTF" Nature, Breaking News, Campus Shenanigans Other Cartoonists, Community and Volunteer Opportunities, Sports (UT) Photography Photo Essays, Special Events If you're interested,......

Although Longhorn football folk hero Major Applewhite interviewed today for a vacant assistant coach position, it will be at least Thursday until any announcement is made. ...

The Iraqi defense minister just said that the country will need US military help through at least 2018. That would make...oh...fifteen years of US involvement, total. Bush begs Saudi Arabia to produce more oil, help a brother out. Obama tries to stop the hatred between his campaign and Hillary's. Good luck, buddy. ...

Texas sophomore tight end Jermichael Finley became the second player in less than a week to declare themselves eligible for the upcoming NFL draft....

In the wake of an all-conference season where he gained more than 1,600 yards, Texas running back Jamaal Charles announced today that he is skipping his senior season and entering the 2008 NFL draft....

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....

Photo by Mike Tigas on flickrFormer Longhorn standout Roger Clemens was among the players named Thursday in an investigative report into steroid use in professional baseball. The report, which put the blame on both players and management for the drug problem throughout the game, was released by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell after 20 months of study. Clemens played at the University of Texas in the 1982 and 1983 seasons and has been one of......

GOP voters look at their candidates, say "eh". Environmental groups push idea of warning pregnant ladies about caffeine. But what if you want your baby to get a lot of homework done before it comes out? Are you not rich, only kinda super-privileged? Not to worry, Harvard will help. Just get your caffeinated fetus to ace the SATs in utero. A bunch of dudes really want to fly without parachutes, spend their lives building......

Venezuelan voters didn't want Chavez as a ruler for life after all. Putin's party wins the Russian election, warns against Westerners who may say the election was unfair. Best feminist candidate: Obama? Later this week, Romney will publicly address his Mormon faith and how it may affect his possible presidency. Looks like it will be Texas v. Arizona State at the Holiday Bowl. Conan O'Brien will pay his "Late Night" crew from his own......

Photo by @n@bou on flickrThe Longhorn volleyball team carries a 20-match win streak into the opening round of NCAA tournament play tonight against Texas State at 6:30 pm at Gregory Gym. Texas (24-3) is ranked third in the country and is the top seed in their region of the tournament. The Longhorns are led by five first-team all-conference players -- Juliann Faucette, Ashley Engle, Destinee Hooker, Michelle Moriarty and Lauren Paolini -- as well as......

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......

Photo by fotocitizen on flickr Ann Richards' gravesite doesn't have a permanent marker yet. Classical guitar a popular subject in Austin schools. Gas line broken this morning in South Austin has been capped. Local man crushed by a dump truck Saturday evening. Aggie news: Mike Sherman to be new A&M football coach. Mother and stepfather of "Baby Grace" arrested; the case is still being investigated. Mississippi GOP senator Trent Lott is resigning . . .......