Former Texas point guard D.J. Augustin was selected as the ninth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. Augustin’s selection makes Texas the only school in the nation to have had a player taken in the top ten in each of the last three NBA Drafts, joining former Longhorn standouts Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge....

The Austin Ice Bats, who entertained hockey fans in these parts for more than a decade, receive a well-deserved tribute in today's New York Times....

Former Longhorn running back Cedric Benson was ordered to install an ignition interlock breathalyzer in his car during a court appearance today. ...

Photo by aaronisnotcool on flickrShooting guard AJ Abrams will withdraw from this year's NBA Draft and will return to the University of Texas for his senior season, according to the Austin American-Statesman. As Texas' career leading three-point shooter, Abrams declared for the draft in late April along with point guard DJ Augustin, but maintained his NCAA eligibility by not hiring an agent. Augustin is widely projected as a mid to late lottery pick. The move......

Fire department lieutenant fired after he told a co-worker in September on the 9/11 anniversary that "he would have wanted to rape a female passenger had he been on a plane used in the attack." Southwest flight from Austin lands in Phoenix with flames coming out of one of the wheel areas. Investigators say that the Governor's mansion fire was likely politically motivated. (Insert sarcastic comment here.) Two state troopers should have been working the night of the fire, but only one was on duty. Rep. Lloyd Doggett proposing a global warming bill....

When the Dallas Cowboys move into their new stadium for the 2009 season, fans will enjoy the action on the biggest high-definition screen in the world....

ATF thinks that someone threw a Molotov cocktail at the Governor's Mansion and the fire started that way. Former Perry chief-of-staff to resign from Secretary of State position; the next one will be the 6th SoS under Perry. The ACLU is suing the Texas youth prison system over strip search, solitary confinement and other practices at a girls' lockup in Brownwood. Pflugerville man arrested for pistol whipping an auto shop worker before robbing the shop....

Candidate for City Council Cid Galindo failed to list over $60,000 worth of expenses on his campaign finance forms. 21-yr-old man accused of propositioning 12-yr-old boy at Ruiz Library. After this second alcohol-related arrest in a month, former Longhorn Cedric Benson is cut from the Chicago Bears. San Antonio man driving the wrong way on IH35 in Georgetown dies early this morning after hitting a truck head-on. Not really a surprise: burn ban set for Travis County....

Former convention center director pleads guilty to tampering with governmental records. State Board of Education deciding on English curriculum in a difficult and somewhat hostile process. Baseball player traded to Laredo minor league team for ten bats. Yes, you read that correctly. CPS is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn yesterday's ruling by the Third Court of Appeals on the removal of the children from the FLDS compound. Williamson County developers are funny....

Professional basketball players are real people too: after their victory, the Spurs had to spend last night at the New Orleans airport. Area home sales were down last month (for the tenth month in a row). Former Georgetown police officer sentenced to two years in jail for sexual assault. State senate committee discussing the costs of the Eldorado FLDS raid....

With defense and guile, the San Antonio Spurs held on for a 91-82 Game 7 victory Monday over the New Orleans Hornets to advance to the NBA's Western Conference finals....

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,......