Photo by mkw87 on flickrAs of last week, a large sinkhole the size of three football fields has been eating up large parts of Daisetta - a tiny East Texas oil town 60 miles northeast of Houston. All kinds of crap keeps falling into the tar pit-like cavern these days including a tractor, oil barrels, tires, two grain trucks, utility poles and a shitload of trees. Up next on Mother Nature’s list are a wastewater......

Photo by liewcf on flickrHeads up, Texans -- the sales tax break you've been getting by buying online at Amazon.com may be in jeopardy. The Dallas Morning News reports that officials from the state comptroller's office are investigating whether Amazon's Irving-based distribution center establishes a "physical presence" in Texas, which would put the online retailer under a 1992 Supreme Court ruling that allows states to collect sales taxes from out-of-state retailers under those conditions. Amazon......

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....

The here-and-there national media coverage that Wait Til the Ice Melts, an electronic music compilation, has received seems to suggest, not without a hint of mockery, that it's somehow a shock that the massive state of Texas can come up with anything beyond yokel-driven acoustic guitar and other brands of slack-jawed musical idiocy. Maybe it's the subtitle of the compilation which is causing the problem, as "New Music" doesn't necessarily imply electronic music, or wordlessness in any way; or maybe, conversely, it's the presence of the word "Texas" which is causing the problem, as that five-letter word seems to evoke in non-residents a sense of simplemindedness, Bushism, pickup trucks, cowboy boots, and hootenanny tomfoolery. But to get past these preconceived notions is to dig into Wait Til the Ice Melts, Exponential Records' way of doing us all a favor by culling from hundreds of possibilities a quick and satisfying mix of electronica from contiguous America's largest state. ...

Photo by Erik Charlton on flickrNCAA Tournament South Regional Semifinal #2 seed Texas (30-6) vs. #3 seed Stanford (28-7) 6:27 p.m. Central, Reliant Stadium · Houston, Texas TV/Radio: CBS / KVET (98.1 FM/1300 AM) After cruising through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, the second-seeded Texas Longhorns earned the chance to play the rest of their games in the cozy confines of their home state. The Longhorns face the Stanford Cardinal at 6:27......

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. ...

Cook County, premiering at SXSW this week and showing at 4 PM Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at Alamo South Lamar, is about two generations of a rural family dealing with their collective addiction to crystal meth. ...

Saturday Saturday Saturday! It's a bounty of goodness unlike anything most people of privilege (or non-privilege) have seen, seeming that it is filled not only with SXSW's usual wealth of day-funs and joys and diversities, but that it is also privy to the wonderment that is Mess With Texas 2, a noon-to-ten cornucopia of music and comedy at Waterloo Park. It's sort of like a day of Fun Fun Fun Fest plus comedy minus the price plus the knowledge that there's great stuff going on everywhere else as well. So let's get to it, and all the other great stuff going on EVERYWHERE, shall we? Mess With Texas 2 @ Waterloo Park At this event, it's almost ridiculous what a wide range of musics you'll be able to see, from electro-folk to softcore-punk to anti-pop to alterna-world to whatever-other-hyphenated-genre-you-could-possibly-fabricate. Headlining are the Kim Deal-led Breeders and late-nineties punk-stars NOFX, but they are just icing on the cake of a day that features acts as intriguing as the inimitable Islands and the ever-so-subtle Atlas Sound. And, take a deep breath, because also lining up on one of the three stages is rise-from-the-ashes-via-Juno story Kimya Dawson, the mysteriously-spelled Wooden Shjips, hype-machine Simian Mobile Disco, quick risers Yeasayer, Monotonix, and No Age. And in case you haven't already caught them, this may be a convenient time to check out local respectables Shearwater and White Denim. Seriously, though, that's a ridiculous list already, and it's really just the beginning. And it's free, for God's sake! And there was some comedy at this Mess With Texas thing, too, right? Yeah, you can expect some laughs from the likes of Janeane Garofalo, Brian Posehn, Todd Barry, and Eugene Mirman, among a veritable slew of others. Make sure to get there before the sun goes down if you want to check that out, though, because we all know humor goes best with some sunshine....

Before we let Texas fade off the political radar for a while, let's take a look at the Texas Democratic elite who will likely have the final say in who their nominee for president will be. ...

Mess With Texas during SXSW last year was a huge hit in the cozy confines of Red 7 and MWT2 promises to be an even bigger bash with a wide variety of musical acts and comedians on tap. Waterloo Park is the host this year and this year’s free, all ages show kicks off at noon on Saturday the 15th. But of course there are so many other day shows, parties, and what not going on in the town that the sponsors (including Forcefield PR, Record Store Day, JetBlue Entertainment, Fuel TV, SuperDeluxe.com, and Garnier Fructis) want to give you V.I.P. treatment if you can write a witty piece of prose. As has been the case with other stellar Waterloo Park shows, local entity Transmission Entertainment has helped organize this brouhaha....

"I was initially drawn to Crawford, because I'd been effectively duped. I didn't know that Bush wasn't from Crawford."...

Two men kidnapped a woman at a Bastrop Whataburger this morning. Mayor Wynn apologizes to city after assault charge, says he is in anger counseling. Winter weather leads to more than 200 flights being cancelled at DFW. On election day, APD arrested two members of the Mexican Mafia. With 41% of Texas precincts reporting, Obama is in the lead for caucus delegates. An agreement set up today between the City of Austin and TxDOT means that your vehicle registration could be denied if you don't pay your traffic fines. After losing the race for Tax Assessor-Collector, Maxey endorses Nelda Wells-Spears and says he is going to help the Obama campaign....

Austin's continued involvement in the Central Texas Clean Cities Program, has earned the city a $12,500 in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Energy. ...

Liam Finn has seen a lot of the world lately, albeit from the stages of pubs, clubs, and arenas. The 24-year-old New Zealander has 126,000 frequent flyer miles at the moment, thanks to a year spent touring both as a guitarist for Crowded House and promoting his new Yep Roc album I'll Be Lightning. The self-produced and performed record finds Finn in a reflective mood, and alternates between indie chamber-pop and much more rocking material. Currently on tour with Pela, Finn will drop in for a handful of SXSW gigs before heading back on the road to open on Eddie Vedder's solo tour. We spoke to Liam Finn this week about Neil Young, loop pedals, and London. We encourage you to attend the Austinist-Gothamist day show on March 12th to see him!...

Primary results from national/state/local races: So even though it seems that Hillary won the Texas primary (it's interesting that Obama led in statewide early voting), Obama may beat her in delegate numbers. In the GOP race, McCain is now the GOP candidate as Huckabee gives up the ghost. In Travis County, Ron Paul won 17% of the vote . . . ...

There's a Joke in Here Somewhere: Clinton Campaign Stations Media Next to Toilets At yesterday's "Texas-sized Town Hall" at the Austin Convention Center, Senator Hillary Clinton's media entourage was forced to work out of a men's bathroom in a nearby community center. "It was immediately interpreted as something of a metaphor for the Clinton campaign's attitude to the press: With Sen. Hillary Clinton at Austin's convention center for 'a Texas-sized townhall,' her media entourage......

Texas boys Best Fwends are back at SXSW this year, bringing their video game-centric melodies and hurried electronic downbeats to old fans and new ones. Call them out on their tongue-in-cheek approach to music making if you must, but these cats know exactly what they're doing, and manage to make three-dimensional songs that also know how to get down. Does Antony know how to get down? No, he really doesn't. Via email, Best Fwends Anthony and Dustin talk with us about their storied history, SXSW, and Daryl "Fucking" Hall....

Unlike past primaries where the Presidential nominees were already decided by the time we voted, Texas' votes are quite significant this year. After the polls close this evening, the party's not over; it's precinct convention time! This whole caucus thing is new to us, so we thought it was worth posting a refresher....

In case you're still curious about where to vote on Tuesday, we've reprinted the official list from the Travis County Clerk web site as of Monday evening. For up-to-date information, you might want to double-check the Office of the Registrar's database To find out which precint you're in, use their handy Voter Verification form. From the Elections Divison: Registered voters can vote with a voter registration card, driver’s license or any official photo ID,......

Clinton campaign seeks to control local caucus sessions? According to a Dallas Morning News blog, recent training materials distributed by the Clinton campaign read, "DO NOT allow the supporter of another candidate to serve in leadership roles... If our supporters are outnumbered, ask the Temporary Chair if one of our supporters can serves as the Secretary, in the interest of fairness." Mike Huckabee's latest outreach video reworks "Mr Sandman" Calling "Rangers," Huckabee's supporters are urged......

Watching the presidential primary unfold these last few weeks, the thought has often occurred to us: "When will Obama and Clinton shut up about saving the people of Darfur from displacement and genocide, and start talking about the important stuff, like plaigarized speeches and superdelegates?" Haven't had the same reaction? Tonight, a very different kind of politics will be on display at the B. Iden Payne Theatre at the University of Texas. Our city will play host to one of the great voices for democracy and social justice in post-colonial Africa. ...

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Austinist. The 2009 Toyota Corolla, which encourages you to "Live the Dream for Less Coin." Obama for America, remember the Texas primary on Tuesday. Return of the Stardust Cowgirl, available now in paperback. Joe Jackson's Rain, available now on Amazon.com. Elsewares, where you can get a 10% off your order with the discount code "ist". Busted Tees, which introduces three new designs......

Admittedly, the Democratic delegate selection process in Texas is ridiculous, especially to casual voters who don't hold a particular allegiance to either candidate—or, in this case, the exact type of swing voters that each campaign is now clamoring to bring to the polls next Tuesday. ...

I understand the motive. We have perverts and pedophiles walking the halls of our schools. Perverts and pedophiles entrusted with the care-taking of our young, impressionable chil’ins. I have to wonder though. Hasn't this always been the case or have we just degenerated into some sort of depraved fetishists that the world has never been exposed to before?...

"Chemical Ali'' to be executed in 30 days. Prince Harry has apparently been fighting in Afghanistan. Good on ya, Harry. Good on ya indeed. Vote for Putin's successor, Dmitry Medvedev, or disappear. Obama currently has a small lead in Texas and is pulling even in Ohio. McCain admits he is a liberal. Austin set to increase use of wind power. We totally rule. Courtney Cox and Demi Moore are the same person.......

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about the uplifting and relaxing experience of taking my son to court for truancy. Brief recap: In Texas, if, say, your seventeen year old child, who lives independently, takes care of himself, buys his own food and gas and concert tickets, owns his own car, and demonstrates daily acts of thoughtfulness, compassion and general total-duded-ness, decides that having to attend chemistry first period is not part of his Desired Life Experience, and if, say, he does this forty-seven times in a row, there’s a very good chance that you, the parent, will find yourself in a court case titled State of Texas vs. Henry’s Mom....

An Ohio school has suspended a boy over his mohawk. Thought $3.00 was bad? Obama HQ in Longview, Texas vandalized. Civil rights leader and former Clinton devotee John Lewis switches his endorsement over to Obama. Gives a whole new meaning to "Red China". Kenyan leaders agree to share power; post-election violence has haunted the country since December. Got it bad. Got it bad. Got it bad. I'm hot for teacher.......

SXSW Film Fest Producer Matt DentlerLast year we chatted with SXSW Film Festival producer and all-around cool guy Matt Dentler about film programming, Austin audiences and Texas filmmakers. This year, he's answered even more of our questions--and this time around, we talked Mumblecore, Global Doc Days, and SXSW success stories. Has the media attention around "Mumblecore" ultimately been a positive or negative thing for the Festival and the filmmakers? As much as it's a term......

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....

For years, the Austinist staff has fielded queries from friends and acquaintances about SXSW goings-on. "Can I walk to The Salt Lick?" "Does it really take 90 minutes for a Casino El Camino burger?" But most of all: "What showcase do you recommend to see some good new bands I don't know about?" This year, we've made the answer official. Austinist is presenting an official nighttime showcase featuring six different American acts at Spiro's on Thursday, March 13. We've done a lot of listening to different bands and entire showcases, and believe that this one has great potential to impress you. The roster:...