Several hundred protesters braved the heat at the Capitol on Saturday. The "Rick Perry: Bad for Texas, Worse for Our Nation" rally served as a reaction to The Response and the increasing possibility/reality that Gov. Perry is going to run for President. more ›

The 82nd Legislative Session opened at the Texas Capitol today, and it looks like legislators will have a lot less money to work with this year. Comptroller Susan Combs released her Biennial Revenue Estimate yesterday for 2012-2013 and with expected general revenue of $72.2 billion available, news outlets and think tanks alike are competing to estimate the size of the budget shortfall. more ›

Local grassroots group “Restore Sanity Austin” announced a joint effort with Rock the Vote to organize a “Rally to Restore Sanity” in Texas. The rally will be held on the South steps of the Texas Capitol, Saturday, October 30, from 11AM to 2PM. more ›

In response to the shooting on the southern steps of the State Capitol in January and growing concerns about our statehouse’s vulnerability to a similar incident, security officials installed overhead metal detectors at each of the main building’s four entrances last Friday. The only catch: if you’re packing a concealed handgun, you’re granted immediate access through an express lane. more ›

Sunday, October 19, Speaker Tom Craddick and his District 82 opponent, Bill Dingus, squared off in a televised debate in Midland. Candidates discussed issues from the merits of CHIP, TxDOT, property taxes, and lobbyists. The surprise at the debate, however, was that Leslie Ward, a vice president and lobbyist for AT&T, was allowed to sit at the table with local journalists and have a turn at asking questions. AT&T was the debate's official sponsor, and its Political Action Committee (PAC) recently donated an even 50 G to Craddick's own PAC three days before the debate. more ›

When you see Damien Brockmann strolling down Congress Avenue, tip your hat, or at least offer a salute nestled somewhere between the Queen's wave and Truman Capote's famed fingers-to-forehead wrist-flick. Why? Because Citizen Damien has been tirelessly laboring to rescue America from its fekockteh political scene. Lucky for us, he's intent on saving Austin first, and doing it by offering up a new website called BillHop.com. A wiki/blog/safe haven for political junkees, the site tracks... more ›

As festivals go, the Texas Book Festival is probably one of the most consistent we have in Austin. For the past couple of years, Clay Smith–the festival’s literary director–has sought out and scored some of the most notable figures on the nation’s book scene. This year is no exception as the festival is sporting some very prominent names. The festival “kicks-off” on Thursday night (7pm) at the Harry Ransom Center where Alan Furst will be... more ›

Monday's memorial service will be held at the Erwin Center at UT Austin. KUT 90.5FM will also be broadcasting a live internet stream from the center, beginning at noon. Please refer to their homepage for more details.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested memorial gifts be made to the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders at the following:
Austin Community Foundation

P.O. Box 5159

Austin, Texas 78763

Contact: 512-472-4483 www.austincommunityfoundation.org.
more ›

Services for former Texas Governor Ann Richards, who passed away last evening, will be Monday (September 18) at 12 Noon at the University of Frank Erwin Center. She will lie in state in the Texas Capitol Rotunda Saturday (September 16) from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday (September 17) from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Both the services and events at the Texas Capitol are open to the public. A private burial is planned. more ›