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Watch a recently found full-color film detailing the brutal aftermath of the May 11, 1953 Waco tornado. (If you've ever wondered why half of downtown Waco is a parking lot, here's your answer. It wasn't like that until the tornado.) Be careful about jaywalking in front of any cop near UT! Finals week: Don’t forget to have your brain blessed! Gail Collins of The New York Times Op-Ed page calls Texas “a teen pregnancy disaster zone.” (Expert opinion claims abstinence-only education makes Texas a baby-makin’ factory!) Legendary Texas writer Bud Shrake had a fantastic life, and wound up with this great obit. He was even part of history: years ago, he told us that Jack Ruby was sitting on his newsroom desk when JFK was shot. Read his book "Strange Peaches" if you aren't going to his service tomorrow. Students sprinting in skivvies at UT! (SFW) more ›

The foundations of Emo's Lounge are going to shake on Thursday when Ume, Chicago's The Narrator and Bring Back the Guns cause a commotion that will be off the Richter scale. Ume's music is like the soundtrack to a beautiful fairytale, or a terribly haunting ghost story. The group is often compared to early Sonic Youth or Blonde Redhead, but the passion and fury of their performances can't be understated. Guitarist/vocalist Lauren Lawson plays like... more ›

Yesterday's fickle weather looks like it'll stick around through the weekend: the National Weather Service has just issued a flash flood warning for Austin and much of Central Texas -- Blanco County Sheriffs are already reporting flash flooding over roads. Even more exciting, the NWS is also calling for a tornado watch until 6pm for much of Central Texas, including Travis and Williamson counties. more ›

While the final figures are just now coming out, last week already seems like a distant memory. Estimated amount, in cubic yards, of sanding material used to clear street locations: 1,349 Austin Energy customers who experienced a power outage: 35,000 Water mains repaired by Austin Water Utility: 16 Calls to EMS dispatchers and Austin Fire Department: 2,133 Calls to 311: 11,370 Collisions reported to the Austin Police Department: 599 Estimated number of canceled flights... more ›

The storms that slammed Austin last night cut a sizeable swath of destruction, uprooting trees, flooding major streets (we might as well have been swimming down South Lamar last night) and knocking out power across the city. The Statesman reports that roughly 17,000 customers remain without electricity as of 10am on Friday, with KXAN quoting Austin Energy saying that repairs may take up into nighttime. The Austin-Travis County Emergency Conditions Information Page lists several schools closed owing to the power outage, and the following roads remain closed:

The National Weather Service is putting you on alert, Austin. There's rain coming. And wind. And hail. Really big hail. The NWS says winds of up to 80 mph can be expected. EIGHTY! The rains are expected to hit Austin around 10pm, [from the Statesman] "Bob Rose, a meteorologist for the Lower Colorado River Authority, said the line of storms likely will move into the Austin area around 10 p.m. and will remain in... more ›

The prophets of doom and destruction over at the National Weather Service just issued a Tornado Watch for South Central Texas, including Travis County. Until 10pm tonight, residents in the following counties are advised to avoid flying livestock: more ›

The director of the National Weather Service announced that this year's hurricane season will be a rough one. Forecasters say that the combination of warmer waters along with "low wind shear and low pressure, as well as the jet stream, favor storm formation." more ›