• Friendly fire death apologies from U.S. in Pakistan
• Mexico president seeks massive police overhaul
• FLOTUS Obama named most powerful woman in the world (by Forbes)

The corrections officer girlfriend of convicted murderer Milton Gobert was indicted in Travis County Wednesday on third-degree felony charges of bringing prohibited items into a corrections facility. Tasha Lass, 36, who testified during his sentencing trial last March, admitted to both being romantically involved with Gobert and supplying him with a cell phone so the two could “talk… about his case.” more ›

Now that Cupid has officially run out of arrows, it's time to shift focus towards the 2010 primary elections. Early voting kicks off today and runs until Friday, February 26. Locations (listed after the jump) are scattered throughout our fair city and registered voters can use a variety of forms of identification in order to cast their early ballots. Election Day itself is Tuesday, March 2. more ›

In the video of the incident, which took place on May 11, Deputy Chris Bieze can be seen and heard calling headquarters as Winkfein stands near her truck, trying at times to get closer to Bieze, who repeatedly yells at her to step back. Later, when Bieze makes a motion to handcuff Winkfein, the grandmother resists, insisting that she's going to get in her truck. more ›

Be prepared for these road closures tomorrow caused by First Night prep. A Travis County sheriff's car was stolen with thousands of dollars worth of equipment in it. KVUE newsvan flipped on IH35 in Round Rock; passengers are ok. Georgetown cop was assisting someone by the side of the road when a drunk driver seriously injured him last night. Fort Hood and UT partnering up to help military families who have children with disabilities. DMN names Dallas County DA Craig Watkins Texan of the Year (Laura Bush and Phil Gramm also make their list, though). One of the "Jena Six" attempts suicide after a shoplifting charge. more ›

This week is Homeless Awareness Week.Local non-profit Front Steps asks for donations of sleeping bags and blankets; they will be distributed at ARCH (Austin Resource Center for the Homeless). Travis County owes the City of Austin $4,820.50 in unpaid parking tickets and the City wants its money. WilCo State Rep. Krusee cleared of drunk driving charges. Drunk Austinite makes terroristic threats (whilst wearing a ski mask) on a flight to Dallas. SEC charging Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban with insider trading. The New Yorker's Calvin Trillin stops by Lexington for the best Texas BBQ in the world. more ›

Starting tomorrow and lasting through Halloween, early voting will be open at various locations throughout the county. The hours will be 7am-7pm on Monday - Saturday and noon-6pm on Sunday (with the polls staying open two hours later on the last three days of early voting). With the massive amount of voter registration that took place for this year's historic Presidential election, crowds at early voting will likely be larger than we've seen before. Still, it's a good idea to get your vote in early, because the crowds on election day are sure to be even larger -- plus, if you vote early, you have many locations available at which to vote, whereas on Nov. 4 you have to vote at your precinct. The League of Women Voters Austin Area has their Voter's Guide(pdf) available for download. Happy voting! more ›

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 . . . more ›

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. more ›

Polls are open from 7am to 7pm. more ›

Travis County DA candidates debate tonight at Dell Jewish Community Center. On Friday when a Secret Service agent wouldn't let a Capitol employee into the building, she got upset and . . . threw a bowl of egg salad at the agent. Man who sold candy to kids at his Austin apartment complex accused of raping two girls 8 years ago. "Scouting ought to be about building character, not about sex": Our own Gov. Perry interviewed in this weekend's NY Times magazine. more ›

AT&T Marathon this Sunday morning; watch out for street closures. Early voting starts next week, but you can't vote at Northcross! Bill Clinton will visit Hillary's new Austin campaign headquarters on Saturday night. Ack! 26,000 people so far have entered the raffle for the 100 seats at next week's debate. UT Associate Athletic Director Douglas George Wilson being investigated by Travis County and UT for possible theft of $60,000. more ›

Meanwhile, both Obama and Clinton are pulling out all the stops to appeal to our state's Hispanic population, which account for as much as 25% of Texas' eligible voters, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. Obama today launched a Spanish radio ad (mp3) stressing his humble working-class roots. Each campaign is also spending upwards of $1 million on TV ads that began running this week. more ›

As we mentioned last week, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is setting up one of his campaign headquarters in Austin for the upcoming Texas Primary. Today we found out that the location for the offices will be downtown Austin, on the second floor of the old Frost Bank building at 816 Congress Avenue. more ›

• So, I guess I just got kicked out of another My Little Pony forum. :(
• Here are the results of the University Democrats (UT-Austin) & Central Austin Democrats (CAD) endorsements for Travis County and statewide elections.
• A Travis County election judge claims he's discovered 1,800 active registered voters who were inadvertently deleted from county voter rolls since 2004.

Photo by Payton Chung on flickr
• Two remaining candidates for City Manager: Jelynne Burley of San Antonio and Mike Ott of Ft. Worth.
• City Council approved McCracken's downtown parking proposal at today's meeting.
• Cars who park in marked bike lanes can now be ticketed by a few workers from the Public Works Department Bicycle and Pedestrian Program.

Body found in Lady Bird Lake this morning by the hike-and-bike trail. Fire started in Southeast Travis County, about 6 miles from the airport, by a man with a cutting torch. AISD teacher fingerprinting kicked off today. Whoop? more ›

Photo by smellyknee on flickr
• Kucinich left off Texas primary ballot for not signing Dem loyalty oath, sues.
• No Republican is running for Travis County DA.
• How's the City Manager search going?

After losing part of his arm in a machinery accident on Wednesday, a 52-year-old employee of Alamo Concrete was able to extricate himself from a conveyor belt and call 911 to save his life. more ›

Photo by The Chaninator™ on flickr
• Former convention-center director Robert Hodge was indicted on record-tampering charges by grand jury.
• Voter registration cards sent by Travis County to incorrect addresses increase the chances of voter fraud.
• Sixteen people arrested near Manor for being (allegedly) involved in a cock-fighting ring.

TEA will start teacher criminal background checks; AISD will be the first to require fingerprinting. 3 airlines aren't happy with the city for building a low-cost terminal at ABIA. Light pollution starting to invade the skies near the McDonald Observatory. more ›

Photo of Perry filing Giuliani’s ballot paperwork by christopherleonard on flickr
• Current Travis County DA Ronnie Earle will retire when his term is up.
• Now-removed YouTube video showed Perry dissing Dubya and contrasting him with Giuliani. Is nothing sacred?
• State Rep. Dawnna Dukes caught playing hooky in Vegas.

Former Dallas resident Nancy Rose McGowan, 26, was thrown in Travis County Jail yesterday after authorities discovered that she lacked a state board license and, more disconcertingly, any kind of formal education in pharmacy work whatsoever. McGowan had been working at the CVS Pharmacy at 4405 E. Riverside Drive for the past two months, and actively filled prescriptions using the names "Amber Mclendon" and "Amber Shcherbelis." more ›

Photo by jmtimages on flickr Help out: Volunteers needed to take people with mobility issues through the Trail of Lights. Austin/Travis County EMS asks people to not block the driveways at fire and ambulance stations; it's not against the law, but it does slow their response to emergencies. The NY Times thinks the Justice Dept. needs to take a look at the Texas Youth Commission. Body of murder victim's mom found in San Marcos. Jerry... more ›

Photo by dground on flickr City Council considering the gathering of information about Austin's homeless and the expansion of services that help them. The council may also merge Park Police, Austin Aviation Police and City Marshals with APD. Travis County officials aiding Hays County officials in the search for a woman who may have witnessed the murder of her son. Williamson County man on the run from child sexual assault charges captured in Costa Rica.... more ›

Judge Jeanne Meurer may be running for Travis County District Attorney. Pimp C was found dead yesterday afternoon. He was 33. How To Green Your Christmas Tree: Tips for having a more eco-friendly holiday. Colors! Gmail adds colored labels. Guerrilla artist Banksy in Bethlehem, proving if "it's safe for sissy artists, I think it's safe for everyone." Here’s What We Need: Some Way to Associate Our Low Fares with Worn Out Vaginas Using a... more ›

Photo by The Chaninator™ on flickr Travis County officials hope to extradite former UT student from Peru; in 1996, her drunk driving led to the death of her passenger. Attorney General Greg Abbott's office collected $2.3 billion in child support last (fiscal) year. Chief Acevedo to decide today if any disciplinary action will be taken against Sgt. Olsen for the death of Kevin Brown earlier this year. Secretary of Defense Gates visited Fort Hood this... more ›

Photo by Broken Piggy Bank on flickrThe Texas Youth Commission was in court Monday defending itself against advocacy groups claiming the TYC has overused pepper spray on its inmates. Texas Appleseed and Advocacy, Inc. say the TYC has doubled its use of pepper spray even after a settlement with the TYC back in September forced them to cut back. TYC has not commented on the case but Jim George, an Austin attorney who chairs the... more ›

Photo by MotherPie on flickr Attorney General Greg Abbott says the rate of foreclosures in Texas is at crisis level; foreclosures in Travis County have gone down since last year, though. Hit-and-run on Airport Blvd. Sunday morning leads to the deaths of a motorcyclist and his passenger. Fredericksburg wants you to be quiet when you visit. State red-light fines that should be going towards medical trauma centers aren't. Del Rio high school student suspended for... more ›

Original menu image courtesy the Frisco Shop With the Brentwood Tavern and the Travis County Farmer's Market both closing last month, the Allandale culinary scene is certainly undergoing some transition. The Austin Business Journal and the Statesman's Dale Rice report that the Frisco Shop (North Central Austin's haven of pie and artery-clogging comfort food) has found a new home and will not close its doors after learning last year that its location would soon house... more ›