Big Winds - A Trip To West Texas; by Matthew Genitempo...

Waste Control Specialists LLC made some dangerous headway yesterday in a multimillion-dollar effort to operate a radioactive waste dump in Andrews County. Last May, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality gave the Dallas-based company a license to dispose of byproduct material, including waste from uranium mining and nuclear weapons processing....

In an unprecedented move being hailed by environmentalists and advocates of energy reform, the Texas Public Utility Committee voted 2 to 1 for preliminary approval of the largest investment in renewable energy in the history of the United States. With 35 states currently producing some sort of wind power, PUC Commissioner Paul Hudson boasted that this new initiative would have Texas, already the leader when it comes to most megawatts produced, generating more than the 14 next-highest states combined....

Photo by slopjop on flickr More information has been released about some of the goings-on at the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) compound near Eldorado. A witness told authorities that beds at the "temple" there was used by older men to deflower their young (underage) brides. When authorities stormed the "temple", they discovered a bed in a dishevelled state, with a long hair therein. Found in the "temple annex" were......

The Fiery Furnaces--they of the Friday and Saturday night headlines at Emo's Inside--have an unmistakable sound and an unmistakable presence. Between mastermind Matthew Friedberger's pounding around on three different keyboards, to sister Eleanor's ultra-intense vocals, The Fiery Furnaces are a band who's crafted quite a unique little niche in the psyche of music lovers all round that big ol' world. With their two-night to-do at Emo's coming less than a month after the release of......

The tiny West Texas town of Marfa may seem like an unlikely spot for one of the most exciting and inspiring contemporary art events in the country to take place. But each fall, for the past two decades, Marfa’s population of 2,000 doubles as artists and art lovers from across the country and around the globe come to Open House Weekend. It's the brainchild of minimalist artist Donald Judd, the creator of the Marfa-based Chinati......

Part of the Anticon hip-hop collective, Odd Nosdam (a.k.a. David P. Madson) is a DJ and an audio chemist whose credits include work with cLOUDDEAD, remixing Boards of Canada, and five full lengths under his own name. A label as much as it is consortium of like-minds, Anticon is known for taking a collaborative and fresh approach to hip-hop and turntable-ism, two genres that, despite the many realms of possibility, can often be strikingly homogeneous.......

We first fell in love with Yo La Tengo at 17. We were still stuck out in the sticks in high school, still reading Rolling Stone and still wearing those pink crackle-finish Vans. And Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out had just been released, and Rolling Stone recommended it for people who liked the Velvet Underground. We ordered the album from Hasting's, and when the album came in and we popped it into the Discman we......

There will always be chatter about Austin's changing landscape, much as there will always be supporters for both developers and the environment. We want the privilege of taking a dip in a glistening spring-fed pool, but we also want to have a robust economy that allows us to continue working and living in this city. Some would argue that the two desires aren't mutually exclusive, but we all know that it's a sticky subject.......

The Austin/San Francisco-based thoughtful, ambient rock group Monahans (previously Milton Mapes) is, according to The Parish calendar, having its CD release show there Thursday night. However, the album was released over a month ago, so make of it what you will. Either way, their soothing sounds of longing are sure to put you in a trancelike state, not unlike the effect of mixing old R.E.M. and hallucinogenics on a long, solemn sea voyage. Monahans’......

Conventional wisdom holds that watercolor paintings are often small to medium-size pictures depicting an urban or rural landscape, offering a visual narrative of an old neighborhood or perhaps a lovely snapshot of a seascape in winter. "Quaint," "homey," "charming,"—such are the words and phrases that come to mind. Not so for the new collection of works by watercolor artist Jan Heaton, currently on exhibit at the Wally Workman Gallery. Heaton’s over-sized watercolors are giant effervescent......

Unlike the recently discussed Westlake mothers driving with one hand and sipping wine with the other, the Austin Wine Festival is making it possible for you to combine the thrill of Texas roads with the taste of wine, all in a safely automobile-free environment. This Sunday night, watch The Wine Roads of Texas, a documentary from KLRU and Wes Marshall that tells the story of Texas wineries in an engaging and informative manner. Beginning in......

9000 miles. 28 days. 11 different locales. 16 cinematic gems. That’s right folks, come July 18th it will be time to break out the adult diapers and the no-doze as you and your cinephiliac friends embark on an epic quest to obtain your next celluloid injection in the form of the Alamo Drafthouse’s third annual Rolling Roadshow Tour. Never mind that at today’s prices the entire circuit will set you back just under twenty five......

It looks like NBC might move the locally-filmed drama Friday Night Lights out of Austin to save money. It might be possible to use rural east New Mexico (we're thinking the Las Cruces area), but Louisiana for West Texas? Nah. Such a move is being forced on the show to save $100,000 an episode, and the network is considering these states. The city and Texas state lawmakers (even Gov. Perry) are trying to provide enough......

We’d never asperse someone just because he's rich and famous. Or just because he likes to go shirtless at all times and do push-ups on the beach in Malibu. Or just because he's an actor who seems to think he has an authoritative opinion about baseball. Or just because he appears in the Monday Night Football booth to promote his new film and attempts to sound like a West Texas Buddha. We wouldn’t do that.......

No one has had their fame stripped away from them in such short order as UT quarterback, Colt McCoy. The red-shirt freshman out of Tuscola, Texas had the enormously unfortunate job of replacing the most famous (and entertaining) Texas football athlete of the modern era--Vince Young. As that January 4th hangover started to wear off, Texas fans were uncertain as to who would replace VY during the preseason, McCoy or true freshman Jevan Snead.......

Some people are just that desperate for inexpensive furniture. We hope you love your new Kaarten Caaffee Taable. From deep in the heart of West Texas, Amazon.com founder, Jeff Bezos launches his rocket. MySpace is worth an estimated $6 Billion. We wanted to be part of a prestigious organization but it looks like we'll have to rule this one out. Al Jazeera begins broadcasting in English today and is expected to draw at least......

We try not to be fanatics about stuff, but John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats totally does it for us. He's smart, he's nice, and he's lo-fi (well, decreasingly so, but the sentiment is there). Also, the first time we saw him in concert, he performed solo with an acoustic guitar and burst into a rousing chorus of "Hail, Satan!" As for street cred, the Mountain Goats have released roughly a billion albums, many......

Winning auction bid for a Gibson Les Paul electric guitar custom painted with Butthead's face and autographed by Beavis and Butthead-creator Mike Judge: $3,550...

Austin City Council Member Brewster McCracken, former Mayor Kirk Watson and the Texas Film Commission jointly announced today that production of NBC's "Friday Night Lights," which was greenlighted back in February, will be headquartered in Austin. "NBC Universal Television Studio's decision to come here is a big step for us as we capitalize on Austin's reputation as an emerging center for television and film production," says Mayor Will Wynn in today's Austin Business Journal. "This......

Meet Suzan-Lori Parks, winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize in Theatre for the fantastic Topdog/Underdog. She’s the author of numerous other plays that are invariably full of dazzling dialogue and original music, and obsessed with history. Parks spent part of her childhood in West Texas, where she set her debut novel, Getting Mother’s Body (2003) and where, she swears, she really enjoys visiting in summer. She’ll be at the Paramount tonight at 7:30 pm, to......

You may remember that druing SXSW we got a chance to interview Turk Pipkin to discuss his new documentary Nobelity. And you may remember how we said that there would be another screening in April. Well, that day is today. Head over to the Paramount this evening to see the movie about which Harry Knowles said, "Absolutely brilliant. This is one of the most important films of this year or any year." Turk Pipkin......

Turk Pipkin is a Texas original who has built a colorful and successful career as a writer and actor. After appearing in dozens of productions and writing several books, Pipkin decided to focus his creative energies on an issue of global importance. Through his interviews with nine Nobel laureates, Pipkin’s documentary Nobelity, which premieres today at SXSW (Paramount, 7pm), focuses on the most pressing problems in our world today and how we can attempt......

Our good friends over at Pink Dome alerted us late last night to some troubling goings-on on the Hill that have us, well...troubled. Apparently a Republican operative has been appointed to lead the Legislative Council for Texas. Ho hum, right? Another legislative appointee. Not so fast. The Legislative Council Director controls everything on the Hill - the emails, the network, the drafting of bills, the handling of those bills being drafted and all of......

Austin isn't anything if not full of great places to hang out, be with friends, and enjoy the famous Austin vibe. The Work*Shop is a place in Central Austin (6th Street West of Lamar) where you can hang, drink some wine, and make something special. Get crafty. Find your inner necklace maker or decorate your own plate set. You go in, choose your passion, and get to it. You buy the materials, but you......

We were down on sixth and Congress this morning having a cigarette preaching the gospel in the absence of Dwayne (Aside: how could they run off the ongoing theological debate between Dwayne and Leslie yet allow three-toothed meth addicts to plot their revolution while bugging us for our hard-earned change?) Anywho, we saw a few wide-eyed young folks passing out fliers with color photos and the words “Lost from Midland” written on them. Our......

What are you doing this summer? Can you afford to work for free? Maybe you are retired (doubtful) or teach and have your summers free (possible). Whatever the case may be, Texas Parks and Wildlife is "> looking for volunteers to help run our state parks and historic sites this summer. With more than 100 historic sites and state parks, there is a myriad of options from which to choose. Like the beach? Head......

On Saturday, former US Congressman James Jarrell "Jake" Pickle died at the age of 91. His was a legacy of extraordinary accomplishments. Born and raised in West Texas, Pickle went on to attend UT Austin, where was a champion swimmer and senior-year student body president. After a stint in the US Navy during WWII, Pickle went on to serve in the House of Representatives for over three decades. When the Civil Rights Act of......

Van Horn, Texas: population 3000, 460 miles west of Austin. The town exists as a waypoint for travelers making the trek from El Paso to the eastern half of Texas, which is evidently sufficient to sustain the 17 motels and 16 gas stations along the main street - a somewhat ambitiously misnomered "Broadway".It was here that we previously discovered the color-soaked eclectic treasure trove that is Texas' Only Van Gogh Gallery. The store's description stems......

Many of you who frequent the Hotel San Jose on South Congress - either for a drink, or just to drink in the ultra-cool design theme - may be aware that the owners recently opened a sister hotel in the tiny West Texas town of Marfa (and we're talking TINY - a population that barely tops 2100!). Well, Austinist recently had the opportunity to check out the new digs (called the Thunderbird Hotel) and would......