Sylvester Turner went to the Public Utility Commission yesterday to argue for a petition he had filed asking the PUC to declare a moratorium on electricity disconnections for certain customers for the remainder of the summer. The customers that would be covered included low-income seniors (up to 125% of the
The danger of a special session for a governor is that he won’t get what he wants, and in failing to get it, will open himself to charges of failed leadership. That is why Perry planned to limit the session to the Sunset Safety Net bill that will continue the
The four meat sampler plate should become a staple of every self-respecting BBQ joint. The idea of piling a plate with multiple proteins, and diggin’ in without the distractions of cole slaw, pinto beans or anything else to slow down the ingestion pleases me. The folks over at Stanley’s seem
Texas school districts will no longer be required to offer health classes—and that’s just sick.
To a bystander, the French red, white, and blue covering the lawn of the historic French Legation Museum might seem as if a confused group of Austinites was celebrating the Fourth of July a week too late. But when night falls, the scene turns into an outdoor Parisian café nestled
Investigators and social workers in the Mineola Swingers Club cases have admitted that there was plenty of evidence that never made it into the first three trials that resulted in three life sentences. Will it make a difference?
This Hill Country spot has a little something for everyone, from the oldest dancehall in Texas to specialty shops to two rivers perfect for tubing.
Self-proclaimed artist Jim Huntington spends his days in Coupland toiling away with clay models and giving shape to large pieces of granite.
Bob Hudgins, director of the Texas Film Commission, talks to Katy Vine about the “Waco” controversy, tax incentives, and how to get your movie made in Texas.
Yes, it’s summer in Texas. It’s the summer to end all summers (please, God), with record-breaking heat, triple-digit temperatures, and the uncontrollable urge to sit in your freezer, atop the Häagen-Dazs bars.
A tribute to the original Texas bombshell and our favorite angel, Farrah Fawcett.
Before her death, Farrah Fawcett achieved what had long eluded her: three-dimensionality.
Twice I had the honor—that’s what it was—of interviewing Walter Cronkite. The first time was in September 2003, in the restaurant at the Regency Hotel, in New York, where Mr. Cronkite met me for breakfast and an extended talk about the state of journalism. He was clearly hobbled by various
Dan Winters, Patricia Kilday Hart, and Douglas Brinkley.
One of the notable characteristics of this magazine is that it manages to inspire an equal amount of criticism from all parts of the political spectrum (this will come as a surprise, of course, to all parts of the political spectrum). Since our subject matter is a state, and
I can only assume that your editors carefully discussed the merits of placing Joel Osteen on the cover. And I can only deduce that they decided that the benefits (presumably in terms of the appeal to his religious constituency) outweighed the costs. One question they might not have considered, or
Austin
Brisa Cocina Mexicana, Houston and Max’s Wine Dive, Austin
It was a new era at the Capitol, with a new Speaker and a new mood of peace, love, and bipartisanship in the war-torn House. But the eighty-first legislative session turned out to be a lot like the eighty that came before it—some heroes, some villains, and enough hot air
It’s time for Texas to start taking better care of people like Darla Deese, a developmentally disabled woman who has spent most of her life in our harrowing state schools.
Has an out-of-work Los Angeles musician discovered a sunken Spanish treasure worth hundreds of millions of dollars in a lake near Refugio? Maybe!
Teddy Roosevelt acquired a number of skills during his time in Texas, but the most important may have been the ability to brag.
Henderson Avenue, Dallas.
Josh Hamilton’s locker.
Propane or charcoal?
The Austin-born, Dallas-raised lead singer for the Old 97’s has led a fruitful double life as a solo artist with the albums Mythologies (1989), The Instigator (2002), and The Believer (2006). He has just released his fourth album, Rhett Miller (Shout! Factory).You actually began as a solo artist, making your
From his public sparring with the Nashville establishment to his marriage to (and subsequent divorce from) Dixie Chick Emily Erwin, Charlie Robison has often attracted more attention for his personal life than his music. Which is a shame, because the Bandera-raised singer is a sharp, natural talent with an
As pseudo-realist dub/funk/Afrobeat/hip-hop/Latin ensembles go, it’s tough to beat Ocote Soul Sounds and Adrian Quesada. Okay, so they’re unique—but as a spin-off of two genre-bending bands, you’d expect nothing less. Ocote Soul Sounds is a pseudonym for Martín Perna, the founder and saxophonist of NYC’s Antibalas, the dozen-member group
How did you celebrate your high school graduation? Wimberley’s Sarah Jarosz marked the occasion with a debut album, Song Up in Her Head (Sugar Hill). The eighteen-year-old overachiever has been well-known regionally for years, appearing at numerous festivals and even with the Austin Symphony. Yet unlike a lot
John Wells on living off the grid.
Some things never change, like the irrepressible desire to float a Hill Country river on a 100-degree day—with, most naturally, a cooler of beer. And while the basic art of loading one’s booze boat also remains the same (use a separate inner tube with a bottom, pump it with extra
Susie Q. (not her real name) has been reviewing hotels, restaurants, and retailers anonymously for about six years. She works for several market research companies, such as Sinclair Customer Metrics, to whom she reports her findings after posing as an everyday customer and testing out products and services. She has
“The great cities of the world are not defined by one or two ethnicities, religions, or backgrounds. It must be that way for San Antonio as well.”
The San Antonio author has exhibited an impressive sense of worldliness with his literary mysteries, the settings of which range from seventeenth-century Amsterdam to twentieth-century Florida. The Devil’s Company, his sixth novel, returns to eighteenth-century London, where pugilist-turned-PI Benjamin Weaver—who first appeared in A Conspiracy of Paper and later
It took four novels for Steve Hockensmith to steer his sleuthing ranch hand brothers, Gustav “Old Red” and Otto “Big Red” Amlingmeyer, to Texas, but the budding town of San Marcos circa 1893 proves a fine fit for The Crack in the Lens and its unpretentious brand of
All my friends are going to be status updates.
My good friends at Fino, Lisa and Emmett Fox, have fully embraced the cocktail craze. They’ve persuaded their chef at Fino, Jason Donoho,and mixologist Bill Norris to whip up a four-course dinner with courses matched to cocktails. Throughout the meal, Jason and Bill will discuss the philosophy behind the pairings.
The 5-4 decision, with Justice Kennedy joining conservatives Alito, Roberts, Scalia, and Thomas, reverses the ruling of an appellate panel that included Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. The city of New Haven, Connecticut, gave examinations to firefighters that would be used as the basis for promotions, then threw out the test
Jeff Wentworth is still unhappy about the failure of his constitutional amendment to authorize a short veto override session following the twenty-day period during which the governor decides whether to sign or veto legislation. (A third option allows the governor to let a bill become law without his signature.) Jason
So says Ken Rudin, who writes NPR's daily political blog, Political Junkie. Dismissing House and Senate Republicans, he focuses on governors as the future of the GOP. This narrowing of the list omits Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and Newt Gingrich, among others. Here is his list: 1.
Kirk Watson’s trial balloon is in the air, as he weighs whether to run for governor in 2010. Here are the questions he should be considering. Q. Can any Democrat win the governorship in 2010, or will the D’s repeat the mistake they made in 2002, when they put fielded
That’s going to ruin some vacation plans. On the other hand, members won’t have to worry about getting to ALEC and NCSL on the 14th and 20th.
Cooper’s Barbecue is building the behemoth of barbecue joints in Fort Worth. It’s beyond gigantic–this meat market will be 23,000 square feet! And it’s not like Fort Worth lacks for places to eat brisket and ribs, either, what with Angelo’s and the Railhead, to mention just a few. My friend
Here are the numbers. Commentary follows. Approval Ratings Obama as president Approve 68% Disapprove 29% Obama economic policy Approve 63% Disapprove 34% Rick Perry Approve 57% Disapprove 30% Kay Bailey Hutchison Approve 65% Disapprove 17% John Cornyn Approve 55% Disapprove 19% Texas Legislature Approve 58% Disapprove 28% Democratic Primary (Governor)
The first sentence of the Chief Justice's opinion in Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. 1 v. Holder describes what was at stake: "The plaintiff in this case is a small utility district raising a big question--the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act." Section 5 requires that
To link to the executive summary of the poll, click here. There’s a lot of meat here, but the issues that I found most interesting were: Perry’s decision to reject unemployment stimulus funds: 58% agree 34% disagree Bank bailouts 25% favor 64% oppose Automobile company bailouts 31% favor
After sampling some Longoria’s chopped beef and delectable brisket sausage at the Rahr Brewery tour, I knew I needed to get back soon. Besides, I was already out of the beef jerky that I picked up at the tour which is the best I’ve ever tasted (in addition
From NBC: the results of the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. In the survey, 46% of independents approve of Obama’s job, which is down from 60% in April, and that’s the primary reason why the president’s overall job rating has declined five points to 56%. The deficit, however,
In the same day I visited an empty Michna’s which was serving up beautifully smoked meat with genuinely thankful service, I walked into a packed Uncle Dan’s at 2:00 in the afternoon. Hoping for the best, I went with the three meat plate of ribs, brisket and hot links.Simply
