The Texas GOP birthed a new and improved, two hundred 2016 Texas Republican Platform on May13, 2016.  The Platform now consists of 266 planks and one of them, the Elections Integrity Plank No. 59, takes on the Texas Secretary of State’s (SoS) Election Division and directs their office to step up and better secure our […]

District 6 Council Member Don Zimmerman filed a lawsuit last week against Mayor Steve Adler arguing that the ballot language in Austin’s May 7 election on ridesharing ordinances was unclear and misleading to voters. The suit adds fire to one of the city’s most politically charged issues as newly passed legislation crafted by the City […]

Intelligence sharing is expected to accelerate across the state as the Austin Police Department requests approval from the city council to add more partners to its mass surveillance network. Austin is home to two fusion centers including the Austin Regional Intelligence Center (ARIC), operated by the local police department, and the Department of Public Safety’s […]

The healing process from the Orlando terror attack is being felt here in Austin. Local radio station, Pride Radio FM 97.5, which is promoted as The Pulse of LGBT Austin, has joined the recovery effort. (Article by Rudy Koski, republished from http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/158687224-story) Programing Director and radio host Micki Gamez began Monday planning the music block for […]

The Austin community is showing their support for victims of the deadly shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando. (Article by Jennifer Kendall, republished from http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/158279947-story) LGBTQ members, city leaders and religious leaders all spoke about how this tragedy has affected life across the nation. Isabella King used to live in the Orlando area and […]

After last week’s very strange meeting – quorum-less with a quorum – this week’s (June 16) City Council session at least anticipates a full complement of participants. Enough proposals were punted from last Thursday to this one (and beyond) to fill a normal agenda, but there’s also enough new material to keep the dais bubbling […]

When looking for dramatic personalities, it’s hard to go wrong with one of the most legendary women of musical theater, Barbra Streisand. Just look at this past weekend’s Tony Awards, where  Streisand was selected to present the Best New Musical award to this year’s revolutionary show, Hamilton. (Article by Andrew J. Friedenthal, republished from http://arts.blog.austin360.com/2016/06/13/theater-review-zach-theatres-buyer-cellar-gabs-about-babs/) Playwright […]

Saturday’s Austin Symphony Orchestra’s concert at the Long Center had the orchestra playing good repertoire in good form. (Article by Jeanne Claire Van Ryzin, republished from http://arts.blog.austin360.com/2016/06/07/music-review-austin-symphony-orchestra-and-pianist-ingrid-fliter/) This was the orchestra’s season finale for its Masterworks series. (Plenty of music continues through the hotter months with both the pops and summer concerts in the park.) The […]

Memorial Day is a day to honor American soldiers, particularly the men and women who died serving in the armed forces. (Article by Daily Herald, republished from http://www.austindailyherald.com/2016/06/editorial-set-politics-aside-for-a-higher-cause/) That’s why we were disappointed when a Memorial Day speaker in Austin spent more time voicing political views than speaking about veterans and their sacrifice. A featured speaker […]

Can techies solve the problems facing Austin music? (Article by Kevin Curtin, republished from http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2016-06-10/austins-music-tech-movement/) As a child, I remember envisioning a future where humans traveled in driverless cars. I was certain then they would become the most exciting and important technological advancement ever known to man. Recently, I passed a self-driving car on Austin’s roadways. […]

On this edition of “Music Spotlight,” we welcome the Austin-based band, The Warplanes, to the Time Warner Cable News studios. (Article by Meghan Gonzalez, republished from http://www.twcnews.com/tx/austin/music-spotlight/2016/06/4/music-spotlight–meet-the-warplanes–austin-based-blues–folk–psychedelic-rock-specialists.html) The Warplanes hit the Texas music scene in 2010 with what they call “bluesy, folky, psychedelic rock.” They’ll be performing during 2nd Street Soundcheck on June 18 at 1 […]

Austin’s wave of restaurant closures has claimed yet another. On Tuesday, Fork & Vine announced it would be closing its doors; the restaurant confirmed with CultureMap that the closure is immediate. (Article by Nicole Raney, republished from http://austin.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/06-07-16-fork-and-vine-closed-anderson-lane-north-austin/) In what is becoming a citywide trend, Fork & Vine cites a lease dispute as the reason for the shutter. “After […]

One of ten restaurants across the country (Article by Nadia Chaudhury, republished from http://austin.eater.com/2016/6/8/11883080/launderette-restaurant-year-food-wine) Launderette, the evolving neighborhood spot from Rene Ortiz and Laura Sawicki, was named as one of Food & Wine’s restaurants of the year today. Ortiz is rightly described as “a guy who loves hyperbole,” and the writer goes on to talk about his […]

The Melvin H. Gertz Regents Chair in Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas in Austin has been implicated in a long-running scheme with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to deceive the public about the health and environmental impacts of fracking, according to an environmental watchdog group. The allegations state that David T. Allen, Ph.D., […]

ROSHARON, Texas – Of the thousands of homes evacuated and damaged by flooding in Brazoria County, one family’s home is high and dry on West FM 1462 in Rosharon. (Article by Jacqueline Crea, republished from http://www.khou.com/news/local/resident-uses-aquadam-to-protect-home-from-floodwaters/238455798) Randy Wagner decided to take a chance on something called an Aqua Dam, a product he discovered online. Rosharon, and many […]