Pink Dome, a political blog that has followed the hijinks of the Texas Legislature for some three years now, has closed down....

Two men kidnapped a woman at a Bastrop Whataburger this morning. Mayor Wynn apologizes to city after assault charge, says he is in anger counseling. Winter weather leads to more than 200 flights being cancelled at DFW. On election day, APD arrested two members of the Mexican Mafia. With 41% of Texas precincts reporting, Obama is in the lead for caucus delegates. An agreement set up today between the City of Austin and TxDOT means that your vehicle registration could be denied if you don't pay your traffic fines. After losing the race for Tax Assessor-Collector, Maxey endorses Nelda Wells-Spears and says he is going to help the Obama campaign....

Clinton campaign seeks to control local caucus sessions? According to a Dallas Morning News blog, recent training materials distributed by the Clinton campaign read, "DO NOT allow the supporter of another candidate to serve in leadership roles... If our supporters are outnumbered, ask the Temporary Chair if one of our supporters can serves as the Secretary, in the interest of fairness." Mike Huckabee's latest outreach video reworks "Mr Sandman" Calling "Rangers," Huckabee's supporters are urged......

Reason the power was out in East Austin Wednesday afternoon: a copper theft gone seriously wrong. The Cowboy Breakfast this morning kicked off the rodeo in town by providing a free breakfast to everyone there at 6am. Slightly reminiscent of "Daisy": Obama campaign unhappy with Hillary's new "Children" campaign ad. Clinton attends funeral of Dallas cop who died while serving in her motorcade. Huckabee makes campaign stop in Waco today. Show your voter registration card and ride the bus for free on election day....

Brian Thompson seeking an injunction against Dawnna Dukes; her campaign ads say he's never voted. New KXAN statewide poll of Democratic voters has Obama with 50%, Clinton with 47% and 3% undecided. McCain will hold a town hall meeting with Dell employees tomorrow in Round Rock. New City Manager Ott made two appointments today. Someone at Liberty Hill ISD hasn't heard of a shredder....

Today both the Clinton and Obama campaigns announced upcoming town hall meetings. Obama's will take place tomorrow at the Austin Convention Center, while Hillary's sounds like more of a "virtual" town hall meeting - on TV the Monday before election day....

Another interview with our governor: he tells the Washington Post, "just because you're a liberal doesn't mean that you can't be loyal, trustworthy and kind and obedient." Good to know. Federal judge decides to suspend the law preventing groups from raising funds to lobby for the ouster of the Texas Speaker. Is Craddick soon to be outta here? Dukes campaign manager complains about Thompson's big donors; Dukes herself has received a chunk of change from GOP donor Bob Perry. Double homicide on East Sixth Street early this morning. Firefighters fighting garage fire in Northwest Austin this morning find a body inside....

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....

Red light camera locations announced this afternoon. New TYC conservator rules out the use of pepper spray in youth prisons, except for in emergency cases. Dallas cop serving in Hillary's motorcade this morning killed after his bike hit a retaining wall. Little Walnut Creek library location is opening tomorrow after almost a year of renovation....

Michael Olsen could get his job back with APD on a technicality. Man's body found near North Campus area; police say he fell off the roof. Obama's rally tomorrow night will close down roads downtown, so don't say we didn't warn you. Hillary trying to nab the Longhorn vote by wearing burnt orange today?...

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....

After taking statements and checking evidence, APD thinks that Tevin Park-Flowers' death at NYOS was accidental. 3-year-old rescued from meth lab home in South Austin. Fire in neighboring building that damaged the Austin NAACP's office last night ruled to be arson. Flame-themed bar coming to E. Sixth Street, brought to you by the 36-year-old owner of Qua and Vicci. Catholic church leaders angry at St. Mary's University in San Antonio for housing a Clinton rally last night....

Poet and Austin fixture Raúl Salinas died yesterday morning."Ponytail bandit" caught in Thailand! Her bank-robber husband is still on the loose. Uno, whose handler used to live in Austin, is first beagle to win Westminster Dog Show. A tale of dog rustling: in which the mayor of Alice lied to her neighbors about the health and whereabouts of their Shih Tzu. Over the protestations of most El Pasoans, TCEQ renews smelter's air quality permit....

Image of the winning plate from TxDOT We're hoping for Soledad O'Brien as moderator: Obama and Hillary to appear next Thursday the 21st in CNN/Univision-sponsored debate in Austin. Bloggers can moderate debates, too: Eileen Smith from In the Pink Texas (and Texas Monthly) and Karen Brooks from the DMN will moderate the Democratic Senate debate between candidates Noriega and McMurrey in Austin this Wednesday, Feb. 13. 4 men arrested for the kidnapping last week of......

Adrian Jaimes found safe last night in North Austin; police are still searching for his kidnappers. Whole Foods: "more interested in cheap tomatoes than the well-being of those working to get produce to the store." Parents from NYOS charter school met with school officials this morning to discuss death of student last week; memorial service for Tevin Park-Flowers tomorrow. Convicted rapist escapes South Texas prison by leaving through an unlocked door. Women targeting businessmen at fancy Dallas hotels, slipping them the Mickey Finn to steal their watches....

Super Tuesday's results mean our state's primary actually has an impact on the Presidential nomination this year. Anyone remember the last time that happened? SxSW founder on unofficial SxSW parties: "Knowing that our continued existence is far from guaranteed makes us willing to fight (when we can) what we see as damaging to SXSW." Name of boy who died at Austin charter school has been released by his family; Tevin Park-Flowers was seven-years-old when he died on Friday. Update on a fall post: Parents who left their babies in the car while they enjoyed margaritas in Hutto have been sentenced to one year in jail....

Photo by gunnyrat on flickr The oil that spilled onto Sixth Street and into Waller Creek last week came from a 100-year-old underground tank. Jennifer Kim on the Northcross WalMart: "It's going to be a freaking disaster." Celebration Church in Georgetown has its own Starbucks and 5,000 attendees. Sayeth the pastor: "You can't do church without money." Wachovia Bank on Mesa Drive robbed this morning. Statewide public meetings on the Trans-Texas Corridor to begin tomorrow.......

Photo by smellyknee on flickr Sorry, Kucinich fans: Federal judge rules that he won't be on the Texas ballot. Downtown oil-spill sends 1,500 gallons of oil into Waller Creek, and it is still unclear where the oil came from. City of Hutto signs U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Seven City of Austin employees alter vehicle inspection stickers, get arrested. Search is still on for Lewisville dad who killed his two daughters; on New Year's Eve......

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. Travis County constables try to cut down truancy at Johnston High. Attorney General Abbott has a plan to......

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?...

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? Norman Mailer archive at Ransom Center opens to the public today. We've been told that it is nigh impossible to find a Nintendo DS in town. NYTimes says the DS is as big a hit for Nintendo as the Wii. West Lake Hills......

Austin aiming for zero landfill waste. Our fair city ranks #23 on the list of America's Most Literate Cities, beating out New York but not Portland. Brush fires in Hays County lead to home evacuations. ...

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....

It’s been two weeks since Pimp C’s death. Last Thursday he was buried in Port Arthur. Reading through all of the eulogies and obituaries that have poured out of the local papers, the blogs, the national media, and the rap community since December 4th, you obviously will see trends. Everyone immediately identifies Pimp C by his drawl and how he rhymed through his vowels, and it seems as though this – his voice - will be a big part of his legacy, along with his production and his pioneer-status as an early and consistent member of the Texas rap scene....

Full disclosure: we wanted to like Juno, long before it was released. We knew we would like it from the very first stirrings of online teaser previews. The cast alone was enough to make us giddy....

This week's news on art, books, music, and film....

It's not even Christmas yet, and we're still talking about Murder City Devils at Fun Fun Fun Fest, but that won't stop us from gearing up to begin bringing you the latest rumors and confirmations regarding 2008's SXSW music festival. It's right around the corner, and we're not the only ones with our minds set towards March: plenty of bands have already announced their intentions to be here for the week. ...

Thirteen years after founding Salvage Vanguard Theater, Artistic Director Jason Neulander is stepping down. Neulander has grown SVT from a crazy little fringe collective to a powerhouse producer of cutting-edge works. No doubt it'll be very exciting to see what he gets into next....

Woman who had worked as pharmacist for the CVS on Riverside had fake documents. 60 soldiers who had been serving in Iraq for over a year return home to Ft. Hood for the holidays. Look what our city might be gifted: a 60-foot saxophone sculpture!...

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......