The City Council has approved the controversial biomass power contract. Explosion at natural gas line in Caldwell County surprised residents this morning, but no one was injured. KBH doesn't plan to need a ticket to Ohio for Saturday's VP announcement by McCain. Austin man sexually assaulted his insurance adjuster earlier this month....

KBH has told Rep. McCaul that she's running for governor in 2010. Truck stopped in Southeast Austin late this morning thought to be involved in human smuggling. AISD approves 3% pay increase for teachers. Hidalgo County Jail can't hold an almost 1,000 pound Edinburg woman charged in the death of her nephew....

After a strained meeting last week with Hispanic city leaders that led them to send a letter to the city council complaining of his condescending attitude, City Manager Ott says he "has great respect" for Austin's diversity. School zones are back in effect: AISD started today. Two FLDS members charged with bigamy. Kyle corrections officer in critical condition after a vehicle hit his bike this morning....

Austin firefighters' union not happy about random drug testing proposal. More on the train derailment that occurred downtown this morning. Crews cleaning up the downtown oil tank which earlier this year spilled into Waller Creek. Soon Georgetown residents won't be allowed to park in yards anymore. Two Republican members of the Lege ask AG Abbott about possible state anti-immigration options....

Our "heavy" rains have dripped into the burned out Governor's Mansion. Driver dead after hydroplaning and hitting an 18-wheeler head-on in Bastrop. EPPICard/Texas Debit Card users a target for identity thieves. UT team working on a pen-shaped probe that could someday help detect skin cancer. San Angelo judge orders Warren Jeffs' teenage wife to be removed from her mother's care and placed in foster care. exas musician Pat Green knocked out by thrown beer can during a Michigan concert after asking, "Anyone got a beer?"...

9-year-old girl died this morning after being pulled out of Lake Travis. 13 positions cut at Texas Monthly today. Don't forget tax-free weekend started today and goes through Sunday! The area of Cesar Chavez between San Antonio St. and Congress Ave. will be closed this weekend for crosswalk work. This year's BatFest will be held on the First Street bridge....

Northwest Austin condo complex under construction catches fire this afternoon off of 2222. Williamson County deputy shot an 82-year-old man in the groin yesterday morning after the man aimed a rifle at the responders. APD is searching for a man who reportedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted his former girlfriend in mid-July. Dog dies as speeding San Marcos driver is detained by a cop. KBH won't say she's not running for governor in 2010. ...

Public presentation on Austin's plan for biomass power set for 7pm this evening. Because of high fuel costs, Round Rock ISD is cutting down on school bus stops. City of Cedar Park will align its watering schedule with that of the City of Austin. Known Austin typhus cases now up to 14. VP buzz good for Waco Rep. Chet Edwards, even if he's not chosen....

Johnston High receives ridiculous long new title: Eastside Memorial High School at the Johnston Campus. Issues already with two-way Cesar Chavez. Man attacked and left for dead in early July on Seventh St, between San Jacinto and Brazos. 20 abuse cases and 50 bigamy cases related to members of the FLDS are being investigated by the Texas Rangers. "Chupacabra" caught on tape in DeWitt County. Houston man arrested for taking pics of topless sunbathers near Hippie Hollow....

This couple has so far cost HEB $10,000 in forged checks. Cyclist who ran a red light at N. Lamar and Rundberg is in the hospital after being hit by a police car. Billy Carroll will be granted a public defender after all. Authorities trying to piece together what caused a bus full of Vietnamese religious pilgrims from the Houston area to crash near Sherman this morning....

A woman was sexually assaulted on Saturday after leaving a Hyde Park Walgreens; police searching for the suspect. Multi-vehicle wreck this morning on Bee Caves at Barton Creek results in one death. Cesar Chavez St. set to turn two-way on Monday, August 11. Fickle Edouard floods areas of Southeast Texas, only sends some light showers our way. Girl, you know it's true: Jammin' 105.9 is now up for sale....

Edouard wimps out after hitting the coast, but should still help our rain chances. Rep. Michael McCaul is facing a closer re-election race than he would like. Sen. "Big Bad" John Cornyn wants soldiers' votes counted. Bank of America at Anderson Lane and Shoal Creek robbed this afternoon. One of the founders of Austin Community Gardens has died....

Results from the Wildflower Center's study show that having a green roof can knock 20% off your electric bills. APD searching for 2 men accused of swindling Austin-area immigrants. Judge rules that Gov. Perry's travel records can be released to newspapers. Locally-filmed Friday Night Lights looking for paid extras to play players, cheerleaders, and football fans. Snoop Dogg's tour bus was pulled over yesterday near Corsicana and two passengers were charged with marijuana possession....

Photo by daveiam on flickr Police are seeking three men who kidnapped three people South Austin today 4-year-old pronounced dead after being found in apartment pool on Wells Branch Parkway The Edwards Aquifer is in an 'alarm stage' status for the first time since 2006 Teenager crossing the road in Dripping Springs killed by drunk driver Attorney General sues Sunmart gas stations for price gouging Irving-based Exxon Mobil made $11.7 billion in profit last quarter......

DPS releases report on security at Governor's Mansion at time of the arson; sole DPS trooper on duty named and timeline revealed. Arsonist arrested after Friday's apartment fire that ruined 12 units off Jollyville. CapMetro wants buses to have "signal priority" so that lights will stay green when a bus is close by (which means you might want to stay behind that bus after all). It's summertime and the Central Texas Blood and Tissue Center needs your blood. The floating banana may not get off the ground after all....

KEYE's team becomes the news when they are injured in their coverage of Dolly at South Padre. Tornado hits the south side of San Antonio. George P. Bush, presidential nephew, is moving his business to Austin. Whoop? Oakwood Cemetary vandalized; at least 20 headstones (some as old as 150 years) broken. Baylor's Board of Regents fires current university President Lilley....

City Manager Ott presented his proposed 2009 budget to the city today. Expect higher garbage and water rates, as well as rotating library branch closures. Public library usage up this summer. O ho, the Wells Fargo Tower has been sold. It looks like the Rio Grande levees will hold up after South Texas received a battering from Dolly....

Photo by Neeta Lind on flickr Markos vs. Ford: party unity proves elusive at Netroots Too much fluoride in Kyle's drinking water makes it unsafe for kids under 9 Woman exposed to rabid bat on Lady Bird Lake found It will cost almost a $1 million n taxpayer funds to fix the internal mess at DPS Four killed as huge crane collapses at Houston refinery Wal-Mart tries out their own "Geek Squad" in Dallas UT......

Photo by Garrette on flickr AMD CEO steps down as chip maker struggles Agencies bust human smuggling ring in San Marcos Howard Dean highlights Day 1 of Netroots Nation FDA declares it's OK to eat tomatoes again Previous governors contribute to mansion rebuilding fund Former rodeo champ Sid Steiner indicted on road-rage charge Ex-Longhorn Taylor Teagarden makes US Olympic baseball team......

Two men arrested in San Marcos after using credit cards stolen from California, Michigan and Texas residents. Woman killed in a hit-and-run accident off of Steck last night. Ponderous: Feet found at Lake Travis linked to possible suicide case. 59-year-old Round Rock woman gives birth. Gov. Perry's flight to D.C. in June paid for by Bo Pilgrim, as Perry was going to get a waiver on ethanol mandates. Shady!...

Oh, ExpressJet, we hardly knew ye. Oops: Federal officials in town to talk with CapMetro about commuter rail were on a train when it derailed today. 29-year-old driver walked away from a car accident in March, leaving his 19-year-old sister to die. Woman found the man suspected of stabbing her sister last night and brought him back to the Southeast Austin crime scene. Brazoria County investigator injured by the bullet used by another man to commit suicide....

Mom and kids find a loaded gun at Slaughter Creek park; a cop had apparently lost it while training a police dog there earlier in the morning. 11 Central Texans receive various sentences for fraudulent house-flipping. Office of Attorney General says that the mansion surveillance videos don't have to be released to the media. Southwest Airlines may soon have flights to Canada if their deal with WestJet works out. American Airlines will be cutting over two hundred jobs at airports in Texas. FDA blocking shipments of salsa ingredients (except for tomatoes) to the States from Mexico. Could cilantro be the salmonella carrier?...

Road closures downtown for tomorrow's festivities. City of Austin needs more lifeguards to keep summer water programs operating. Holly Street neighborhood concerned about five-story condo development set to be built across the street from the old power plant. New Leander high school will be named after a soldier (and Leander High grad) killed in Iraq. A woman may have lured a man into a Fourth Street alley where he was robbed and beaten by two men Monday night....

evso/Flickr Fired Police Commander claims that APD punishes whistle-blowers. Someone took photos of steamy activities taking place at the Expo Center during the ROT rally and turned the pics in to the Travis County Commissioners. Criminal Appeals Court will hear the case of Adam Reposa, the Austin attorney who made a "lewd gesture" in court and could face up to 90 days in jail for it. Bo Pilgrim (of Pilgrim's Pride) donates $100,000 to the......

Man who escaped Fayette County jail over the weekend found in Houston. APD chief fired a detective today for insubordination (keeping up financial investigations when he had been told to stop). This sort of thing seems to work better on TV. Three men from Central Texas are sentenced to two years in prison for identity theft after cashing fake checks. Grand jury rules that the Pasadena man who shot the two men robbing his neighbor's house shouldn't be charged. District Judge rules that Democrat Bill Dingus can run against current State Speaker of the House Craddick for his seat....

A fire this morning at the San Marcos Municipal Airport leaves one person with minor burns. June 2008: the hottest June on record for Austin. Shady Hollow Homeowner's Association might allow T-Mobile to build a 12-story tower in their neighborhood. Pastor from Houston's Windsor Village United Methodist Church - the same one who officiated Jenna's wedding and who introduced Dubya at the 2000 Republican convention - launches the James Dobson Does Not Speak For Me site in response to anti-Obama statements by Mr. Dobson. Kay Bailey Hutchison comes in first as Texas' favorite politician in a recent poll, beating out Gov. Perry....

evso/Flickr The City of Austin has set up a site online to serve as a local carbon reduction resource. Austin Public Library Foundation hires new Executive Director. Dripping Springs Rep. Patrick Rose testified about the Pedernales CoOp before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in D.C. today. Swimsuits, sleeping masks and more were found at the home of Billy Dan Carroll and said to be used in his crimes against children. Alleged gang leader......

Texans want better roads but don't want to pay higher gas taxes or tolls for them, a recent poll shows (and we already assumed). Men's Health says Austin is the #7 best city for men to live. Georgetown makes This Old House's top-12 list of best cities to buy an old house. Police say the Austin hotel manager who is accused of sexually assaulting two boys showed the children threatening photos in an attempt to keep them quiet. Cottondale man duct-tapes his stepdaughter to a tree (with tape over her mouth), says they were "playing". Sunset Advisory Commission thinks DPS needs a management overhaul. Secret proceedings taking place under tight security while the grand jury (possibly) looks into alleged sexual abuse at the Eldorado FLDS compound....

Local couple charged with running a prostitution ring in Northwest Austin. Cities in the Edwards Aquifer zone must cut down on their water usage because levels are low. Pure Casting in East Austin has been in operation since 1969, but there have been recent environmental concerns brought up by neighbors. Police are looking for an 18-year-old man who shot his infant daughter in the ankle. Ted Nugent held an estate sale in Waco over the weekend....

A wall at Rice University campus collapsed this afternoon, trapping four people. Millions of pounds of toxins from Mexico may soon be headed for incineration in Port Arthur if the EPA approves an exemption. Gov. Perry agrees with his buddy in the White House on lifting the ban on offshore exploration. "This is likely not the finest moment for DPS," Texas Public Safety Commission chairman admits after an internal investigation into how an arsonist was able to bypass security and set fire to the Governor's Mansion. Worst exit in Texas at southbound IH35 and MLK, second worst at northbound IH35 and Riverside. Or so this study says, anyway....