Seven-year-old boy found injured under "suspicious circumstances" at local charter school yesterday. Pedestrian hit this morning on Burnet Road. Now Gov. Perry is backing McCain (if anyone cares). Watch it now: Austin added to Homeland Security's list of cities with a high risk of terrorist attack....

Photo by jcolman on flickrSam Kambo has been living in Texas since 1994 when he came to Austin to attend UT. After his graduation from UT, he worked for the LCRA. At least, he did until the fall of 2006, when he was arrested and detained in San Antonio for allegedly taking part in a mass murder. Before Kambo came to Texas, he was one of eight leaders of a coup in Sierra Leone in......

Texas U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison are, evidently, pushing hard for a $450 million national disease research lab to be installed in San Antonio. Texas Research Park in northwest San Antonio is one of the possible sites for the brand spankin' new, 500,000 square foot National Bio- and Agro-Defense Lab. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the agency in charge of this project, is currently considering several possible sites for the installation.......

For those not aware, ISIS (they prefer all-caps) play a hard-to-categorize brand of hard rock incorporating elements of doom-metal, progressive rock, trance-y song structures, and lots of yelling. They do cool things like open for Tool and run a big-time independent label, HydraHead Industries, that most bands would kill to get with. They're back in Austin for a near-sold-out show at Emo's. ...Unfortunately, what was shaping up to be a phenomenal show has been downgraded......

Photo credit: Harry Cabluck/AP Our brief local nightmare is over. According to Homeland Security representative Russ Knocke - via The Statesman - our birds may not be safe, but our central Texas located piece of "homeland" is... for now. The official avian death toll has reached 63 and several species of bird were affected including Austin's official spokesbird, the boat-tailed grackle. Rumors that early responders on the scene had taken ill have proven to......

Sunday. Usually, a quiet, contemplative day in the Blogosphere. But not here in the Ist-a-Verse. Nonono! Just look below and see all of the wild and crazy stuff our staffs are up to. In Austin, bands are beginning to confirm for SXSW and the rumor mill is up and running. Good thing, too, because we all know how much Austinites love live performances. Austin also found itself in the national spotlight, with Longhorn Legend......

We thought we were surely dreaming when we heard over the radio this early morning that Scotland Yard had successfully foiled a terrorist plot to blow up nearly a dozen airplanes in mid-flight. The plan evidently revolved around liquid-based explosive devices, to be smuggled on board in hand luggage. After 21 people were arrested in London and surrounding areas, a nation-wide "critical" threat level was announced by UK security service MI5. This status is......

In her more than 60 years as Washington reporter---covering every president since JFK---Helen Thomas has earned respect, admiration, and a front-row seat in the press room. She’s also earned a reputation for her no-holds-barred questions---a reputation that got her booted to the back of the room and virtually ignored by the current administration. Now Thomas is directing her questions---and her barbs---at her fellow journalists. In her latest book, Watchdogs of Democracy?: The Waning Washington Press......

Some strange bird behavior in California is being blamed on acid. Philanthropist Warren Buffet is donating a substantial portion of his fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Want to see a minor leage baseball coach lose his cool? The Department of Homeland Security is getting too many calls from telemarketers on their "secrect homeland defense" hotline. As healthy as you hippies think you are, extreme vegetarianism can actually lead to diseases including......

The UT football team picked up another highly touted recruit, a 6-4, 305-lb.offensive lineman. One thing: he's only a junior in high school. When the Pope speaks, we do our best to understand him. This weekend, he called for an "honourable solution" to the Iran nuclear disagreements in an effort to bring about World Peace. Last week, our favorite President George Jr. met with Chinese President Hu Jintao. There were several things on their......

The current political buzz is that Democratic candidate Nick Lampson will officially call for DeLay's immediate resignation. If DeLay resigns, Governor Rick Perry will have to call a special election to replace him, which would be held on May 13. However, if DeLay stays in office through June like he wants to, the election to replace him will be held November 7. Basically the longer DeLay stays on the more time the new Republican......

Now we know they were just slowly trying to make us dumber on the way to class as if we needed more help. Diesel exhaust proves to be an issue on the big yellow bus. Former Iraqui leader Saddam Hussein and his cohorts are faced with new charges; they are accused of and wlll be tried for genocide for the over 5000 killings in Halabja. Ex-Lieutenant Colonel Yousef al-Suwaileh won the Kuwaiti election on......

* new! and improved! * : : FRIDAY : : [music] Book of Shadows & Devil Bat, 6pm @ End of an Ear - Free! [charity/music] Benefit for the victims of Hurricane Katrina with Attic Ted, The Vivian Girls, 8pm @ Monkeywrench Books [music] Zykos, Phosphorescent, Canoe, 9pm @ Emo's OUTSIDE - Free! [music] Voxtrot, Loxsly, Belaire, 9pm @ Emo's INSIDE - Free [charity/music] Crescent City Soul and R&B 45's by Waxploitation! DJs, 6-8pm......

Thousands of Hurricane Katrina's refugees will be bused to Houston and sheltered at the Astrodome. The news was announced this morning by Rusty Cornelius, administrative coordinator for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Cornelius said, "We are planning on being able to do a full shelter operation for 25,000 people." The majority of the refugees coming to Texas were staying in the New Orleans Superdome, which held about about 20,000......

The terror alert in the U.S was raised to code orange for the nation's mass transit systems in response to the rush hour explosions in London. The heightened alert will apply to "regional and inner city passenger rail, subways and metropolitan bus systems." The nation's overall terror alert status will remain at yellow. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said U.S. authorities have no specific credible evidence pointing to an attack in the United States.......