Volume 33, Number 16
ON THE COVER:
news
Project Connect recommends a rail corridor – and transit advocates board opposing trains
BY MAC MCCANN AND MICHAEL KING
County Attorney Escamilla has disgraced his office
BY MICHAEL KING
New ordinance gives needy ratepayers a payment plan they can work with
BY AMY SMITH
What's the difference between the Dem Travis County Judge candidates? It all comes down to personality.
BY AMY SMITH
Suggested plan would require new Downtown housing to provide dog play areas
BY AMY SMITH
BY RICHARD WHITTAKER
Administrators trim adjunct faculty hours to avoid providing health coverage
BY RICHARD WHITTAKER
Trustees discuss superintendent's future
BY RICHARD WHITTAKER
Long list of dignitaries testify in defense of D.A.
BY MICHAEL KING
City takes on Project Connect but punts on Auditorium Shores
BY MICHAEL KING
Ideas for the armchair pundit
Congressional victims of alcoholism ... and hypocrisyitis
BY JIM HIGHTOWER
food
New neighborhood hot spots
BY VIRGINIA B. WOOD
Sugar and spice from Austin's Jelly Queens
BY KATE THORNBERRY
In-N-Out has landed
BY VIRGINIA B. WOOD
Dec. 13-19
music
Wild Bill's 'Honky Tonk Holidaze' – 'Bad Santa' gone Cheech & Chong
BY CHASE HOFFBERGER
Rock & Roll DVDs
Released! The Human Rights Concerts 1986–1998
Crossfire Hurricane, Springsteen & I
Live... Gathered in Their Masses, Finding the Sacred Heart: Live in Philly 1986
All the Labor
Ain't in It for My Health: A Film About Levon Helm
Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me
The Last Concert, Black & White Night
This Is Live
Tribute to Ron Asheton
Hear My Train A Comin'
Crossroads Guitar Festival
'83 US Festival: Days 1-3
screens
Who needs reviews when we have pure data?
BY JAMES RENOVITCH AND SHELLEY HIAM
Drafthouse Films unleashes Abel Ferrara's 'Ms. 45' on Austin and NYC
BY RICHARD WHITTAKER
Film Reviews
Superior in nearly all ways to its predecessor, this second film in the prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a welcome surprise.
The writer/director of Crazy Heart returns with an all-star cast for his sophomore effort, which takes place amid the rusted-out lives of America's steel belt.
arts & culture
A new musical by the 'Urinetown' team is born on the 40 Acres, and the chorus line craves bra-a-ains
BY ROBERT FAIRES
Time again for the shepherds' quest for the Christ child, with old songs and new jokes
BY ROBERT FAIRES
Arts Reviews
Street Corner Arts' dark comedy stumbles on its way to the revolution, but the show is worth seeing
Zach Theatre faithfully re-creates the beloved holiday film onstage, though it lacks part of the original's shine
This unsettling dance by Kathy Dunn Hamrick seemed a companion piece to her shattering work, The Big Small
columns
Your new style columnist, alas, is not the world's most stylish woman
BY AMY GENTRY
Everywhere I looked for a merry Christmas, I found contradictions too disturbing to ignore and paradoxes too entrenched to resolve
BY MICHAEL VENTURA
Sun Ra dancer and vocalist signs her book and does a reading
BY KATE X MESSER
Belly up to the longest bar in Texas at the Esquire Tavern in San Antonio
BY GERALD E. MCLEOD
BY MR. SMARTY PANTS
You friends might just be self-absorbed assholes
BY THE LUV DOC
Letters to the editor, published daily
sports
BY RUSS ESPINOZA
BY NICK BARBARO
comics
BY TOM TOMORROW
BY SAM HURT
BY JEN SORENSEN
BY TONY MILLIONAIRE