Naked City

Travis County Commissioner Ron Davis, third from right, leads Wednesday's groundbreaking for a 52-mile water supply pipeline that will serve eastern Travis County, which includes Davis' Precinct 1, and parts of neighboring counties. The Cross County Water Supply Corp. will provide the water, which is pumped from the Simsboro Aquifer in Burleson County. The pipeline is needed, Davis says, to meet water demands as Austin grows eastward, although some environmentalists aren't keen on the county's participation in a project that involves tapping into a distant groundwater source. (Photo by John Anderson)

Cactus: The Pricks Keep Coming

Two bleak turns and a new possible bright spot for the future of the Cactus Cafe: On April 2, Friends of the Cactus Cafe representative Reid Nelson announced that he would be withdrawing from the student and community group meeting with the UT administration. In a letter, he accused UT of acting in bad faith in the negotiations and said they were already considering third-party management for the venue. Then on April 6, in one of his final acts as outgoing Student Government president, Liam O'Rourke announced he would not sign AR 41 – a resolution backing keeping the cafe open – even though it had been passed unanimously by the SG assembly on March 30. Student Friends of the Cactus Cafe co-founder Hayley Gillespie said, "It's too bad that he was not prepared to stand behind his assembly." However, in potentially good news, the Texas Union announced on April 7 that it's considering a new partnership with radio station KUT for the venue. See "Off the Record," for more coverage. – Richard Whittaker

Wait, Who's Graduating?

Gov. Rick Perry and Democratic challenger Bill White are exchanging figures over how bad Texas' high school graduation rates are, all of which are accurate – depending on how you spin the math. On April 6, White issued a press release quoting statistics showing that, between 2000 and 2008, only 2.1 million out of the 3.2 million kids in graduating classes received a high school diploma or GED in four years, meaning that three out of every 10 students don't finish on time – or at all. Perry, on the other hand, has previously claimed a 10% dropout rate. So what are the numbers? According to the data that Texas used for its 2007-08 report, 79% received a diploma within four years, 1.5% got a GED, and 8.9% continued in school for a fifth year. While these numbers support Perry's figures, White argues that the state's equations ignore the reality by measuring the wrong groups – and he says that out of 370,703 kids who entered high school in the graduating class of 2008 only 269,011 (72.5%) graduated or stayed on after four years and only 65% received a diploma or GED. If you're not confused enough, Commissioner of Education Robert Scott is considering switching to a new measuring system, the National Governors Association graduation rate compact. – R.W.

Wrong Side of the Bench, Still

Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge Sharon Keller will face the State Commission on Judicial Conduct this summer, the next step in her continuing battle against a string of ethics charges related to her role in blocking death row inmate Michael Richard from filing a final appeal in September 2007. As a result, Richard was executed without having his appeal considered. Keller went to trial on the charges last summer, and although state District Judge David Berchelmann, the special master appointed to hear the case, concluded that Keller's public humiliation was punishment enough, both prosecutors and Keller's defender have filed objections to Berchelmann's written ruling. Both sides will have a chance to argue their positions before the commission decides Keller's fate – she could be cleared, reprimanded, or potentially ousted from the bench. The hearing is set for 9am Friday, June 18, in Room 140 of the Reagan State Office Building adjacent to the Capitol. – Jordan Smith