A Northcross neighbor writes in, describing a curious new mailer:

Neighborhoods around Northcross are being sent direct mail that essentially has the response options of yes I want Wal-Mart and yes I REALLY want Wal-Mart.

The cover has a picture of the garden next to the parking garage with a footbridge over a brook. Inside are more pictures and some redundant bullet points on how this will be the first time Wal-Mart has ever put in this sort of structure in the U.S.

There's a tear-off reply card that says in large letters: Yes, I agree. This new urban Wal-Mart Supercenter belongs in my community.

In smaller type are two checkboxes.

* I want the new jobs economic benefits and shopping convenience that the new Wal-Mart Supercenter will provide our community.
* I would like the City of Austin to know that I support the new Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Then there is a short form for name, address, fax, email, signature, and two lines for comments and questions.

The return mail address is

Wal-Mart Northcross
PO Box 162506
Austin, TX 79716-9910
www.walmart-northcross.com

The zip code doesn't seem to really exist. [Editor's note: Indeed, a search here turns up nada.]

The Web page is recruiting supporters for Wal-Mart.

It seems curious that if their legal case is so solid that they would need to recruit supporters?

Just FYI.

If anyone gets a scan of the mailer, send it in so we can post it, and get a free Chronic T-shirt.

UPDATE: A scan of the flyer is available at www.rg4n.org/temp/walmartmailer.pdf.

Here's a statement from UT President William Powers Jr.

Tower Darkens in Remembrance of Virginia Tech Tragedy

The University of Texas at Austin Tower will be darkened this evening (April 17) and will remain dark through Thursday night (April 19) in remembrance of the victims of the shooting incident yesterday at Virginia Tech University.

In addition, flags will be lowered to half-staff through Sunday as the University symbolizes its compassion and concern for the members of the Virginia Tech community.

Student Government is planning a vigil on Monday (April 23) to express support for the people of Virginia Tech. The starting time is yet to be determined. The Tower will again be darkened on Monday evening in connection with the event.

Just a day after the tragedy at Virginia Tech, an admittedly vague bomb threat has canceled classes at St. Edward's University. With mock bomb threats called in at VT prior to yesterday's shooting, you sure can't blame anyone for wanting to be cautious.

The school's Web site reads:

Due to a non-specific bomb threat, all day classes are canceled. Classes will resume as scheduled at 5pm. … Students who are on campus are evacuated to the soccer and softball fields immediately until further notice.

UPDATE: St. Ed's is canceling their evening classes but will be open tomorrow:

The main campus of St. Edward's University will be closed for the remainder of the day and evening, Tuesday, April 17, due to a non-specific bomb threat. Evening classes are canceled.

This will allow the university adequate time to ensure the security of the campus. Only residential students are allowed on campus at this time in buildings that have been searched and secured. The university is providing food service for residents and the presence of campus security has been increased.

The main campus will reopen for normal business at 8 a.m., tomorrow, April 18, 2007.

Also, here's a press release from the APD's public information office:

Media Advisory – The Austin Police Department responded to the campus of Saint Edwards University at approximately 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday, April 17, 2007 to assist the Saint Edwards Police Department with a bomb threat on the campus. The Austin Police Department assisted the Saint Edwards Police Department in securing the campus. APD secured the entrances and exits of the campus to ensure that students and facility members were able to leave the once the administration of Saint Edwards made the decision to evacuate the campus.

The Austin Police Department offered our resources to Saint Edwards in the event a device was located. APD will remain on scene until it is determined that our resources are no longer needed. APD will provide assistance to Saint Edwards Police Department investigators to help further this investigation.

Where do failed gubernatorial candidates go?

Well, in Kinky Friedman's case, the state House. Kinda. The Kinkster will be down at the Capitol south steps today at noon, fighting the reopening of horse slaughter houses. The committed animal-welfare activist and founder of Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch is will be there taking part in a rally against House Bill 2476, organized by Texas Humane Legislation Network, Society for Animal Protective Legislation, the Humane Society of the United States and Habitat for Horses.

Heavy pol watchers may recall that, during his campaign, two of the world's most famous Jewish cowboy's TV ads - "The Good Shepard" and "The Cowboy Way" - showed him surrounded by animals. One campaign professional (not involved in a Texas race) saw the slot, especially the shot of Kinky surrounded by his equine buddies, and asked out loud, "Is it really a good idea for a politician to have people associate his name with 'horses ass'?"

On this occasion, that's probably exactly what the Kinkster is hoping for.

Continuing the welcome trend of simple environmental changes citizens can make (like the city-endorsed switch to fluorescent bulbs), City Council Member Lee Leffingwell's got questions about grocery bags. Not paper or plastic, mind you – how's biodegradable or not? This week, Leffingwell has an item creating a 90-day study period in which to rethink local grocers' reliance on nonbiodegradable, petroleum-based grocery bags. Recently, San Francisco banned the buggers, citing their detrimental environmental impact. While Austin won't likely go that far (if only), Leffingwell intends to look at ways of limiting their use or incorporating more environmentally friendly (i.e., compostable) containers.

Here's the press release:

Austin, Texas - The Austin City Council will consider a resolution this week that could lead to new strategies for reducing waste from non-biodegradable, petroleum-based plastic bags by stores located in the city. Sponsored by City Council Member Lee Leffingwell, City Council Member Mike Martinez and Mayor Will Wynn, the resolution directs city management to analyze and recommend strategies for addressing the environmental impacts of hundreds of thousands of plastic bags that are discarded in Austin each year.

If there is anyone who can feel the pain of students and staff of Virginia Tech University and the citizens of Blacksburg, Va., he is right here in Austin. If you haven't heard the news yet, a now-dead gunman went on a rampage this morning on the Virginia Tech campus and killed somewhere between 22 and 32 people (reports are still conflicting as of this writing). If the latter number is correct, that would be double the number that Charles Whitman killed on the University of Texas campus in 1966 – at the time, the worst mass killing in U.S. history. Today's shootings appear to have set a new record. The Whitman shootings were well before my time at UT, and after reading Gary Lavergne's A Sniper in the Tower, I'm glad of that. My sympathies to the folks in Virginia.

Film buffs will be keeping a close eye on the Senate this week as Senate Bill 782, the Moving Image Industry Incentive Program bill, works its way through the finance committee. Everyone from the Motion Picture Association of America to the Austin Film Society to the Omni Hotel agrees that it's a good thing (only rabid free-marketers Americans for Prosperity and anti-business-tax advocates Texans for Fiscal Responsibility thought it was a bad idea), but its cash-bonus for out-of-state productions isn't for everyone.

The bill excludes subsidies for porn (no surprise there) but the more forward-thinking will notice that, somewhere between the original introduced bill and the committee substitute, digital interactive media productions were dropped from the program - bad news for the technologically minded creatives out there.

Even more worrying may be Chair Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, idly wondered whether the money should go for films that might portray Texas in a bad light. (Does he mean everyone-is-a-homicidal-nutter, Texas Chainsaw Massacre-style bad light or flat-out-unfunny, Man of the House-style bad light?) Then Ogden raised the controversy around Andres Serrano's famous Piss Christ (but seemed leery of naming it out loud) and the National Endowment for the Arts' right to not fund what it doesn't like.

Just to show how in-touch the committee may be culturally: Sen. Kip Averitt, R-Waco, getting Michael Moore confused with Mike Myers. At least he knew he wasn't thinking about "the Austin Powers guy." Of course, he may have meant the Halloween maniac.

For those wondering about those five nay votes against Senate Bill 1, the Senate finance bill, last week, they've now all put out policy statements. Here's the quick skinny on who said what and why:

- Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, said the bill underfunded the Texas Grants tuition and fee assistance program and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

- Sen. Chris Harris, R-Arlington, said the bill underfunded UT-Arlington, the only four-year college in Tarrant County.

- Sen. Mike Jackson, R-League City, said that, while the bill spent too much money in some areas, it underfunded certain (but he didn't name them) higher-education institutions in his district.

- Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, just thought it was too big and said he could save $3 billion, mainly by slashing dedicated educational programs like Student Success Initiatives, state watchdogs like the Travis County Public Integrity Unit, and programs for illegal migrants like the Colonias Initiative.

- Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, opposed the bill because it prioritized the 2011 tax cut over desperately needed CHIP and education funding.

As we wrote, the City Council hearing week before last awarding a new taxi franchise was crowded and controversial, with at least one speaker doing his cause no favors. Here, in all its cringe-inducing glory, is cabbie Ray Castro's question of whether council is "lining their pockets," followed by the mayor's angry reply. (Astute readers may remember we crossed Ray's path in a feature story on the disbanding of Roy's Taxi, "Fare Fight.)"



Obviously, this ain't the way to go about it, unless you want Mayor Wynn to get all Sandman from the Apollo on yer ass. The franchise is up for second reading this week; we'll see if council sticks with Lone Star Cab or jumps ship for staff-recommended Capital City Cab; with a 4-3 vote, some on the dais are obviously itching to.