More good news for water lovers: The Lower Colorado River Authority has announced that Lake Marble Falls is scheduled to re-open for recreational boating Sunday Morning.

For those of you keeping track, here's highlights of what will be open and what's closed on the river system as of 8am Sunday:

Open: Lake Marble Falls (provisionally), Inks Lake, Lake Buchanan and Lake LBJ, plus Barton Springs Pool.

Closed: Lake Travis, Lake Austin, Town Lake, and the Colorado River below Longhorn Dam, plus Bob Wentz at Windy Point, Cypress Creek, Hippie Hollow, Pace Bend, Turkey Bend, Shaffer Bend, Grelle, Gloster Bend, and Muleshoe Bend and Narrows.

However, the LCRA remind any boat users, water skiers or swimmers to be aware of debris, pollution, and raised bacteria levels.

There's a Nixon back in the news, and it's not just because (alleged) presidential hopeful Fred Thompson was leaking Watergate inquiry secrets to Tricky Dicky.

No, former Republican Carthage Sen. Drew Nixon has been indicted by a Panola County grand jury for the serious crime of abuse of office. His offense? Trying to manipulate an election. However, there's no DeLay-style plan for a thousand-year statewide Republican majority here. Nixon was caught trying to rig the ballot for the Panola County Fresh Water Supply District No. 1. While serving as the board's accountant and self-appointed election officer, he came up with the ingenious technique of telling potential challengers to the incumbents that they weren't allowed to file their paperwork. Which, after recent GOP attempts to manipulate the democratic process on a grand scale, seems a little amateur night.

Of course, Austinites may recall Nixon better for his little run in with the law back in 1997. That's when he got busted for trying to get some late-night action off an undercover cop on South Congress and carrying a gun in his car. That got him 60 days in the slammer out of a six-month sentence, but this time he could be looking at a $4,000 fine and up to a year of jail time.

Here's one for the Infowarriors and "truthers" in the comments section to wrap their heads around (please, Louis; don't feed them any more!): In the Pink tips us to the fact that KXAN found federal homeland security plans for a border-crossing station … in their Dumpster.

First conspiracy theory tying in Jim Spencer's weather-controlling machine gets a free T-shirt.

Despite some early distractions, the 2007 legislative session was declared fairly healthy for the Travis County Healthcare District, lobbyist Marsha Jones told the district’s board of managers last Thursday night. Overall, funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program is up, as well as hospital reimbursement rates for Medicaid. Most significant to the district, however, was the district’s local legislation, Senate Bill 1107, which did a number of things: addressed retirement benefits for district employees, authorized regional affiliations and entities, and authorized the collection of revenue anticipation notes, among other things. The board of managers has been especially interested in creating some type of regional health-care insurance product, so the cost burden of the growing uninsured population, particularly those who take advantage of Brackenridge Hospital’s trauma services, can be shared with surrounding counties.

Finally, some good news from the Lower Colorado River Authority on the floods.

Lake LBJ and Inks Lake will reopen for recreational use at 8am on Saturday morning. That makes three big bodies of water open this weekend (Lake Buchanan stayed open throughout).

Lake Travis remains closed, partially because it's still so high (even the flood pools are 20 feet deep), fast, and debris-filled and partially because the wake from speeding boats could damage submerged homes and docks. The city of Austin is also keeping Lake Austin, Town Lake, and the Colorado River below Longhorn Dam closed until the floodgates on Mansfield and Tom Miller dams close. Bad news there: The LCRA says they may be keeping them open for several weeks and may have to open more with no or little warning.

On the newly opened lakes, the LCRA does warn boaters and water-skiers to keep an eye out for any potential floating debris and reminds swimmers that the bacteria levels in the water are way elevated. So no speeding and no drinking the lake water.

In the latest edition of "news from the shameless," Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Peter M. Holt, chairman and principal owner of the San Antonio Spurs, to become presiding officer of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.

However, environmentalists may blanch a little at Holt's day job. He's chief executive officer of Holt Cat, the biggest U.S. Caterpillar dealership. That means he makes his money selling earthmoving vehicles like backhoes and excavators.

The commission is supposed to set policies for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Holt currently serves as an ordinary member for the nine-member commission and will replace outgoing chair and wildlife rancher Joseph B.C. Fitzsimons.

The beleaguered agency briefly became a cause celebre for the Lege last session when it became clear that many parks and historic sites were crumbling due to a decade of woeful underfunding. But since Fitzsimons' term actually finished on Jan. 31, and Holt's appointment is just a desk-swap, it doesn't seem the governor really put much thought into a major talent search.

Press release from the Austin Police Department's Public Information Office regarding the arrest of Kurtiss Colvin in the beating death of David Morales, big news that, being out over the Fourth, we missed:

SUSPECT ARRESTED IN THOMPSON STREET HOMICIDE

Austin Police Department Homicide detectives have filed charges against a suspect in connection to the homicide that occurred on Tuesday, June 19th, at 900 Thompson Street. Kurtiss Colvin, 20 (DOB: 07-28-86) has been charged with Manslaughter, a second degree felony; Theft from Person, a state jail felony; and Assault with Injury, a class A misdemeanor. Bond was set at $215,000 for all three charges.

At approximately 9:31 p.m. Central East patrol officers responded to a person down call at 900 Thompson Street. Upon arrival officers located David Rivas Morales, 40 (DOB: 04-09-67) who was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. According to the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office, the cause of death was due to injuries received during the assault.

The on-going investigation indicates there was an auto pedestrian collision in the parking lot of 900 Thompson Street. Michael Hosea, Jr., 2 (DOB: 11-28-04) was accidentally struck by a Ford Taurus. Hosea was transported by private vehicle to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Even under editorial impresario Arnold Garcia's tortured, contorted reign, the Statesman's Important Screed today in defense of the new, "radically alter(ed)" Wal-Mart at Northcross is awful. Just godawful, an overflowing drool-cup of know-nothing, pseudo-centrist dribble that applauds the little people surrounding the mall for having made their positions oh so very clear – Wal-Mart even took away the gas station and lube center (although who in their right mind wouldn't want one of those in the neighborhood?) – but it's time for the grownups to get down to the business of commerce; you've had your word, and we've rewarded you with "a more pedestrian-friendly look," so, uhh, get lost: "Northcross gets a face-lift, Wal-Mart gets a more central location, shoppers get more choices and the city gets higher sales and property taxes. In short, the process worked to the benefit of most – though not all – involved." Your public process has "bettered" Wal-Mart, so please shut the hell up!

Under the guise of this craptastic third-way, a surfeit of weasel words: There are "probably" just as many in support of the project as not, we learn. They also glaze over the very real problem of conflicting traffic-impact reports by saying the increase "shouldn't" cause streets to fail, completely disregarding the pervasive history of underreporting and controversy on the subject. And while the whole fantastically flaccid affair manages to mention the lawsuits brought against the project, they stop far short of actually, you know, saying anything about it. If it's such a win-win at Northcross, why not condemn the two suits?

We hear rumors that, as a cost-saving measure, the Statesman's going to shrink by 2 inches. We know what section to start with.

More rain-related news: Barton Springs Pool will be closed today and until further notice, due to flooding.

It's not all bad news: The Austin Parks and Recreation Department Aquatic Division has announced that Deep Eddy Pool will be open 6am-9pm (that's an extra hour in the morning and half-hour at night), and there will be free admission 6am-8am.

For those hoping to bask on its shores today, there's these photos of the springs in warmer days, and an interview with the artist behind them, Will van Overbeek, might help a bit; or you can check out these pictures and more down at Austin Museum of Art on Congress until Aug. 12.