Volume 33, Number 18
ON THE COVER:
features
We each hold the key: Let's show these nonprofits how much they are appreciated
BY KATE X MESSER
news
The new year signals changes in the life of Austin
BY MICHAEL KING
State leaders don't walk the talk on children
BY AMY SMITH
The mayoral and council election season has already started
BY MICHAEL KING
Local agency fights stigma with new PSA campaign
BY BRANDON WATSON
Dallas County surges forward in new death penalty sentences
BY JORDAN SMITH
Lobbyists continue program of drafting corporate-supported bills
BY MICHAEL KING
TexPIRG warns parents to remain wary of certain products
BY MICHAEL KING
Hopefuls share philosophical approaches to government
BY CHRISTOPHER HOOKS
Would legalization lead to a decline?
BY JORDAN SMITH
Measuring congress by the numbers
BY JIM HIGHTOWER
food
Local distiller is making world-class aged spirits
BY WES MARSHALL
There's room for improvement at Goodall's Kitchen & Bar at the Hotel Ella
BY VIRGINIA B. WOOD
Must-have devices for oenophiles and liquor lovers
BY WES MARSHALL
Looking ahead to the most anticipated restaurant openings of early 2014
BY VIRGINIA B. WOOD
Dec. 28
music
Tracking the beards
BY TIM STEGALL
Twelve months of boom recapped
BY KEVIN CURTIN
screens
Austin Film Society lets two iconic filmmakers square off in its new series
BY KIMBERLEY JONES AND MARC SAVLOV
When Jay Rosenkrantz's poker doc got shuffled up, he got creative
BY RICHARD WHITTAKER
And I would watch 100 more
BY MONICA RIESE
Film Reviews
This Bollywood action thriller is burning up the box office.
Keanu Reeves is a samurai warrior fighting supernatural forces in this twist on the ancient Japanese tale.
More self-promotion than a film, this doc shows the star in performance and confessing his inner thoughts offstage.
arts & culture
Writing workshops serve Austin's aging and their caregivers
BY AMY GENTRY
The Hideout Theatre embiggens its schedule with a weekly set from an improv Dream Team
BY ROBERT FAIRES
This skilled painter and wizard at cutouts feels at home in her newly built studio at Canopy
BY ANDY CAMPBELL
Arts Reviews
grayDUCK Gallery memorably closed its Bouldin Creek space with a show of its regular artists making prints
These colorful prints of graphic shapes over wood grains are playful and celebratory of hue and texture
columns
Perseverance is the spine of the human condition
BY MICHAEL VENTURA
Austin airport couture
BY AMY GENTRY
Let's tuck '13 in with a li'l kiss (or a swift kick)
BY KATE X MESSER
Taste the difference craft brewing makes at Houston’s Karbach Brewery
BY GERALD E. MCLEOD
BY MR. SMARTY PANTS
Failing to plan is planning to fail
BY THE LUV DOC
Letters to the editor, published daily
sports
BY CHASE HOFFBERGER
BY NICK BARBARO
comics
BY TOM TOMORROW
BY TONY MILLIONAIRE
BY JEN SORENSEN
BY SAM HURT