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Stacks of legislative binders rest on the desk of Sen. Judith Zaffirini in the final days of the session, which ended Monday only to restart with a special session. For more, see "There They Go ... Here They Come Again." (Photo by Jana Birchum)

› After a marathon session May 23, City Council doesn't meet again until June 6 (work session June 4), when it will take up at least some of the postponed matters: EMS changes, city park parking exchanges, and maybe even ridesharing. See "Council Notes: Never Do Today ..."

› Although it may have resprouted your lawn – at least the weeds – recent heavy rains have done little to ease the Central Texas drought, and Highland Lakes levels remain at about 40%, and are expected to drop another 10% over the summer. For the moment, Austin remains under Stage 2 watering restrictions.

› How could you tell it was Memorial Day? Because, out of the 94 arrests during APD's no refusal weekend, 90 were for DWI and four for BWI: boating while intoxicated.

› The famous South Congress trailer park – arguably ground zero for the Austin food trailer revolution – rolled off into the sunset on May 28. Property owners the Congress Avenue Baptist Church have leased the land to SoCo ATX Development to become a three-story hotel.

› The annual Community Action Network "dashboard report" of socio-economic conditions in Central Texas, just released, reflects a mixed bag of changes in the past year: As the regional population continues to grow, there were slight drops in the crime rate and homelessness, but increases in the poverty rate and housing costs, and a post-presidential decline in voter turnout. See the full report at www.cancommunitydashboard.org.

› The regular session of the 83rd Texas Legis­lature ended, sine die, at around 5pm on Monday, May 27 – and lawmakers were back an hour later for their first special session. Gov. Rick Perry called them back to rush through new House, Senate, and Congressional maps, and there will be committee hearings at 9am at the Capitol, May 30-June 1.

› Perry's gerrymandering plans may be pre-mature. On May 29, the San Antonio court currently reviewing the last Lege-drawn maps held its latest hearing and requested briefs from all parties by next Wednesday on whether or not to use new census numbers in their deliberations.

› Comptroller Susan Combs will not run for any office in 2014. A line of wannabe successors is forming, including Tea Party fave Debra Medina and former Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick. Combs, who took flack for major data leaks from her office and for championing the controversial Major Events Trust Fund, had been rumored as a contender for lieutenant governor.

› The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled 5-4 that Texas doesn't provide a meaningful way for inmates to raise on direct appeal issues of ineffect­ive assistance of counsel. The ruling expands their decision last year in an unrelated Arizona case, providing Texas inmates an opportunity to raise for the first time in federal appeals the issue of deficient lawyering. (See "Supremes Agree Texas Inmate Should Have Appeal Heard," Newsdesk, May 29.)