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Students, scholars, and those who love them gathered at the Capitol Jan. 8 to protest the campus carry law that will go into effect Aug. 1. Activists were aided in their effort by the Modern Language Association, which was in town to hold its annual conference. (Photo by John Anderson)

Hit the Road: City Council is a couple of weeks away from its next regular meeting (Jan. 28), leaving time for CodeNEXT deliberations and Uber maneuvers, as well as refining 10 district lists of mobility-related projects for a one-time windfall of Capital Metro Quarter-Cent sales tax funding. See "Holistic or Hiccup?," Jan. 15.

Another Country: President Barack Obama delivered his final State of the Union message Tuesday night, asking his fellow Americans to embrace change, provide broader opportunity, and "make our politics reflect what's best in us, and not what's worst." He exhorted, "Stand up for others ... knowing that each of us is only here because somebody somewhere stood up for us."

Speaking of which, two Austinites were invited to join the first lady in her viewing box during the State of the Union address on Tuesday. Earl Smith, a retired Vietnam veteran and security representative at Hyatt Regency Austin, and Jennifer Bragdon, an ACC student and working mother, reflect examples of hard work, struggle, and success, according to the White House.

Take the Train ... Please: On Tuesday, the Urban Transportation Commission voted 8-1 to recommend to City Council that staff develop a "high-capacity transit plan, including considerations of rail ... that prioritizes high-density corridors and high-diversity populations," with the intent to complete a plan quickly enough to place it "optimally on the November 2016 ballot."

Some creative deviant paid homage to the recently deceased David Bowie by replacing a street sign for Bowie Street with one that read "David Bowie Street." And while Mayor Adler seemed to champion the move, tweeting his support with a reference to the singer's classic "Changes," APD told the Statesman that any perpetrator would be charged with a Class C misdemeanor.

Police Chief Art Acevedo went full bore on the unidentified rock-throwers over I-35, saying at a press conference Tuesday that he won't rest "until we catch the persons responsible for these unwarranted, cowardly attacks." He added that the department's already devoted more than 15,000 police hours to the case, which is simply a ton: the equivalent of 375 40-hour work weeks altogether. The Greater Austin Crime Commission doubled down on the case, offering a $10,000 reward to anybody who can provide APD with info leading to the arrest of the I-35 rock-throwers.

An internal investigation ordered in June by UT-Austin President Greg Fenves found no evidence of academic misconduct within the UT men's basketball team. The inquiry came in the wake of three alleged incidents of misconduct. The NCAA conducted its own investigation over the summer and arrived at similar results.