There’s always something happening in Austin. We try to keep you up to date in our weekly roundup of Headlines, but here’s a couple noteworthy items that we didn’t want you to miss.
• The space shuttle Endeavour made a low pass over Downtown early Thursday morning. It had made a brief stop in Houston the day before, and flew west past a couple notable monuments on its way to a permanent home in California.
• Jurors deliberated less than an hour before convicting Shaun Samuelson for the murder of his 72-year-old mother Virginia. Samuelson deliberately ran his truck over her while she was on a stretcher and being treated by paramedics during an incident last year in South Austin. Samuelson, 46, will be sentenced to life without parole.
• Late Wednesday, Burnt Orange Report broke the story of a Northwest Austin man who has hung an empty chair from a tree in his front yard, presumably playing off Clint Eastwood’s speech at the Republican National Convention. Several news outlets have speculated that this is, in essence, a public call for the lynching of President Barack Obama; a similar protest popped up in Virginia last week.
• After a two-year hiatus, the Trail of Lights will return to Zilker Park this holiday season. Mayor Lee Leffingwell announced the news this morning, citing the support of major corporate sponsors, including RunTex.
This article appears in September 14 • 2012.