Big Tex finds his voice, the city of Buda looks for a ride, and Texas Dems hope things get better. Activism is on the News Ticker.
• Excitement is mounting as the Austin Police Department investigates the contents of a suspicious backpack found near Rep. Lloyd Doggett‘s office this morning. We hope it contains sandwiches. Sandwiches are delicious.
• The city of Buda is considering adding Capital Metro commuter service to Austin. We’re glad the old “misery loves company” truism still has some currency.
• The College Database has ranked the University of Texas No. 22 in it’s list of colleges with the best return on investment. Once graduated, students won’t necessarily find a job in Austin, but we hear that everyone is too drunk to notice.
• The Texas Workforce Commission announced today that unemployment numbers in Texas essentially remain unchanged.
• The latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll shows Texans split on whether concealed guns should be allowed on college campuses. 48% said “yea,” 46% said “nay,” and a scientifically insignificant number simply fired bullets into their phone receivers.
• Democratic Texas Legislators, including San Antonio’s Leticia Van de Putte and Austin’s Kirk Watson, have recorded a two-part “It Gets Better” video in support of LGBT youth. We were hoping for an elaborate Busby Berkeley fantasia, but we guess the end product is better for electability.
• Speculation is running high on whether human Aggie joke Gov. Rick Perry will seek reelection.
• Sen. John Whitmire says that Gov. Perry mistakenly vetoed his truancy bill. Since the rest of the story is hidden behind the Statesman paywall, we’ll just have to assume that Perry was momentarily distracted by a butterfly. He’s a lot like Mariah Carey that way.
• Although they are not naming names, the State Fair of Texas have hired a new voice for Big Tex. They can be as coy as they would like, but we all know it’s Kay Bailey Hutchison.
• Bitter butter queen Paula Deen has released a choppily edited apology for her use of racial slurs. Boy, is her face red.
This article appears in June 21 • 2013.