Daily - The Austin Chronicle (2024)

Villa Muse: Don't Go Away Mad

So, after months of hemming and hawing, of telling the general public one thing and its political supporters something else, on Monday morning Villa Muse studios took their potential bat and speculative ball, and said they were leaving.But guess who they forgot to tell? Mayor Will Wynn and assistant city manager Laura Huffman, the people they were supposed to be doing all these good faith negotiations with. Villa Muse's lawyer said at the press conference that they had "delivered a message" to the city earlier that morning, but it turned out that delivery didn't involve the simple courtesy of giving the mayor a call.But this still doesn't answer a bunch of questions about Villa Muse – like, what are they planning to do with all that land they still have options to buy? Why try to move the development into a municipal utility district, so all deals with the city would be non-binding? Are they really thinking that the movie industry wants to move to Bastrop (no offense, Bastrop), or that Bastrop really wants a huge development on their back door? And, as Wynn wondered, if it was so important that the studio happen outside of the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction, under the lax planning rules of the county, why try to put it inside the ETJ in the first place?

Today Is Last Day of Early Voting

Okay, not too many of you have been getting out there to the polls (only about 2% of registered voters thus far). Why not? What happened to all that excitement from the Democratic primary? Look, folks, municipal politics may not have the sexiness of a presidential race, but the decisions made at the local level are still very crucial – especially in a city like Austin, the second-fastest growing city in the nation. Decisions made now will have consequences on the nature of this city decades down the road.Perhaps you're just saving up for Election Day, because you're torn over the weight of this decision, and you don't want to be rushed into making up your mind. Um, yeah, that's it. Seriously: Study up on the candidates, and then get to the polls either today or Saturday and participate in your democracy.

You know when you leave the bathroom with a trail of TP stuck to your shoe? Well, I can't seem to shake Larry Craig. The non-re-election seeking Idaho Senator confessed late last month: "It's probably difficult for some to believe, but my wife and I had already decided that I would retire about a year ago." Poor Larry has plenty he can't shake, either. Obviously, he's a victim of (as he says), the "liberal media trying to put down a conservative guy."Awwwwwww. Well, it should come as no surprise to find him moonlighting as a poster boy for a New Orleans' designer, GoGo Jewelry. (I just about fell over when I saw this card in the window of the Magazine Street shop, and just had to share.)Oh, wait, that's not Craig; the model in the ad is wearing his telltale wedding band on his right hand… Besides, Craig is a discriminating fella. He'd never tap feet with a guy in white socks and Skechers.

Benson Busted

Former UT great and current NFL flop in the making Cedric Benson was arrested last Saturday (May 3) on Lake Travis and was charged with operating a boat while intoxicated and resisting arrest. Dude had to be pepper-sprayed by the po-po. For more, click here.

Early Voting: Seven Days Down, Two to Go

It was a slow weekend for early voting for the May 10 elections, according to the Travis County Elections Division, with voting on Sunday down to a third of the daily average. Interestingly, some daily totals are shifting, so numbers are still being finalized and verified. (For example, last week the county was saying 1,781 people voted on Thursday; now that's down to 1,772) As for the weekend drop, looks like our Friday prediction was right: everyone was off watching Iron Man.Seven-day results
Total early voting: 11,602
Percentage of registered voters: 2.06%
Early voting in person votes: 11,411
Mail ballots received: 191Voting by day
Monday: 1,765
Tuesday: 1,685
Wednesday: 1,803
Thursday: 1,772
Friday: 2,167
Saturday: 1,740
Sunday: 670Highest turn-out voting location: Randalls Research and Braker (1,156 voters)
Lowest turn-out voting location: Round Rock ISD Performing Arts Center (33 voters)

Lasting Impressions

Let’s hear it for American Beat Records, whose have-a-nice-day attitude about the classics reminds us great music didn’t always hit No. 1 and context is crucial in assessing a band’s output. Here are the Impressions, for example, a Chicago-based doo-wop outfit that morphed into the most Motown of the 1960s non-Motown acts, lost their stellar lead vocalists, went on to create notable blaxploitation soundtracks, and became a bellwether for 1970s funk. American Beat collected 10 of the Impressions’ vinyl recordings from 1968-1976 and turned them into five two-fer CDs that track the band from the last recording with Curtis Mayfield through its socially conscious growth.It’s a remarkable arc, and posits the Impressions as one of the most important if less acknowledged black acts. The velvet-voiced Jerry Butler (“For Your Precious Love”) left the group almost as soon as they formed in the late 1950s and Curtis Mayfield stepped up to the lead. Fred Cash and Sam Gooden soon joined as Mayfield developed into their chief composer with hits like 1961’s “Gypsy Woman.” The Impressions’ personality grew around Mayfield’s acute social vision: “People Get Ready” remains a not-so-subtle call to arms for 1965.

Perry TXDoT Appointment Causes GOP Rift

Noriega Is for Real – and Texas Is in Play?

Could the days of Republican dominance in Texas be coming to an end? As we've noted before, the GOP's majority in the Texas House of Representatives is down to a slender five (out of 150) seats.Another big prize for the Democrats would be cracking the complete stranglehold the Republicans have over every single statewide elected office – and today, a poll by Rasmussen Reports indicates that Houston state Rep. Rick Noriega actually has a real shot at unseating incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Another Rasmussen poll shows what would have been pure fantasy just a couple of elections ago: Texas could actually be in play in the presidential race.

Breaking: Villa Muse Officially Kaput. For Reals.

It's official: Villa Muse is dead. The controversial planned studio complex has officially ended all negotiations with the city of Austin. In a prepared statement, project principal Jay Podolnick said "unfortunately after eight months of negotiations, we cannot afford to wait any longer, and we feel the time has come to agree to disagree, and it's in that spirit we are now ending our discussions with the City of Austin." Lawyers with the project said they are looking at other cites in the state.