Daily - The Austin Chronicle (2024)

Texas Just Abolished Poll Taxes!

Of course, they were actually killed off back in 1964, when most of the rest of the nation ratified the 24th Amendment.However, Texas and a few other segregation-loving holdouts didn't sign it. House Joint Resolution 39 by Rep. Alma Allen, D-Dallas, fixes that, and it just passed the Senate. It passed the House a few weeks back.As a colleague on the press table just said, "Welcome to the 1960s, Texas."And as Senate sponsor Rodney Ellis, D-Dallas, put it: "I move passage, better late than never."

Backe to Rehab in Round Rock

Following a rehab outing with the Express on April 27, Brandon Backe is schedule to start for Round Rock this Saturday as they face the Colorado Sky Sox at 7:05pm. The Astros hope this will be his final minor-league appearance before returning to the parent club. The right-handed Galveston native pitched eight scoreless innings in his last appearance with the Corpus Christi Hooks on May 18. Backe suffered a strained intercostal muscle (chest) during spring training, further taxing Houston's already weak pitching staff. For ticket info, click here.

Marion Winik at BookWoman This Weekend

Although Marion Winik (The Glen Rock Book of the Dead) hasn't lived in Austin for years, the memoirist/NPR commentator/former Chronicle contributor is still awfully beloved in these parts, and rightfully so: She's a funny and candid chronicler of her life (which has been rocked by the kind of tragedy that would render most people mute). She's terrific in person, too, which is why we heartily recommend you to her reading at BookWoman this weekend.The particulars: Sunday, May 24, 3pm at BookWoman (5501 N. Lamar Blvd. #a-105)And here's a link to the interview we ran in advance of Winik's appearance at last year's Texas Book Festival and Austin Jewish Book Fair.

Absolutely Nothing is Happening in the Senate

Actually, that’s no longer true. The senators just returned from about two hours of breaktime, during which they were working to save their session.Since the Democrats are chubbing in the House in hopes of killing off the voter ID bill (SB 362), the senators fear many of their bills in the lower house are in danger of never making it to the floor. So the Senate went into recess, Sen. Leticia Van De Putte told reporters, to figure out which of their bills won’t survive and to hopefully attach the language from those onto other bills that might still have a chance.Of course, all this is the senators’ own fault – the Republican ones, anyway. If the R’s hadn’t tossed out the two-thirds rule in order to pass voter ID back at the beginning of the session, they wouldn’t have endangered their arguably more important bills now.And as I write this, here comes Senators Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, and Royce West, D-Dallas, marching out from the back and chanting in unison, “work, work, work!”

From the Dept. of False Advertising

Fans of musician Robert Earl Keen, one-time (and future?) guv hopeful Kinky Friedman, and former Dallas Cowboy Jay Novacek may have thrilled when they read this week's Film News column in the Chronicle, which reported that all three men would appear at the first ever Texandance Film Festival in New Braunfels this June.Whoops.Turns out we skimmed the press release a wee bit fast –turns out the men all cameo in Palo Pinto Gold, a Western which will screen at the festival. Of course, fans are still encouraged to show up and support their favorite musician/candidate/tight end, and in the process also support the fledgling fest, which takes place June 5-7 at the New Braunfels' historic Brauntex theatre. Go here for more info, including slate, schedule, and ticket prices.

9 Minutes and 30 Seconds

9 minutes and 30 seconds. That's how long a member can ask questions of a bill author from the back mike, and that's how long, exactly members have been asking about each and every House Local and Consent Bill this morning."Slow day," said Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, as he wandered past the media desk.It is, of course, completely coincidental that the House is supposed to be taking up the voter ID bill tomorrow (which Democrats are furious ever got out of calendars.) So far, there have been fascinating conversations about navigation commissioners in Matagorda County, the historic impact of MUDS on planning philosophy in Houston, whether there's macadamia nuts in macadam (no, there's not) and the the size of Rep. Rolando Guiterrez's uvula.Its not a secret that this is the age-old art of chubbing (wasting time on a bill by long-winded Q&A's) to keep voter ID off the floor. That was really blown when Rep. Norma Chavez, D-El Paso, announced that there will be barbecue off-campus and anyone could come "If you don't have any bills up in the next hour or two."Conservative estimates suggest that, if this pace keeps up, that could apply to any lawmaker with no bills up before 6pm.

'The Whole Shootin' Match' Screens Tonight

When local microcinema Screen Door Film programmed Eagle Pennell's The Whole Shootin' Match as part of its ongoing Texas Cinema Series, they had no idea it would turn out to be a memorial screening for cast member Lou Perryman, who was was brutally murdered last month. Prior to the screening, a reel highlighting Perryman's prolific career will be screened, and we can only imagine the post-film discussion – with co-star Sonny Carl Davis, composer Chuck Pinnell, and film historian Alison Macor, moderated by the Chronicle's Louis Black –will continue the celebration of his life.The event takes place tonight at 7pm in the Jones Auditorium, Ragsdale Center, 3001 South Congress Ave., on the St. Ed's campus. As with all other Screen Door screenings, the event is free and open to the public. For more info, visit www.screendoorfilm.com.

Budget Pronouncements

The running joke around the legislature this session is that if they can at least pass the budget, it'll be a good session.So Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst calling a press conference yesterday afternoon to announce that, yes, the conference committee had locked the next biennium's budget, brought that one target closer. Current ETA? Back to the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees Tuesday, chambers for full debate probably Thursday. After the meeting, Legeland also caught up with House Appropriations Committee Chair Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, who didn't say exactly how much money was in there, just that there was a little more than the House version.[video-1]

Casino El Camino: Buffalo Burger

Big, juicy patty topped with a heap of blue cheese and slathered in a spicy and flavorful buffalo wing sauce. Yes!