Headlines

• District Judge Mike Lynch on Wednesday ordered the release of two defendants in the 17-year-old yogurt shop murder case after prosecutors acknowledged they weren't ready for trial next week. See "Yogurt Shop Murder Defendants Set Free."

• The city announced a fourth town hall meeting on the city budget, scheduled for Tuesday, June 30, 6:30pm, at Givens Recreation Center. For more on the budget and the city's town hall exercises, see "The Chips Are Down."

• A new era began at City Hall this week as Lee Leffingwell was sworn in as Austin's 51st mayor. Chris Riley took Leffingwell's Place 1 seat, former Council Member Bill Spelman returned to the Place 5 seat, while new Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez and Sheryl Cole began their second terms. City Council's on break until July 23.

• One chapter closes; another begins. Superintendent Pat Forgione ends a decadelong era at Austin ISD on July 1 when he hands over the district's reins to the incoming superintendent, Meria Carstarphen.

• The Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District made national headlines this week when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the MUD could make changes to its elections without federal "preclearance," yet the Supremes upheld the Voting Rights Act more broadly. See "Point Austin."

• Gov. Kirk Watson? That's who Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, named as the person she'd like to see in the office as she withdrew from the race. The Austin senator says he's flattered but has made no decision. Yet. On Wednesday, meanwhile, fellow Dem Tom Schieffer announced his bid for the job.

• Special Session Watch '09 continues: As of publication, it will have been 17 days since Gov. Rick Perry confirmed he'll need to call lawmakers back for unfinished business, but there's still no sign of a date. In the meantime, he's issued his list of vetoed bills; see "Austin Hit in Veto Spree."

• With temperatures cracking 100 degrees every day this week and no rainfall in sight, the Travis County Commissioners Court has announced a burn ban.

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Quote of the Week

"We'll investigate until we get to the point we believe there's nowhere else to look."

– Travis Co. District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, responding Wednesday to a judge's decision to release two men charged with the yogurt shop murders