Headlines

• Austin ISD and the Pearce Middle School community continue to plan a response to the Texas Education Agency order to close or "repurpose" the school because of inadequate test scores – the district has less than 30 days to arrive at a plan. See "Point Austin" and "TEA to Pearce: Drop Dead."

• Austin Energy's GreenChoice program is in trouble: The costs for wind power have risen so high that hardly anyone's buying the latest batch. As a result, we might be approaching the day when green is no longer a choice – the utility is considering absorbing new renewable energy rates into all customers' bills.

• City Council continues its summer vacation, leaving the heavy lifting to the city's boards and commissions; see "City Hall Hustle." Council will eyeball the city manager's proposed 2010 budget when it returns Thursday, July 23.

• Austin police seized parts of the scaffolding that collapsed at the 21 Rio apartment development in June, killing three construction workers. According to a police search warrant, the scaffolding was improperly assembled, and the company that put the platforms together could be charged with negligent homicide.

• The Texas heat and drought grind on, as lawns fry, trees die, lakes boil, and public officials begin pleading with citizens to conserve water and electricity. September is only two months away.

• It's all about the Benjamins: Gov. Rick Perry announced he raised $4.2 million in the last nine days of June and has $9.3 million cash on hand for his re-election campaign. Primary challenger Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is calculated to have $12.5 million. Meanwhile Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, who remains coy about any candidacy, announced he has $1.4 million, "mas o menos."

• The Texas Workforce Commission will release new unemployment figures on Friday, while a new report by the Economic Policy Institute shows unemployment rates for Hispanics and African-Americans are far greater than for white workers.

• Another Bush library: Former first lady and noted literacy advocate Laura Bush will be in Austin Sunday, July 19, to attend the opening of a new library named in her honor, 9411 Bee Caves Rd.

• The Senate Judiciary Committee questioned U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor about her opinions on empathy, gun rights, abortion, wisdom, race, and the Constitution, and the nominee described her judicial philosophy as "simple: fidelity to the law."

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Quote of the Week

"6th STREET BARS COMING TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SOON ... They won't have to sell food, only booze. This means more parking in our neighborhood, more traffic, and more drunks."

– One cranky neighbor's attempt to gather opposition to Shady Grove's efforts to secure a variance allowingm an 85-decibel limit for outdoor music. See "City Hall Hustle."