AUSTIN MATTERS by Ralph Barrera

President Barack Obama Visits Austin on High-Tech Jobs Tour

ralphbarrera — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:11:15 +0000

President Barack Obama visited Austin Thursday May 9, 2013 on one of his so-called Middle Class Jobs and Opportunity tours. He visited Applied Materials, part of Austin’s high-tech scene, and New Tech High School in Manor. He also met with technology entrepreneurs at the Capital Factory inside the Omni Hotel in downtown Austin where his motorcade wound through the streets lined with people trying to catch a glimpse of him waving out the back window.

Photo by Ralph Barrera

Texas Relays Hits Austin, Texas for 86th Time

ralphbarrera — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 21:21:33 +0000

The 86th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays continued Thursday March 28, 2013 at the Mike A. Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus. Texas’ Isaac Murphy competes in the javelin competition of the Men’s Decathlon. Murphy was in second place overall going into the final event.

Photo by Ralph Barrera

Camel Rides for Five Bucks. Only in Austin. Priceless

ralphbarrera — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 02:11:55 +0000

Edwin Snell offers camel rides for five dollars in a shopping parking lot on E. Riverside Drive. Cesar, a two-hump camel from northern Asia is an imposing figure, standing 8 1/2 feet tall, 11 feet long and weighing 3,000 pounds. “He’s like a big dog.” says owner Snell, who has had the animal as his own for several years. They live in New Mexico but travel extensively throughout Texas. For Toiya Ghant it was a first time. “I never rode a horse, but I rode a camel.” said Ghant.

Photo by Ralph Barrera

Crazy Dark Clouds Roll Through Austin at Daybreak

ralphbarrera — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 22:12:05 +0000

A cycling commuter tries to beat the rain about to drop from these massive clouds rolling through downtown Austin.

Photo by Ralph Barrera

In a Hurry, Ashes To Go in Downtown Austin for Ash Wednesday

ralphbarrera — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:00:31 +0000

St. David’s Episcopal Church in downtown Austin provided a noontime religious service on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent for Christians, called Ashes To Go. Standing on the corner of 6th St. and Congress Ave. ministers provided a short prayer and ashes for those wanting the service. “We’re not trying to impose our theology on anyone. It’s here if they want it.”said Rev. Billy Tweedie, here praying with Andy Turner. “I usually go to church for this, but this morning I slept too late.” said Turner who was thankful for the service.

Photo by Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman

The Alex Brown Memorial Act- a Proposed Texas Bill to Ban Texting While Driving

ralphbarrera — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 15:23:27 +0000

Jeanne Brown and her daughter Katrina greet lawmakers in the House Chambers as she fights to pass a no texting while driving bill. Named in honor of a Texas texting while driving victim, the Alex Brown Memorial Act will provide a uniform statewide approach to curb this unsafe practice and will go a long way in helping educate drivers on the dangers posed by texting while driving and ultimately, save lives, says co-sponsors Senator Judith Zaffirini and Rep. Tom Craddick, who both have proposed bills banning texting while driving.

Photo by Ralph Barrera

Elgin Traffic Accident Claims Young Life

ralphbarrera — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:30:55 +0000

Texas State Trooper Craig Swantner looks over the charred vehicle driven by Gregory Robinson, a 22 year-old young man from Elgin, who was killed in a three-vehicle crash north of Elgin early Thursday morning involving two 18-wheelers and his passenger vehicle. The crash occurred on Texas Highway 95 near County Road 87 in Bastrop County, just north of Elgin. Robinson attempted to pass one of the 18-wheelers on the shoulder of the highway when he veered into the oncoming lane striking the other 18-wheeler head-on. His vehicle burst into flames and killed him on the scene.

Photo by Ralph Barrera

Buddhist Monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery Create a Sand Mandala in Austin

ralphbarrera — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 21:31:23 +0000

Several Buddhist monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery in India are in Austin to create a five-foot sand mandala in the Blanton Museum of Art’s Rapoport Atrium on the University of Texas campus. The exhibition is open to the public for viewing which concludes this Sunday January 13 with the ceremonial dismantling and dispersing of the sand into a nearby body of water. Sand mandalas are unique to Tibetan Buddhism and are created for the healing of living beings and the environment.

Photo by Ralph Barrera

Early Morning Rains Prove Deadly

ralphbarrera — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 21:46:41 +0000

One person was killed Tuesday morning when their car left the roadway driving eastbound in the 5000 block of Sara Drive in east Austin, crashed through a guard rail and fell into a cement drainage ditch bursting into flames. The person was killed on the scene. An Austin Police Department Crime Scene Specialist documents the accident sight.

Photo by Ralph Barrera

83rd Texas Legislature Set to Open January 8, 2013

ralphbarrera — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 19:56:05 +0000

The 83rd Texas Legislature is set to convene on January 8, 2013 with several new members taking the oath of office and settling into their freshly polished wooden desks. Assistant Sergeant at Arms Trevor Rice does the biennial shuffling of the 150 Texas Representatives last names on the large voting board inside the chamber Thursday morning January 3, 2013. Rice adds the new name tag for freshman legislator Rep. Jason Villalba, (R) of Dallas.

Photo by Ralph Barrera