Daily - The Austin Chronicle (2024)

Reefer: Commutations for Two Texas Border Patrol Agents

In what was likely his last act of clemency before turning off the lights and closing the door on his eight years in office, President George W. Bush today commuted the prison sentences of the two U.S. Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting a man in the back and covering up the crime.Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Campean were each sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison in connection with the 2005 shooting of Osvaldo Aldrete Davila near Fabens. According to Ramos and Campean, the pair caught Davila with a van load of pot near the border. Davila fled toward the Rio Grande, yet, fearing that he was armed, they said, they fired upon him, hitting him in the ass. Federal prosecutors were skeptical – for starters, there wasn't any firm connection between Davila and that load of dope. But more disturbing was that Ramos and Campean failed to report the incident and actually took steps to cover the crime, picking up spent shell casings left at the scene. Ultimately the pair was convicted (and their convictions were upheld on appeal), but the story, which should've been about the rogue actions of a pair of federal law enforcement officers, eventually morphed into a story about illegal immigration and how these apparently defenseless agents were trying to stand up against the tide.

Year of Sparkle and Desi Cration

The Texas Rollergirls can't start the 2009 season (coming to a flat track near you on March 1) without really finishing off the 2008 season. That could only mean the annual Whammy Awards, held last night at Mohawk.

Thank You, Masked Man

The Southern California-based instro surf-garage rock combo Los Straitjackets seldom play here but head ‘Jacket Eddie Angel is winging his way to town for a gig at the Continental Club on Thursday.Angel’s big twang draws from SoCal favorites such as Dick Dale as well as the Ventures and Link Wray, whipped into a combustible sound and ignited by Angel’s guitar playing. In addition to Los Straitjackets, Angel also plays with the Neanderthals and the Planet Rockers, performing the kind of timeless rock that maintains a rabid following just about everywhere around the world except the United States.Opening are local keepers of the instro flame, 3 Balls of Fire, who perform their own set before being joined by Angel. 3BF leader Mike Vernon has recently been splitting residences between L.A. and Austin, honing his already fierce guitar by the California surf then bringing it back to the Texas limestone. Vernon and Angel met up in L.A. and the idea for the Texas mini-tour was born. After Angel and 3 Balls of Fire, the fuel-injected sounds of the Thunderchiefs rev up the post-midnight crowd.And in case you’re wondering, yes, Eddie Angel will indeed be wearing a Mexican wrestling mask, the true sign you’re in the presence of the King Straitjacket.

ESPN Goes Inaugural

Not to be left out of the inaugural fun (or ratings bonanza), ESPN Classic will be airing 10 hours of their Breaking Barriers program on Tuesday featuring groundbreaking African-American athletes such as Arthur Ashe, Jack Johnson, and Eddie Robinson. Today, MLK Day, they are airing seven hours of BB with programs devoted to Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, and others.As far as the actual inauguration goes, SportsCenter will present live coverage of President-elect Obama’s swearing-in ceremony with Jeremy Schaap reporting from the west front of the U.S. Capitol. Schaap will also be interviewing athletes in attendance.ESPN’s inauguration coverage will include “Realizing The Dream” vignettes in which athletes talk about what the election of Barack Obama means to them. The vignettes will air within ESPN studio programming and across platforms (ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, etc.). Sports figures participating include Magic Johnson, Tom Jackson, Paul Pierce, and Craig Robinson, the Oregon State head basketball coach and brother-in-law of Obama.See below for Tuesday's Breaking Barriers schedule …

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Harry Knowles, Pedazo Chunk, and the Independent Video Store

Of all the vanished video stores in Austin's storied VHS culture, the one we miss the most has to be Pedazo Chunk, which opened in 2001 in a tiny (and boy do we mean tiny) space 2009 S. First St. across from Sinsations) before moving approximately thirty feet to the left and re-opening in a considerably larger space in June of 2004. Managed and owned throughout its short life span by Dannie Knowles and her beau José "Lobo" Ramirez, Pedazo Chunk was, simply, the sh*t.With its emphasis on then-obscure, Region-3 Asian DVDs, Spanish-language titles, and featuring a wealth of VHS treasure, Pedazo Chunk was the epitome of the neighborhood video store hangout. They had their own digital screening room, hosted regular parties for local filmmakers (among them a then-twelve-years-old Emily Hagins, of Zombie Girl: The Movie fame) and best of all, the store came complete with an enormous back deck, replete with Tiki torches, the comforting burbling of Bouldin Creek in the background, and plenty of film fans and luminaries -- Quentin Tarantino, Tim McCanlies, Elijah Wood -- lazing about, shooting the breeze, and arguing the merits of CGI vs. stop-motion. (Harryhausen's camp always won, natch.)It's gone now, no more than another in the increasingly lengthy list of Vanished Austin venues that includes Les Amis, Liberty Lunch, and Randy "Biscuit" Turner (whose art opening/wake was held at PD on Fri., August 16, 2005; it was so successful/happy/sad that the APD showed up to mourn and/or harass Big Boys fans). Pedazo Chunk, which ceased operations in 2006, was a major hub in our life as both Austinites and cinéastes. And it was a place where, to a much larger degree than elsewhere in Austin, VHS still ruled the hearts and minds of its clientele.Accordingly, we chatted up Dannie Knowles' older-but-not-cooler brother Harry in conjunction with our recent piece on Netflix vs. indie video stores. As usual, Harry came up with some spot-on observations. Here's a few of them....

Ana Sisnett, 1952-2009

A small, sweet gathering was held at La Peña to honor Ana Sisnett, the community activist, writer, poet, friend, and leader who passed away Jan. 13 after a three-year battle with ovarian cancer. An altar bearing photos, flowers, copies of Ana's book, Grannie Jus Come! and sweets had been assembled the night before, and those who attended the event gathered before it to share their memories, poetry, and laughter, and yes, tears."Oh no," Sisnett's daughter Meredith Sisnett told the assembled. "My mother told us, 'Don't give me one of those sad, sad, everybody crying, funerals!'" Everyone recognized the spirit behind those words, and it was the perfect cue to invite musicians Olivia Prendes and Odaymara Cuesta to perform. The two women, new to Austin, who happened to be from Sisnett's native Panama, were found at a chance meeting earlier in the day. Their spirited, heartfelt singing, accompanied only by conga and rhythm sticks, was the perfect way to send the assembled out into the frigid night, a little warmer than when they arrived.Below are a few remembrances of Ana. Others are invited to share their memories by clicking on the link below. The thread will remain on the Austin Chronicle site indefinitely.

Pulpwood Queen, the TV show?

Kathy Patrick's message at her annual Girlfriend Weekend gathering of the Pulpwood Queen's Book Club is clear: she wants more. More books, more attention for deserving authors and more air time. Specifically, she's urging book fans to contact Good Morning America (the show that put book club on the map back in 2000) and ask them to help spread the word. Oh, and there's always Oprah.Can she pull it off from tiny Jefferson in East Texas where her combo salon/bookstore Beauty and the Book combines kitsch with lit? Don't put it past her. She had a dry run at Girlfriend Weekend with her and Robert Leleux (Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy) serving as the co-hosts, collectively known as BobKat, who sprinkled invited authors (including yours truly flogging his novel-in-stories Evacuation Plan) with insightful questions. Leleux, Joe Nick Patoski (Willie Nelson: An Epic Life) and I proved that even a few guys can hang with the girlfriends.In fact, Leleux proved the true hit of the weekend regaling the crowd with stories of his mother's penchant for wigs and plastic surgery. Mom looked on as proud as could be.