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SXSW
3:04 pm
Tue March 12, 2013

SXSW 2013: Despite Illness, A "Good Night"

What would you do if you were told by one of your oldest friends that you might not see her alive again? That’s the premise of Austin-based director (and high school teacher) Sean Gallagher’s debut feature, “Good Night,” co-produced by Gallagher and one of the film’s stars, fellow Austinite Jonny Mars (“The Happy Poet,” “A Teacher”). 

In the movie, Leigh (Adriene Mishler) and Winston (Mars) play a reasonably happy married couple, even though Leigh’s terminal illness is putting tremendous stress on the marriage and their finances.

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Eagle Ford Shale
2:19 pm
Tue March 12, 2013

The Face Of The Eagle Ford Shale In San Antonio

Credit Joey Palacios / TPR
STEER President Omar Garcia was previously employed by the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation before joining the South Texas Energy and Economic Roundtable

San Antonio is now the hub for providing resources to the Eagle Ford Shale Project. The South Texas Energy and Economic Roundtable opened its doors at the Pearl Brewery this week.

It’s been in existence for about five months, created by the 11 major oil and gas operators working on the shale project including Conoco Phillips and Lewis Energy.

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Texas Legislature
1:03 pm
Tue March 12, 2013

Bills Filed Addressing Gun Show Loophole And High-Capacity Magazines

Credit Ryan Poppe / TPR
Texas State Capitol in Austin.

Over 36 gun bills have been introduced so far this legislative session, ranging from lessening the time it takes to obtain a Concealed Handgun License, to bills like the one authored by Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston that puts additional regulations on gun-owners and sellers.

"Currently Texas allows private weapon sales at gun-shows without background checks, so I filed a bill -- SB 1626 -- and it will require background checks for every gun sold in the state of Texas," Ellis said.

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Education Laws
9:31 am
Tue March 12, 2013

How Teachers Can Fail Chemistry But Still Teach It In Schools

Credit Eileen Pace / TPR
State Rep. Mike Villarreal tutors a second grader at Herff Elementary School as part of his volunteer efforts through SA2020

San Antonio Representative Mike Villarreal has filed a bill to bring transparency to licensing procedures for school teachers.

Right now teachers take a composite exam with several different parts – including all the core subjects – but as long as their overall score is passing, the teachers don’t have to pass all of those subjects to be certified to teach them.

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School Improvements
5:10 pm
Mon March 11, 2013

Bernal Proposes Easier Method To Approve Money For School Safety Projects

Credit Ryan Loyd / TPR
Dist. 1 Councilman Diego Bernal wants an easier method to approve safety improvements around city schools.

School safety may be at the heart of nearly every project District 1 Councilman Diego Bernal advocates, but he said the rules for how the city spends money delay improvement projects.

Now he’s on a mission to change that.

"We can all agree that pedestrian safety around schools is a priority. No one's going to argue with that," he said.

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New Release
5:04 pm
Mon March 11, 2013

Korevaar Is Bach For More With Partitas On New Disc

Pianist David Korevaar balances an active performance career as a soloist and chamber musician with teaching at the University of Colorado-Boulder. His latest release includes the Six Partitas for Keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Listen to David talk about how he chose these works and the difficulty of making beautiful music from a composer’s "little black dots."

Watch an HD video of their talk here:

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SXSW
4:17 pm
Mon March 11, 2013

SXSW 2013: Chris Eska, Director of "The Retrieval"

Chris Eska’s film “The Retrieval” is about a young boy sent to turn in a wanted man to a dangerous gang of bounty hunters. Filmed in rural Texas, the movie stars young Ashton Sanders as Will, and Tishuan Scott as Nate, the wanted man. The two form a close bond in the film, yet Will’s knowledge that he may have to betray that friendship casts a shadow over their relationship and adds tension to the narrative. 

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Pre-K 4 SA Implementation
4:05 pm
Mon March 11, 2013

Pre-K 4 SA Board Adjusts Job Descriptions For Key Positions

Credit Ryan Loyd / TPR
Children from the George Gervin Academy hold signs in support of Pre-K 4 SA during a pre-voting press conference.

As a subcommittee of the Pre-K 4 SA board prepares to receive recommendations from city staffers on how kids will enroll for the program, the board has been busy adjusting the job descriptions of some key positions.

Deputy City Manager Peter Zanoni said the board wanted to include as many qualified candidates as possible, without ruling anyone out because they didn’t have the right credentials.

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Texas Legislature
3:01 pm
Mon March 11, 2013

Removing Politics From The State Board Of Education

Credit Wikipedia Commons
Texas State Capitol in Austin.

A Texas lawmaker his filed a bill that would completely revamp the structure of the State Board of Education.

Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, said she filed House Bill 906 in order to change how the State Board of Education members are elected because of what she calls some "glaring defects."

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SXSW
2:22 pm
Mon March 11, 2013

SXSW 2013: Actress Trieste Kelly Dunn, on "Loves Her Gun"

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