Dozens of teachers, parents, students and public education advocates protested underneath the Capitol Dome today, urging state lawmakers to spend more of the Rainy Day Fund to reduce cuts to school districts.

“We have got to keep making noise, because it’s raining and that’s an ugly bill,” Louis Malfaro with the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers told the crowd. “So we say, ‘Fund our schools or don’t come back!’”

Protestors repeated the chant and it echoed throughout the cavernous rotunda.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s rules limiting vehicle emissions are based upon a “legally flawed” conclusion that greenhouse gases are harmful to the public, the State of Texas argued in a brief filed today with the D.C. Court of Appeals on behalf of nine states and dozens of shipping and manufacturing companies.

Land underneath the beleaguered Highland Mall could soon be under complete ownership of Austin Community College. ACC signed a $16 million deal for the former JC Penney and the surrounding parking lot.

It’s important to distinguish land ownership from building ownership.  ACC would possess all the property beneath the mall, but it would only own three of the four former department stores: the Dillard’s women’s store, Macy’s and JC Penney buildings.

Governor Rick Perry must be enjoying the presidential rumors swirling around him these days, because he just did something to escalate the speculation. The Texas governor is inviting his counterparts from 49 other states to attend a prayer rally in Houston’s 71,500-capacity Reliant Stadium in August. His invitation is on the front page of a website for the event, TheResponseUSA.com:

Early voting starts today in a runoff for a seat on Austin’s City Council. Elections were last month, but in the Place Three seat, challenger Kathie Tovo was three percentage points shy of the simple majority needed to oust incumbent Randi Shade.

Early Voting Begins for Shade, Tovo Runoff

Early voting starts today for the runoff election for Austin City Council Place Three.  The runoff is between incumbent Randi Shade and challenger Kathie Tovo.  In May’s regular election, Tovo got 46 percent of the vote, and Shade got 33 percent.  Early voting runs through June 14. Election Day is June 18. 

ACC Buying Last Tract of Highland Mall

Austin Community College is in the process of buying the last piece of the Highland Mall property that it doesn't already own, the Statesman reports this morning. 

ACC also says it is working with a partner, who will develop a mix of retail, residential and office space at the mall, which has fallen on hard times recently. The College's leadership appears upbeat about what the acquisition means for the insitution.

Funding for K-12 education in Texas remains in limbo as lawmakers try to hash out a funding solution during the special legislative session that began on Tuesday.  The uncertainty has prompted teachers and parents to hold another rally this weekend at the State Capitol.  Here's the press release we received this afternoon.

The Senate Finance Committee made quick work of the omnibus fiscal matters bill SB 1 yesterday, kicking it out in the mid-afternoon after several hours of testimony from the usual round of superintendents and school associations.

This map shows the detour routes in green and the closures in red.

Interstate 35 at Ben White Blvd. will be closed again this weekend for construction work on flyovers intended to connect I-35 with US 290. 

Here’s what will happen as of 8 pm tonight, according to the Texas Department of Transportation:

Texans may soon have to pay sales tax on many of the products they buy online, despite an attempt by Governor Perry to stop that from happening. Last week, Governor Perry vetoed a bill that would have required internet retailers with a physical presence in Texas to charge sales tax.

But now that same provision has found its way into House Bill 1, a sweeping fiscal matters bill being considered during the special legislative session. Perry would not have line-item veto power on House Bill 1, so he would have to veto the entire spending bill to block the internet tax provision he already vetoed when it was House Bill 2403.

For the first time ever, Austin ISD is live streaming this week’s graduation ceremonies on its website.

“We’re doing it for family members who may be out of town and can’t be present at the graduation,” AISD spokesperson Kathy Anthony told KUT News. “Or for teachers, for instance, who are back their campuses and not attending graduation and want to watch the proceedings.”

A link to the live stream is posted on AISD’s front page. Today's ceremonies got underway at noon at the Frank Erwin Center.

Here is the schedule:

The proposed Formula One racetrack has yet to be built southeast of Austin but the date is set for its first race. Mark your calendars:  it’s scheduled for June 17, 2012. If temperatures next year are anything similar to what we're seeing now that could be one hot race, literally.

Gas Prices Drop in Texas

Some good news if you're filling up your tank this weekend- AAA Texas reports gas prices in Texas have dropped eight cents this week to $3.62 a gallon. Austin drivers are paying an average of $3.64.  The association says one reason prices are lower is a drop in crude oil prices.

The memorial service for 20 year-old Byron Carter, Jr. will be held Friday June 2 at 2:30 at Mount Zion Baptist Church.

Carter was shot and killed by APD Officer Nathan Wagner. Carter was a passenger in a car with a 16-year old driver who allegedly hit another officer and pinned Wagner, who then fired shots into the car, killing Carter and injuring the 16 year-old driver, according to an APD press release.