Laura Rice, KUT News

Update: The debate over the budget in the Texas House lasted well into the night. But it was short and relatively drama-free when compared to sessions past. The budget bill passed 135 to 12.

The two-year budget boosts state spending. It includes small raises for state employees and spares state parks from being closed.

By the end, lawmakers had agreed on what would go into the $93.5 billion state spending plan – $2.5 billion will go back into the public school funding formula after nearly $5 billion was cut in 2011.

Update: Classes resume today at McNeil High School in the Round Rock Independent School District. But students and staff won’t be able to use drinking fountains.

That’s because the area around the school remains under a boil water notice as Austin Water Utility is making repairs to a broken water main.

Classes at McNeil were canceled yesterday because water was shut off to the school. Water is now back up and running – but it’s not safe to drink.

Update: The University of Texas System says nearly 15,000 people from around the world have signed up for free, online classes offered by the University of Texas at Austin in just the first three days of enrollment.

The most popular edX class offered by UT so far is Energy 101  –  with more than 5,000 registrants.

A brother and sister team of young scientists from Westwood High School are finalists in a national science competition.

Priya and Naveen Arunachalam are both finalists in the Exploravision contest. The contest attracted nearly 16,000 students nationwide in a competition to design future technologies that could change the world.

Austin Water Utility crews have shut off water in the area of a broken fire hydrant. So water is no longer gushing out.

The utility tweeted this picture of the damaged hydrant this morning.

The defending champion Baylor women’s basketball team moved easily through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

The team beat Florida State last night 84-47. It was the final home game of the season for the Lady Bears – and the last ever for senior star Brittney Griner.

The Georgetown City Council voted unanimously last night to direct airport staff to come up with possible options for keeping the airport tower open. It’s scheduled to close on or after April 7 as part of the federal budget cuts known as sequestration.

Some are concerned safety will be put at risk without tower operators. There are also concerns that revenues will go down and businesses will be hurt because fewer people will use the airport.

The Texas Veterans Commission gave out $3 million in grants today to more than two dozen organizations across the state that help veterans readjust to civilian life.

About $800,000 of it will go to programs that assist veterans here in Central Texas.

The calendar now says spring!

Some much-needed rain fell over Central Texas last night and this morning. Rain totals could range from a tenth of an inch to one inch. 

The defending champion Baylor women’s basketball team is again the No. 1 overall seed in the women’s NCAA tournament.

The first game for the Lady Bears is Sunday against No. 16 seed Prairie View A&M.

Update: The new elementary school being built in north Austin now has a name: Dr. Janis Guerrero Thompson Elementary. The Austin Independent School District Board voted last night to approve the name.

Dr. Guerrero Thompson was a native Austinite who taught high school in AISD and later worked as the district’s Executive Director for Planning and Community Relations.

Some airline passengers at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport will soon be able to move through security lines faster. The Transportation Security Administration's pre-screening program starts Tuesday at ABIA.

Pre-check allows qualified, pre-screened passengers benefits, such as keeping their shoes and light jackets on when going through security.

The University of Texas at Austin men’s basketball team is not eligible to play in the upcoming NCAA tournament. The Longhorns were not even invited to play in the NIT.

But they have accepted a bid to the College Basketball Invitational or CBI.

So what is the CBI? According to the event's website, it's a single-elimination tournament for sixteen teams "that deserve a postseason experience."

Update: "The Punk Syndrome" won the SXGlobal Audience Award. See pictures from the Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät concert, below.

Original Story  (March 15, 6:01 a.m.): A punk band from Finland is the focus of a film that’s showing at South by Southwest this week. The band is also playing a gig in the SXSW Music festival.

Texas lawmakers looked at a bill today that would require some people to undergo drug testing in order to receive unemployment benefits.

The bill, filed by Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands), would require drug tests for unemployment applicants who are looking for work in industries that usually require them for new employees.