This year has been one of ups and downs. Kinky’s back in the race for governor. St. Edward’s University is paying thousands to renovate the fountain and build a new intramural field. A shrine to a cut down tree was recently erected. Check out what else happened in good ol’ 2009. 

You Win Some, You Lose SomeThe Texas Stars hockey team made its debut in the new center in Cedar Park this year. Unfortunately, the hockey team most of us grew up with, The Austin Ice Bats, has suspended its operations until further notice

We’ll Take Some Mud with Our MusicThe third day of the Austin City Limits Music Festival was a messy one. The newly laid—and expensive—grass at Zilker Park was meant to amend the problem with terrible dust at the music festival. This year, the grass was obliterated and replaced with inches of mud after steady rain showers drown the festival.

Austin Nearly Loses its Patron Saint of Cross DressingLeslie Cochran, perhaps Austin’s most well-known homeless transvestite, reportedly told police he was attacked when he was submitted to a local hospital for head trauma. Despite an initially grim prognosis, Leslie will live to walk the streets of Austin in a thong for at least awhile longer. 

The Wranglers are Rounded Up The Arena Football League. or AFL, shut down this year and took The Wranglers with it. This comes a year after The Wranglers couldn’t hang with the big boys of the AFL and were demoted to AF2, the AFL minor league.  

Text Messaging While Driving is Illegal—Mostly The city council has voted and ruled to ban texting while driving, which will take effect on Jan. 1. However, the law only prohibits text messaging while driving; text messaging while at a stop is perfectly legal.

Sir, Please Put Down the Rocket LauncherDuring a Veterans Day event, Alex Lamb, a senior at St. Edward’s, took a shell rocket launcher from a military weapons display on campus, then attempted to walk to the Main Building to make a point to the administration.

And Then It FloodedA fire sprinkler valve broke in the Main Building, flooding offices on the fourth floor.

And Then It Flooded AgainJust one week later, the Ragsdale Center was flooded and significantly damaged when the chiller pipe connected to the air-conditioning unit leaked.Just one week later, the Ragsdale Center was flooded and significantly damaged when the chiller pipe connected to the air-conditioning unit leaked.A fire sprinkler valve broke in the Main Building, flooding offices on the fourth floor.