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Top Morning Stories February 14, 2011

Tonight AISD trustees will discuss a plan to axe more than 1,000 jobs.
Tonight AISD trustees will discuss a plan to axe more than 1,000 jobs.

AISD Considers 1,000 Job Cuts

Tonight the Austin Independent School District's Board will consider a plan to cut more than 1,000 jobs.  771 would be campus based positions, and 246 would be Central Office positions.  The District says it has to cut jobs to close a budget shortfall, estimated to be nearly $100 million.  District officials are projecting that amount based on the state's proposed cuts to public education.  Texas may cut about $10 billion in education spending in 2012-2013.  The first board vote on the job cuts is scheduled for February 28th.

Report: Energy Drinks Bad for Children and Teens

The Associated Presshas covered a new report that details the dangers of energy drinks for children and teens.  The report in the medical journal Pediatrics says the drinks are understudied and overused.  The potential harms include heart palpitations, seizures, strokes and even sudden death.  The report's authors want pediatricians to regularly ask parents about their child's energy drink use, and to advise against it.

Willie Nelson Breaks in New ACL Live Venue

Last night, while many Americans were watching the Grammy Awards, an historic musical event took place in downtown Austin.  Willie Nelson graced the stage of the new Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater.  Texas Music Matters' Andy Uhler was there and tells us how the Texas music legend helped author a new chapter in Austin’s music history.  You can listen to his story below.

http://media.kut.org/sounds/news_00024076/ACL021411.mp3

 

Why Meeting the Parents Can Be Awkward

Just in time for Valentine's Day, a doctoral candidate at The University of Texas at Austin  and her colleagues have released an article about why parents often don't agree with their children's mates.  In a study Psychologist Carin Perilloux had parents and students rate the traits they would want in an ideal mate. Students rated physical attractiveness higher than parents who put a bigger emphasis on earning potential. From the article on UT's website:

These parent-offspring opinions offer an obvious contrast, which the researchers suggest is based in part on evolutionary interests. Parents can increase their chance of genetic success in future generations possibly by influencing their offspring to select a mate with certain characteristics