The Lead: ACL’s a Wrap (But F1’s Around the Corner)

As Austin's F1 race approaches, rooms are getting tougher to find anywhere near the track for that matter anywhere far from the track too. Hotel rooms and B&B's are sold out as far as Marble Falls for race weekend. "No one expected that to move out this far," said Peggy Franklin, general manager at the Hampton Inn on the Lake in Marble Falls. "We’re sixty miles from Austin so we were all a little uh, caught off guard.”

Gov. Rick Perry, who skipped editorial board meetings in his last race for re-election, is sweet-talking them as he looks toward the upcoming legislative session and the possibility of another bid. Perry invited editorial writers from around Texas to the Governor's Mansion for lunch last week, fielding questions on key issues and lightly answering “yeah, yeah” when asked if he'll come see them if he runs for office again.

Trustee Christine Brister [is] suspending her campaign, making challenger Ann Teich the heir apparent for the North-Central seat. Speaking after her withdrawal, President Mark Williams (who is stepping down this year after eight years) said he was aware that Brister had been dealing with some health issues that were "not life-threatening but life-impacting." … However, as it is too late to get her name off the ballot, she is simply wrapping up her campaign.

Texas is one of the top states for beer consumption, a 24/7 Wall St. analysis shows. Data from the Beer Institute found that Texas ranks No. 2 for total consumption, with 604.96 million gallons sold last year, 24/7 Wall St., a financial news organization, reports.