Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 1

menean-Matcsman Ostatesman.com 'FINAL EDITION SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2009 75 CENTS IN SPORTS CI TGUftTIME Armcfrnnnr hirl in Cronn IN SPORTS CI IN STATESMANCARS I Dl IN LIFE ARTS I El FiHEFORD CCOLOFF Fusion hybrid successfully- The best local spots takes on popular competitors to beat the heat FINALSSET Roddick to face Federer to try for 8th championship or Wimbledon crown f. 4 1 Na i i mtt mm POLITICS A BRACKENRIDGE TRACT DEVELOPMENT Powers puts priority on field lab work to the recommendation by the consultant, New York-based Cooper, Robertson Partners LLP, to raze the Colorado and Brackenridge apartment complexes on the tract to make way for development that could earn income for a university continuously seeking cash to advance research and teaching. UT's Gateway apartment complex, just east of the tract, would be rebuilt to accommodate 800 to 825 units for graduate students, which would be about 100 more units than cur- See TRACT, A7 UT land plan must address research, president says By Ralph K.M.Haurwitz AMERICAN STATESMAN STAKE William Powers president of the University of Texas, had been keeping a fairly low profile on the long-running question of whether the university-owned Brackenridge tract in West Austin should be developed int6 a major residential and commercial district. statesman.combrackenridge See the tract plans, read previous coverage and tell us what you think of the proposals. Until last month.

A consulting firm advised the Board of Regents on June 18 that a biological field laboratory occupying 82 of the tract's 350 acres should be downsized or relocated. Some faculty members were outraged, and Powers said the professors' concerns carry great weight. The UT president reacted more warmly pi nlUttJSLieJ William Powers Jr. said student housing needs to be family friendly. TEXAS WEATHER 'These last two years have been the worst I've ever seen.

There have been droughts, but they haven't lasted so long and haven't been so TOM CROFUT, Good Flow Honey Co. founder, who has been bottling honey in Central Texas since 1975 Governor to end term early; move sets off GOP speculation By Adam Nagourney and Jim Rutenberg THE NEW YORK TIMES I I Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska announced Friday that she was quitting her job July 26, a move that shocked Republicans across the country and fueled speculation about her presidential am-, bitions and criticism of her political competence. Palin's decision, announced with her family in front of a lake at her home I Sarah Palin didn't specify what her future holds. 1 'k'Jvy.

in Wasilla, Alaska, set off widespread speculation that she is preparing for a run for the presidency in 2012. Palin, 45, was supposed to serve as governor through the end of 2010. Instead, Palin said she would cede control of the state to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell.

"We know we can effect positive change outside of government," she said. Palin announced the decision at a news conference in which she invoked the words of Gen. Douglas MacArthur and the rules of basketball, but offered few clues about her intentions. Palin said that she thought it would be unfair to her constituents to remain in office as a lame duck. "As I thought about this announcement that I would not seek re-election, I thought about how much fun other governors have as lame ducks: They maybe travel around their state, travel to other states, "maybe take their See RESIGN, A8 i r- A Alberto Martinez photos american-statjbman Tom Crofut and son Dan of Good Flow Honey Co.

say honeybees need water and flowers, both of which are in short supply because of the drought. With honey production down this year, 'we'll make a quarter of a Dan Crofut said. And that's wishful Farm, ranch profits dry up as drought drags on and on Honey, cotton and corn suffer; cattle sold at depressed prices DIPLOMACY Russia opens route for U.S. to Afghanistan Planes to be allowed to ship weapons, officials say By Peter Baker THE NEW YORK TIMES MOSCOW Russia has agreed to let American troops and weapons bound for Afghani-, stan fly over Russian territory, providing an important new corridor for the U.S. military as it escalates efforts to win the 8-year-old war, officials on both sides said Friday.

The agreement, to be announced when President Barack Obama AUSTIN IMMIGRATION For Iraqi family, freedom means safety in the U.S. Labeled enemies by terrorists, Al-Anis find refuge in Texas By Joshunda Sanders AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Omar Al-Ani had made a good life for his family in Iraq. He was a manager of a family business in trade, construction and security. When US. troops arrived in 2003, the company worked with dozens of American companies, including Halliburton supplying construc-, tion materials and other services.

INilut The work with Ameri- How cans brought more money refugees can Dut also made the compa-cometothe ny, Orange Group, a target U.S., A12 fr terrorist groups that eventually killed five of his employees, Al-Ani said. In the end, the job that afforded his family a comfortable life in Iraq would lead them to seek refuge in America earlier this year. "We were considered the enemy by the radicals. It's not possible to go back," said Al-Ani, 31, as he sat in the apartment he shares with his family in North Austin. "I know where my enemy lives.

It's difficult to live there with my family." Today, he and his family will celebrate their first Independence Day in America by going to watch fireworks. They are settling into a calmer, safer life here as major changes take See REFUGEES, A12 By Tim Eaton "AMI-RICAN'-mTESMVN STAFF Tom Crofut, a founder of Good Flow Honey has been bottling honey in Central Texas since 1975. At 68, he's seen his share of bad times. But he said he has never experienced anything like the drought that has made this the toughest summer for farmers in decades. "These last two years have been the worst I've ever seen," he said.

"There have been droughts, but they haven't lasted so long and haven't been so severe." The drought has dried up the sources of water that bees need to make honey and the flowers they depend on, so production is down by about 75 percent at Good Flow's Bastrop County operations. Crofut and his son Dan, 41, have done their best to provide the bees with the extra water they need to regulate the temperature of their hives. Still, "we'll make a quarter of a crop," Dan Crofut said. And "that's wishful thinking." Central and South Texas are in the midst of an epic drought that has sapped soils of their moisture, dried up stock ponds and turned cornfields from green to beige. Much of the state is experiencing abnormally dry conditions, but only Central and South Texas have been designated as being INSIDE Taliban insurgents step up attacks, A4 visits Russia on Monday, and Tuesday, represents one of the most concrete achievements in his attempt to improve relations with Russia.

But the two countries- A bloom on a mesquite tree can provide nectar for bees. 'The mesquite is our last Tom Crofut said. Its deep root system enables the tree to flower in times of drought in "extreme" and "exceptional" drought meaning there are major crop and pasture losses and widespread water shortages, as streams and reservoirs dry up. Some people say the drought began in 2007, but Jose Pena, an economist with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service at Texas' University, contends it began earlier. "This started coming in 2006," Pena said.

See DRY, A10 have failed to make a trade deal or resolve differences over missile defense, and they are struggling to draft a preliminary nuclear arms agreement Even with both sides eager for closer ties, the issues that have torn Washington and Moscow apart haven't gone away. Obama is less enthusiastic than President George W. Bush was about a US. anti-missile system in Eastern Europe or NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia, but he hasn't abandoned either goal, to the Kremlin's consternation. And, despite See AIRSPACE, A12 III III HEAT INDEX III TO SUBSCRIBE Call 445-4040 6 2009, Austin Ameion-Statesman INSIDE BUSINESS B6 7 DEATHS B4-5 EDITORIALS A14 15 LIFE ARTS El SPORTS CI WORLD NATION A2 CLASSIFIEDS Dl COMING SUNDAY HOUSING COMPANY'S TROUBLES TRACED TO OWNER'S UNSUCCESSFUL GAMBLE ON PROPERTYTAX BREAKS ON PAGE ONE mj78 bx 7.