Horns Down: I came here to see Wendy, not Kings of Leon.

After the Texas Tribune published an article on Saturday afternoon saying that Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, who announced her campaign for governor last Thursday, would introduce the popular band Kings of Leon at the Austin City Limits Festival that night, festivalgoers quickly came up with excuses to see the band, if only to answer the question of what a gubernatorial candidate would have to say at a rock concert. Sadly, Davis was a no-show (a spokesperson later clarified that Davis’ appearance at the concert was only “tentative”), depriving ACL-goers of hearing Wendy speak and Texans across the state from watching the attack ads that would have made use of Davis campaigning at a music festival known for its decidedly laid-back vibe.

Horns Up: More women enrolled in engineering at UT.

For the first time in its history, 29 percent of the Cockrell School of Engineering’s freshman class is female. The number, though certainly far from the 50/50 split one would ideally see, is indicative of a step in the right direction for the college. 

Horns Down: Allan Ritter leaving the Lege.

State Rep. Allan Ritter, R-Nederland, announced on Friday that he will retire from the Texas Legislature after finishing his current term at the end of next year. While we don’t agree with all of the Democrat-turned-Republican Ritter’s policies, we admired his leadership last session as chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee in seeking to pass the State Water Implementation Fund. We’ll remember him best for his response to an oil and gas industry lobbyist’s request to provide drilling companies who recycled water with tax breaks: “It kinda sounds familiar, the first thing you do is come up and ask for tax incentives,” Ritter said in a Natural Resources Committee meeting last February. “Boy, I’ve heard that a few times. Good luck with that, sir.”

We thank Ritter for his 15 years of service to the state of Texas and wish him luck in his future endeavors.