We've seen two out-of-the-blue developments regarding the Cactus Cafe in the past 24 hours:

First off, with Cactus enthusiasts eagerly anticipating hearing the official recommendation at the Union board of directors meeting this Friday, VP Juan Gonzalez announced that he would be unable to attend because of a death in the family.

As a result, Gonzalez said late Tuesday that he would continue to accept comments and suggestions regarding the venue through the following Friday, May 7, with a decision coming sometime shortly after that. Dean Soncia Reagins-Lilly will stand in for him at Friday's meeting.

Gonzalez previously said that there is really only two option left on the table: Under one option, the university would oversee the cafe, much as it does now, albeit with more student involvement. The other option calls for the university's radio station, KUT-FM, to take over the programming (again with some student involvement). We'll be sure to update once we know when exactly a decision will be made between the two.

Then, in an equally unexpected development, the Statesman reported that the Texas Music Office (which is part of the Governor's office and is charged with promoting the Texas music industry) has released a letter in support of maintaining the Cactus Cafe. Director Casey Monahan, who previously worked as a music journalist at the Statesman, addressed the letter UT President Bill Powers, asking him to "please support the effort to sustain the Cactus." You can read Monahan's letter in its entirety here .