Reporting Texas
News and features from UT-Austin's School of Journalism
byRachel N. Madison
On Thursday morning, 48 hours before a winter storm was forecast to bring dangerously low temperatures, Austin Pets Alive’s shelter was filled with over 100 dogs waiting for homes. By the end of the day, the shelter had fewer than a dozen as animal lovers heeded the shelter’s call for emergency help.
“It was almost an empty shelter last night,” said Luis Sanchez, communications director for Austin Pets Alive. “It could be the least amount of animals we’ve ever had.”
As closing approached Thursday evening, parking lots overflowed, lines went out the door, and wait times for meet-and-greets stretched to hours. The shelter called it a record-breaking turnout never before seen in its 30 years on Cesar Chavez Street, west of downtown.
byOisakhose Aghomo
After a two–year hiatus due to inclement weather, the Martin Luther King Jr. Community March and Festival returned Monday at the Texas Capitol against a backdrop of national political uncertainty — and threats to MLK Day itself
“Our commander in chief is trying to remove this day,” said 61-year-old Austin resident Jackie Sanders. “We’re going to still fight for this day because he (MLK) has earned it and we are here to support and represent.”
bySheldon Munroe
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Austin City Hall on Tuesday — one year to the day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration for his second term — to denounce ICE deportations and demand that the city stop cooperating with federal immigration enforcement.
“It is super important that we come out and use our First Amendment right to protest and petition,” said protest organizer Sophia Mirto.
bySamantha Rubin
Just after sunrise, blue-shirted ambassadors step into the stream of students along Guadalupe Street trading greetings, answering questions and keeping eyes on the stretch long known as The Drag.
“In a nutshell, what we’re doing here is hospitality-heavy,” Kevin Morris Sr. said during a recent morning walk-along. “That’s why we’re always talking and vibrant. It’s about visibility.”
The West Campus Ambassador Program was created to address the gap between West Campus’ rapid redevelopment and its lagging safety and beautification efforts
