‘They Were All Just Gone’: How ICE Rounded Up a Guatemalan Family in Texas crackdown 

byGabrielle Caumon 

A Guatemalan immigrant was driving home from work in San Antonio when he came upon a checkpoint manned by U.S. immigration authorities. They detained him — and then went to his home in Austin the next day to seize his wife and children. 
Their deportations came as Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities conducted a 10-day crackdown in Texas, announced by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. 
Lawyer Elizabeth Coleman said the Guatemalan family detained in Austin and San Antonio were among those swept up in the crackdown.
“The fact that the children were gone — the fact that they picked up this guy and then went after his family 60 miles away was crazy,” Coleman said.

With New Precautions, Bastrop State Park Plans Another Prescribed Burn

byPaul Holm

Nearly five years after an escaped prescribed burn forced residents to evacuate, Bastrop State Park is preparing to bring fire back to its forest, with rewritten burn plans, additional safety checks and efforts to rebuild public trust.
The return follows a pause that began after the 2022 Rolling Pines Fire, leaving staff to manage vegetation with chainsaws, machinery and herbicides while waiting for suitable burning conditions. 

How Lake Travis Football Turned Grief into Growth

byGraham Neal 

In Lake Travis High School’s football locker room, one locker stands out. It is filled with flowers, teammates’ signatures, letters and equipment left untouched.
The locker belongs to Odin Hensley, a senior offensive lineman who died on Aug. 12, two days after suffering a cardiac emergency during a preseason practice.
Odin Hensley’s locker still sits in the Lake Travis locker room. According to Coach Carter, the locker is signed by the team, and parents come in weekly to place fresh flowers inside. Graham Neal/Reporting Texas
“He’s still with us,” Cavaliers head coach Hank Carter said. “I know if Odin were here… he’d be wanting to work and get after it. So our best way to honor him is to get after it.”
Nearly three months after Hensley’s death, the Cavaliers are playoff-bound, touting a 5-3-1 record, including a 4-2 record in district play after a dominant 58-0 victory over Westwood on Friday. They will enter as the top seed in District 25-6A Division I after winning three of their last four games.

For Parents and Kids, Miracle League Builds Community on the Field and Off

byIsabella Schultz

Twenty years ago, Tracey Brown and her husband, Steve, opened Austin’s first-ever Miracle League branch.
The Miracle League is a nonprofit sports organization that caters to the needs of those with cognitive and physical disabilities. Participants say it provides them with a sense of community while playing America’s pastime, baseball.
“What we didn’t understand was the impact it would have on parents,” Brown said. “Being the parents of healthy children, we took for granted sitting on the sidelines, eating popcorn.”

Building a Career and Future Under DACA, Without Knowing How Long It Will Last

byGabrielle Caumon

Rafael, a former Austin middle school theater teacher, heard last year that some of his students from first-generation immigrant families had seen Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids at their apartment complex. 
Fear, Rafael told them, should not stand in the way of their future. So he shared his story.
Rafael, 33, told the students that he is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient who came to Texas from Mexico at age 6. But Rafael, like other DACA recipients and immigration lawyers, is fearful in the current immigration climate. Recipients are navigating a precarious legal status in the U.S. immigration system as court rulings reshape the legal landscape and deepen uncertainty.

Austin Keeps Day of the Dead Alive

bySaile Aranda

Burning candles and bright orange marigolds decorate San Jose Cemetery II as guests walk through the smoke of copal incense on the Day of the Dead, a Mexican tradition celebrated annually on Nov. 1 and 2 for more than 3,000 years.
Joaquin Rodriguez, founder of San Jose Montopolis Cemetery Association, said he thinks these traditions have been happening for so long because it’s a way of having a common language within the community.
Rodriguez, who was adopted, said he always felt connected to Mexican culture although it was never practiced in his home. As an adult, he sought out connections to his birth family and ancestors, which helped him find his heritage. 

Dachshund Owners Celebrate Their Four-Legged Friends at Texas WienerFest

byAlly Bonsall

More than 2,000 dachshunds filled the grounds of Sherwood Forest Faire on Halloween for the fourth annual Texas WienerFest.  
Halloween morning stirred with the pitter-patter of thousands of paws. Adorned in costumes, the tiny dogs traipsed through the morning dew at Sherwood Forest Faire, their low-rider stomachs mere inches from the grass, with their excited owners in tow.
“It’s kind of like this weird little wiener community,” dachshund owner Nicole Brooks said. 

NBA Fans in Austin Hope Spurs-Rockets Game Leads to Something Bigger   

byGraham Neal

    A rowdy Austin crowd packed the Moody Center on Friday to watch an in-state NBA rivalry, offering yet another sign of the city’s enthusiasm for professional sports. The reigning Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets squared off in each team’s second game of the season, with the Rockets earning a […]

Texas Voucher Rollout Raises Barriers for Students With Disabilities

byIsabel Neumann

When one Austin parent began researching private schools after Texas introduced its new voucher program, the parent expected more options for their child with disabilities. But many schools, including some that specialize in autism, would not accept students with emotional or behavioral needs. “I spent hours searching private and microschools in the Austin area,” the […]

Austin Opera Envisions Dazzling Future Amid Industry Turbulence

byOISAKHOSE AGHOMO

Near a nondescript building in North Austin, if you listen hard, you can hear Mimi and Rodolfo falling in love. 
As the Austin Opera prepares for its upcoming opening of “La Boheme,” it’s on the upswing into a new era – despite the recent turbulence surrounding the classical arts at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. And while the actor Timothee Chalamet recently said “no one cares about” opera and ballet, Austin Opera is building its future. 

As federal homelessness policy shifts, Austin’s supportive housing model faces political scrutiny

byIsabel Neumann

Austin has invested millions of dollars into permanent supportive housing, a strategy of providing long-term housing and rental assistance that is widely seen as one of the most effective ways to reduce chronic homelessness. But as federal funding grows uncertain and costs continue to rise, city leaders are facing questions about how long they can […]

Hill Country Residents Are Worried About a New Wastewater Treatment Facility. Experts Say It’s Complicated.

byMax Mazoch

Whitney Lauderdale has loved the beauty of the Texas Hill Country for as long as she can remember. It was the place that captured the heart of her grandfather, who purchased the 28-acre Comal County property Lauderdale lives on, and one that she hopes to pass to her two children.
“This is where we plan on spending our forever,” Lauderdale said. 
It’s idyllic. But Lauderdale worries it may not be in years to come.
In the past year, Comal County residents were shocked to learn a new permit for a wastewater treatment facility had been proposed for a development in Fischer in the northern part of the county.

Boy’s Bike Crash and a Father’s Frustration: City Urged to Improve Safety of Springdale Road

byNoemi Castanon

Nabil Ezzarhouni and his son Rumi were headed home from their afternoon bike ride through the Southern Walnut Creek trail in January when a car hit the 7-year-old  at the intersection of Lyons and Springdale roads. Austin police and emergency services quickly arrived, checked Rumi and determined that while he had suffered bruises and scrapes, he did not need hospitalization.
Austin has invested over $1.3 billion since 2016 to transform its roads for bike safety, according to Austin Transportation and Public Works. But accidents like the one involving little Rumi are common. In 2025, cars seriously injured 22 cyclists, and five cyclists. So far this year, three bikers have been seriously injured, according to Vision Zero dashboard of traffic safety. 
“We need to ensure bikes are safe and have the right to be driven around without having to take a chance,” Ezzarhouni said. 

Austin Pets Alive Sees Record Foster Turnout Ahead of Dangerous Winter Storm 

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.

Amid National Unrest, MLK Community March Urges Austinites to Use Their Power

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.” 

For Austin Air Traffic Controllers, the Shutdown Is Over But the Fatigue, Shortages Persist

byErika González

During the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport continued operations —  but the control tower felt the impact.  With fewer air traffic controllers available, every decision became more critical and the pace of work intensified, controllers say. Even after the shutdown ended, risks of ground delays and controller fatigue remain.

‘House of Cards’: Whisper Valley Residents Want Answers for their Broken Homes

byMax Mazoch

Developers marketed Whisper Valley as having an affordable cost of living thanks to the solar-panelled roofs and a geothermal system that connects to each home to provide energy-efficient heating and cooling. But as their homes age, Whisper Valley residents report failing geothermal HVAC systems and foundations that have left them with bills in the thousands of dollars.

Pet Vaccine Hesitancy Is About Payment Not Politics, Austin Shelters Say

byA.J. Muonagolu

The New York Times, Time Magazine and the American Animal Hospital Association have recently linked anti-vaccine worries that grew during the  COVID pandemic to  vaccination concerns among pet owners. However, Elizabeth Ferrer, marketing and communications manager for the Austin Animal Center, said the main reason pets aren’t vaccinated is lack of access to treatment, mostly driven by vet costs.

High School Marchers Protest Restrictions on Speech and Academic Freedom: ‘We are Done Being Polite About Our Rights.'”

byA.J. Muonagolu

College and high school students marched to the Texas State Capitol Friday to protest new state laws that they say limit student speech and harm public education.
“To Texas lawmakers, hands off our youth — because we are done being polite about our rights.” high school student Kara Newton yelled through a megaphone to protesters. “We are done being complacent. We want change and we want it now!”

For Students and Others Relying on Food Aid, Government Shutdown Hits Home

byDestiny Lewis

More than 3.4 million Texas residents, including over 1.3 million children, rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to federal data. In Travis County, the loss of SNAP benefits will affect approximately 44,895 households, which represent over 87,000 people, according to the city of Austin.