Texas Tribune Leads Discussion Ahead of 2024 Elections

byHaley Pacheco

AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Tribune hosted a panel of experts on Feb. 21 to discuss key issues and races up and down the ballot for this year’s election, and why young voters aren’t going out to the polls. Compared to a 25.3% turnout in the 2020 primaries, 18% of registered voters cast ballots on […]

First Contested Daily Texan Election in Four Years

byAmberlyn Negron

AUSTIN, Texas – UT students had a decision to make this spring about the leadership of the student newspaper after years of having no say in the matter. They elected McKenzie Henningsen as the Daily Texan editor-in-chief. Voting took place on Feb. 26 and 27 online via the Office of the Dean of Students official […]

Concert at the Turtle Pond Rallies Voters

byMahlah Freeman

AUSTIN, Texas — At the University of Texas Turtle Pond, 100 students sat under the stars and listened to melodies belted by local singers. The on-campus concert, hosted by TX Votes, hopes to encourage early voting.  Founded in 2006, TX Votes is housed in the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life in the Moody College […]

Dripping Springs Soccer Star Headed to College One Year Early

byPaula Klauss

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas– A Dripping Springs High School senior is headed to the fighting Irish. However, she is doing all of this one year early.  Ellie Hodsden isn’t just a star forward on her high school soccer team – this Dripping Springs student is graduating following her junior year after being recruited to play at […]

Young Students From All Over Texas Visit UT Campus for STEM Girl Day

byJulia Mahavier

AUSTIN, Texas – Sometimes Speedway can be more than just a walk to class. For elementary and middle school students from different cities across Texas, it provided a path to learning about science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  “I came here to see future college paths I can take and what I like the most about […]

Cheers to Romance: ‘The Bachelor’ Takes Over Victory Lap Bar

byJasmine Palacios

AUSTIN, Texas — The new season of  “The Bachelor” hit the screen on Jan. 29 and a  well-known West Campus sports bar decided to get in on the hype.  Hundreds of students gathered around the large screen on Victory Lap’s lawn. This event brought in a new sense of excitement as the crowds grew week […]

UT Multi-Day Exhibition Highlighted Drag Performance in South Texas

byEvelyn Martinez

AUSTIN, Texas – Spanish pop and rhinestone gowns welcomed visitors to University of Texas Ph.D. graduate Sergio Barrera’s exhibit centered around queer artistry in South Texas. It debuted on campus at the Gordon White Building on Feb. 27. The eight-month long research project on drag culture in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) region featured a […]

UTPD is Moving This Semester

byCashmir Khawaja

AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas at Austin Police Department (UTPD) will relocate its headquarters to West Campus as part of its commitments to campus safety. Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies since July 2007, UTPD boasts a comprehensive array of resources and services aimed at ensuring the safety and […]

Austinites Celebrate Black History Month by Educating Youth

byAndres Calixto

AUSTIN, Texas – Children painted, danced, and created artwork during the final event of the George Washington Carver Museum’s Black History Month program.  The annual Black History Month Kids Day event took place Feb. 24 to educate young children on Black culture. More than 800 attendees including children, parents and grandparents celebrated Black history.  Faith […]

Ballet Austin Rehearses for World Premiere Performance of Poe / A Tale of Madness

byPaulina Pearson

AUSTIN, Texas – A new show reflecting the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe will premiere March 22. Ballet Austin artistic director Stephen Mills choreographed “Poe / A Tale of Madness” to showcase the author’s troubled life of Poe.  “I think that dance is most effective when you can get to the metaphor of […]

UT Social Work Community Reacts to Planned Building Demolition

byLogan Dubel

AUSTIN, Texas – The building currently home to the Steve Hicks School of Social Work will face a wrecking ball after this semester, as Texas Athletics plans construction of a new practice facility.  “I was surprised that they were taking down something that’s really important to the history of the university, but I was curious […]

Music America Strikes a Chord with Iconic Artifacts at LBJ Presidential Library

byCampbell Choate

AUSTIN, Texas – The history of American music is now on display in the Live Music Capital of the World. The Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music created “Music America,” a touring exhibit currently at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library. Music America features iconic artifacts such as the boots Gene Autry’s widow […]

Mozart’s Coffee Roasters Hosts Lunar New Year Celebration

byTori Garcia

AUSTIN, Texas — Lion dance performances, scrumptious treats, martial arts demonstrations and face painting attracted locals to Mozart’s Coffee Roasters on Feb. 24 for a Lunar New Year festival. Lunar New Year, a celebration across Asia, is a commemoration of the arrival of spring and the start of a new year based on the lunisolar […]

Cupid’s Undie Runners Drop Their Pants for Charity

byMelody Jones

AUSTIN, Texas — Around 150 people ran through the streets of Austin in February wearing nothing but their underwear to bring awareness to Neurofibromatosis. Cupid’s Undie Run benefits the Children’s Tumor Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to finding a cure for Neurofibromatosis (NF). Cupid’s Undie Run event director Meera Rajagopalan said the disease causes tumors […]

Central Texas Youth Breathe New Life Into State’s Nursing Industry

byTanya Velazquez

ROUND ROCK, Texas – Nearly 60 high school students were selected from across Central Texas to take part in the Nursing Academy at St. David’s School of Nursing last month, a program that aims to inspire prospective students to mitigate an ongoing crisis in the United States healthcare system. Coming from a family of medical […]

More Than a Thousand Protesters Rally at Capitol Against Texas’ New Immigration Law

byAbby L. Johnson and Michelle Lavergne

More than a thousand marchers, many shouting “No SB 4” and “si se puede,” descended on the Capitol March 10 in protest of Senate Bill 4, a measure that enables local and state law enforcement to arrest people suspected of crossing the border illegally.
Last week the U.S. Supreme Court halted the law, which has become a flashpoint in the national fight over immigration enforcement, until at least March 13, as the court considers the measure’s fate.

As Younger Drinkers Forgo Alcohol, Bartenders Are Mixing Up More Booze-free Cocktails

byKatrina L. Spencer

“A cocktail is interesting whether it has alcohol or not,” said Armando Garza, a bartender at the Roosevelt Room.
The Roosevelt Room and other Austin bars are tapping into the trend of consumers forgoing alcohol when they go out for happy hours, gatherings and celebrations. A 2023 Gallup report found that only 62% of 18- to 34-year-olds said they had occasion to drink in 2021-23, down from 72% two decades ago.

‘Black Girls Don’t Wear Red Lipstick’ Exhibit Challenges Beauty Standards

byMichelle Lavergne

The “Back Girls Don’t Wear Red Lipstick” photography exhibit at the Austin Central Library showcases 42 photos of Black women in varying poses, many wearing red lipstick, which historically has been taboo for African-American women.

Mexican Actor Says Latinos Can Change Texas Politics If They Vote

byKatrina L. Spencer

Latinos in Texas have the power to change the state’s political landscape if they vote in greater numbers, Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta Mejía told a group of about 200 Central Texas residents Monday. 
“Somos un chingo,” Huerta Mejía said, referencing the fact that Latinos are a large part of the Texas electorate.
Huerta Mejía, who starred in the movie “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” was invited to speak on the University of Texas at Austin campus by NextGen America, an organization working to promote progressive public policy and increase voter turnout.

Despite Texas Ban on Abortion, Pro-Life Advocates See More Work to Do in Post-Roe World

byAbby L. Johnson

Texas Alliance for Life and thousands of supporters marched Saturday to the Texas Capitol, calling for more measures to protect Texas’ nearly all-encompassing ban on abortions. 
Texans from across the state began to march from the corner of 14th and Brazos street toward the Capitol amid honking horns and drivers leaning out their windows to hold up a middle finger. 
“We want to see abortion completely and totally abolished. Like now, not taking steps,” said one marcher.