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.

AfroTech Conference Reveals Black Women’s Paths to Tech Are Legion

byKatrina L. Spencer

Deejay Jasmine Solano is spinning hip-hop, R&B, soul and funk at the front of ACL Live in Austin. The floor has been cleared of dozens of chairs from serious panel talks from earlier in the week, and now Black people, mostly aged 25 to 45, are two-stepping and doing throwback dances from their teenage years.  […]

The Enduring Spirit of Austin’s Underground Music Scene

byAnissa Sanchez

Dim lighting illuminated the grunginess of The Parlor in Hyde Park on a recent Saturday, shedding slivers of light on a book release party for “A Curious Mix of People.” The scene was more akin to a high school reunion that united old friends and bandmates – which is exactly what authors Greg Beets and […]

Oh, Rats! Rodents on Campus Are UT’s Hidden Nightlife

byAbby L. Johnson

 The sun has yet to rise. There is a stillness outside the G.B. Dealey Center for New Media, home to the University of Texas’ Moody College of Communication. The sidewalks are devoid of students — it’s far too early for them to begin their sleepy shuffle from dorm rooms to their 8 a.m. classes. The only sounds that disturb the silence are the occasional whoosh of a car speeding down Guadalupe Street and the piercing, steady clap ringing out ominously in the otherwise tranquil pre-dawn hours.
On this early morning, a university custodian walks toward the Dealey Center with arms outstretched. Despite the cover of darkness, his presence is clearly announced by the loud clapping of his hands as he approaches the building. 
The custodian claps to scatter the rodents that live in the south-facing courtyard of the communications building.

From Texas to the Peruvian Amazon, a UT Researcher Preserves a Dying Language

byMichael Nolan

Nestled deep in the Amazon basin, a makeshift house sits alongside a rustic nut storage facility. Two of the occupants of this house in Peru’s remote Madre de Dios District might be the last chance of survival for the endangered language Iñapari. 
Meanwhile, over 3,000 miles away, a doctoral student is huddled over his laptop at the University of Texas at Austin. Barrett Hamp, a UT doctoral student in linguistics, has dedicated his research since 2019 to recording the indigenous language in Peru to prevent it from disappearing.  “Once a language is gone, it’s gone.  There’s no reviving it,” Hamp said.

In Visit to Austin, Ukrainian Politicians Advocate for U.S. Aid, Meet Refugees Living Here

byMichael Nolan

A delegation of Ukrainian politicians visited Austin last week to urge Texas officials to support increased U.S. aid for Ukraine. 

Texas Christmas Tree Farmers Persevere Through Droughts to Keep Holiday Spirit Untruncated

byIsabella McGovern

Far in the countryside of Elgin, away from the congested city of Austin, is Evergreen Christmas Tree Farm, a 40-acre farm where families can choose or cut down their own Christmas tree. Large and small rows of Virginia pine trees cover the land Beth and Mike Walterscheidt call home. 
This family-friendly farm has been growing and selling trees for 30 years, but it hasn’t always been easy.
“What was grueling was the summer,” Beth Walterscheidt said. “It was so hot, and that was really hard for us and hard on our trees.”

Reporting Texas Newsletter – Dec. 1, 2023

Download the Dec. 1, 2023 edition of the Reporting Texas Newsletter

Texas politicians point to mental health as the cause of mass shootings — experts say more funding won’t help

byIsabella Zeff

When Jesse Woche heard about the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, the now 24-year-old felt galvanized to work in the gun violence prevention space full time. She had been interested in advocacy since she was 15, shifting between environmental conservation, abortion access and other causes that mattered to her. “(The shooting) just […]

Reporting Texas TV – Nov. 30, 2023

byReporting Texas TV Staff

Journalism students at the University of Texas produced their sixth and final newscast of the Fall 2023 semester on Nov. 30. Student journalists reported this week on the 15th UT Diwali festival, the 27th Empty Bowl Project, the 30th Austin Studio Tour, the 48th Junior League of Austin “A Christmas Affair” holiday market, and the […]

The Austin Studio Tour Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary

byLauren Feldott

AUSTIN, Texas – Hundreds of artists invited Austinites into their workshops and galleries to see their work during the annual Austin Studio Tour. Big Medium coordinates the tour and creates a virtual map of the city that shows participating artists. Organizers encourage residents to visit different galleries and workshops over three weekends in November. This […]

The Junior League of Austin Blasts Off the Holiday Season with A Christmas Affair 2023

byMiranda Cazares

AUSTIN, Texas – The 48th annual A Christmas Affair holiday market from Nov. 16-19 brought the spirit of giving to the Austin community. The four-day market is the Junior League of Austin’s (JLA) largest fundraiser benefiting three signature programs – Coats for Kids, Kids in Cool Shoes and Food in Tummies – and several nonprofit […]