A More Efficient Financial System: UT Professor Explains Potential of Cryptocurrency and the Blockchain

byAlexa K. Haverlah 

In an interview with Reporting Texas, Cesare Fracassi, director of the Blockchain Initiative and associate professor of finance at the McCombs School of Business at UT Austin, shed light on cryptocurrency and the blockchain.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Greg Casar Rally Progressive Voters in Austin 

byGabriella Ybarra

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, urged Austin voters to rally behind congressional candidate Greg Casar Sunday. 

During Rally in Austin, O’Rourke Denounces Abbott Over Jan. 6 and Electric Power Grid

byMarina Garcia

O’Rourke is traveling around the state and hosting a series of rallies dubbed the Keeping the Lights On: A Statewide Drive for a Brighter Texas campaign.

Rally Urges Texas Republicans to Ban Vaccine Mandates, Critical Race Theory

byEniola Longe

Saying that Republican leaders failed to complete their conservative agenda, hundreds rallied at the Texas Capitol on Saturday to call for another special session of the Legislature.

With wind blowing, crowd chanting and signs raised, the Save Texas Peaceful Rally and Prayer featured speakers decrying vaccine mandates and “critical race theory” in schools.

“We do not co-parent with the government,” read one sign in the crowd. Others said, “End medical tyranny,” “Freedom not force,” and “Mandate personal liberty.”

How Dallas Became a Hotbed of High School Basketball Recruiting

byBrandon Jenkins

When the 24 McDonald’s High School All-American basketball players were announced Jan. 25, five members of this year’s elite class were from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Only once in the 44-year history of the all-star game have five players from one metropolitan area been selected.

Texas Politicos Praise Trump at First Rally in Texas Since Presidential Defeat

bySam Stark

Texas’ top GOP elected officials heaped praise on the former President and used incendiary political rhetoric. Speakers included Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. The scene reflected Trump’s vise-like grip on the Texas GOP and the prominent role his supporters will play in the upcoming Republican primary elections. 

Texas Ukrainians Pray for Peace as Ukraine-Russia Tensions Escalate

byJill Ament

Many Texans of Ukrainian descent are concerned with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troop buildup on the Ukrainian border and possible cyber attacks on Ukraine’s government, potentially signaling intentions to invade Ukraine.

On Jan. 23, the United States ordered Americans working at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and their families to leave the country. 

Anti-Abortion Protesters Celebrate Legislative Success During Capitol Rally

byPaula Levihn-Coon

About 4,000 anti-abortion protesters descended on the south lawn of the Texas Capitol Saturday for the  annual Texas Rally for Life.

Protesters Rally Against Oil Company’s Gulf Coast Expansion on Karankawa Site

byCristela Jones

 Chanting “respect our existence or expect our resistance,” nearly 400 people protested outside an Austin bank Saturday to try to stop construction of an oil terminal on ancient Indigenous land near Corpus Christi.

“We are still here, and we are still fighting,” said protest organizer Chiara Sunshine Beaumont, a descendant of the Karankawa people who once lived on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Saturday’s protest followed months of efforts by Indigenous groups in support of the Karankawa’s objections to expansion of oil export terminals owned by Enbridge, a Canadian petrochemical pipeline company. Beaumont said her group chose to protest Saturday outside a Bank of America on South Congress Avenue because the bank is a large underwriter of Enbridge’s projects.

Trained Master Naturalists Indispensable to Conservation Studies 

byPaula Levihn-Coon

Founded in 1998, the Texas Master Naturalist Program is jointly sponsored by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. 

How Austin’s LGBTQ Community Hopes to Recover from COVID’s Cultural Vacuum

byKrissi Reeves

As venues, bars and theaters shut their doors and cultural funding dried up because of COVID, many Austin LGBTQ arts organizers struggled to keep their heads above water and found it increasingly difficult to connect with their communities. 

UT’s Mental Health Services Adjust to Life in a Pandemic

byVeronica Apodaca

Students are returning to in-person counseling at the University of Texas Counseling and Mental Health Center after the COVID-19 pandemic limited in-person sessions. 

Texas Oil and Gas Pipelines are Causing More Oil Spills than the National Average

byGabriella Ybarra

Oil and gas pipeline spills along the Texas coast are 16 times the national rate.

Texas Moves to Protect Sexual Violence Survivors

by Veronica Apodaca

Texas organizations and lawmakers have seen victories in their work helping victims of sexual violence.

Santa and the Supply Chain: How Austin Toy Stores Are Coping with Christmas

byEniola Longe

With global supply chain disruptions affecting industry, independently owned toy stores have had an increasingly hard time stocking their shelves. 

With New Coach, UT Men’s Basketball Looks to Its Past to Build for the Future

byKevin Malcolm Jr.

In November, Students piled on top of each other as the University of Texas men’s basketball team made its return to Gregory Gym for the first time in 45 years.

Resilient Texas Pecan Business Is a Family Affair 

byKrissi Reeves

For the Texas pecan industry, December marks an end-of-season hustle as the last of the buttery, tender nuts fall from their sprawling branches and pecan lovers worldwide clamor to purchase fresh nuts for the holidays. 

200 Chefs Demand More U.S. Action to Stop Illegal Fishing

bySamuel Stark

Currently 20% to 32% of all wild-caught fish imported into the U.S. is considered to be a product of unreported and unregulated fishing.

Texas College Republicans Secede from National Organization Because of ‘Rigged’ Election

byAndrew Logan

A group of College Republicans say they accepted the results of the 2020 presidential election, but they did not acknowledge the outcome of their organization’s own recent national election.
On Aug. 16, the Texas Federation of College Republicans seceded by unanimous consent from the College Republican National Committee because the Texas College Republicans claimed the election for CRNC chair was fraudulent.

The CRNC is the national organization for the College Republicans. It is composed of all the state federations and claims to have more than 250,000 members across the country with a presence on almost 2,000 college campuses.

Long Underrepresented and Overlooked, Native American and Indigenous Students Are Getting Texas Colleges’ Attention

byPaula Levihn-Coon

As UT has become more diverse with increasing numbers of Black and Hispanic students, its enrollment of Native American and Indigenous students has dropped.