Reporting Texas TV – December 2, 2021

byReporting Texas TV Staff

Journalism students from Moody College at the University of Texas made their sixth and final newscast of the semester on December 2, 2021. This week student journalists report on UT’s efforts to become the world’s highest-impact public university, Record Store Day, and the Travis County Sheriff’s Brown Santa program.

UT Study Hopes to Curb LGBTQ Suicide Rates

byClark Dalton

In April 2021, Lilith, a University of Texas student, attempted taking her own life rather than starting her first year of college. “Most people have idealized versions of themselves, someone they’re going to become one day,” Lilith said. “I never saw this person at the end of the road so I started to think to […]

Longhorn Volleyball Fans Fuel Team’s Success

byKevin Malcolm

Volleyball games in the 4,000-seat Gregory Gymnasium, a 90-year-old building in the heart of the UT campus, are regularly packed — not a common occurrence for many college volleyball teams around the country.

Barton Springs’ Chilly Waters Warmed by the Clarity of Humanity

byDanielle Streetenberger and Sarah Velasquez

The stark gray clouds began to part, the sun glistened on the water, illuminating the rocks and algae below. A group of old men congregate behind the lifeguard tower, begin chatting and cracking jokes about Texas football. Two young men unroll their yoga mats and begin raising their palms toward the sun. Meanwhile, a pair […]

Reporting Texas Newsletter Dec. 3, 2021

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Youth Athletes Happy to Get Back in the Game

byZacharia E. Washington

Central Texans are happy for the return of youth sports, which they see as important for kid’s physical and mental health.

Returning Brown Santa Volunteers Find Themselves Back in Santa’s Workshop This Season

byElexa Sherry

AUSTIN, Texas — Travis County residents are giving back this holiday season. This is the 41st year the Travis County Sheriff’s Brown Santa Program is serving underprivileged families and seniors during Christmas time.  Brown Santa Chairman Louis Moncivais is in his 16th year serving with his family. “There’s a lot of people still struggling even […]

Independent Music Shops Celebrate Record Store Day Amid Supply Chain Delays

byJack Starks

AUSTIN, Texas — Vinyl record fans celebrated an extra holiday last week as Record Store Day returned for Black Friday. “It’s really great being able to celebrate the cool, indie-record-store-only releases that come out on Black Friday,” said John Kunz, the owner of Waterloo Records. Record Store Day started in 2007 to promote the revival […]

UT Invests Millions in Efforts to Become World’s Highest-Impact Public University

byMegan Fee

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin’s slogan “what starts here changes the world” is taking on a whole new meaning as the institution strives towards its goal of becoming the highest-impact public university in the world.  In doing so, UT’s Board of Regents is looking to extend its $20 million contract with […]

‘Conversion Therapy’ Aimed at Queer People Remains Legal in Texas

byAustin Cheatham

With gay marriage now a constitutional right and the strides made in LGBTQ+ acceptance in American society, it might be hard for some to imagine that just 50 years ago, homosexuality was still considered a mental illness. It took until 1973 for the American Psychological Association to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. […]

Austin Veteran Arts Festival aims to reduce suicide through the arts

byLauren Girgis

Vietnam combat veteran Glenn Towery won a gold medal in 2014’s National Veterans Creative Arts Festival, an annual competition using creative arts as rehabilitative treatment to help veterans recover from and cope with disabilities. “When I came back, I felt so good,” Towery said. “And I thought, ‘Wow, I wish everybody could experience what I […]

Amid Texas Debate Over Teaching About Racism, ‘Refusing to Forget’ Soldiers On

byAndrew Logan

Since 2014, Refusing to Forget, a Texas-based nonprofit, has worked to increase awareness of racial violence aimed at Latino Texans throughout the early 20th century. Their work comes as the state enacts new guidelines aimed at limiting classroom discussion of systemic racism.

Now, with fierce debate raging over how Texas schools teach about racism, Refusing to Forget’s leadership says its mission is more important than ever. In June, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law that critics say bans honest discussions of racism.

“Even though we’re in the midst of a battle to tell the real history to our children, it’s important for me to keep fighting, not for this politically correct fiction, but for the truth. History is both pretty and ugly,” said the co-founder of Refusing to Forget.

From Pulpit to Pandemic: How Historically Black Texas Churches Spread the Word on Vaccinations

byCristela Jones

Black churches in Texas have been at the forefront of encouraging their congregations to get vaccinated and change the narrative for Black health.

‘It’s a Free for All’: Kratom Is Legal in Texas But Should it Be?

bySamuel Stark

Supporters tout kratom as a safer alternative to opiates such as heroin and fentanyl, but medical professionals in Texas describe it as being addictive and dangerous and call for it to be categorized as a scheduled substance.

After COVID Put Students Behind, Central Texas Schools Are Working to Catch Up

byMarina Garcia

Several studies have shown students, especially those from low-income families, fell behind academically during the pandemic.

Central Texas Christian School Enrollment Surges Amid Curriculum, COVID-19 Concerns

byGabriella Ybarra

Enrollment at conservative Christian schools in Central Texas is booming. School administrators attribute the increase to parental anxieties surrounding COVID-19 policies, discussion of systemic racism in the classroom and the inclusion of curriculum with sexual content.

Small Towns Around Austin Struggle with Big-City Housing Costs

byJill Ament

Driving into Taylor, the vibe is rural but not the usual trope of a dying, small town. The city has seen a gradual increase in its population in the past 10 years, and with that has come a renaissance of sorts. Now comes news that Taylor will soon be home to a $17 billion Samsung microchip making plant, which is also expected to bring a lot of newcomers. Residents of Taylor and other once-rural towns around Austin are already feeling the effects of the city’s growth. With skyrocketing of housing prices during the pandemic, smaller communities are grappling with big-city issues like affordability and gentrification. 

Reporting Texas Newsletter Nov. 18, 2021

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Texas From Below: Texas Book Festival Panels Punctuate Climate, Immigration and More

byAustin Cheatham

Despite the disruption brought on by a pandemic now going on two years, this years’s Texas Book Festival allowed writers — virtually and literally – to display Texas’ diversity. During the Texas Institute of Letters panel, authors Christina Soontornvat, David Meischen and Marisol Cortez discussed their novels and the influence of their identities and Texan […]

Reporting Texas TV – November 18, 2021

byReporting Texas TV Staff

Journalism students from Moody College at the University of Texas made their fifth newscast of the semester on November 18, 2021. This week student journalists report on tip-off of the final basketball season at the Frank Erwin Center, the inaugural Austin Latino Arts WKND, and an extension to the university’s flu shot campaign,