UT Theatre Festival Goes Online Because of COVID

byBrynne Herzfeld

AUSTIN, Texas — When COVID-19 halted performances in front of live audiences, UT Department of Theatre and Dance students and faculty showcased their creations in a new and safe way.  The 2021 edition of the Cohen New Works Festival, a biennial celebration of student work, took place April 12 through 16. Begun in 2007, this […]

Preservation without Reservations: Land Grabs of Past Rob True Native Texans of Indigenous History

byBrooke Nevins

Take a couple steps off nearly any highway spanning its 270 million acres, and you’re bound to be trespassing on someone else’s property. Over 95% of the state’s land is privately owned, resulting largely from the removal of Native peoples in the 19th century. Despite its huge size and a history of hundreds of Indigenous tribes inhabiting its present-day borders, Texas has only three federally-recognized reservations – those of the Alabama-Coushatta, the Kickapoo and the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo. Hundreds of non-federally recognized tribal communities exist here, left without allotted land to practice self-autonomy or the funding to preserve cultural traditions.

Foster Parents: Texas Child Welfare System Remains Broken

byCaitlin Davis

Kathleen Ender was just 21 when she began the process of becoming a foster parent after the idea of parenting foster children appeared in her dreams again and again. Enders, chief program officer at National Angels, well equipped emotionally and armed with experience, deeply believed in the beauty of being able to love a child […]

Reporting Texas Newsletter April 16, 2021

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Reporting Texas Newsletter April 9, 2021

Download the April 9, 2021 Edition of the Reporting Texas Newsletter

Reporting Texas Newsletter April 2, 2021

Download the April 2, 2021 Edition of the Reporting Texas Newsletter

UT Students Struggle to Cope with Police Killings of Young People of Color

byDominique LaVigne

AUSTIN, Texas — In the last two weeks, police killed at least four young people of color: Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, Adam Toledo in Chicago, Anthony Thompson in Knoxville, and Ma’Khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio. All of the victims were under 21 years of age. The deaths coincided with the trial of Derek […]

Upcoming Austin Election Includes Proposal for “Strong Mayor” System

byClark Dalton

AUSTIN, Texas — A proposition on the May 1 municipal election ballot seeks to change Austin’s city government to a “strong mayor” system, which would make the mayor Chief Executive Officer. Proposition F is one of eight propositions for voters to decide May 1. Early voting started this week. The mayor would have more responsibilities […]

Celebrating Earth at UT

byMaggy Wolanske

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas Campus Environmental Center (CEC) is working on multiple events to get students excited for Earth Month.  Activities include a seed swap, campfire chats, UT Farm Stand, microfarm workshops, and an art contest.  “The Office of Sustainability, in general, celebrates Earth Month, so that’s why we have so much programming […]

South Texas Geothermal Energy Project Ready to Provide Power That Never Stops

bySumaiya Malik

A geothermal test project that could set the stage for “always on” green energy is set to take root in South Texas with a goal of competing with wind and solar energy production. The project is a joint venture between Sage Geosystems, a private green energy company, and the Bureau of Economic Geology at the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin, based on a U.S. Air Force-funded initial feasibility study.

COVID-19 racial retribution impacts UT’s Asian community

byAlyssa Weinstein

When the Atlanta spa shootings happened last month, one of the first things Winston Hung did was call his Taiwanese parents. As his parents’ concern for their son studying at the University of Texas at Austin heightened, his father gave him a warning of caution.  “Be careful, you never know what’s going to happen.”  In […]

Houston Teachers Cope with COVID in the Classroom

byAngelo Gaunichaux

In late October, the Texas Education Agency reopened public schools to in-person learning despite the state experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases earlier that month. While deaths have been comparably mild for school-aged children and adolescents, the health and safety of those teaching them is much less certain.  “Every other day, we have a case […]

Teed Up and Let Down as St. Edward’s Eliminates Men’s Golf Program

byJaxie Pidgeon

On April 15, 2020, Carson Vickers received a message at 7:30 a.m. from Chris Hill, the head coach of St. Edward’s University men’s golf. “They cut the golf team,” it read. For a couple of hours, Hill’s five-word message was the only source of information for Vickers and his 14 teammates. That was until 11:45 […]

Reporting Texas TV – April 15, 2021

byReporting Texas TV Staff

Journalism students from Moody College at the University of Texas made their third newscast of the semester on April 15, 2021. This week student journalists report on the governor’s opposition to Covid-19 vaccine passports, disruptions to STAAR testing, and the return of live music to the Live Music Capital of the World.

Technical Issues Delay and Cancel Student Evaluations in Texas

byKenny Jones

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Statewide technical glitches on April 6 interrupted about 250,000 online exams administered by the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR).  Students taking written STAAR exams were able to finish without any technical issues. Those taking virtual exams could not continue midway or even log in. A teacher from San […]

Forty Acres Fest Brings Live Music Back to Campus

byANDRÉS GARCIA

AUSTIN, Texas — Live music returned to the University of Texas campus last weekend for the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020.  Forty Acres Fest, an annual concert organized by Campus Events + Entertainment, took place April 10. The four-hour-long midday festival was somewhat of a departure from the way the festival […]

Abbott Bans COVID-19 Vaccine Passports

byLibby Cohen

AUSTIN, Texas — While lawmakers argue across the country whether mandating the COVID-19 vaccine is constitutional, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order effectively banning vaccine passports last week. If enacted, the passport would allow vaccinated people to do certain things like eat in a restaurant or go to a library. Abbott’s order withdraws public […]

Live Music Gradually Returns to the Live Music Capital of the World

byAshley Miznazi

AUSTIN, Texas — Venues and musicians are fighting to maintain Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. However, while the lights turned off, bills did not stop and venues struggled to make rent.  Red River Street hosts the largest cluster of live music venues in the city and is known as a […]

Reporting Texas TV – April 8, 2021

byReporting Texas TV Staff

Journalism students from Moody College at the University of Texas made their second newscast of the semester on April 8, 2021. This week student journalists report on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, blood donation centers, and home building, as well as disparities between the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments.

More Texans Finding Home in Orthodox Church 

byHarrison Young

One religious tradition is outpacing other denominations in growth in the Lone Star State. The Orthodox Church grew by 23,000, or 73%, in the last 10 years.