Riverside Students Want UT to Provide More Aid in the Aftermath of the Storm 

byDominique LaVigne

AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas at Austin’s Student Emergency Services paid out over $16,000 during the week of the winter storm, but students living in the Riverside neighborhood continue to struggle in the storm’s aftermath.  Water flooded the apartment of UT student Taeana Fisher on Feb. 15. “I think the pipes just busted […]

Changing the Planet One Utensil at a Time

byMaggy Wolanske

AUSTIN, Texas – Displeased with the immense amount of plastic being thrown away in their dining hall, two UT students launched a social media campaign on Instagram. Isabel Webb Carey and Michael Dobrowski launched @realonesreuse to advocate for the reduction of plastic used in UT dining facilities. The Instagram account has 300 followers with posts […]

Extreme Temperatures Devastate Austin Succulents

byKenny Jones

AUSTIN, Texas – February’s winter storm devastated thousands of succulents throughout Austin due to prolonged exposure to subfreezing temperatures. Workers at East Austin Succulents proactively housed as many succulents as could fit in their greenhouses, but the storm still destroyed about 10% of their inventory.  The extended freeze expanded moisture stored in succulents and burst […]

Crisis of Hunger Looms During Winter Storm

byClark Dalton

AUSTIN, Texas – When University of Texas at Austin student Ramray Wong opened his fridge only to find empty shelves, he immediately grew concerned. “I was feeling a bit anxious,” Wong said. “I didn’t have a stock of food in my room. If I wanted food I had to go out and get it.” Going […]

As Governor Abbott Reopens Texas, Service Workers and Public Health Experts Worry

byAndrés Garcia

AUSTIN, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order March 2 that lifted statewide mask-wearing and business capacity mandates. The executive order, which went into effect March 10, made Texas one of 15 states without any statewide COVID regulations in place. The executive order was met with mixed reception.   University of Texas Public Health […]

Quarters Complex Residents Displaced by Renovations

byBrynne Herzfeld

AUSTIN, Texas – Renovations to the privately-owned Quarters apartment complexes have removed students from their units, leaving the students struggling to receive answers from the complex management.  Though renovations began in early 2020, UT student and resident Jennifer Tran was not informed of the planned renovations when she signed her lease. She learned about the […]

UT Students and Faculty Helped the Community Survive the Winter Storm

byLibby Cohen

AUSTIN, Texas — The outpouring of support from the University of Texas at Austin community during the February winter storm brought a bright spot to what was a terrible week for most. An unprecedented winter storm rocked the state of Texas, leaving millions without power, water, and many times both. UT students were not exempt from […]

One Year Later, a Small Texas Town Reflects on the Pandemic

byBenton Graham

In the spring of 2020, Reporting Texas set out to cover the plight of small towns in a changing Texas by reporting on the town of Eden in Concho County. Then COVID-19 struck. We pivoted to looking at how Eden was dealing with the pandemic. Eight months later, we checked back in with residents.

The Future of Free Range Kids in Texas 

byMadi Donham

A state senator wants to rewrite the Texas Family Code to give parents more leeway in how they supervise their children. Supporters of the proposed change say narrowing the definition of neglect will reduce the workload for Child Protective Services and liberate families — especially poor families. Child advocates disagree.

Black Texans Reflect on Racial Justice after a Singularly Difficult Year

During February, March and April, Reporting Texas correspondents will share interviews with Black Texans from different parts of the state, different professions and different perspectives. Subjects will discuss the state of the fight for racial justice and how they think Texans can best move forward after a trying year. Check back for updates.

Austin’s Myanmar Community Rallies Against Coup

byBenton Graham

About 150 supporters of democracy in Myanmar took to the Texas Capitol grounds on Feb. 6 to protest the military coup that took place in the Southeast Asian country six days earlier.

Austin Professional Cuddler Aims to Heal Through Touch

byMadelyn Gee

Professional cuddling is becoming increasingly popular around the country. During the last decade, cuddling businesses have opened in  Georgia, New York and Texas. In 2015, there was even a national cuddling convention in Portland, Oregon.

COVID’s Challenge for UT Students Cycling to Fight Cancer

bySarah Kate Scribner

Armed with bikes and with helmets in hand, a small troop of students from the University of Texas at Austin greet the morning sun ready to train for yet another arduous battle against cancer to be waged in a 4,000-mile campaign. It was 6:45 a.m. on a recent Saturday and the five UT students showed up in […]

Texas Funeral Homes Take a Financial Hit Despite COVID-19 

byJillian Price

Texas funeral homes are making less money during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite at least 27,000 COVID-19-related deaths statewide, because the services that drive their profits are less attractive to families worried about spreading the disease.

Austin Clinic Helps Addiction Patients After Using Psychedelic Drug Ibogaine

byRamón Rodríguez

Root Recovery provides a residential aftercare program to patients as they recover after taking ibogaine to treat opioid addiction. Most clients travel to Mexico to take ibogaine — where it is legal — and then come to Root Recovery. The business has helped about 100 people recoup after ibogaine treatment. In Texas, at least 1,402 people died from opioid overdoses in 2018, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Austin’s Unauthorized Workers Fall Victim to Slowdown in Hospitality Industry

byBenton Graham

As the pandemic has ravaged the hospitality industry, many unauthorized workers have lost employment. According to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, the city’s employment in the hospitality and leisure industry stood at 76% of its pre-pandemic level as of late September.

Journalism’s Path Forward

byKendall Tietz

Newspapers rolling off big city and small-town printing presses. Radio and television broadcasts flying through airwaves. Cable news around the clock. Adding to that information highway, the constant gratification offered by the Internet and social media platforms turning  anyone into a reporter, editor and influencer. One constant is journalism. An industry dependent upon truth, fact-finding […]

Gender Gap Persists in UT System Senior Leadership 

byMadi Donham

In 2015, a group of female UT System employees sent a report to then-UT System Chancellor William McRaven detailing how women were underrepresented in leadership positions in the system. The 2015 report’s authors acknowledge the progress has been made in the intervening five years, but they say more needs to be done.

Resurgence of Armenian Struggle Painful for UT Student

byCaroline Betik

While Armenia’s modern struggle against the encroachment of others is grabbing headlines today across the globe, it can be said what is happening in Armenia is old news. As the first nation to establish Christianity as its national religion 18 centuries ago in 301 A.D., Armenians have accepted their biblical call to, “glory in their […]

Love Across the Aisle

byJessica Treviño

Amidst a time of an ever-widening political divide in this country, two people from opposing political parties somehow managed to come together by a force much stronger than hate: love. I met John a year ago in October 2019 on a dating app. He is tall, handsome, but most importantly, incredibly sweet and compassionate. John […]