Some Restaurants in No Rush to Reopen During Pandemic

byMason Carroll

LUBBOCK – The empty dining room of House Café Gastropub is filled with the chatter of employees preparing takeout orders. Jason and Kate Diehl have owned a restaurant in this spot for more than seven years, and it is the first time their doors have been closed like this. Restaurants’ dining rooms around the country […]

Cinemas Offering Virtual Film Options to Audiences

byNataleah Small

Movie theaters in Austin across Texas could reopen at 25% capacity on May 1 according to an announcement from Gov. Greg Abbott. However, many cinemas have decided to remain closed due to concerns about COVID-19.  Violet Crown Cinema, located in downtown Austin, began its temporary closure on March 17, but managers have yet to determine […]

Zoom Dates, Facetime Meets, and Drive-Ins? Oh my!

byAlaina Hayden

HOUSTON – Social distancing may be prohibiting some forms of human connection, but it hasn’t stopped people from meeting prospective romantic partners. Dating apps such as Bumble, Tinder and Hinge have seen an approximate 30% increase in user messaging according to Time magazine. Avid swipers such as 21-year-old Chandler Gibson are taking advantage of this […]

Restaurant Owners Say Reopening is a Tough Choice

byLaura Laughead

HOUSTON – While restaurants across Texas can now partially reopen, owners are faced with the choice whether to let their customers come back and dine inside.  An early poll from the Texas Restaurant Association shows that restaurants are about evenly split on reopening during the first wave that started May 1.  A restaurant in Harris […]

Reporting Texas TV Newscast April 30, 2020

Austin — Producers, reporters, anchors and the rest of the Reporting Texas TV group bring viewers the latest on the impact COVID-19 is having on the Austin and UT community.

Austin Announces an Emergency Fund for Artists

byAndrew Almeter

For almost two months, the nightlife in the live music capital of the world has been shuttered. Since COVID-19 caused the cancellation of South By Southwest in early March, Austin musicians and venues have struggled. Connor McCampbell is the founder and frontman of the Austin performance group TC Superstar. He was looking forward to one […]

Ensemble Group Takes Its Tempo Online

byFaith Castle

Among many organizations that cancelled activities due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Mariachi Parades, an ensemble upholding Mariachi traditions, found a new ritual for their performances.  UT Austin’s Mariachi Parades performs weekly virtual songs on their Facebook and Twitter accounts to provide content to their audience. The students individually practice and then send their clips to […]

Hairstylist Petitions Texas Governor to Reopen Salon

byCarli Rappaport

ROUND ROCK – With businesses shut down, many hairstylists are struggling to make ends meet.  Sarah Johnson, a cosmetologist at A-Zany-Do Salon & Spa in Round Rock, Texas, petitioned Governor Greg Abbott to allow hair stylists to see clients one-on-one. Her petition reached over 15,000 signatures in less than seven days. “I’m definitely blown away […]

Texas Exes Changes Plans for Spring Ring Ceremony Due to Campus Closure

byMercedes Gonzales

The University of Texas ring ceremony is the highlight of every semester, with the rings placed underneath a lit Tower and presented to students the next day. But due to the campus closing in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 spring ring celebration could not be held. Texas Exes had to figure out […]

UT Student Demonstrates How To DIY Your Own Protective Mask

byAshleigh Osburn

AUSTIN – Jeannelle Romero began to make masks for her family and friends right before COVID-19.  “So, when I made one, I felt like my parents really liked it,” said Romero. “There wasn’t really a demand for it yet.” When there became a high demand for masks, Romero was unable to find the fabric she […]

Reporting Texas TV Newscast, April 23, 2020

Austin — It’s the fourth show of the semester and students this week are looking at the impact of the coronavirus on school districts across the state, UT’s own modeling numbers for when it might reach its peak and students raising money to supply more face masks to medical clinics across the state.

Texas High School Seniors Lose Chance to Finish the Year

byMarco Ramirez

McALLEN, TX – For high school seniors, the spring semester is supposed to be filled with memorable moments that last a lifetime. But the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has officially ended any chance of that happening for them here in Texas. Last week, Texas Governor Gregg Abbot announced his plans to slowly ease some of the […]

Lubbock school district gets creative to provide access for students

byMason Carroll

Lubbock-The hallways of Overton Elementary School in Lubbock, Texas, have been empty for over a month. Schools across the country let out for spring break, but because of the Coronavirus, the students never came back. Governor Greg Abbott announced Friday that all Texas schools would remain closed for the rest of the school year. Overton […]

Blanton Museum hosts weekly Zoom meetings amid COVID-19 pandemic

byNataleah Small

Austin – The Blanton Museum, an art museum housed on the University of Texas at Austin campus, has temporarily closed its doors due to the spread of COVID-19. However, it is keeping the museum experience alive by making some of its resources available online.  “As soon as we learned that the museum was going to […]

UT Students Found ‘Project Protect’ to Fundraise for Protective Equipment

byRyan Chandler

Austin – Clinicians at the Pediatric Associates of Austin are counting the days until they run out of personal protective equipment. With a nationwide shortage of masks, shields and gloves triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, the clinic only has enough equipment to last them until the end of May. They know the virus will be […]

Coronavirus and the Wedding Industry: One Texas Wedding Planned in 24 Hours

byAshleigh Osburn

AUSTIN- On March 19, Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order declaring there be no more than 10 people gathered together at one time.  Haleigh Winters from Texas, planned her wedding in 24 hours so she could get married before the executive order was in effect.  “That was really hard on us, because we had […]

Pandemic Brings a Breath of New Life

byAlaina Hayden

HOUSTON – During both World Wars, Americans were called to duty to help their country. Some were called to war and some were called to work. Some were able to help in their own backyards.  “Our food is fighting! A garden will make your rations go further,” a Victory Garden poster slogan exclaimed to the […]

Reporting Texas TV Newscast – April 16, 2020

Austin, TX – This week on Reporting Texas TV, reporters examined how COVID-19 is impacting University of Texas students with getting emergency funds, help for mental health and businesses impacted statewide.

McAllen Business Weathers COVID-19 Pandemic

byMarco Ramirez

McALLEN, TX – Randy Helmcamp has owned and operated Fiesta Cleaners for 25 years. But these last few weeks have been the most challenging for his small business. “There are so many unknowns here,” Helmcamp said. “The biggest unknown is ‘When are we over the hump?’ And that keeps changing.” While city policies to contain […]

Emergency fund helps UT students make ends meet after COVID-19 setbacks

byMercedes Gonzales

AUSTIN, TX — As the University of Texas at Austin goes into its third week of online classes, some students are dealing with financial situations that make it hard to focus on classes.  Students have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic and struggle to pay rent and get groceries. Some have experienced their […]