Austin Pets Alive Sees Record Foster Turnout Ahead of Dangerous Winter Storm 

byRachel N. Madison

On Thursday morning, 48 hours before a winter storm was forecast to bring dangerously low temperatures, Austin Pets Alive’s shelter was filled with over 100 dogs waiting for homes. By the end of the day, the shelter had fewer than a dozen as animal lovers heeded the shelter’s call for emergency help.
“It was almost an empty shelter last night,” said Luis Sanchez, communications director for Austin Pets Alive. “It could be the least amount of animals we’ve ever had.”
As closing approached Thursday evening, parking lots overflowed, lines went out the door, and wait times for meet-and-greets stretched to hours. The shelter called it a record-breaking turnout never before seen in its 30 years on Cesar Chavez Street, west of downtown.

Amid National Unrest, MLK Community March Urges Austinites to Use Their Power

byOisakhose Aghomo

After a two–year hiatus due to inclement weather, the Martin Luther King Jr. Community March and Festival returned Monday at the Texas Capitol against a backdrop of national political uncertainty — and threats to MLK Day itself
“Our commander in chief is trying to remove this day,” said 61-year-old Austin resident Jackie Sanders. “We’re going to still fight for this day because he (MLK) has earned it and we are here to support and represent.” 

For Austin Air Traffic Controllers, the Shutdown Is Over But the Fatigue, Shortages Persist

byErika González

During the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport continued operations —  but the control tower felt the impact.  With fewer air traffic controllers available, every decision became more critical and the pace of work intensified, controllers say. Even after the shutdown ended, risks of ground delays and controller fatigue remain.

‘House of Cards’: Whisper Valley Residents Want Answers for their Broken Homes

byMax Mazoch

Developers marketed Whisper Valley as having an affordable cost of living thanks to the solar-panelled roofs and a geothermal system that connects to each home to provide energy-efficient heating and cooling. But as their homes age, Whisper Valley residents report failing geothermal HVAC systems and foundations that have left them with bills in the thousands of dollars.

Pet Vaccine Hesitancy Is About Payment Not Politics, Austin Shelters Say

byA.J. Muonagolu

The New York Times, Time Magazine and the American Animal Hospital Association have recently linked anti-vaccine worries that grew during the  COVID pandemic to  vaccination concerns among pet owners. However, Elizabeth Ferrer, marketing and communications manager for the Austin Animal Center, said the main reason pets aren’t vaccinated is lack of access to treatment, mostly driven by vet costs.

High School Marchers Protest Restrictions on Speech and Academic Freedom: ‘We are Done Being Polite About Our Rights.'”

byA.J. Muonagolu

College and high school students marched to the Texas State Capitol Friday to protest new state laws that they say limit student speech and harm public education.
“To Texas lawmakers, hands off our youth — because we are done being polite about our rights.” high school student Kara Newton yelled through a megaphone to protesters. “We are done being complacent. We want change and we want it now!”

For Students and Others Relying on Food Aid, Government Shutdown Hits Home

byDestiny Lewis

More than 3.4 million Texas residents, including over 1.3 million children, rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to federal data. In Travis County, the loss of SNAP benefits will affect approximately 44,895 households, which represent over 87,000 people, according to the city of Austin.

Paxton Urges Conservatives to ‘Take on the Evil’ of the Left to ‘Save America’

byNatalia Rodriguez

State and federal Republican officials called for conservatives to wage war against leftist ideologies in a Turning Point USA event on the University of Texas campus Monday, stating that it was their “life purpose to destroy them.”

Lunches for Texas Students Expected to Suffer After USDA Pulls Plug on Local Food for Schools Program

byMadeline de Figueiredo and Rebecca Butler

The Local Food for Schools initiative was set to distribute $660 million to state agencies in fiscal 2025, aiming to help schools and child care facilities buy locally grown food in 40 states.

A Conference on UT Campus for ‘Pro-Natalists’ Draws Ire

byAlex Lamb

In April 2024, state and local police cracked down on University of Texas students protesting Israel’s invasion of Gaza, following calls for intervention by university administrators. As with protests on other college campuses, university and political leaders accused the pro-Palestinian protesters of antisemitism.
Almost a year later, one of the same groups involved in those protests, the Austin Chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, took part in another protest — this time to oppose the presence of alleged neo-Nazis and eugenicists at a conference held on the UT campus. The activists highlighted what they called a disconnect between the treatment of two groups accused of connections to antisemitic views

‘I Am Gonna Scribe the Beauty of This City I Grew Up In’: Austin’s First Poet Laureate Vows to Tell Hard Truths

byShunya Carroll

  As he was inaugurated as Austin’s first poet laureate, Zell Miller III said last week that he will use the platform to promote literacy and tell the hard truths of the city’s history. “I am gonna scribe the beauty of this city I grew up in,” Miller said during a ceremony at the Austin […]

Mother of 3 Detained in Hays County ICE Raid Say Siblings Have No Gang Ties

byMeredith McKelvey

A 16-year-old boy and his older siblings, both in their early 20s, were detained with more than 40 others during a law enforcement raid at a party in Hays County. According to a press statement, the raid was the result of a federal investigation into a Venezuelan gang that has become a target of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement.
The siblings’ mother told Reporting Texas that the authorities are wrong.
“I want the public to know that my children are not linked to any gang, as the government is saying,” the mother said.
The siblings remain detained at an undisclosed location.

Pflugerville Neighbors, Officials Concerned About Mysterious Homeland Security Facility

byAlex Lamb

Behind a gas station and row of small businesses near a Pflugerville neighborhood sits a freshly renovated warehouse boxed on three sides by tall blue fencing and shiny new razor wire. 
Leaders of the Austin chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation say they have information the facility will be used as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center as the new Trump administration ramps up deportations. They received photos of the interior of the building showing holding cells and what appears to be an interrogation room. 
“We want answers from the local leaders who are supposed to know about this,” said Peishi Cheng, a PSL representative who spoke during a Feb. 1 protest.

Texans Join Nationwide Protests Against Trump Administration

byMeredith McKelvey

As protests erupted in state capitals around the country Wednesday, hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Austin to voice their anger at the Trump administration. 
Enraged by President Donald Trump’s far-reaching actions during the first two weeks of his second term, protesters waved signs and chanted in unison at the Texas Capitol and on the streets of downtown Austin. While protesters had varied reasons for demonstrating against the Trump administration, they shared a common fear: the demise of democratic institutions in the United States. 
“At some point, you can only step on people’s necks for so long,” said Benny de la Vega, an American who immigrated from the Philippines in 1985 and said he is seeing similarities to the dictatorship he fled. “At some point, everyone will have a common, shared understanding that their rights are being taken away. When we lose representation, then things need to change.”

Council Considers Reduced I-35 Caps Proposal Amid Concerns of Long-Term Impact

by Madeline de Figueiredo

In Tuesday’s Austin City Council work session, city staff from the Transportation and Public Works Department presented a recommendation to reduce the scope of I-35 caps and stitches, sparking concerns and hesitation among council members and community members about the long-term impact on the city’s future. While the Our Future 35 Vision Plan originally included […]

Petition Effort Poses Test for New Law, Progressive District Attorneys

byMichael Nolan

One of the first uses of a new Texas law aimed at removing “rogue” district attorneys could curtail the discretion of prosecutors in major cities, political and legal analysts say. Travis County District Attorney José Garza, a Democrat who recently won a primary in his re-election bid as the county’s top prosecutor, will soon find […]

Leaders Focus on Legislative Challenges During César Chávez Day Celebration

byAnissa Sanchez

Chanting “sí se puede” and holding small Mexican flags, several dozen people marched through East Austin on Saturday to celebrate the legacy of Mexican-American labor leader César Chávez and to highlight present-day challenges for Latino civil rights. 
“To me, honoring that and not forgetting that struggle is so important,” said PODER director and march organizer Susana Almanza, “especially for the next generation that never got to meet César Chávez.”

Oh, Rats! Rodents on Campus Are UT’s Hidden Nightlife

byAbby L. Johnson

 The sun has yet to rise. There is a stillness outside the G.B. Dealey Center for New Media, home to the University of Texas’ Moody College of Communication. The sidewalks are devoid of students — it’s far too early for them to begin their sleepy shuffle from dorm rooms to their 8 a.m. classes. The only sounds that disturb the silence are the occasional whoosh of a car speeding down Guadalupe Street and the piercing, steady clap ringing out ominously in the otherwise tranquil pre-dawn hours.
On this early morning, a university custodian walks toward the Dealey Center with arms outstretched. Despite the cover of darkness, his presence is clearly announced by the loud clapping of his hands as he approaches the building. 
The custodian claps to scatter the rodents that live in the south-facing courtyard of the communications building.

Texas Christmas Tree Farmers Persevere Through Droughts to Keep Holiday Spirit Untruncated

byIsabella McGovern

Far in the countryside of Elgin, away from the congested city of Austin, is Evergreen Christmas Tree Farm, a 40-acre farm where families can choose or cut down their own Christmas tree. Large and small rows of Virginia pine trees cover the land Beth and Mike Walterscheidt call home. 
This family-friendly farm has been growing and selling trees for 30 years, but it hasn’t always been easy.
“What was grueling was the summer,” Beth Walterscheidt said. “It was so hot, and that was really hard for us and hard on our trees.”

Art From the Streets Takes a Creative Approach in Addressing Mental Distress 

byMichelle Lavergne

This year’s show of works by homeless artists came as Art From the Streets achieved two milestones that signify new beginnings for the 32-year-old organization — settling into a permanent home that it moved into in 2021 and an expansion of its mental health programs.