Behind the Truck Doors Spotlight: Yapa Artisan Empanadas

byAlishba Javaid

Produced by Arianna Suniga, hosted by Mackenzie Sullivan Yapa opened its food truck steps away from the Perry-Castañeda Library at the University of Texas in August 2023. The black-and-white food truck serves nine varieties of artisan empanadas Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Raul Escobar, the director of operations and business development behind […]

From Texas to the Peruvian Amazon, a UT Researcher Preserves a Dying Language

byMichael Nolan

Nestled deep in the Amazon basin, a makeshift house sits alongside a rustic nut storage facility. Two of the occupants of this house in Peru’s remote Madre de Dios District might be the last chance of survival for the endangered language Iñapari. 
Meanwhile, over 3,000 miles away, a doctoral student is huddled over his laptop at the University of Texas at Austin. Barrett Hamp, a UT doctoral student in linguistics, has dedicated his research since 2019 to recording the indigenous language in Peru to prevent it from disappearing.  “Once a language is gone, it’s gone.  There’s no reviving it,” Hamp said.

Amid the Roar of Motorcycles, Veterans Find Comfort and Community

byMichael Nolan

Soaked by pouring rain, a group of Harley Davidson riders’ fire up their engines and begin their journey to Heroes Memorial Park in Kyle. Undeterred by the adverse weather, this group of military veterans takes pride in their shared passion and cherishes the brotherhood they’ve developed.
 “As veterans, we always look forward to events like this,” said Allen Deaver, an Air Force veteran. 
The bikers and psychologists say rides like this can provide an invaluable community for veterans to connect with others with shared experiences.
 “I think veterans need to be around other veterans,” said Deaver,

Can’t Eclipse the Fun: How Central Texans Experienced a Rare Celestial Show

byAnissa Sanchez, Katrina L. Spencer and Michelle Lavergne

After a summer spent trying to get away from the sun, Central Texans couldn’t take their eyes off of it Saturday — safely, of course.
Through protective glasses, they watched a solar eclipse in which the moon covered 93 percent of the sun just before noon.
Reporting Texas reporters documented how some Austinites celebrated and experienced Saturday’s heavenly event.

College Gameday Sparks Excitement on Campus for the Second Time this Season

byCecilia Rodriguez

AUSTIN, Texas — College Gameday returned to Austin on Nov. 12 for a second visit this season for the matchup between the Texas Longhorns and the TCU Horned Frogs. College Gameday is a Saturday morning ESPN show that travels across the country to different college campuses. Hosted by Rece Davis, the show features former football […]

No. 3 Texas Women’s Basketball Starts Season on High Note

byEthan Ferguson

AUSTIN, Texas – The Orange-White Scrimmage for the Texas Women’s Basketball team on Oct. 19 gave fans and the public an opportunity to see the new look of the team. The teams also played against an all-male practice squad made up of skilled UT students.  The Longhorns added seven new players to the team this […]

Theater-Goers Embrace Latino History and Art

byOihane Ochoa

AUSTIN, Texas – Paintings on display at the Blanton Museum of Art inspired a play, and visitors this month have the opportunity to see it performed in the same space. The exhibition Painted Cloth: Fashion and Ritual in Colonial Latin America includes a collection by Mexican painter Miguel Cabrera titled “Casta.” These artworks show family […]

Longhorn Fiesta Fosters Family and Friends on Campus

byCecilia Rodriguez

AUSTIN, Texas – The Hispanic Faculty and Staff Association (HFSA) hosted Longhorn Fiesta on Oct. 14 to celebrate the end of Hispanic Heritage Month on campus. Entertainment, activities and treats to stimulate all the senses spread across the University of Texas Main Mall. Selena Quintanilla’s “Como La Flor” played through loudspeakers as colorful decorations and […]

NIL: A Level Playing-Field for Athletes

byZach Dimmitt

At advanced levels of sports, particularly college athletics, fairness within the game is generally set by rules and regulations with judgments on right and wrong as black and white as the stripes on referees’ jerseys. But when the business side of things takes center stage as it has in recent years, the argument of what’s fair and what’s not becomes much more clouded.

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. 12, 2021

Download the Nov. 12, 2021 edition of the Reporting Texas Newsletter  

Bikers Rally to Support Austin Police and Oppose Mayor

byBismarck D. Andino

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Members of a social biker club gathered Sunday at the Austin Police Department headquarters to criticize Mayor Steve Adler and the city council for cutting law enforcement funds over the summer. The Wind Therapy Freedom Riders rode from Round Rock to meet a crowd of more than 50 people, including local candidates […]

A Week With Some of Austin’s Most Vehement, Revolutionary Protesters 

byRamón Rodríguez

The Mike Ramos Brigade, or MRB, formed the night Mike Ramos, an unarmed 42-year-old Black and Mexican-American man, was shot and killed by Austin police in April. The brigade’s demands started with justice for Ramos. They quickly started calling for justice for all victims of police brutality and the abolition of the criminal justice system, capitalism and the destruction of what they call the ruling class.

Relationships – Instagram’s Enneagram Singles – Celia Obrien, 27, Jared Withrow, 32, Megan McHenry, 27, & Sonia Alexandra, 24

byMaya Vela

The creators of Enneagram Singles on Instagram share what it’s like to host a page dedicated to dating during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Celia Obrien of Concord, New Hampshire, Jared Withrow of Bend, Oregon, Megan McHenry of Richland, Washington, and Sonia Alexandra of San Francisco are self-proclaimed Enneagram personality test enthusiasts who hope to see their […]

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.

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.

Presidential Politics Dominated Forty Acres Before Pandemic

bySamantha Hall

Before a global pandemic pierced mosts Americans’ imaginations, the nation wondered if the youth vote, including students at the University of Texas, would turn out for the presidential election. With this backdrop, for the first time in decades, Texas had a major voice in determining the Democratic nominee. And in typical fashion, Travis County took […]

Austin Educators look beyond Texas’ African American studies course

byJennifer Martinez

WATCH: UT students talk about African American History African American heritage runs deep in Texas. From the horror of slavery to the civil rights movement and beyond, Texas’ African American population has played a critical role in the state’s economic and cultural development. Yet Texas’ publication education system has downplayed African American history in its […]

Students Become Involved in Entrepreneurship Program at UT

byAshleigh Osburn

AUSTIN, Texas- Known as the Google Maps for everything entrepreneurship on campus, Blackstone Launchpad is allowing students to learn more about the field. Blackstone LaunchPad is an entrepreneurship program and organization at The University of Texas that provides students with an open space to start a business and connect with mentors. The program was first […]

Austin Businesses Persevere Through SXSW Cancellation

byRyan Chandler

AUSTIN,TX – After the City of Austin cancelled “South by Southwest” on March 6, the city’s service industry was left wondering how to make up for lost income. The annual music, arts, and business showcase attracts nearly 300,000 attendees from across the globe for a week of speakers, concerts, and bar-hopping, bringing an extra revenue […]