Youth Voter Turnout Increases in Travis County

byAlyssa Crosby

AUSTIN, Texas — As a first-generation US citizen, Kara Fields takes voting seriously. She was one of the more than 20,000 people who voted early at two polling places on the University of Texas campus. “Everyone was just so much more invested in this presidential election just because of everything that was experienced in the last […]

Biden Win Sparks Protest and Celebration in Austin 

byMadi Donham

About 300 supporters of President Donald Trump gathered on the south side of the Texas Capitol early Saturday afternoon to protest the presidential election of Joe Biden. Protesters, many dressed in red and waving Trump flags, chanted “Biden is a fraud” and “count the votes.” Others held signs that read “Stop The Steal.” Some gathered […]

Reporting Texas TV Newscast November 5, 2020

byBismarck D. Andino, Alyssa Crosby, and Stephanie Witt

AUSTIN, Texas — Journalism students from Moody College at the University of Texas made their fourth newscast of the semester on November 5, 2020. This week student journalists covered the general election, a rally of motorcycle riders who protested reductions in the budget for the Austin Police Department, and a series of robberies and burglaries […]

Robbers and Burglars Target West Campus Residents

byStephanie Witt

AUSTIN, Texas — Crime is on the rise in West Campus. The Austin Police Department is investigating a string of five aggravated robberies around The University of Texas at Austin campus, one of which involved a violent home invasion. Four of the reported cases involved UT students. On October 8th at 6:30 a.m., APD responded […]

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.

Republicans Dominate Elections in Central Texas

byHarrison Young, Ram Rodríguez, Madi Donham, Madi Gee, Benton Graham, Jillian Price and Mizelle Mayo

Some experts labeled Texas as a toss-up in the presidential election, with most polls showing a 2-4 point lead for Donald Trump. Trump outperformed those expectations, winning by closer to 6 percentage points. Other races included a U.S. Senate race won easily by GOP incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and several Central Texas congressional races where Republicans won easily.

Reporting Texas TV Newscast October 29, 2020

AUSTIN, Texas — Journalism students from Moody College at the University of Texas made their third newscast of the semester on October 22, 2020. This week student journalists investigated support for and opposition to the playing of “The Eyes of Texas” at Longhorn football games, met with local protesters involved in the End SARS movement, […]

Texans Join Worldwide End SARS Protests

byAlyssa Crosby

AUSTIN, Texas — The End SARS movement came to Austin with the help of University of Texas students. Nigeria’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS for short, gained worldwide attention following an October 3 video that appears to show officers shoot and kill a young man in Ughelli. UT’s African Student Organization helped organize the October 16 […]

Thousands Sign Petition in Support of “The Eyes of Texas” at UT Football Games

byBismarck D. Andino

AUSTIN, Texas — Students and alumni gathered Saturday at Cain and Abel’s sports bar to collect signatures for a petition to keep “The Eyes of Texas” as UT’s alma mater and play it at football games. The song became a trending topic on social media after The Daily Texan reported that members of the Longhorn […]

Capareda’s Long, Winding Road to Ballet Austin

byKendall Tietz

For Alexa Capareda, dance has long been a force in her life, a whirlwind around the globe. It has also been transformative. A journey that took her from youthful dancer to esteemed ballet master. As a child in the Philippines, she was well on her way to success. Then, her father was named a professor […]

Central Texas School Social Workers and Counselors Face Pandemic-related Challenges

byBenton Graham and Jillian Price  

Since the pandemic forced schools to limit in-person classes, social workers and counselors have struggled to maintain relationships with students. In addition to the difficulty of staying in touch with students virtually, social workers have had to navigate what experts call a mental health crisis.

Reporting Texas TV Newscast October 22, 2020

AUSTIN, Texas — Journalism students from Moody College at the University of Texas made their second newscast of the semester on October 22, 2020. This week students looked into the COVID-19 testing requirements for students to attend home football games, a volunteer program fighting food insecurity, and some stories involving a pair of billionaires with […]

Reporting Texas TV Newscast October 15, 2020

AUSTIN, Texas — Journalism students from Moody College at the University of Texas made their first newscast of the semester on October 15, 2020. This week’s show covers concerns about ballot drop-off locations,  an on-campus flu shot clinic, and ways the university is helping support students and staff struggling with mental health issues during the […]

Negative COVID-19 Tests Required for Student Seats at DKR Stadium

byStephanie Witt

AUSTIN, Texas — In order to attend University of Texas home football games, students with Big Tickets must get a proactive COVID-19 test. The Big Ticket is a season pass to Longhorn home games in football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer, and track. Fewer than 4,000 students paid for the package this year. Senior journalism […]

Hope Austin Expands Reach Despite Pandemic

byAlyssa Crosby

AUSTIN, Texas — Monica von Waaden volunteered with Round Rock ISD’s Clothes Closet for years. When her children graduated, von Waaden started Hope Austin to focus on the issue of food insecurity. “I thought, if there’s a need for clothing…there has to be a need for food,” von Waaden said. “Lo and behold, there [was] […]

Trump March Fizzles in Downtown Austin

byBenton Graham

The march, the fourth annual iteration of the event, attracted a much smaller crowd than previous marches, which have seen upward of 300 attendees. The marchers were unfazed by the lackluster turnout and insisted that it wasn’t a sign of flailing support for an embattled president.

Parents Navigate Virtual Learning for Kids

byJessica Treviño

As a full-time restaurant manager and mother of three young boys, Carolina Benitez has a lot on her plate already. She works 55 hours each week and spends her two days off, Mondays and Tuesdays, supervising her oldest son, Jeremiah, while he attends school online. “I honestly am concerned that he will fall behind. I’m […]

UT Greek Life Struggles to Adhere to Pandemic Protocols

byLydia Wagner and Daniella Cortez

On the 2020 season’s first game-day Saturday, things seemed pretty normal for a University of Texas football weekend — pre-pandemic normal. At the Texas Rho fraternity house, dozens of UT students partied together in person. A leaked SnapChat video from inside the event showed attendees singing “The Eyes of Texas,” and standing shoulder to shoulder underneath a balcony packed […]

For ‘Esther’s Follies,’ Show Goes On (Virtually)

bySarah Kate Scribner

On Friday and Saturday nights at Sixth and Red River in downtown Austin, nine actors and a magician would stand beneath the warm glow of stage lights and look out at the sea of 270 bodies crammed in the sold-out theater, eager to deliver the next gut-busting joke or burst into comedic song. That was […]