Business

Ketamine Clinics for Treating Mental Health Issues Are Booming. But Is the Drug Effective?

byAJ Muonagolu

With around 13 clinics in Austin alone, ketamine clinics are rising as an alternative to traditional psychotherapy. Increasingly, Texans are exploring psychedelic therapy in hopes of treating depression, anxiety or other chronic mental health issues. But experts worry about ketamine being used as a one-size-fits-all approach to psychiatric care because of concerns over safety and […]

ICE Raids Disrupt Workforce and Construction Projects Across Texas

byErika Gonzalez

Early in the morning, Benny Meléndez, owner of the residential construction company BM3, called one of his workers who hadn’t arrived at the job site in the Rio Grande Valley, where they were supposed to pour concrete that day.
“Come. ICE just took him,” the worker’s wife said.
Contractors across South Texas have reported immigration operations near construction sites, with workers being detained while arriving or leaving. And the fear is spreading.

UT System Plans to Boost Space Research as Federal Funding Skyrockets

byRachel N. Madison

NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and the University of Texas System are developing plans to expand their collaboration under a new Space Act Agreement signed in January. Archie Holmes, UT System executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, led the latest round of conversations this month as the partners map out the research collaboration, student […]

Even as Silicon Valley Booms, Venture Capitalists See Unique Opportunities in Texas

bySheldon Munroe

Technology venture capitalists from around the world who converged in Austin recently say the Texas tech ecosystem is still young and creating distinctive investment opportunities in a rapidly expanding digital economy. “What I found in Texas in the last few days, I felt these venture capitalists are so patient and they are looking for solutions […]

DACA Helped Them Get Legal Commercial Vehicle Licenses. A New Policy Took Them Away.

byErika González

At 4 a.m., Yeni Renderos’ alarm went off, just like every other day. Half-asleep, she made coffee, woke her 16-year-old daughter and drove her to school before climbing into her truck, “Rosendo,” as she affectionately called it. For 10 years, that routine had defined her life in Houston, driving to construction sites, convinced her life was finally moving forward.
But that Monday was different. Renderos’ boss called to confirm what she feared most: “You can’t keep working, Yeni, she recalled him saying. “The rules for commercial licenses have changed.”

In a Booming City, ‘Making a Place Where We Would Want to Hang Out’ Keeps the Lights On

bySarah Gonzales

When four longtime friends maxed out their credit cards and depleted their savings accounts nine years ago to open a bar, they had no idea who would turn out to see their vision become a reality.
“The goal, the whole time as we were getting things going, is just making a place where we would want to hang out, and I mean that’s still kind of our MO,”  Mike Sanchez said.
Those four friends named the place The Little Darlin’, a South Austin staple off William Cannon Drive — one of a handful of beloved dive bars that define their neighborhoods and manage to hang on as other bars and restaurants come and go.

Big Medium, creator of the Austin studio tour, goes dark after 22 years

byShunya Carroll

The future of the Austin studio tour is uncertain after the event’s founder and organizer, the arts nonprofit Big Medium, announced its closure last week. “The gaps are massive,” said Shea Little, a founding member of Big Medium. “There are a lot of artists, a lot of creativity, but not a lot of opportunities for […]

Divided Austin Council Expands Wheatsville’s Alcohol Sales Waiver on South Lamar

byRebecca Butler

A sharply divided Austin City Council on Thursday approved Wheatsville Food Co-op’s request to sell alcohol for on-site consumption despite its proximity to Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders.
Wheatsville, a community-owned natural foods retailer with two Austin stores, petitioned the council in August to waive the city’s ban on selling alcohol within 300 feet of a school, church or hospital for its store on South Lamar Boulevard. Over the objection of the Austin school board, the City Council approved Wheatsville’s waiver 6-5.

UT Beach Volleyball Hosts First Home Matches

byTori Garcia

AUSTIN, Texas – The new University of Texas volleyball team made history this month, under the sun on sand. Texas Beach Volleyball played a few away games last season but finally hosted home matches March 20 at the Wright-Whitaker Sports Complex. The Longhorns first defeated Houston Christian University, 3-2, but then lost 4-1 to No. […]

AfroTech Conference Reveals Black Women’s Paths to Tech Are Legion

byKatrina L. Spencer

Deejay Jasmine Solano is spinning hip-hop, R&B, soul and funk at the front of ACL Live in Austin. The floor has been cleared of dozens of chairs from serious panel talks from earlier in the week, and now Black people, mostly aged 25 to 45, are two-stepping and doing throwback dances from their teenage years.  […]

All Black Made Pop-Up Provides Alternative Selling Opportunity for Vendors

byKatrina L. Spencer

About 20 canopy tents lined a parking lot adjacent to Black Pearl Books on Saturday afternoon. Underneath each was a business owner displaying their wares: body oil, customized cups, paintings, lemonade, hair bonnets, apparel, candles, jewelry and more. While the sun beat down, 94 degrees and counting, the entrepreneurs offered smiles to shoppers at All […]

From the Military to the Kitchen, These Veterans Are Choosing a Career That Brings Out Their Passion for Food

byAna Paola Davila Chalita 

The smell of spices and chicken had people lining up at an Austin food festival to get Shirley Newell’s Dominican food. The U.S. Army veteran was rapidly taking orders, flipping her marinated chicken and packing food to-go. “Food is my comfort, my passion and how I express myself,” Newell said. “When I was in the military is when I actually started cooking.”
Now, cooking is her livelihood. She started Phatty Boy food truck nine years after she left the Army as an automated logistics specialist. For some Texas veterans, opening food-service businesses feels like a natural step after their military career.