Reporting Texas
News and features from UT-Austin's School of Journalism
bySheldon Munroe
The stars truly aligned as more than 300 stargazers from across the country looked upward at McDonald Observatory to conclude the 2026 Dark Skies Festival under the open skies of West Texas.
Overcast skies had observatory staff prepare for virtual demonstrations, but then the sky emerged, evoking excited whispers and “awws” as more than 3,000 stars became visible to the naked eye. Several globular clusters, the Milky Way and very bright Jupiter drew particular excitement.
“We are here to appreciate the stars as well as the wildlife and human health,” observatory staffer Ryan Cantrell said.
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 […]
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 […]
byAJ Muonagolu
Weeks after the federal government announced new dietary guidelines, Texas schools and food assistance programs are studying how the changes might affect their services.School districts like Austin’s are waiting to see how the new guidelines will shape their programs – especially when it comes to costs and federal reimbursement rates for student meals.