Reporting Texas
News and features from UT-Austin's School of Journalism
Reporting Texas Archives
Nov 06, 2024

Advocates Race to Inform Immigrants, Hospitals as Abbott Demands Citizenship Reports

In the leadup to the Nov. 1 implementation of Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order requiring Texas public hospitals to report on health care for undocumented immigrants, advocacy groups raced to inform affected communities and providers about the policy’s implications and limitations.

Nov 06, 2024

Reporting Texas TV – October 31, 2024

Journalism students at the University of Texas produced their first newscast of the Fall 2024 semester on Oct.31.

Nov 06, 2024

At Election Watch Party, Austin’s LGBTQIA+ Community Vows to Remain Steadfast in a Second Trump Presidency

  As former President Donald Trump surged ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris in presidential returns Tuesday night, LGBTQIA+ community organizers and activists struck a defiant tone during an election watch party at an Austin gay bar. “No matter who the president is, things are going to be hard for progressive folks in Texas,” said […]

Nov 06, 2024

Watson Tops Austin Mayor’s Race, Vows to ‘Chart a New Course’ in Third Term

Kirk Watson says he’s ready to finish what he started after unofficially winning a third term as Austin’s mayor Tuesday night.
“These first two years in the mayor’s office have mostly been about getting us on the right track,” Watson said during his victory speech at El Arroyo restaurant. “But there’s more to be done. And while we’re finally now to build even more and really chart a new course for Austin’s future.”
He needed to finish with more than 50% of the vote to avoid a December runoff. Unofficial returns showed Watson getting the slimmest of majorities, with 174,904 votes, or 105 more than his four challengers combined. Community activist Carmen Llanes Pulido ran second with 20% of the vote and former Austin City Council Member Kathie Tovo third at 17%.

Nov 05, 2024

Photos: Voting on the Forty Acres

University of Texas students turned out in strong numbers at campus polling locations Tuesday for national, state and local elections.
Click for slideshow.

Nov 01, 2024

What Does It Take to Be a Store on The Drag?

Strolling down Guadalupe St. in Austin, Texas, an array of shops and stores line the street.   Known as the “The Drag,” it’s located across from The University of Texas at Austin’s campus, hosting restaurants, coffee shops and clothing stores within walking distance for the 55,000 plus residents nearby. Its placement in between West Campus, home […]

Nov 01, 2024

The UT Tower is Getting a Facelift

The iconic Tower at the University of Texas will begin undergoing restoration to its original 1937 glory.  The Tower will not only receive an exterior restoration but also future interior renovations. Starting in the summer of 2027, the Tower, a common backdrop for senior pictures, will be obstructed by scaffolding and a decorative covering. Project […]

Oct 31, 2024

Student Activists Stopped from Delivering Pro-Palestine Letter to UT President, Say They Could Face Disciplinary Action

More students at the University of Texas say they face disciplinary action after attempting to deliver a letter to President Jay Hartzell demanding the university divest from companies connected to Israel’s war in Gaza.

Oct 31, 2024

Sole Mates: How Running Clubs Are Stepping Up When Dating Apps Stumble

Sarah Spitler was ready to give up on dating apps after feeling nothing special was coming from her matches.  “I just felt they weren’t working for me,” she said.
Then as the COVID-19 pandemic eased and people resumed social interaction, Spitler found the Austin Beer Runners group, where she met Matt Russo, a computer engineer.  Their running club meeting led to three years of dating and now plans for a wedding in March.
They join a growing number of people finding social connection in running clubs. According to a research article from the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, couples who work out together can improve their relationship. 

Oct 25, 2024

Reporting Texas TV – October 24, 2024

Journalism students at the University of Texas produced their first newscast of the Fall 2024 semester on Oct. 24.

Oct 25, 2024

Early Voting in Texas Officially Kicks Off 2024 Election

Election season has arrived in Austin, with a record-setting number of residents casting their ballot.  On Oct. 22, over 46,000 people voted in Travis County, surpassing the reported first-day early voting turnout of the last three presidential elections.  The LBJ Library and University Union offer two polling locations on the east and west side of […]

Oct 24, 2024

A Local Haunted House uses Scares to Beat Breast Cancer

MANOR, Texas  –Screams of terror echo outside SCARE for a CURE’s haunted adventure northeast of Austin that sits on the same property of Ghost Town Manor.  This is one of the city’s most interactive adventures and is in the middle of their Halloween season ‘Nightmares of a Legend,’ which runs until Saturday, Oct. 26. “We […]

Oct 24, 2024

Students Turn to Gaming for Relief from Midterm Stress

As students trudge through projects and exams at the height of midterms season, The Latinx Pop Lab hosted Video Game Day for students to take a break from their studies. The Latinx Pop Lab , located on the fourth floor of Patton Hall, was organized by Professor Frederick Luis Aldama, known to his students as […]

Oct 20, 2024

Disability Rights Groups Celebrate Ruling That Improves Accessibility for Voters — for Now 

Voters with disabilities could get expanded access to the ballot this election season after a federal judge struck down Texas laws limiting voter assistance.
The Oct. 11 ruling has yielded cautious celebration from activist and advocacy communities on the eve of early voting, which begins Monday. But the state might appeal the decision in time to thwart voter assistance efforts. 
“The ruling protects the rights of Texas voters with disabilities to get the assistance they need without fear of prosecution,” said Bob Kafka, the state coordinator for REV UP Texas, one of the groups that challenged the law.

Oct 18, 2024

Student Government Passes Proposal to Expand Big Ticket Section at DKR

AUSTIN, Texas — Negotiations to expand the Big Ticket section at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium began after Student Government at the University of Texas passed a bill calling for an expansion of the Big Ticket section on October 1.  The student government bill came against the backdrop of the Longhorns’ first season in the […]

Oct 18, 2024

UT Austin Students Reflect on One-Year Anniversary of the Israel-Hamas War

AUSTIN, Texas –  Israeli flags rippled against the barricades as students gathered in line outside the Hogg Memorial Auditorium to honor the civilian lives lost in Israel on October 7.  The Longhorn Students for Israel alongside Texas Hillel, Texas Chabad, Texas Olami, and other Jewish organizations hosted the “Together We Stand” memorial ceremony on the […]

Oct 17, 2024

Small Businesses see Large Impacts with ACL

The annual Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) is in full stride. Bringing music, food, and lots of vendors to the tens of thousands of people flowing through Zilker park. The 2-weekend pronounced festival is known widely on a worldwide stage, yet many small businesses and vendors right in the heart of Texas are the […]

Oct 17, 2024

Student Organization’s Rallying Generation Z to Participate in Upcoming Election

AUSTIN, Texas – Yellow papers lined select tables on speedway as the University Democrats and Hook the Vote Agency tabled throughout the voter registration period marking Oct. 7 as the last day.  Students of the University of Texas registered to vote to participate in the 2024 Presidential election. Hook the Vote Agency, a nonpartisan group […]

Oct 17, 2024

Big Ticket Troubles 

AUSTIN, TX – Trouble with the Big Ticket has taken students at the University of Texas by surprise this semester.  Many Students have been unable to claim tickets for the football games, something many have never experienced in prior seasons. While the Big Ticket does not guarantee access to all games some students said it […]

Jun 12, 2024

Lost in Transition: Rainey Street and a Failure of Historic Preservation

Anita Quintanilla sobbed as her sister drove her back to the airport in 1984. The memories of childhood and adolescence on Rainey Street — the visits to the air-conditioned bookmobile in the dead of summer, and blissful moments running around the spacious yard, raking pyramids of crunchy fallen leaves and climbing cottonwood trees — would […]