‘House of Cards’: Whisper Valley Residents Want Answers for their Broken Homes

byMax Mazoch

Michelle MacAlpine knew something was wrong when white steam escaped from her home’s air vents. Before long, her home in Manor lacked air conditioning in the 107-degree August heat. 
“Typical Whisper Valley,” MacAlpine said.
MacAlpine has lived in Whisper Valley, Texas’s first geothermal community, for seven years. Developers marketed the neighborhood, which completed construction of its first homes east of Austin in 2017, as having an affordable cost of living thanks to the solar-panelled roofs and a geothermal system that connects to each home to provide energy-efficient heating and cooling.
But as their homes age, Whisper Valley residents report failing geothermal HVAC systems and foundations that have left them with bills in the thousands of dollars.

Bouldin Creek’s Peacocks: Old Austin’s Feathered Locals

byMikhelia Williams

Long before tech bros and $8 matchas, the South Austin neighborhood of Bouldin Creek had wandering peacocks in its front yards. Nearly six decades later, the colorful birds are still strutting through driveways, shrieking at sunrise and sunning themselves on porch railings. 
And in true old-Austin, keep-it-weird fashion, most residents like it that way.
Neighbors slow to a stop on Oltorf and Fifth streets to let the peahens saunter across the street. Some even leave birdseed on their steps just in case one decides to drop by. But not everyone who moved to 78704 understood the culture when they arrived.

Union’s Last-Minute Staffing Petition Derails Austin AFD Contract Vote

byMikhelia Williams

Austin’s firefighters union derailed its own tentative contract this week after launching a petition for a citywide vote to require four-person staffing on all fire engines, a new demand city officials say should have been raised at the bargaining table, not after months of negotiations. The four-year, $63 million agreement had been scheduled for a […]

A League of Their Own, Once Again

byDestiny Lewis

Abby Moore, catcher for the Arlington High School baseball team, finally has a route to play professional ball.
For the first time in more than 70 years, women in the United States will have a professional baseball league built for them.
The league held its first-ever player draft Thursday, streamed live on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
More than 100 draft-eligible players from 10 countries were in contention, along with thousands of young girls who suddenly have a future in a sport that once shut them out.
Moore, 18, had already built a résumé that positioned her as one of the youngest serious prospects in the inaugural draft.

Reporting Texas TV – Nov, 20th 2025

Hundreds Attend Austin’s First Ever Panda Fest

byMichael Karlis

Hundreds of folks headed to Austin’s Republic Square over the weekend for the city’s first-ever Panda Fest – a celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Traditions, according to organizers.  Started in 2024 in New York, Panda Fest hit  the road this year, hitting cities including Dallas, Seattle and Charlotte, to name a few.  “I […]

Texas’s $20 Billion Water Fund Approved by Voters

byPaisley Porter

Earlier this month, Texas voters approved Proposition 4, a bill that dedicates $1 billion annually to the Texas Water Fund for the next 20 years.  The Texas Water Fund is a specialized fund established by the state treasury that supports water infrastructure projects, including desalination, wastewater treatment and the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas. […]

Students and Alumni Rally Against Trump Compact

byNicole Vargas

A small group of UT Austin students and alumni gathered outside the University of Texas System headquarters Wednesday afternoon for a “Reject the Compact” rally. Organized by Students for a Democratic Society, attendees at the rally urged university leaders to refuse the Trump administration’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.”  “This compact endangers everything […]

Longhorn Fans in Athens: Their Experience in Bulldog Territory

byTJ Krilowicz

Texas Longhorn football fans are known for traveling well to away games. And when the number ten-ranked Longhorns faced off against the number five-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, burnt orange could be seen all over campus on game day. From the tailgates to inside the stadium, hundreds of Longhorn fans packed the Peach State for […]

City Begins Shoal Creek Trail Upgrade Between 29th and 31st Streets

bySofia Estrada Ferrufino

Austin Transportation and Public Works started construction along North Lamar Boulevard and the Shoal Creek Trail between 29th Street and 31st Street to address accessibility and safety concerns.  The Shoal Creek Trail is Austin’s oldest hike and bike trail, stretching from Lady Bird Lake up to U.S. 183. The section between 29th and 31st Streets […]

Pet Vaccine Hesitancy Is About Payment Not Politics, Austin Shelters Say

byA.J. Muonagolu

The New York Times, Time Magazine and the American Animal Hospital Association have recently linked anti-vaccine worries that grew during the  COVID pandemic to  vaccination concerns among pet owners. However, Elizabeth Ferrer, marketing and communications manager for the Austin Animal Center, said the main reason pets aren’t vaccinated is lack of access to treatment, mostly driven by vet costs.

Generations of Govalle Families Unite Behind Their Endangered School

byNoemi Castanon

Govalle Elementary School opened its doors to East Austin families in 1931. Now, after 94 years of educating generations of East Austin families and serving as the center of their neighborhood, the school could be closed if its accountability rating does not change by the next academic school year.
The families that have called Govalle home for generations have weathered two threats of closure or major changes in the past decade. This fall, the Austin Independent School District proposed transforming Govalle from a neighborhood school into a Montessori-styled elementary that could draw students from throughout the school district. But community opposition to the plan helped to persuade officials to remove Govalle from a plan to close 10 schools and alter others.

New Graduate Workers Union Fights for Better Pay and Protests the College Compact

byRachel N. Madison

or the past two months, the University of Texas’ newly formed Graduate Workers Union has been advocating for better treatment, pay and rights of graduate student employees. And now it is joining other student groups in opposing a deal with the Trump administration that would transform the university’s governance structure.
“A union is a commitment by workers at a workplace to stand together with each other to be treated the way they deserve to be treated in terms of compensation and working conditions,” said Sociology Ph.D. student and union member Noah DiAntonio.

Students Demand Protection of Ethnic and Gender Studies as UT Weighs Trump Compact and Consolidation

bySamantha Rubin

University of Texas students Monday urged administrators to reject the Trump compact on higher education and to stop a possible consolidation plan of the College of Liberal Arts they say could erase ethnic studies, women’s and gender studies and several language departments. “When I arrived at UT as a freshman, our campus looked completely different,” […]

Reporting Texas TV – Nov 13, 2025

Journalism students at the University of Texas at Austin produced their fourth newscast for the Spring 2025 semester. Our mission is to empower students with hands-on journalism experience while providing our audience with insightful coverage of campus events, local news, and issues that matter most. By fostering a collaborative environment, we cultivate the next generation […]

Austin Officials Warn of Rising Wildfire Danger as Dry Weather Continues

byZach Cook

Months of below-average rainfall have pushed Austin into a stretch of dry weather that officials worry could lay the groundwork for wildfires. Austin and Travis County issued preemptive disaster declarations on Oct. 20 after watching vegetation dry out and winds increase. Fire crews say the move is meant to get ahead of any outbreak rather […]

Why Student Voter Engagement Matters in Off‑Year Elections

byElla Denena

November 4th marked Election Day — an off-year ballot allowing Texans to vote on several constitutional amendments. “With constitutional amendment elections, you’re actually voting on the words that are going to be in the Texas Constitution,” said Joshua Blank, Research Director of the Texas Politics Project. “You’re going to be sitting down and making a […]

Independent Writers Find Their Voice at the 30th anniversary of the annual Texas Book Festival

by Harper Burgy

As the Texas Book Festival marked its 30th anniversary, hundreds of readers filled the Capitol grounds in downtown Austin to celebrate stories and the writers behind them. For independent authors, the two-day event wasn’t just about selling books; it was about being seen, heard, and finding a place in Texas’ growing literary community. Every fall, […]

Paving the Way: UT Austin Celebrates Its First-Generation Trailblazers

byLucero Corona

From navigating financial aid to moving away from home, many UT Austin students are entering new territory as first-gen students. Nationwide, First-Generation College Celebration Day is observed on November 8, but at UT Austin, the pride lasts all week. The university hosted its 7th annual First-Gen Week, with events and activities held across campus. Today, […]

Austin ISD Faces Pushback Over School Closure Plans

byOlivia Ahrens

Austin ISD is moving forward with plans to close several schools next year, despite growing resistance from parents, teachers and community members. The district has scaled back its initial proposal from 13 campuses to 10, but families continue to attend board meetings and rallies, urging officials to slow down and reconsider the closures. Outside AISD […]