Austin

At UT's Ransom Center: Sports, Literature, and Why a 60 Year Old Baseball Game Still Matters

Natalie Krebs — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:57:33 +0000

Willa Cather and Don DeLillo are literary names not primarily associated with sports writing.

However, Cather, who attended the University of Nebraska and was an avid football fan, penned in 1894 a short ghost story about football titled "The Fear That Walks at Noonday." In 1997, DeLillo’s “Underworld” was famously framed by the 1951 National League Championship game between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Should Austin Bury I-35? Proposal to Reconnect City Gets New Look

Hady Karl Mawajdeh — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:57:40 +0000

As the Texas Department of Transportation looks for ideas for the future of I-35, one vision is being proposed that could drastically alter Central Austin.

The so-called “Cut & Cap” plan, which was proposed by urban designer and architect Sinclair Black, would submerge I-35 underground from River Street to Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, and cover the highway with an urban boulevard and a park.

Watch: What It's Like to Be a Black Student on a Mostly White Austin Campus

Filipa Rodrigues and Joy Diaz, KUT News — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:30:47 +0000

To celebrate Juneteenth, KUT News is bringing you voices from Austin's black community.

Nneka Waturoucha is a 19-year-old University of Texas student. Her father is American and her mother is Nigerian. While she grew up around minority communities in Houston, she’s still assimilating into the predominately white West Campus area.

OneWest Bank to Lay Off More Than 700 Workers in Austin

KUT Staff — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:27:34 +0000

A business in Austin is laying off hundreds of employees. OneWest Bank has notified the Texas Workforce Commission that intents to lay off more than 700 employees in Austin.

The California-based company is a mortgage services provider with offices in the Domain complex.

First Person: Young, Black and Hispanic in Austin

Filipa Rodrigues and Joy Diaz, KUT News — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:20:00 +0000

To celebrate Juneteenth, KUT News is bringing you voices from Austin's black community on their past, present and future.

Carlos Wilson is a young Austinite whose heritage is rooted in Central America.

"I imagine that people aren't going to care about what your heritage is and they're just going to think that we're all the same in the future."

Austin History Center's Juneteenth Tour of African-American Heritage

Filipa Rodrigues and Joy Diaz, KUT News — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:19:33 +0000

A series of Juneteenth celebrations kicked off this weekend, celebrating the day in 1865 when slaves in Texas learned they were free. To honor these celebrations, KUT News is telling a series of stories about the history of the African-American community in Austin.

Photos: ROT Rally Weekend 2013

Wells Dunbar, KUT News — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:56:57 +0000

Another Republic of Texas Biker Rally has come and gone.

In contrast to years past, this year’s ROT Rally was marred by fewer deaths and injuries. Only one death was reported – on Thursday, when a woman fell off a motorcycle into a guardrail on Interstate 35. Austin/Travis County EMS have listed all its motorcycle incident responses over ROT Rally weekend.

Street Closure Map: 2013 ROT Rally and Juneteenth Parade

Emery Reifsnyder and Gefei Liu — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 19:02:44 +0000

The Republic of Texas (ROT) Motorcycle Rally comes to Austin for the 18th time this weekend. It kicks off Thursday morning at the Travis County Expo Center and runs until noon on Sunday.

Several roads close early Friday evening for the event, including Congress Avenue between East 11th Street and Cesar Chavez Street. The ROT Rally Parade will also close roads from the Travis County Expo Center to downtown, beginning around 8 p.m. Friday.

With Tube Rentals, East Austin Beach Not So 'Secret' Anymore

Andrew Weber — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:09:56 +0000

Some secrets, it seems, are worth sharing.

This Memorial Day, a company called East Side Tubes began offering tube rentals and shuttle service just west of the Longhorn Dam on the Colorado River – services similar to those on the San Marcos River or the Comal River in New Braunfels. But new tubers may arrive to the chagrin of those frequenting the area colloquially known as “Secret Beach.”

Austin's Redistricting Commission Gets Filled Out Tonight

Joy Diaz, KUT News — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:58:17 +0000

Austin’s new Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is expected to be fully in place tonight. That’s the group of Austin residents who will draw the city’s first geographic council districts.

Last November when voters approved the charter that changed the city’s form of government from at-large to geographic, they also approved the establishment of the commission in two steps.

After Deadly 2012, What's Austin Doing to Make ROT Rally Safer?

Sebastian Herrera — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:45:00 +0000

The 2013 Republic of Texas (ROT) Bike Rally is starting today. And safety is a concern.

According to the Austin Police Department, 2012's ROT Rally weekend saw in 175 crashes, 95 injuries, 104 DWI arrests and five deaths – three of which included motorcycles.

Asian Population Growing in Austin, Across the U.S.

Rachel Adams-Heard — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:33:20 +0000

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows the Asian population is booming across the country – and in the Austin area.

In Travis County, the number of people identifying themselves as Asian increased by close to 10 percent between 2010 and 2012.

Austin Honors Soldier With Young Spirit Who Died in Afghanistan

Veronica Zaragovia, KUT News — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 05:20:57 +0000

The nickname Carmen Reigoux had for her 30-year-old brother Job still makes her laugh.

"We would call him Dumbo, my little brother called him Master Splinter because you have a pointy nose like a rat, and the big ears," she recalled.

But, she says, he was also very handsome.

Video: Hip East Austin Church Gets Nod from 'New York Times'

Natalie Krebs — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:02:40 +0000

An East Austin church is evolving to match the way Austin worships.

Vox Veniae, which is affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church, began as part of the Austin Chinese Church for Asian Americans and Asian immigrants to worship. But it has since grown into a very diverse environment. It now has worshipers come to its Sunday service that are white, Latino and African American.

First Person Account of Turkish Protests in Istanbul (Update)

Reshma Kirpalani — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:37:21 +0000

Editor’s note: Reshma Kirpalani is a multimedia journalist who worked as a KUT News intern for several months, including the period of the Central Texas wildfires. She is currently in the Turkish city of Istanbul. Kirpalani visited Taksim Square earlier today – the center of widespread protest against the Turkish government – and filed this report. This post has since been updated.

Istanbul awoke to somber, gray skies on Wednesday morning after a night of increasing violence in Taksim Square. Deep into Tuesday night, protesters renewed their efforts against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Edroğan's regime, one many have come to view as increasingly authoritarian over the past decade.