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Two street murals in Austin were paved over last week at the behest of state leaders who’d threatened to pull federal transportation funds if the city didn’t act. How much will it cost? And what street art remains?
High prices for beef aren’t being driven by the New World Screwworm — at least, not yet. The U.S. contains the fewest cattle since 1951.
Austin-based filmmaker Edna Diaz has spent time in Mexico highlighting feminist voices working to bring attention to the rising amount of femicides there. We talk with her about her new documentary short, “Sangre Violenta, Sangre Violeta.”
Another summer book recommendation to knock out that KUT reading bingo challenge.
Plus: a few headline mentions in the show today:
- Texas is among the states being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention amid a food-borne illness outbreak.
- Applications opened today for the Austin Arts Culture, Music and Entertainment grant program
- All city park and library facilities are operating as cooling centers during normal business hours amid 90 degree heat this week.
Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org
The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:08] Two street murals in Austin were paved over last week at the behest of state leaders, who’d threatened to pull federal transportation funds if the city didn’t act. How much is this going to cost, and how many other of these murals remain out there? And high prices for beef aren’t being driven by the New World screwworm, at least not yet. The real reason why? That’s coming up on today’s show.
KUT Announcer: Laurie Gallardo [00:00:30] The Austin Signal is a production of KUT News, hosted by Jerry Quijano.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:35] And Austin-based filmmaker Edna Diaz spent time in Mexico highlighting feminist voices working to bring attention to the rising amount of femicides there. We’re gonna talk about her new documentary short, Sangre Violenta, Sangra Violeta, plus another summer book recommendation to knock out, that KUT Reading Bingo Challenge. Those stories coming up next right here on Austin Signal. Thank you. Howdy out there, you are listening to Austin Signal. I’m your host Jerry Kekano, it is Tuesday, July 7th. Thank you for tuning in. The city of Austin paved over two murals on city streets last week, the Black Artists Matter painting on East 11th, and the Texas crosswalk on Guadalupe here near UT’s West Mall. The removals come at the behest of state leaders who had threatened to pull federal transportation funding if the city did not comply. KUT transportation reporter Nathan Bernier has been following the developments and he is here now with the latest. Hi, Nathan Hey, Jerry, so tell us we’ve seen a couple of these artworks now paved over Why is the state requiring the city to remove these artwork?
Nathan Bernier [00:01:49] I mean, really, it goes to like a philosophical disagreement about what belongs on public roadways. I mean if you think about it, most of our public space around us is roads and cities. It’s not even close if you compare it to parks. And so on the one side, you have people who feel like, well, because roads are a shared space, they should really reflect local culture and values. On the other hand, you’ve got people who say, well roads should all be uniform, exactly the same because they believe that that’s safer. And then those who support public art on roads say, well. You’re using those rules to, as a pretext to silence local culture, particularly marginalized communities. And then you go back to those who oppose art on roads and they say, no, that’s not true. Roads should not reflect any individual community or value. And so, you know, you can see how this maps onto conservative and progressive politics in the United States. So back in the summer of last year, what happened was the U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy put out what he called the Safe Roads Initiative. And part of that was telling every governor in the country to strictly follow rules in what is referred to as the traffic engineers Bible, the manual on uniform control devices, which says, this is what a stop sign should look like. This is what I write turn arrow should look like and then in October, governor Abbott told cities and counties, okay, you got to remove all the roadway markings. He said, quote taxpayer money should not be used to quote advanced political agenda on Texas roadways. And as you said, if he threatened to take away transportation funding from cities that didn’t comply.
Jerry Quijano [00:03:15] And that funding, what is it used for?
Nathan Bernier [00:03:18] All kinds of stuff. I mean, for Austin, it’s tens of millions of dollars a year. Everything from road maintenance, utility relocations for highway projects, potentially actually for us, for us for Austin a $25 million boardwalk on Lady Bird Lake too. So a range, a range of different things and Austin didn’t want to lose that money.
Jerry Quijano [00:03:35] Nathan, I believe a while back you did a story that highlighted a lot of these murals, not just the two that were recently paved over. What are some of that currently remain, and is there a timeline for removing those?
Nathan Bernier [00:03:45] Yeah, so there’s the Rainbow Pride Crosswalks at 4th and Colorado. This is, of course, a neighborhood that has long served as a hub for LGBTQ light knife in Austin, installed in 2021. That’s going to be taken down by the end of July. The traffic circle at East 22nd and Salina, that is also by the end of the month, and another smaller one at 53rd and Avenue H, although that appears to be just like a community thing, there’s no city permit for that one. Those will all be gone by the end of July, according to the city. Now, there were some artworks that Textodd said the city could keep if it installed curbs and stuff, but the city said, we don’t have money to do that. So there’s some art at Joe Sayers Avenue between Ulrich Avenue and Thecla, and another piece at Arroyo Seco and Jim Hogg Avenue. Those are gone. And some crosswalks on Lamar Square Drive that were installed, but they’re not ADA compliant. So the city says it doesn’t have to install curb ramps. So those will also be gone by the end of the month. One more. There’s the river crosswalk on Lake Austin Boulevard It’s basically the normal white lines, but there’s some squiggly blue lines underneath. And so the city told TechStat, look, this is technically a city of Austin public artwork. So they’re waiting for the city council to vote in August, August 27th. And they said after the council votes to remove it, then they’ll get rid of it within a couple business days.
Jerry Quijano [00:04:59] Okay, you mentioned money a couple times. How much money is it going to cost to eventually take all these murals down?
Nathan Bernier [00:05:06] I asked the city that and they said they don’t know yet, but they’re tracking the costs as they occur and then they’ll be able to report a more accurate number after all the work is done.
Jerry Quijano [00:05:15] All right, we have been speaking with Nathan Bernier. He is KUT’s transportation reporter. We’ll have a link to more in today’s podcast. Show notes, Nathan. Thank you as always. Thank you, Jerry. Beef prices at the grocery store are already high, but they could rise another 10% by the end of the year, that is according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And no, this is not being driven by the New World Screwworm, at least not completely. Texas Andert’s Michael Marks reports on a more serious culprit, the size of the cattle population.
Michael Marks [00:05:55] The U.S. Cattle herd is at its smallest since 1951, according to the USDA. That’s a big reason why ground beef hit a record $6.89 per pound earlier this year. The cattle population has gone down for six straight years, and industry watchers like Daryl Peel say it could keep shrinking.
Daryl Peele [00:06:14] We still don’t know for sure that we actually have a low in place yet that would allow us then to turn around.
Michael Marks [00:06:19] Peele is an Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist at Oklahoma State University. He says that the U.S. Cattle herd generally expands and contracts in a predictable cycle when there are few cattle available. Like right now, ranchers can profit.
Daryl Peele [00:06:34] We’ve got essentially record high prices for cattle and for beef right now.
Michael Marks [00:06:38] Those high prices normally incentivize ranchers to grow their herds. We are not seeing that happen. But I think there’s some good reasons we’re not. David Anderson is a professor and extension livestock economist at Texas A&M University.
David Anderson [00:06:54] One is, you know, we continue to have drought problems around the country where we produce cows. So that’s a problem. It just prevents you from growing.
Michael Marks [00:07:04] Steady rains throughout much of Texas this spring have helped, but a lot of cattle country is still stressed from long-term drought. Again, here’s Daryl Peele of Oklahoma State.
Daryl Peele [00:07:15] Starting in about 2021, really late 2020, up until even current times, we’ve had lots of drought conditions, pretty much all over the country at some point in time. And so that forced producers to do more liquidation than they planned, than they would have because of the normal cattle cycle.
Michael Marks [00:07:33] Lack of available water can force producers to sell animals. Year after year of drought also has a compounding effect on pastures. They grow less grass, so ranchers can’t stock them with as many cattle.
Kevin Buse [00:07:46] I’ve had to shrink my own cow herd to adjust to the feed that’s available.
Michael Marks [00:07:52] That’s Kevin Buse of Herford in the Panhandle. He’s a rancher and the CEO of Champion Feeders, which buys cattle from ranchers then sells them to meat packers after the animals gain weight. Although ranchers are benefiting from the high price of cattle, it’s causing headaches for feedlot owners like Buse and for meat packer, which process the animal and package its beef.
Kevin Buse [00:08:15] I’m very concerned about where we’re at with regards to Packers shuttering plants, it’s an extremely big deal.
Michael Marks [00:08:25] The scarcity of cattle has cut into their bottom line. This year, meatpacking plants in Nebraska, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee have closed or reduced operating hours. The presence of the New World screwworm has made the problem worse. To try to prevent the pests spreading north from Mexico, the USDA suspended the trade of livestock across the border in May of 2025.
Kevin Buse [00:08:49] You know, with us closing the Mexican border, that shut out a million to 1.3 million head a year for us in the Texas panhandle, that’s caused considerable amount of adjusting.
Michael Marks [00:09:02] If more packing facilities close from year after year of scarce cattle, that could drive beef prices up even higher. Peele thinks that’s possible in the near future.
Daryl Peele [00:09:12] At this point in time, particularly with very little prospects that cattle inventories are going to grow anytime soon, I would not be surprised to see some additional adjustments as we go forward. It’s never clear exactly, you know, who would do that or where or how, but it’s certainly a distinct possibility.
Michael Marks [00:09:30] People are still buying as much beef as they ever have, though, even with the high prices. Economists are monitoring whether that stays true as the cost continues to rise. I’m Michael Marx for the Texas Standard.
Jerry Quijano [00:09:43] Checking in on a few of today’s headlines, Texas is among the states being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention amid a foodborne illness outbreak. The CDC says between May and mid-June, 145 people were sickened by the disease caused by a microscopic parasite called cyclospora. Investigators haven’t yet identified the source of the illness, but past outbreaks have been linked to fresh produce, including herbs and berries. Applications open today for the Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment Grants program, also known as ACME. The program will dole out more than $23 million in grant money to Austinites involved in the arts, music, cultural and heritage industries. And it’s going to be a warm one this week. Temperatures will hit highs in the upper 90s every day, and the city of Austin is reminding folks that all city park and library facilities are operating as cooling censors during normal business hours. Small chance of rain in the forecast later in this weekend, but the chances have already dropped since yesterday. So we’ll keep you updated on the latest right here on Austin Signal and KUT News. We will be back after this break.
Olivia Aldridge [00:11:05] You’re listening to Austin Signal. My name is Olivia Aldrich. I’m KUT’s healthcare reporter, and in my spare time, I’m working my way through our field guide to Austin’s summer reading bingo challenge. So far I’ve got about four squares checked off on my card, and if you need some book recommendations to help you make progress on your own bingo card, here’s a couple for you. Okay first up, a classic, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, that’s my current read-in process. This is admittedly not exactly a breezy beach read, it is one of the novels that pioneered the modernist stream-of-consciousness style, but you know what, it’s set in the month of June, so the summer connection is there, and now’s a great time to give this a try if you’ve always had it on your list. My next recommendation and really my forever book recommendation is My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. Unfortunately we can’t all take PTO for an Italian vacation this summer, but we can visit Naples vicariously through Ferrante’s novels. This is a timeless story about girlhood and the complexities of female friendship, written in really gripping unmatched prose. It’s the first in a four book series, which is just gorgeous and so compelling all the way through. You can get your own bingo card and find out more about the KUT Field Guide to Austin Summer Reading Challenge at KUT.org, or click the link in today’s podcast show notes. I’m Olivia Aldridge, and this is Austin Signal.
Jerry Quijano [00:12:53] Austin-based documentary filmmaker Edna Diaz has spent some time in Mexico highlighting feminist voices working to bring attention to the rising amount of femicides in the country. The increase of violence and murders of women and girls has pushed many citizens to protest. It’s those voices that Diaz highlights in a new documentary short, which recently premiered on Austin PBS and is available to stream now. It’s called Sangre Violenta Sangre violeta Austin Signal host Miles Bloxson spoke with Diaz on the documentary short.
Miles Bloxson [00:13:26] First, Edna, can you tell us what Sangre Violenta, Sangre violeta means, and why you chose this title for the film? Yeah, so the direct.
Edna Diaz [00:13:35] Translation is violent blood, violet blood. And it’s sort of this like juxtaposition within the title about the violence that is taking place in Mexico, particularly, but around the world, towards women. And then violet represents the color of the movement, the feminist movement, how this color that I think we think of sort of synonymous with things that blooming or just in a more calmer state, sort of juxtaposed by this like bloody violence that is happening and I think there’s a couple of stories within the film that illustrate the narrative of the realities in Mexico and the violence that is taking place in country.
Miles Bloxson [00:14:26] And speaking of that, femicide is a rising problem in Mexico right now. Can you talk a little bit more on that and why you chose to focus your doc on this resistance? Yeah, so…
Edna Diaz [00:14:37] So we came to the story kind of just like anyone else would have come to this story. We saw the headline of this, the Guacamaya leaks revealing how there was systematic surveillance by the Mexican army towards the feminist groups and that was just really eye opening and alarming to see and not only that, they also categorized them is more dangerous than some of the cartels in the country. And, you know, when you think of a feminist group, you think about activism and equality and justice and, you, know, that was just like mind blowing. And so it, but it also felt very large and very distant as a story and a headline. And we wanted to sort of zoom in to the specifics and the individuals being affected in Mexico. And so that’s kind of how we approached different feminist groups. Don Jorge, which is the father of a young girl that was killed, and then Marielena, which is a saxophone player in the film. And could you tell us about…
Miles Bloxson [00:15:42] The gentleman you open the dock with, the father.
Edna Diaz [00:15:44] Yeah, so Don Jorge was very open and excited to shed light on his story and to, like, keep the memory of Nicole alive. And she was seven at the time, and, you know, turns out she was murdered by a neighbor, which is in many cases how femicide, you, know, just in general, a lot of the times It’s by the people who are closest to us. And, you know, in the process we were connected to Itzel Analiz, she’s a reporter in Mexico. She is on the ground searching with the families a lot as well. And so she was instrumental in connecting us to him because she covered his story and was searching for his young daughter when she went missing. And, it just so happened that he was having the ceremony at his home around the same time that International Women’s Day is happening. And so we just filmed the two during our visit. And my co-director and I, Arturo Jimenez, he’s not here today, but he’s of course instrumental in pulling this off, but we are based in Austin and the film takes place in Mexico. And so a lot of our pre-production and prep work was over the phone or on Zoom calls. And we didn’t actually meet in person until we filmed with them in Mexico
Miles Bloxson [00:17:06] Yeah, he’s definitely keeping her memory alive. I remember one part of the film, he shows a tattoo on his arm. He was like, your parents say you’re not supposed to get tattoos, but I got one for my baby girl. So that really, really touched me. And as you were speaking, you said like a lot of the femicides happen at the hands of someone close to the victim. We also heard from a musician in this documentary and she was basically the victim of an acid attack. Can you tell us a little bit more about her?
Edna Diaz [00:17:34] Yeah, so Marilena suffered this attack from her former partner and she’s also a saxophone player and again, it’s someone that she knew, someone that was closest to her that she trusted at one point and a lot of times these like domestic acts lead to femicide. We were really grateful that she was willing to share her story as well, and her joy. In sharing her music with audiences and that you can have that duality. She continues to fight, has done incredible work with a reform that now classifies acid attacks as attempted femicides and also provides support for survivors, which is now currently, if I’m not mistaken, a legal or a taken effect in about 20 states in Mexico. So yeah, she’s doing some wonderful work. She’s just recently graduated with her degree in music and we were thrilled to have her participation as well.
Miles Bloxson [00:18:43] After following the different groups you did follow, what was their understanding of why their government chose to rank them so high as a threat above many cartels? Because when I saw cartels versus the feminist groups, I was like, wait, what? They’re ranked higher than some of the cartels. How is this even possible?
Edna Diaz [00:19:03] I mean, I think to a certain degree, it’s just as shocking to them, but there’s also an element of like, yeah, we are, you know, like, we’ve we through the process, we talked about this, like sort of feeding the machine with violence, and then getting violence on the other end, you know, like, sort of this cycle, and particularly with bloque negro, which is the feminist group that we feature towards the end of our film. They’re a more radical feminist group. They’re tending, you know, they tend to destroy buildings and do more damage. And for them, I think they were, they had tried all of the traditional ways, you now? And they, there’s just a point where like, this requires more urgency. We need to be heard. And I think that there’s like a certain level of pride in that too, like yes, we are a threat and you should be listening and you shouldn’t be paying attention. And so that was interesting to learn through the process is there’s just like really fierce and unapologetic and vocal about their desires for equality and justice and You know, going in, I was a little bit worried about… Meeting them for the first time because we had done interviews over Zoom with them masked. And so when we met them in person, it was the first time I was meeting them without their disguise on. So I didn’t know what that was going to look like, what it was going feel like. And I mean, they just received me with open arms and some of the loveliest women that I’ve met and really excited about the work that they’re doing and inspired by the
Miles Bloxson [00:20:56] And the film is just under 15 minutes, right? So what was the benefit of fitting the film into a short? Is it because of people’s attention spans or you were just like, I can tell this story quickly. So I’m gonna do that.
Edna Diaz [00:21:07] Yeah, well, contractually, we had to deliver a 15-minute film, so we had to like pack it all within that time frame. But yeah, we sort of just wanted to give these vignettes of the different stories, the different realities for different people, how feminism itself looks different for all three of our characters. And then we felt like the march was an essential moment that sort of converged these stories. I think it really helped us sort of focus on what wasn’t.
Miles Bloxson [00:21:41] Well, you got this story told and it was so compelling. We’ll have a link to more about the film and how you can watch it in today’s podcast Show Notes. We’ve been speaking with awesome filmmaker Edna Diaz. And thank you so much for talking with us today. Thank you so much. I appreciate your time.
Jerry Quijano [00:21:57] And we’re wrapping up today here on Austin Signal. Coming up tomorrow on the show, unhoused people in North Austin often ride a bus across town to access resources like shelter and food, but a new sensor opening soon could change that. KUT’s Luz Moreno Lozano will have that story for you tomorrow. For now, that is it for us today. We’re gonna have links to the stories we shared with you in the podcast show notes. And there’s more from us at kut.org slash signal. aeyna Sevilla is our technical director. Alexandra Hart is our producer. Kristin Cabrera is our managing producer. And I’m your host, Jerry Quijano. Thank you for making us part of your Tuesday afternoon. Austin Signal is going to be back at the same time tomorrow. We’ll talk to you then. Have a great day.
This transcript was transcribed by AI, and lightly edited by a human. Accuracy may vary. This text may be revised in the future.
