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June 18, 2026

Capital Factory founder Joshua Baer dies in plane crash

By: Austin Signal

Joshua Baer — founder of the tech investment company Capital Factory and described as the “godfather” of the Austin startup scene — died in a plane crash this week on his way back to Austin. We’re learning more about the crash, the investigation and about Baer’s larger impacts here.

Summer break is well underway for the Austin school district, but teachers and staff from 10 closing schools are thinking about life at a different campus next school year. How one math teacher made the decision to retire.

Plus: A preview of the Black Auteur Film Festival that’s happening this Saturday.

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Episodes

June 18, 2026

Capital Factory founder Joshua Baer dies in plane crash

Joshua Baer — founder of the tech investment company Capital Factory and described as the “godfather” of the Austin startup scene — died in a plane crash this week on his way back to Austin. We’re learning more about the crash, the investigation and about Baer’s larger impacts here. Summer break is well underway for the Austin […]

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June 18, 2026

Austin ISD improves STAAR scores as Spanish speakers fall behind

Students in the Austin school district outperformed state averages in most courses during the recent round of STAAR testing, with some scores surpassing pre-pandemic levels — but there are still groups of students falling behind the state standard. How the district is planning to address that. It’s been a rough few years for the craft brewing […]

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June 16, 2026

What next after UT Austin fires KUT head Debbie Hiott

KUT Public Media General Manager Debbie Hiott was fired Monday by leadership at UT Austin. The dismissal followed a dispute ahead of KUT’s inaugural festival in May and comes at a time when public radio stations across the country are dealing with mounting financial and political pressures. Today, the university named an interim general manager […]

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June 15, 2026

Floodgates opened amid heavy rain in Austin area

Flooding this morning in the Austin area caused road closures and a water rescue and even necessitated the lifting of floodgates on the Colorado River. As the city of Austin tightens the strings on its upcoming budget, nonprofits are bracing for even more cuts. Austin Current’s Sam Stark chats with us more about the groups […]

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June 12, 2026

Round Rock girls flag football team plays for state title

Plans to put a border wall in the Big Bend region have been taking shape, and a co-founder of the outdoor brand YETI is connected with a ranch involved in those plans. Some Taylor residents are proposing an ordinance aimed at creating stricter regulations for data centers in the city. What they’re asking for. The Austin airport […]

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June 11, 2026

How to protect your pets from New World screwworm

With confirmation of cases of the New World screwworm in Texas, plenty of focus is on the potential impact on the state’s cattle industry. But they’re not the only animals vulnerable to the parasite. We’ll have some prevention tips. Texas Republicans dominated the primaries by going all-in on the MAGA movement. Now they have to […]

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June 10, 2026

Local food influencer gives peek at new docuseries ‘David Eats Everywhere’

More than 60,000 Austinites work in the city’s food industry. A local nonprofit wants to help these food workers get health insurance. We’ll tell you about their work. Peaches from Fredericksburg may be harder to find because of yet another warm winter. We’ll have more from the Texas Hill Country. An Austin food influencer is […]

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June 9, 2026

Judge to decide whether Camp Mystic lawsuits can be settled out of court

A judge in Travis County is expected to decide soon whether Camp Mystic and its owners can settle wrongful death lawsuits out of court stemming from last year’s deadly summer flooding. The families want jury trials, but the owners want arbitration. Visitors to Big Bend National Park are hoping to catch a glimpse before the […]

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