Austin Signal

June 26, 2026

How many Austin city council votes happen in secret?

The Austin city council approved a plan last month to build new natural gas power generators. One thing that’s still unknown: The price of this new project. It’s estimated to cost more than $1 billion, but the vote approving the plan took place in executive session — behind closed doors. The KUT Newsroom wanted to […]

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June 25, 2026

What you need to know about fire ants

Some hospitals are still denying miscarriage care despite a state law that’s supposed to prevent that. What an Austin-area woman having a miscarriage went through when she tried to get care. Austin voters will decide this fall if they want an outside auditor to check the city’s books. But some city officials say that could be problematic. […]

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June 24, 2026

A Central Texas city eyes desalination to help with water woes

Water is never far from the top of concerns for Central Texans and folks across the state. Down in Corpus Christi, plans for a desalination plant are underway, and one Austin-area city is set to spend half a million dollars for a spot in line to get some of that water. City of Austin leaders […]

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June 23, 2026

New podcast explores aftermath of deadly 2025 flooding

The city of Austin is being sued by a group of Travis County property owners after reversing course on an agreement that would have released nearly 170 properties from the city’s jurisdiction. Sean Hemmersmeier from the Austin Business Journal tells us more. We’re approaching one year since the devastating Fourth of July floods that claimed […]

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June 22, 2026

Water samples from Austin’s Colony exceed limits for heavy metals

A new study from UT Austin found several water samples collected from the Austin’s Colony neighborhood in far East Austin exceeded regulatory guidelines for lead and other heavy metals. For decades, residents in the area have been at odds with its water provider, a for-profit company. The Austin Independent School District board voted in favor of more […]

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June 19, 2026

Juneteenth in Austin: Black History Bike Ride Documentary, Book Festival Preview and Reflections on Freedom

It’s Juneteenth, and it’s time for another trek through town for the Black History Bike Ride. The organization has been hosting the event for a few years now and a new documentary has been made highlighting the mental and physical journey of the ride. We’ll sit down to chat with the filmmaker about the project. […]

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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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