Austin

Austin's rules on short-term rental units – those vacation rentals on apps and sites like Airbnb and Homeaway – are under fire at the Texas Capitol. House lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on a bill that would override the city's ban on properties in residential areas that aren't owner-occupied.

We want to hear from you about the people around Austin you want to know more about — or the people you think the rest of us should.

Are there people in your life you see all the time, but have never actually met? Sure there are.

Austin-based conspiracy theorist Alex Jones admitted in a newly published video deposition that he believes 26 people were killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting and that "a form of psychosis" made him believe it was staged.

The Texas Relays are back in town. The annual NCAA track and field contest hosted by UT Austin always draws hundreds of athletes and fans – and some street closures. But that won't be the only congestion this weekend. On top of that, there are a couple of 5K runs, a kite festival, a music festival and a political rally smack dab in the middle of downtown for some guy named Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke. All those events will close streets.

Here's a map of all the closures:

As the City Council celebrated Austin's no-kill animal-sheltering policy today, volunteers running the city's shelter called the goal "unsustainable." 

Homelessness increased 5 percent in Austin over last year, according to the results of Ending Community Homelessness Coalition's annual census. 

The survey, which was conducted overnight on Jan. 26 by about 500 volunteers, found 2,255 people experiencing homelessness on Austin streets and in shelters, compared to 2,147 people last year.

A new study shows immigrants have an outsized impact on Austin’s economy.

Overall, 4.8 million immigrants in Texas paid $34.8 billion in taxes and had an economic footprint of $109.9 billion, according to an analysis of 2017 census data from the bipartisan immigrant advocacy group New American Economy.

"The first thing we need to do is remember and give a prayer" for the victims of the serial bombings last year, Austin Mayor Steve Adler told community leaders and others gathered at City Hall on Thursday for a memorial service on the anniversary of the bombings.

UT Austin has been named in a class-action lawsuit over a national, $25-million college admissions scandal that has led to scores of indictments across the country – including the university's men's tennis coach, who was fired yesterday.

Update: Spamarama will make its return this year, the event's co-founder says, on July 6 at Moontower Saloon in South Austin. 

Spam, the canned meat product, helped Allied soldiers win World War II and later helped baby boomers and their parents stretch that food budget a little further.

But Spam also served as the centerpiece of one of Austin’s odder and more popular festivals: Spamarama.

A day after his indictment in a wide-ranging college admissions scandal, longtime UT Austin tennis coach Michael Center has been fired.

UT Austin men's tennis coach Michael Center has been arrested and charged with mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud in a wide-ranging, multimillion-dollar college admissions scandal.

Dear Austin,

I have a confession to make: I have misled you. It’s not something any reporter wants to say, but here we are.

I did it in a story I wrote a few years ago, after a listener asked about Austin’s claim to be the “Live Music Capital of the World.” 

The challenge: Getting to South by Southwest 2019 – or avoiding it altogether – with as little pain and suffering as possible.

We're here to help. But you should know, getting around during this year's fest may be a little bumpier than before.

The Austin Police Department released information to federal immigration officers 581 times in 2018 and asked one detained person about their immigration status, according to a report from Austin Police Chief Brian Manley.

Environmental groups have announced their intention to sue the Texas Department of Transportation over how it has managed construction of its MoPac Intersections highway expansion project in Southwest Austin.

Texas lawmakers on Thursday advanced a bill that would prevent a city from requiring private employers to give their workers certain benefits, such as paid sick leave.

An audit out today of homeless service providers in Austin says the city doesn't always hold them accountable.