Letters are posted as we receive them during the week, and before they are printed in the paper, so check back frequently to see new letters. If you'd like to send a letter to the editor, use this postmarks submission form, or email your letter directly to [email protected]. Thanks for your patience.

Dear Editor,
    The Austin Chronicle has been a vital media source for me for more than 30 years, covering many subjects I care about. I scanned the Jan. 26, 2024, issue with interest, to see what changes were coming. In a world where newsrooms and coverage continue to melt away, I was trying to remain optimistic. But ... no. There was no movie review section, and no cinema listings. Come on people! Is this the plan going forward? I am profoundly disappointed.
    When it comes to regional political and economic developments, or music scene coverage, there are alternatives. But for movie listings? There is no print alternative. I urge you to rethink this change.

   Editor Kimberley Jones replies: Do not panic! There were just no new major releases opening in Austin last week. You'll find a film review in this week's issue, albeit looking a little different than you're used to. And you can always find showtimes and reviews online at austinchronicle.com/film.

Dear Editor,
    Hello, as an avid Chronicle reader, I admire your new format. However, I would greatly appreciate your bringing back the movie section please! I consider myself a real cinephile, and I instantly missed the movie reviews and locations listed of the various films released during the current week. Thank you for listening to my appeal, and I am sure there are many more Chronicle readers who feel the same. Thank you again, and I hope to see your movie review section restored soon!

   Editor Kimberley Jones replies: We're still covering movies! There were just no new major releases opening in Austin last week. You'll find a film review in this week's issue, albeit looking a little different than you're used to. And you can always find showtimes and reviews online at austinchronicle.com/film.

Dear Editor,
    Sorry to see you go.
    Every week for 20 years I’d grab the Chronicle, quickly go through the listings on music, art openings, classical music, dance, and what you now call Qmmunity, set up the next week’s possible entertainment, then read your editorials, letters, and stories – right down to the Love Doctor. Now it is “go down the tree structure” instead of “read the phone book." Two hours to do what used to take 10 minutes, paging through 120 Friday music events then going on to 120 for Saturday, etc.
    Hell, some nights I’d just get bored, open the paper and say, “Will it be the Continental Club (up or down), Radio Coffee and Beer, Donn’s Depot, the Sahara Lounge, or some jazz place I’ve never heard of on the Eastside?" Sad to say, no longer possible.
    I’d hoped that you would see the opportunity there; partially automate the listing, stay with the small type, reduce the labor input, and use 1/3 of the screen for ads. That would be a software package that could be cloned in the other 50 cities in the U.S. large enough to make it pay. It works by giving the “sellers” (the music venues, the art institutions, the theatre, classical music, and LGBT organizations) accounts and make them fill in the database of time, day, event, etc. You just take the formatted data and publish.
    And if you can’t identify one “I want to make a name for myself and get into shows for free” talented young person in love with punk, drag, classical music, art openings and the like … well then you think that people like the ones who used to write for the Chronicle no longer exist. Margaret and Steve Moser are still out there waiting to get quasi-famous and quasi-laid.
    The least you might try to do for people like me is to simply “publish the database”: 120 characters, maybe 50 lines/page of events and a scroll and the rest of the space for the related ads, and see which choice the readers prefer. And a good UT CS major intern to make it happen. I seriously believe that, just as with Craigslist, the software is what matters and the content just rests on top of it … potentially in many cities.
    Of course Nick is now old and tired, the money is elsewhere, and the building has been eminently domained.
    I watched the Village Voice and the Washington, D.C., free newspaper go down the same route to oblivion. And the political loss … wait till you see who funds your replacement.
    In any case, good luck. I’ll miss you.

Dear Editor,
    Josh Reynolds has been providing The Austin Chronicle with crosswords for as long as I can remember. I cannot remember that long ago, but it's been years at least. I have done nothing but be disappointed by not only the clues, which frequently include M*A*S*H references and German language translations, but also the frequency of repeated clues. There is no critical thinking involved at this point if you've done any of his previous puzzles. I held my tongue for years as I watched him reuse and abuse hints. My tipping point finally occurred during last week's crossword, which I breezed through with ease. A little too much ease. After about six or seven words, I realized not only did he reuse his clues, but this time, recycled the entire crossword. I went and cross-referenced a previous crossword from six weeks prior, and a word for word bastardry of a replication appeared before my eyes. If he is being paid for these weekly, he is ripping off all of Austin. The crossword is one of my very few joys in life, and J Reynolds making a mockery of me and my time won't stand. I implore you to search your hearts and find it in yourself to fire him, and have him barred from ever typing another reference to Rene Russo from Lethal Weapon.

Dear Editor,
    As a visitor to Austin over the New Year’s holiday, I attended the annual Polar Plunge at Barton Springs. When leaving I read a plaque with the history of the area. It appears that Mr. Barton arrived in the area in the 1800s with his family and his slaves to plant cotton (if I’m remembering correctly). So I was surprised that there hasn’t been a change in the name as we continue to rid ourselves of Civil War heroes and slave owners. Maybe we can attribute the name Barton to Clara Barton – or Barton Simpson 😉.

Dear Editor,
    All hail Tyson Cole. When I married my wife, Cash Edwards, in 1989, we discovered a shared affection for sushi. Back then, there was one place we knew of to get sushi in Austin, and that was Kyoto. We would eat there often; it was a time when you could still park on Congress Avenue and the Japanese sushi chefs gave it an air of authenticity. But, it was a restaurant where you always checked the bill because invariably an extra item or two was added, almost every time. Still, the sushi was pretty good, the sake was hot and the Kirin beer was cold. On one visit, there was a new chef behind the counter, a very young and friendly white guy, and he recounted the story that he had been working in the back for some time and the place had finally let him come to the front. He was our first white sushi chef, and he brimmed with an obvious love of the food and an exceedingly friendly demeanor. So, we always sought out seats in front of Tyson, and the magic began. We even noticed that those “extra” items quit appearing on the check. When Uchi opened several years later, it was just down the hill from our house, and proved to be something entirely new. The hostesses always seem to remember your name; even the valet parking crew is happy and welcoming. Tyson definitely created a restaurant experience that was completely unique to Austin, from top to bottom. And that continues today. Cash likes to say, “Tyson Cole changed the world.” Thanks to the Chronicle for telling his story ["Uchi's Tyson Cole Gets Hai All the Time," Jan. 19]. Irasshaimase! And now I’m hungry for some unagi and walu walu.