Moody Center
Carter Johnston / Design by Zeke Barbaro
Volume 44, Number 16
ON THE COVER:
news
After Years in Jail for a Crime He Was Never Convicted of, Cyrus Gray Is Free ... for Now
Living in the free world, but the case just won't go away
BY BRANT BINGAMON
Headlines / Quote of the Week
Another Big Year for Austin’s Transit Overhaul
Project Connect will hit milestones and legal battles in 2025
BY BENTON GRAHAM
Mike Siegel Prevails Over Gary Bledsoe in Low-Turnout Runoff
73% fewer votes cast in the runoff than the general election
BY AUSTIN SANDERS
Fernando de Urioste Wins At-Large Austin ISD Seat
AISD gets union-preferred trustee
BY BRANT BINGAMON
City Council Says Goodbye to Three Members in Last Meeting of the Year
Council wraps up 2024 and prepares for 2025
BY AUSTIN SANDERS
Council Says Hello to New Austin Energy Plan
Carbon-free by 2035, but using fossil fuels for now
BY AUSTIN SANDERS
Wish List
Your guide to charitable giving
food
Restaurant Review: Austin’s Very Own Saltt
Gulf Coast cuisine served with a smile
BY MELANIE HAUPT
music
City Votes to Designate 12th Street Building a Landmark
While a different Eastside venue keeps looking for cash
BY CARYS ANDERSON
Uncle Lucius, Norman BA$E, and More Holiday-Adjacent Live Shows
Crucial concerts for the week to keep you out and about
BY CARYS ANDERSON, JOE GROSS, GENEVIEVE WOOD, JAMES RENOVITCH, AMBER WILLIAMS, DOUG FREEMAN, RAOUL HERNANDEZ, CAT MCCARREY, MICHAEL TOLAND AND TIM STEGALL
Live Music in Austin
BY DEREK UDENSI
Screens
Film Reviews
Homestead
A family retreats to a prepper compound after a nuclear attack
Mufasa: The Lion King
Live-action Lion King story continues with a sequel and prequel in one
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sega franchise returns for a thematically dark and joyless ride
Theater of Thought
Werner Herzog doc asks big ideas about the human mind
arts & culture
Theatre Review: Penfold Theatre’s It’s a Wonderful Life
The hopes and fears of George Bailey’s years, unpacked in a single night
BY CAT MCCARREY
Little Women, Big Games, and More Recommended Weekend Events
Get in the spirit with these arts and cultural happenings
BY JAMES SCOTT, KAT MCNEVINS, CAT MCCARREY, KIMBERLEY JONES, JAMES RENOVITCH AND DEREK UDENSI
Chanukah and Xmas Events for the Family or to Help You Escape Family
Either way, you're having a good time
BY JAMES SCOTT, JAMES RENOVITCH AND CAT MCCARREY
columns
The Off Beat: Resound’s Winter Formal Levels Up to a Holiday Hootenanny
Expanded winter mini-fest touches down at Radio / East
BY CARYS ANDERSON
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
BY MR. SMARTY PANTS
Qmmunity: Homo for the Holidays
We’re trying our best out here, even during the holidays
BY JAMES SCOTT
The Luv Doc: A Solid C-Minus
Mostly unfettered by the haze of inebriation
BY THE LUV DOC
Day Trips: Texas Transportation Museum, San Antonio
Old Steam Engine No. 6 had a role in Texas history
BY GERALD E. MCLEOD
Free Will Astrology
Your weekly horoscope, December 20-26
BY ROB BREZSNY
Feedback
Letters to the editor, published daily
sports
Texas Coach Steve Sarkisian Should Start the Arch Manning Era Now
He’s the roster’s best chance to win at QB against Clemson
BY ERIC GOODMAN
comics
