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Top 10 News Stories of 2023: Austin vs. The State of Texas
In our Top 10 biggest stories this year, a theme emerged
Redbud Ice House Blooms in Former Contigo Space
MaieB Hospitality partners with Batch Beer & Kolaches for new concept
Rooster Teeth Cancels RTX 2024
No annual convention for the local streaming studio
Only 2% of Community Complaints About Austin Police Led to Discipline in 2022
Office of Police Oversight report highlights its lack of authority
Austin FC Announces 2024 MLS Regular Season Schedule
34-match schedule begins on February 24
Texas ACLU Files Suit Over Extreme Anti-Immigrant Law SB 4
New Texas law usurps federal immigration authority, suit claims
APD Officer Indicted for 2022 Killing of Tech Entrepreneur in South Austin
Daniel Sanchez faces deadly conduct count
Craig Stewart, Emperor Jones Founder and SXSW Alum, Has Died at 53
Stewart also ran the Trance Syndicate label with husband King Coffey
Christmastime Yum, New Year’s Noms, Jo’s Spikes Coffee Winterwise, Hoboken Pie Ventures Beyond Pizza, and More
All the news that’s fit to get your taste buds quivering.
Top 10 Most Popular Screens Stories of 2023
Rooster Teeth still rules the roost, even in the strike year
UPDATED: Austin FC Trades Nate Jones for General Allocation Money in MLS SuperDraft
UTRGV’s Bryant Farkarlun selected in second round
Travis County’s Criminal Court Judges Skeptical of APD’s New Plan for Bail Hearings
Judges sent a letter to the city with their concerns
Free Week 2024 Just Got Tastier
Red River restaurants announce discounts
Top 10 Festival Films of 2023 You Haven’t Seen Yet
From the Toxic Avenger to school shootings, the best of the fests
Killer of Unarmed Immigrant Gets a Unique Sentence
He’ll spend victim’s next 10 birthdays behind bars
In Polarizing Times, a Young Politician and Climate Activist Urges Communication, Collaboration
VIDEO: “Democracy is dialogue”
APD Kills Armed Man, and Three Bystanders Are Injured in East Sixth Street Shooting
One bystander is in critical condition
Playing The Sacrifice Game
Director Jenn Wexler and producer Heather Buckley on seasonal scares
Austin ISD Names Matias Segura Lone Finalist for Superintendent
Two standing ovations at Dec. 14 meeting
The Ameripolitan Awards Return to Austin for Ceremony’s 10th Anniversary
Ray Benson, Augie Meyers, and Flaco Jiménez will be honored Feb. 18
American Fiction
Cord Jefferson’s literary comedy lets the Black middle class shine
Wonka
Roald Dahl’s candy king gets a flavorless and cloying origin story
Breaking Down What the HOME Initiative’s Passing Means for Austin
Council approves HOME phase one, looks ahead to phase two
Paxton’s Impeachment Circus Continues Into 2024
Dan Patrick’s denunciation of the House decision to impeach confirms entire trial was tilted in Paxton’s favor
Travis County Diversion Center Design to Begin in 2024
Getting people in crisis out of jail is “a long time coming”
State Education Agency Dogs AISD Over Special Education Backlog
Austin ISD gets a state monitor
Headlines / Quote of the Week
Garza on the Chopping Block?: Using the “rogue prosecutor” law passed this year, a former Travis County man – Jason Salazar – has petitioned to remove District Attorney José Garza, though Garza’s office says the petition is “meritless,” primarily because the man has a pending criminal case. He also was a former Republican candidate for…
Drag Ban Defeat Was One Bright Spot in a Harrowing Year for LGBT Texans
SB 12 declared unconstitutional
Ascension Nurses Strike Again
The nurses express optimism going into bargaining
Qmmunity: Top Five Scene Shakers
Qmmunity counts five major queer scene shake-ups in 2023
Hung Jury in Christoper Taylor Murder Trial Means New Trial in 2024
Taylor killed Michael Ramos in 2020, D.A. will retry case
The Verde Report: Top 10 Reasons for Austin FC Optimism in 2024
In a league as fickle as MLS, a club’s fortunes are never more than one offseason away from pulling a full 180
The HOME Initiative Represented Council’s Most Significant Housing Changes in Years
Renters and young families advocated for changes to increase affordability
Kimberley Jones’ Top 10 Films of 2023
1) 20 Days in Mariupol This harrowing, you-are-there document of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is essential viewing – and you can watch it for free on PBS Frontline’s YouTube channel right now. 2) Maestro Simply, the moviemaking that most made my heart sing this year. 3) Asteroid City Wes Anderson’s stealth masterpiece smuggled a…
American Fiction, American Reality
Cord Jefferson is putting the Black middle class back on the screen
The Biggest News in Austin Food in 2023
Looking back at a year of snafus, slices, expansions, and transplants
Bonus Bad News: I-35 Expansion Will Be a Thorn in Austin’s Side for Years to Come
Expensive, environmentally destructive, and unpopular plan persists
Josh Kupecki’s Top Ten Films of 2023
1) Monster Who is the monster? Not surprisingly, they crop up everywhere in this ever-shifting mystery. 2) Fallen Leaves A gloriously low-key romance. 3) The Delinquents: Sublime absurdity served in generous helpings 4) Anatomy of a Fall I plead guilty to finding a kindred spirit in Sandra. 5) Showing Up: Portrait of an artist as…
Free Will Astrology
Your weekly horoscope, December 15-21
The Year Began With a New City Council and a New City Manager
After tussling with Council, Spencer Cronk got canned
Marjorie Baumgarten’s Top 10 Films of 2023
1) Killers of the Flower Moon Some of filmmaking’s best combine talents for this magisterial drama about American treachery. 2) Maestro Sensitive and invigorating, this biopic of Leonard Bernstein breaks all the rules. 3) Oppenheimer The dawn of the atomic age writ small and large. 4) Zone of Interest The banality of evil is on…
Alejandra Martinez’s Top 10 Films of 2023
1) Killers of the Flower Moon Essential examination of the evil, banal nature of white supremacy. Lily Gladstone deserves the world! 2) Poor Things Weird, wonderful journey toward self-actualization that relishes bodily pleasures and the complications of being human. 3) Past Lives How do we say goodbye to the people we once called home? Devastating…
Austin’s Best Food and Drink Events This Week
Dinner parties, farmer’s markets, beer, wine, and more for the week of December 14, 2023
Top 10 Beers Defining Austin in 2023
Austin’s best beer flight
Steve Davis’ Top 10 Films of 2023
1) Oppenheimer A big, bold, and beautiful film about the atom bomb. Christopher Nolan is the man. 2) The Holdovers Alexander Payne revives the Seventies’ humanist vibe in this waggish film about three lonely souls. 3) Past Lives Destiny brings two Korean childhood friends together again in this affecting debut by Celine Song. 4) May…
Matthew Monagle’s Top 10 Films of 2023
1) How to Blow Up a Pipeline Activism masquerading as the perfect heist film. Or was it the other way around? 2) The Holdovers Wanted to spend the rest of the month in this movie. 3) Asteroid City Margot Robbie’s best work of 2023. 4) May December Nobody plays people trapped in a performance like…
Arts Events
Art galleries, theatre, comedy, dance, and more
Texas Abortion Advocates Sue for Reproductive Rights
Manning new battle lines in the fight for legal abortion
UT Teaching Assistants Fired Over Letter Supporting Palestinian Students
Faculty lend their support, citing censorship concerns
Jenny Nulf’s Top 10 Films of 2023
1) Poor Things A sexy, sublime twist on the Frankenstein mythos, adapted from Alasdair Gray’s acclaimed novel. Rich and textured, this film is unlike anything you’ll see all year. 2) Past Lives The final shot of this movie will be on my mind until the end of time: the quiet grief of what could have…
Community Events
Local events, volunteer opportunities, kids’ activities, and more
Top 10 Dishes We’ll Miss, Plus 2024 Openings We’re Excited About
Fare thee well, and pleased to meet you soon
Under New TEA Requirements, Austin ISD Meetings Are Flying By
50% of meeting time must be focused on student outcomes
Glasshealer’s Face-Peeling “Brace Yourself” and Five More Songs From Austin Artists
New music picks from Pelvis Wrestley, 8BIT WIZRD, Magna Carda, and more
Austin’s Best Wheat-Free Joints in 2023
Top 10 gluten-free glimmers
The Luv Doc: A Bad Look From Any Angle
If you want to get to greener pastures, you’re going to have to slip past some barbed wire
Top 10 Memorable Moments in Austin Theatre
After theatres shuttered in 2020 due to the pandemic and attempts at reopening were stalled by a Delta variant surge and subsequent Omicron-fueled cancellations, 2023 ushered in the production of full season lineups and the return of shows previously put on hiatus. And so, every raised curtain and completed run this past year has been…
State Trooper Deployment Targeted Black and Brown Neighborhoods with Unclear Effect on Crime
APD-DPS partnership lasted for four controversial months
The Top 10 Films of 2023
May December, Past Lives tied in the affections of the Chronicle’s critics
Oops!
In “State Health Care Agency Urging 55-Hour Christmas-Themed Work Weeks” (News, Dec. 8), we had several regrettable errors. We stated Gov. Abbott “did not recommend the hiring of more people or make any plan” to address application processing; while he did not recommend the hiring of more permanent positions, the Legislature appropriated funds for raises…
Top 10 Local Comedy Stories of 2023
New venues, new faces, new experiments
The 10 Best Things I Drank in Austin in 2023
Cheers to staying thirsty
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Scientists in Argentina are strapping plastic bags to the backs of cows to trap methane gas released due to flatulence. Three generations of the Kennedy family have made the ¾-mile swim from Olasana to Naru in the Solomon Islands. John F. Kennedy did so in August 1943 after his crew’s PT boat was sunk. Daughter…
Review: Austin Playhouse’s Murder on the Links
Agatha Christie’s 1923 mystery gets a surprising remake as a farce
Austin Voters Overwhelmingly Adopt Police Oversight Ordinance
But the fight to enforce it was only beginning
Richard Whittaker’s Top 10 Films of 2023
1) Oppenheimer Science, war, politics, and pettiness combine in this landmark film. 2) Maestro Bradley Cooper effortlessly conducts the man and the century. 3) American Fiction The year’s funniest and most touching film acknowledges the Black middle class exists. 4) The Iron Claw A tragedy so heartbreaking that it has to be true. 5) The…
Top 10 Events for the Day-Tripper
The annular eclipse passed over Texas on Oct. 14, giving us a reason to look up. The Great North American Eclipse passes over Texas on April 8, 2024. A “heat dome” parked over Texas in July and August. The 45-day streak of triple-digit temperatures shattered records, and the record-breaking heat worsened a drought that closed…
Ascension’s Year of Lawsuits, Strikes, and Strife
Can the hospital giant’s reputation ever recover?
The Chronicle’s Favorite Austin Albums of 2023
Ten music writers reflect on the records they loved this year
Opinion: Everything’s Bigger in Texas … Until You Look at Supportive LGBTQ+ Public Policies
“I should feel safe, secure, and confident in myself to be a gay Texan student”
Walker Lukens’ The Last Walt and More Crucial Concerts This Week
Looking for the best shows happening in Austin this week? Check out the Chronicle music team’s handpicked “Crucial Concerts” below or in the paper every Thursday. And for our complete listings of upcoming live music events around town, head to Chron Events. The Last Walt Paramount Theatre, Friday 15 Let’s clear up any confusion about…
JuiceLand Expands, Wax Myrtle’s Prepares to Close, the Museum of Ice Cream Goes Pink, Oseyo Debuts a Fantastic Brunch, Garbo’s Welcomes Santa Claus, and More
All the news that’s fit to get your taste buds quivering
