Cover Story
The Vicious Cycle of Homeless Camp Sweeps
The sun pushed down, bright and insistent, on the bridge above the encampment. Following a dirt path on the north side of St. Elmo Road, we dropped to a cool, shaded space. Figures reclined on a concrete skirt under the bridge. The concrete ran somewhat level for 8 feet, then sloped steeply to a dead…
News
AISD Proposes Cutting 558 Positions, Changing Bus Transportation, Selling Campuses, and More
On May 28, the last day of school for students, Alexia Haywood, bilingual librarian at Austin ISD’s Uphaus Early Childhood Center, received a letter from her principal notifying her that she may not have a job next fall. “Your current position … has been identified as a potential reduction for the 2026-2027 school year,” the…
One Year After Texas’ Deadliest Flood, Scientists Have Life-Saving Suggestions
In the wee hours of Independence Day last year, parts of the Guadalupe River rose by 2 feet in five minutes. In an hour, the water had risen more than two stories. Submerged trees toppled under the force of the current. Entire houses were torn from their foundations and floated away. Heavy-duty SUVs crumpled like…
The Week’s Biggest News in Brief: June 4-10
Austin Logo Battle Continues: Late last year, Republican PAC Save Austin Now filed a lawsuit against City Manager T.C. Broadnax. The suit came after the city sent a cease-and-desist letter to the group after it parodized the blue and green logo, replacing “Austin” with “Audit,” having pushed for a third-party audit of city spending since…
Texans, Food Banks Struggle With SNAP Cuts
The day before Tina’s husband suffered a brain injury that left him permanently disabled was the last day either of them ever worked. That was three years ago. Her husband, Neil, was left bedridden and nonverbal, and now requires round-the-clock care. Tina, who asked that their last name be omitted out of concern for their…
Austin Prepares for Heightened Tourism as World Cup Kicks Off
Eight years ago, it was announced that the 2026 World Cup would take place in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. That day has finally arrived, as the first of 104 matches get underway Thursday, June 11. Between Houston and Dallas, Texas will host 16 of those matches. And despite the fact that no games…
Music
Magna Carda Evolves Their Sound With inninoutcheamind
Back in March, jazz rap duo Magna Carda released their latest – and arguably most impressive – album, inninoutcheamind. The synergetic tag team of producer Dougie Do and rapper Megz Kelli move at their own tempo, so it’s fitting they continued their musical evolution by returning to their sonic beginnings. They’ll play an album release…
Music Notes
Big K.R.I.T. Friday 12, Emo’s Big K.R.I.T. returned last year with Dedicated to Cadalee Biarritz, a swift-moving album made in tribute to his personal Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz. The 2025 release full of odes to slab culture contains expectedly crafty lyricism from the Mississippi rapper. “The Everliving Sub Knocker” rattles with Earth-shattering bass: “If I pop…
Arts + Culture
Family History Proves Fertile Artistic Ground
Warm and wet, it waits underground. Doesn’t matter how deep it’s buried, how far down it’s hidden in the dark crannies of the earth. Rot becomes verdant. Moss and mushrooms, lichen leeches toward the sun. The growth manifests. But what’s growing? Literal fungi, like the kind ingested at the beginning of Glass Half Full’s Frutos…
Screens
Jinsei Review: Traveling Over Many Years and Many Names
At the start of first-time feature director Ryuya Suzuki’s animated film Jinsei, our protagonist reveals the last time he was called by his birth name. The circumstances are tragic but in Suzuki’s unique visual style, they’re also a little funny, a little weird, and a lot interesting. Thus begins the 10-chapter tale of a man…
The Furious Review: Hit ’Em Everywhere It Hurts
A truly pan-Asian affair, The Furious is a curious hybrid of Indonesian action flick brutality and Hong Kong two-fisted sentimentality. Half The Raid: Redemption and half Armour of God, the influence of The Raid is obvious from the casting of that film’s breakout stars, Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian, who are reunited to bonecracking effect.…
Disclosure Day Review: Close Encounters of the Emotional Kind
As I was leaving the Austin press screening of Disclosure Day, the new sci-fi drama from Steven Spielberg, there was an astronomical phenomenon. A rare conjunction, with Venus and Jupiter seemingly within touching distance of each other, two bright spheres the only visible celestial bodies in the night sky. And my only thought was, “Wow.”…
Food
The Many Sides of Rosewood Social Club
As a Southern woman of a, cough, certain age, I contain multitudes. I love red meat, especially burgers, but I’m equally obsessed with vegetables and have been since childhood. I cook pretty healthily at home but gravitate toward beefier pleasures when dining out. I also hate to admit that my husband is right about one…
Columns
Day Trips: OroBianco Italian Creamery, Blanco
OroBianco Italian Creamery in Blanco makes gelato like you have never had before. Unlike most frozen desserts, theirs is made with rich water buffalo milk. Adam Thompson, the little creamery’s new owner, says the main difference between OroBianco gelato and others is that it has less air, which means more of the creamy delight in…
The Luv Doc: Softly. Slowly.
Dear Luv Doc, I considered asking AI but then decided for a real intelligent answer. Is the song “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John about masturbation? – Mae B. Hai After giving this careful consideration, I thought, “There’s only one way to get a definitive answer. I’ll just telephone Bernie Taupin and ask him myself.” That,…
Feedback: June 12, 2026
Listings Loss Dear Editor, I’m deeply concerned about the lack of arts listings in the printed edition of The Austin Chronicle. It was such a wonderful resource to the community. What happened? How can these listings be reinstated? I fear that people are losing out on an important aspect of Austin culture. Rose Potter Setting…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Have you won the lottery lately and did you come from a humble background? Some would call you nouveau riche. You’re also a parvenu. When lava/magma congeals it turns into an extrusive igneous rock such as basalt, obsidian, or pumice. According to actor Mark Williams, who played Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter films, his in-real-life accountant…
Austin FC Lands Lauded Coach Jim Curtin for 2027
There will finally be some proven, winning know-how in the Austin FC technical area next season. The club this week announced the hire of former Philadelphia Union mastermind Jim Curtin to be the Verde and Black’s third permanent head coach. Curtin, a former MLS All-Star center back, helmed the Union from 2014 to 2024. In…
High and Outside
By the time you’re reading this, it will be mid-June. The temperature is creeping steadily toward the 90s, Love Island USA season 8 is underway, and my ankles have become a feasting ground for ants and mosquitoes alike. (Seriously, if anyone wants to recommend me an effective bug spray, I’m looking for a plug.) Although…
Opinion: I’m a Teacher. Even With the School Phone Ban, I’m Still Battling for Kids’ Attention.
As the first school year under House Bill 1481 comes to an end, I am here to tell you that it doesn’t matter that kids no longer have their phones in class. They’re still just as distracted as ever. If we truly want to see an improvement in modern education, it’s imperative that we also…
Qmmunity: Bridging the City Government Gap
Hey, Austin reader: Did you know that there’s a specific group in our local city government meant to advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community? Perhaps you haven’t checked in for a LGBTQIA+ Quality of Life Advisory Commission meeting – which happen every third Monday at City Hall, 6:30pm – but their work is all about your…
Fun + Games
Free Will Astrology
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Dear Oracle: Why do we always have to start at the beginning? I’d much prefer just jumping into the middle of things. Right now, I would love to bypass all the tedious baby steps I’m being forced to take as I try to get some momentum going. Please slip me a…
