Cover Story
Return of the MACC
When I was 16 years old, the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center gave me my first job. As part of the center’s new youth internship, we came in on weekends to cut pieces of multicolored glass, puzzling together the likenesses of Selena Quintanilla and Dolores Huerta. A food truck on Rainey Street gave…
News
Plans for Caps Over I-35 Survives Another Threat to Downsize
Council Member Ryan Alter made a plea last March that sounded like something from a Frank Capra movie. With the city’s Cap and Stitch plan at risk of being downsized, Alter beseeched his colleagues to think about Austin’s future. “This is not about what happens in the next four years or 10 years,” Alter said,…
Recapping the Last Council Meeting as Members Break for Summer
It’s not just schoolkids who get summer breaks – City Council gets them too. Our local representatives sprinted through a 100-plus-item agenda last week and are now off until mid-July, when they can begin wringing their hands over next year’s budget. Here are a few of the items that got passed. The most contentious item…
Has TEA Set the Stage to Take Over Austin ISD?
Austin ISD has done its best to safeguard the district against takeover by the Texas Education Agency. Back in March, AISD proposed what’s called an 1882 partnership to the TEA, which, if accepted, carries benefits that would have prohibited the state agency from taking over the district for the next two years. Per Senate Bill…
E4 Youth’s Augmented Reality Offers a Step Into Historic East Austin
The short walk I took from Figure 8 on Chicon down to East 12th, dirty matcha in hand, became a minor audit of streets that no longer belong to the people who built them. East Austin in 2026 reads today as a near-complete replacement project, offering no quarter, with a careful arithmetic of who gets…
The Week’s Biggest News in Brief May 28 – June 3
Texas Secretary of State Resigns: Jane Nelson announced on Tuesday, June 2, that she is stepping down from her position as Texas secretary of state, the state’s chief elections officer, after three and a half years serving in the position. By law, Gov. Greg Abbott is now tasked with nominating an individual to fill the…
Music
Armadillo Records Returns With Greezy Wheels’ We Come We Go
Armadillo Records was a lesser-known offshoot of the legendary Armadillo World Headquarters in the institution’s Seventies heyday, but new stewards Emily Gianopoulos and Trey Watson are hoping to usher in a new era for the imprint, starting with a fresh album from Austin’s definition-rejecting pioneers, Greezy Wheels. “It is a final reward,” says the band’s…
Gerry Van King, King of Sixth Street, Dies at 72
Gerry Van King, crowned the King of Sixth Street, passed away at Christus Santa Rosa hospital in San Marcos last week at age 72. From the late Eighties through the Aughts, Van King could be found in sunglasses and a plastic crown, playing original blues-funk songs in front of Jazz: A Louisiana Kitchen (now BBG’s…
Music Notes
Hungry Hill Foundation Benefit Thursday 4, Sahara Lounge Soul Man Sam Evans joins the Little Elmore Blues Band onstage for this event helping unhoused Austinites on the Eastside. Mac Mcintosh supports. Big Freedia Friday 5, Mohawk Upon releasing 2025 full-length Pressing Onward, Big Freedia demonstrated elements of bounce music and gospel music can be successfully…
Arts + Culture
Serving Legacy, Looks, and Rebellion at the Majestic Ball
Ballroom culture remains loud and proud here in Central Texas with the fifth annual incarnation of the Majestic Ball. Created by the Paramount Theatre’s Ryan Thompson, the Ball is a party packed with queer POC talent. That includes Austin’s own Diamond Dior Davenport tributing pop icons like Rihanna or Beyoncé, special guest performances such as…
Enter Through the Gift Shop
“I never really liked galleries to start with,” grumbles a holographic rendition of British stencil artist Banksy. In an offshoot room of “The Art of Banksy Without Limits,” a traveling exhibit which opened at Fair Market on May 29, the hooded artist lurks in a projected shadow. His statement is ironic, given that visitors hear…
Making Their “MARK”
“MARK” at Women & Their Work offers a fairly straightforward premise: a group exhibition oriented around drawing as a “central mode of expression.” It acts as a continuation of the series launched with 2023’s “Clay Matters” and replicated for 2025’s “Form Works” – both also were group exhibitions that found anchor points in a specific…
Screens
Power Ballad Review: Perfect Disharmony
The most pivotal scene in Miloš Forman’s 1984 musical epic Amadeus has the young and arrogant Mozart take the old, staid Salieri’s “March of Welcome” and, with a few flourishes, transform it into the jaunty “Non più andrai.” The moment is about a purveyor of prosaic art realizing he is in the presence of genius,…
Columns
The Common Law
I moved out of my apartment and the landlord has not returned any of the security deposit. I’ve reached out to the landlord but have not received any response. Do I have rights in this situation? Texas law provides protection for tenants in this situation. The Texas Property Code states that the landlord must return…
Qmmunity: The Butch Is Back
Happy Pride month to one and all! Over the past year or so, I moved away from the interview format this column used to have – mostly because I took on more writing responsibilities in our larger Calendar section. But since June is a special time, I felt it called for special columns! So Qmmunity…
Feedback: June 5, 2026
Suggestion Box Dear Luv Doc, I saw where you’re over circulation after reading “Mystery Juice” [Feedback, May 29] and wanted to suggest another location to have a stand. I’m talking about the newest HEB location in Pflugerville located at Pflugerville Parkway and 130 Toll Road. I know the other Pville HEB locations have a stand…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Have you been stung by a plant with stinging hairs or nettles? If so, you’re a victim of an urticant. If you’re reading news headlines that could have been generated by AI, it’s just pink slime journalism. Katherine Marshall, wife of George Marshall, the World War II general who later became secretary of state and…
Day Trips: Singing Water Vineyards, Comfort
Singing Water Vineyards is an oasis hidden in a valley outside of Comfort. No matter if you’re a wine drinker or not, this is a retreat worth seeking. The drive to Comfort, about two hours west of Austin, inspires an appreciation for the beauty of the Hill Country and an acknowledgement of how it is…
The Luv Doc: The Undermotivated Boyfriend
Dear Luv Doc, Me and my (live-in) boyfriend have been together nearly three years and we are still bad at communicating. I am always feeling like I am the only one putting in any effort into our relationship. I constantly have to ask him to help with cleaning, picking up clothes, cooking, etc. Anytime we…
Top Storylines to Watch at the FIFA World Cup
For the first time in over three decades, the FIFA World Cup has landed on U.S. soil. Over the next six weeks, Earth’s most important sporting tournament will unfold across our (and Canada’s and Mexico’s) shores as 48 nations compete for the chance to lift a 14-inch gold trophy and achieve the closest thing our…
Fun + Games
Free Will Astrology
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Neurologist Oliver Sacks said, “I am haunted by the density of experience.” He meant that every moment contains far more richness than we can fully register or remember. This observation will be especially relevant for you in the coming weeks. Your mind (and heart!) will be flooded with an abundance of…
