Cover Story
Texas Wins
Polls were encouraging, betting sites were bullish, but state Democrats still went into election night guarding their hearts. After all, how many “Turn Texas Blue” hopes have been raised over the years, only to be dashed on the seemingly impenetrable rock of GOP rule in Texas? And yet, what once seemed improbable, if not impossible,…
News
Texas Impact Heads Back to the UN’s Climate Change Conference
The international community will gather November 9-20 in Antalya, Türkiye, for the 31st United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties, also known as COP31. As in years past, Texas Impact will be participating in the COP as the only state-level, faith-based credentialed NGO observers and sharing video with the Chronicle from…
Art in Public Places Panel Votes to Keep Artworks in Collection
A pending decision about whether or not to remove two artworks from the city of Austin’s collection, which would likely result in their destruction, raised broader questions about the city’s capacity to be a reliable art steward for the Art in Public Places panel on Nov. 2. The panel, consisting of volunteer visual arts professionals…
The Week’s Biggest News in Brief: Oct. 29 – Nov. 4
Blue Wave in Texas: Wishes were granted for Texas Democrats on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as Dems across the board dominated Republicans who have controlled the state for decades. Shockingly, Gov. Greg Abbott conceded to soon-to-be Gov. Gina Hinojosa around 10pm on election night with millions of votes still yet to be counted. House Rep. James…
Will Texas Execute a Mentally Ill Man?
Last month, the state of Texas executed Jamaal Howard, a man who showed evidence of serious mental illness at the time of his crime and who was treated for schizoaffective disorder after arriving on death row. Now, state officials are preparing to kill a man for whom there is even more evidence of mental illness…
AISD Redraws Northeast Austin School Zones, Approves Turnaround Plans
Last Thursday, Oct. 29, the Austin ISD Board of Trustees rubber-stamped plans to improve 26 low-rated campuses. They also created an attendance boundary for General Marshall Middle School in Northeast Austin for the first time ever, and redrew the boundary for the overcrowded Linder Elementary. Last fall, the district had embarked on the huge task…
“We Shocked the World Tonight”: Gina Hinojosa’s History-Making Win
In East Austin, just after 10 o’clock on election night, Gina Hinojosa’s face appeared on the jumbo screens with a check mark next to it. With about 64% of votes counted, Gov. Greg Abbott had ceded the Texas governorship to her. The room imploded with joy. The screaming was deafening. In front of me, an…
Austinites Reject Proposition I’s Call for Third-Party Audits
As we waited at election night watch parties for Travis County’s early voting results to drop, everyone the Chronicle spoke with had the same prediction: Proposition I would win, but the vote would be close. No and no. Prop I, which would have enshrined a program of ongoing audits of city government into the City…
Three Out of Five Austin City Council Races Go to Runoff
District 1 With so many strong candidates in the six-person race, this was always going to end in a runoff. Amber Goodwin and Misael Ramos will be in it after pushing ahead of the field on Tuesday, each with about 34% of the vote. “The fact that we are 73 votes separated from Amber –…
Talarico’s “Politics of Love” Wins Him the U.S. Senate Seat
Over 30 years in the making, Texas is sending a Democrat to the U.S. Senate after James Talarico defeated Attorney General Ken Paxton in commanding fashion by nearly 10 points. Since he announced his candidacy, Talarico has made it clear that his goal is to unite Texans from both sides of the aisle in a…
Music
Music Notes
Denzel Curry Thursday 5, Moody Amphitheater Denzel Curry has dabbled in several rap subgenres in his career. A co-headlining tour with metalcore band Knocked Loose, however, seemed random at first glance. The Carol City rapper featured on the group’s February single “Hive Mind,” which eventually led to their nationwide jaunt. Curry brings his expected intensity…
Just a Speck
Everybody’s got a favorite Willie Nelson song, role, anecdote, or show, and the more obscure the better – remember when he played James Caan’s father figure in Thief? Especially for us lifelong Texans, those gems usually correspond directly to a core memory, like a sweaty show in my hometown while uncomfortably pregnant and prickly. At…
Font Finds Cohesion, Dissent on American Bully XL
Thoughtful dissonance and intentional melodies are the twin engines of experimental rock outfit Font – so it’s no surprise when our interview temporarily devolves into a theoretical debate over vulnerability in music. “What making a record is, effectively, is showing your ass the entire time,” asserts multi-instrumentalist and producer Anthony Laurence. Whether that record sounds…
New Rules, New Lineups, and New Touches in the Works
Kingdom Nightclub, the 600-capacity dance floor on Red River, is now officially phone-free. The electronic music club began requiring patrons to cover their smartphones’ rear cameras with stickers upon entrance on October 19, writing “We invite you to be present, to let go and to lose yourself in the music,” in their Instagram announcement. Phone-free…
Arts + Culture
Technological Nightmares
Hey Chat, summarize THE EGG. The egg is a calcified shell composed of protective proteins encasing an embryonic… No. Chat, summarize the original script THE EGG by Noah Masterson and presented by The Zahir, premiering October 2026 at the Rosette theatre in Austin. Masterson’s THE EGG showcases a not-so-distant future where megacorp/government agency/person “Agnes” (Danu…
Just a Speck
Everybody’s got a favorite Willie Nelson song, role, anecdote, or show, and the more obscure the better – remember when he played James Caan’s father figure in Thief? Especially for us lifelong Texans, those gems usually correspond directly to a core memory, like a sweaty show in my hometown while uncomfortably pregnant and prickly. At…
Run for the Water Marks Its 20th Anniversary
In 1993, Gilbert Tuhabonye survived a period of ethnic killings in the East African country Burundi, when the Hutu majority persecuted Tutsis. Tuhabonye remembers being forced into his high school while a mob set the building on fire. He spent at least eight hours trapped in the flames, praying for God to rescue him. Then,…
Screens
La Bola Negra Review: Love Is a Battlefield
An opening credits sequence doesn’t just tell you who did what. It can teach you how to “read” a film, too. In the case of La Bola Negra, the credits unfurl alongside archival images of early 20th century Spain, only the black-and-white photos – including of strapping men in military uniform – have been squiggled…
Godzilla Minus Zero Review: One Monster Battle After Another
It’s 1949: Two years after Godzilla wrecked Japan’s Ginza district, and four years after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and a new threat has emerged. Unlike Godzilla, who came from the skies, this beast came from a pod that fell from space. For this sequel to 2023’s kaiju masterpiece Godzilla Minus One, writer/director Takashi…
Once Upon a Time in Harlem Review: Late to the Party
In August of 1972, an invitation was sent out to a select few for a cocktail party at the home of Duke Ellington. Filmmaker David Greaves was the architect of the gathering – the guy with the bright idea to get on camera the surviving movers and shakers of the Harlem Renaissance and capture them…
Fantastic Fest Review: Littermates
Post-apocalyptic films tend to be expressions of the id of a nation. Most American end-of-the-world films are about a steadfast belief that the old order can somehow be recreated. The Mad Max films are Australia embracing its inner carnage. But British films of the end times are much gentler, as the characters keep calm and…
Wild Horse Nine Review: Hit Men on Holiday
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Two hit men comically bicker and philosophize while nestled away in a strangely unfamiliar and out-of-the-way setting. Narratively, Martin McDonagh’s latest film, Wild Horse Nine, could be the flip side to his 2008 film In Bruges. Both films are pure fiction anchored by unforgettable performances and mordantly…
Columns
Qmmunity: Offline Under Blue Skies
November begins with an email I received asking if I’d be interested in letting all the Qmmunity listings data be scraped for a National Days calendar. This was because I wrote about National Coming Out Day, which the emailer ascribed to me “clearly keep[ing] up with national days.” Yeah, man. That’s the singular reason for…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Pork was once the national dish of Spain because it discouraged Muslims and Jews from living there; both religions discourage eating pork. Ernest Hemingway found Toronto, Canada, boring. The red poppy pins common in the UK were first sold in 1921 to help ex-servicemen from World War I and surviving families. In the battlefields of…
The Luv Doc: A Real Red Flag
Dear Luv Doc, I have been with my boyfriend for nearly two years. We don’t have a lot of conflict, but whenever I bring up a problem that I think needs addressing, my boyfriend gets really defensive and argumentative. Instead of discussing the issue I bring up, we will end up arguing about my choice…
Day Trips: Copper Shot Distillery, Bastrop
Copper Shot Distillery harvests every drop of rain it can to make its smooth Texas whiskey and moonshine. This year the Bastrop craft distillery turns 10 years old. The groundwater is too hard to make whiskey, says Steve Todee, who runs the distillery with his wife Cheri. Instead, they catch the rain off the roofs…
Feedback: November 6, 2026
Spineless Cowards Dear Editor, Anytime a politician is seeking reelection, and facing opposition, the incumbent should relish an opportunity to convince the voters of his/her arguments for staying in office. A one-on-one discussion of issues with an opponent is especially useful to voters. Arguments are made in person and get immediate rebuttal as opposed to…
Austin FC’s Future Comes Into Focus Amid Playoff Elimination
With Election Day behind us, the eyes of our great nation now shift to MLS Decision Day, where 12 of 15 Western Conference clubs remain in the hunt for a playoff spot on the season’s final day. Unfortunately for Central Texans, Austin FC is not among them. The Verde and Black’s playoff hopes officially died…
Fun + Games
Free Will Astrology
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): How long has it been since you’ve meandered around a library? I’m old-fashioned about books, so that experience is high on my list of pleasurable adventures. I enjoy searching for specific books but I also love browsing the shelves without a fixed destination. Both approaches are valuable, though browsing often produces…
