City Cast Austin

For lots of Austinites, the swag one gets for donating to our local NPR station, KUT, is a status symbol. Grackle-adorned totes and socks are practically a currency — this city loves the news station and its sister station, KUTX, which often showcases Austin musicians. But do Austinites love KUT enough to save it? The station is trying to raise $1.2 million to shore up what it lost when Congress r...

Yes, we just saw record-breaking rainfall that brought more rain to Austin in July than we typically see throughout an entire summer. And yes, the reservoirs that hold Austinites’ drinking water are 95% full for the first time since 2019. But that still doesn’t mean you can water your lawn every day — or that the city can take a break from fixing its hundreds of miles of leaky pipes. Host Nikki Da...

Newsflash: Things are expensive, and retailers are hiding costs related to inflation and economic unknowns everywhere they can. Fear not, Austinites, we have a solution for you. This city is full of secondhand stores, vintage popups, clothing swaps, and other opportunities to buy things used. So where do you start? Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by expert thrifter Paula Cox, and Hey Austin newslett...

The world’s richest man may not have the same power he once had in the White House, but Elon Musk has become quite powerful in Austin, at the seat of Texas government. Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Lauren McGaughy, an investigative reporter and editor with the Texas Newsroom, based at KUT, who covers Musk and recently wrote about his secret emails with Gov. Greg Abbott, his fight with West Lake...

This week, Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax unveiled his proposed $6.3 billion budget, which aims to shore up the city's deficit while avoiding a direct call for a tax-rate election. But will it work? Some city leaders are skeptical. On this week's Friday News Round Up, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Hey Austin newsletter editor Kelsey Bradshaw and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec to tell yo...

From morning sets in coffee shops to cumbia yacht rock popups, Austin has a DJ for every interest. Host Nikki DaVaughn caught up with her favorite one, DJ Chorizo Funk, to get the inside scoop on the best venues and events in town, and the do’s and don’t’s every party attendee needs to know.  Learn more about the sponsors of this July 17th episode: Visit Port Aransas Bandera County Convention & Vi...

In Austin, margaritas are more than a mixture of tequila, lime juice, and orange liquor; they’re a summertime survival tool. And with literally hundreds of options in town, finding a good one is probably easier than you think. But, we at City Cast Austin undertook the rigorous task of narrowing down the city’s best — and most overrated — margaritas, and our answers might surprise you. Do you agree...

If seeing the long lines around P. Terry’s Burger Stands during its donation drive, or watching story after story about people killed by the floods is making you tear up on the regular these days, please know you’re not alone. The news in Central Texas has been tragic lately, so host Nikki DaVaughn is joined in conversation by Julie Burke, with Violet Crown Therapy, to get some tips. Burke shares...

Airlines overestimated summer travel, and passenger counts are down — which is great news for you. They’re calling it the “Golden Summer of Cheap Flights," and right now, Austinites can find jaw-dropping international deals. Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Katy Nastro, spokesperson for Going; and Nathan Bernier, transportation reporter for KUT, to talk about what’s new at the Austin-Bergstrom Int...

Today, the Austin Fire Department union will hold a vote of no confidence in the fire chief, Joel Baker, after accusing him of preventing rescue crews from assisting in Kerr County during the devastating Fourth of July floods. Plus, Gov. Greg Abbott added flood safety response to the agenda for the upcoming special session later this month. On today's Friday News Roundup, host Nikki DaVaughn is jo...

In the early morning of July 4th, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning, but two hours later, the swollen Guadalupe River swept camp children out of their cabins at Camp Mystic. A wall of water then flooded the Hill Country and most of Central Texas, eventually killing more than 110 people, including dozens of children. Another 170 people are still missing, and the victims are...

If you’re among the half of all Austinites who rent, you may question the headlines screaming that Austin’s rents have been dropping for months, or that the city is becoming more “affordable.” Truth is, rents are still too high for many Austinites, in part because wages have not kept pace with prices. Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Shoshana Krieger, program director at BASTA, which stands for “B...

The death toll continues to rise from the Fourth of July Central Texas flooding, and Camp Mystic is grieving the loss of 27 campers and counselors. But the main focus of today’s City Cast Austin episode is the massive 65% annual loss reported this year in our local Central Texas honeybee colony over last year, and it turns out, there’s a mite to blame. So, scientists now are experimenting with bre...

Historic rainfall in the Texas Hill Country over the Fourth of July weekend killed at least 67 people statewide, with many others still missing, including some from the all-girls sleepaway camp, Camp Mystic. After bombarding the Hill Country, the rushing floodwater in the San Saba, Llano and Guadalupe rivers kept wreaking havoc downstream, including in Austin, where at least four were killed and o...

Nikki DaVaughn and all 12 other City Cast podcast hosts (from Boise, Chicago, DC, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Madison, Nashville, Philly, Pittsburgh, Portland, and Salt Lake City) compete head-to-head in a high-stakes showdown to answer the question that’s been burning up our company-wide Slack for weeks: which city is the best for a summer weekend trip? From naked bike rides to ‘the country’s bes...

What's up with all these robots in Austin? From Tesla's self-driving robotaxi rollout to a full-on cowboy robot roaming the streets, the city seems to be sprinting into the future, and we've got some thoughts. Host Nikki DaVaughn and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec are popping in for a special midweek news roundup to talk robot takeovers, the stars of Yelp's Top 100 Food Trucks list (spoiler:...

The heat dome is here, and we hope your AC is working. Luckily for you, there are a bazillion things to do indoors this July, and we’ve got you covered right here. Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec and Stephanie Brown, an account executive at Giant Noise, to share their best tips and recommendations for what to eat in Austin this month, what to do right here in t...

Just as soon as Texas lawmakers wrapped up the regular session, Gov. Greg Abbott surprised some by vetoing a highly contentious bill banning nearly all consumable hemp products and calling lawmakers back to hash it, and other bills, out once more. Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, a Democrat representing Austin, to find out what we can expect from the special session that start...

Austin, we have a water problem. A new report from Austin Water showed the city lost 9.3 billion gallons of water last year due to leaky pipes. This news comes as we continue another month of drought and as Texas' water supply dwindles. On today’s Friday News Roundup, host Nikki DaVaughn chats with Hey Austin newsletter editor Kelsey Bradshaw and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec to discuss it a...

Snack season is officially here, and no one's doing it better than Central Texas brands. From tangy frozen treats and juicy fruits to fizzy drinks and crave-worthy chips, Austin-based food start-ups are dominating the grocery aisles— and not just H-E-B's! Host Nikki DaVaughn, sits down with local snack expert Emily Hill to break down the newest treats hitting the shelves and why it's worth spendin...

With summertime in Austin comes insects and bugs of all shapes and sizes, all of which do NOT appeal to host Nikki DaVaughn. But if anyone can change her mind, it's Entomologist Wizzie Brown with Texas A&M's ArgiLife Extension Service, who loves cockroaches so much she got a tattoo of one. Brown exposes Austin's bug life, breaking down the good, the bad, the ugly, and the summer stunners in our lo...

In order to shore up a $33 million budget deficit without making deep programmatic cuts, Austin taxpayers may soon be asked to vote to increase taxes, Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes tells City Cast Austin. In an interview at Austin City Hall with Executive Producer Eva Ruth Moravec, Fuentes talked about the tough discussions she’s expecting to have during this year’s unprecedented budget season, al...

Whether you love it or, like host Nikki DaVaughn, hate it, AI is here in Austin to stay. From the tech giants like Meta, Google, X, and Microsoft to new startups that open up shop every single day, we’re home to hundreds of companies and thousands of techies working on the next era of artificial intelligence. But how does it impact Austinites? Who’s paying attention and providing oversight into ho...

City Cast hosts are on the pulse of what’s happening in our communities. So Nikki DaVaughn and all 12 other hosts sat down with City Cast CEO David Plotz to talk about creative local problem solving that might work in your hometown too and to commiserate about stressors affecting most of our cities, from unaffordable housing to bike lanes. Learn more about the sponsors of this June 20th episode: T...

Once a month, Austinites gather at The Living Room: Storytime for Grownups to share their stories in front of a live audience. Local writer, director, actor, and former professor Amparo Garcia-Crow created this space for creativity and connection 15 years ago, and she's still the host. Garcia-Crow joins executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec to talk about the story of Austin, her take on the local ar...