City Cast Austin

In our second “Mayoral Mondays” episode, host Nikki DaVaughn interviews Austin mayoral candidate Doug Greco. A former public school teacher and chief of staff for a state representative, Greco recently stepped down from his role as Executive Director and Lead Organizer with Central Texas Interfaith to run for mayor.  You can find our first Mayoral Monday episode, an interview with Jeffery Bowen, h...

In today’s Friday News Roundup, Kelsey Bradshaw fills in as host to discuss the $2 billion budget recently adopted by Travis County Commissioners, and a potential forthcoming contract between the City of Austin and the Austin Police Union, which puts a new twist on the fight over the police department’s so-called “G files.” Also on the list of topics up for discussion: How LGBTQ-plus Texans spamme...

Texas Longhorn football is entering a new era with its first SEC game against Mississippi State this weekend, and Austinites, you need to get down to campus for this scene. Tailgating has changed now that several surface parking lots around the Texas Capitol are now buildings, and it’s forbidden on the nice, new grassy mall, but there are still lots of options for pre-partying, especially around D...

As the deadline to register to vote in Texas approaches, host Nikki DaVaughn is talking to Valerie DeBill, Vice President of the League of Women Voters of the Austin Area. There’s still time to register to participate in the November election, both as a voter and a voter registrar, and DeBill shares her best tips to help Travis County residents prepare. As she explains, if you don’t vote, the lawm...

Today, host Nikki DaVaughn chats with Amanda from Austin Food Adventures about some of the cozy fall dishes you can find in Austin this season. Even if it’s not cool yet, it will be sometime soon, we promise! So we’ve got the details on what to eat right now, including Amanda’s absolute favorite Austin chicken pot pie, matzah ball soup, ramen, noodles, and panadería.  We’d like to thank Tecovas, w...

Who is Jeffery Bowen, one of five Austinites seeking your vote in just a few weeks to be the next mayor? Today, host Nikki DaVaughn kicks off City Cast Austin’s mayoral candidate series with an interview with Jeffery Bowen. A small business owner, Bowen signed up to run just hours before the deadline, and has served on the Austin Neighborhood Association and the Austin Board of Adjustment. We talk...

Why is Travis County suing the state of Texas? Who can we thank for the dramatic and sad video of Barton Springs Pool’s repairs? And Tuesday is HAAM Day — what exactly is it, and where and when can you see live music? (Answer: Everywhere, and literally all day). We get into all of it today on the Friday News Roundup, with host Nikki DaVaughn, Hey Austin newsletter editor Kelsey Bradshaw, and our g...

We recently explored why dating in Austin sucks for straight singles. But as you may know, the Austin area has one of the country’s largest concentrations of LGBTQ-plus people, and dating is just as hard for us. For today’s episode, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Mase Kerwick, a multi-disciplinary storyteller and one of the hosts of Queertowne, a weekly podcast. We discuss it all — how to find l...

Austin has long touted itself as the “Live Music Capital of the World,” but for many years, there wasn’t much of a safety net to help local artists survive and thrive. That’s all changed now, in large part because of Austin Texas Musicians, which organized musicians behind a push to create The Live Music Fund, the first-ever sustainable public funding for music in the U.S. using hotel occupancy ta...

Fall means flu season, and as Austinites make plans to roll up our sleeves and get the flu vaccine, don’t forget to get the latest COVID vaccine, too. The latest FDA-approved mixture fights a new Omicron strain of COVID that spread through Austin this summer and is recommended for anyone over the age of 6. Last month, host Nikki DaVaughn spoke to Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin Public Health’s medical d...

City officials estimate there are some $25 billion worth of construction improvements currently underway in Austin, projects that will dramatically change the way people move around this growing town. Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Kelsey Thompson, a transportation reporter at KXAN, to discuss the big projects that will impact our area’s planes, trains, and automobiles. Plus, just how much patie...

For this week’s Friday News Roundup, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Hey Austin newsletter editor Kelsey Bradshaw and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec to break down a few stories that caught our eye this week. On our agenda: Barbs B Q in Lockhart wins a place on another prestigious list, a worker at Superstition sues over harassment and unpaid wages, and how to celebrate Diez y seis, the kick-...

Austin skews young, with a median age of 34, and with great weather most of the year and an endless list of things to do, it may seem like the perfect place to find the right mate. But it’s not. And today, host Nikki DaVaughn peels back the layers of dating suckiness with Rose McMackin, a writer who recently penned a story for Austin Monthly Magazine, “Why Is Austin Dating So Cursed?” But don’t wo...

For decades, Suzanna Choffel has called Austin home, and found a magical music community among others who play at our local bars and venues. David Garza, who produced her fourth and latest album, called her “the voice of Austin,” and it’s not hyperbole, as her diverse influences reflect the richness of Austin’s local music scene. She joins host Nikki DaVaughn to share what makes Austin’s music sce...

School vouchers are expected to be a big issue once more at the Texas Capitol when lawmakers return in January — in fact, they’ve recently come up in a hearing to prepare for the next session. So today, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Rep. James Talarico, a “deeply religious” Democrat from Austin who sits on the House’s public education committee and, as a former public school teacher himself, ca...

Fall is in the air, and for some in Central Texas, the itch to spend more time outside must be scratched. Host Nikki DaVaughn likes nature from afar, and is joined by Pam LeBlanc, adventurer extraordinaire, to share all of her top tips for where to pitch a tent this fall, how to prepare for a successful outing, and why the best views in nature are actually found on the loo. Among her tips: Reserve...

TGIF! It’s the Friday News Roundup, and this week, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Axios reporter Nicole Cobler and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec to talk about this week’s news. We’re talking about KXAN’s latest report on a particular council member’s meeting absences, the latest blow to transgender Texans and what what we miss out on when they flee the state, and some exciting news: Katz’s...

Austin has almost 7,000 unhoused residents, including about 1,200 in shelters, a population that has swelled in the past few years. Meanwhile, a ban on camping that the city lifted and then voters reinstated has forced Austin to reckon with how it addresses homelessness and what happens when people illegally camp in the city. After a state ban reinforced the city’s, and the Supreme Court of the Un...

There are so many different kinds of musicians in Austin, but some should also be considered poets for the talented prose they weave into songs. Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined today by one of Austin’s talented vocalists and songwriters, Julie Bouchard, who gets her inspiration for songs from an unexpected source. They discuss how vocalists and songwriters can make it in Austin, what drew Julie to t...

The worst of summer is finally behind us, and at last, it’s cool enough to spend more than 10 minutes outside at any given time. We’ve decided that September is the month to explore what Austin has to offer, and we’ve got just the guide to help you do that. It’s also National Hispanic Heritage Month, and there are tons of ways to celebrate that, here, too. We’re talking about Viva Mexico, Centroam...

TGIF! It’s the Friday News Roundup, and host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Hey Austin newsletter editor Kelsey Bradshaw and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec to talk about this week’s news. On the agenda: How to celebrate Labor Day weekend, what Austin and Travis County are doing to address the area’s food insecurity and food deserts, and unpacking what really happened when a drag brunch received...

Labor Day is approaching, and even though it feels like a sauna outside, tradition tells us it’s time to grill. Today, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by the Cairo-born and Texas-trained pitmaster extraordinaire at KG BBQ, Kareem El-Ghayesh, to get all the tips to make your holiday meal a success. Plus, El-Ghayesh tells about the first bite of Texas barbecue in an understated Austin establishment in...

Being a professional musician in Austin is NOT what it used to be — today’s musicians have to juggle multiple gigs, often teach, and have to really work to carve out time to be creative. Today, host Nikki DaVaughn talks to Alex Marrero, a local musician and icon in the Latin fusion music scene, about how he does it all, from performing to teaching to voice artistry and radio show host. Plus, can r...

July in Austin was weird; surprisingly rainy, somewhat cool, even. But the summer slog continues, as our guest, CBS Austin Meteorologist Avery Tomasco, warns. In today’s episode, Tomasco joins host Nikki DaVaughn in recapping our lake-filling but not drought-busting July rainfall and this year’s hurricane season. Plus, Tomasco shares his feelings about the Farmer’s Almanac, “Twisters,” and Austin’...

It’s National Dog Day, and a perfect excuse to talk about everyone’s favorite Austinites: Dogs! It can be a ruff life for canines, but in Central Texas, we sure do love our pooches. To celebrate them, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Luis Sanchez, the spokesman for Austin Pets Alive!, and executive producer and dog-lover Eva Ruth Moravec. We’re sharing our best tips for dog parents, including wher...