City Cast Austin

It’s the Friday News Roundup! Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by producer Elissa Rozentuller and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec to bring y’all the headlines for the week. On today’s episode, the City Cast Austin team discusses Austin’s enormous housing inventory, the forthcoming Michelin Texas Guide, and the two finalists vying to become Austin’s next police chief. Also, how will Elon Musk’s pl...

The cicadas are buzzing, the fireflies are alit, and summer is in the air. Also in the air: cockroaches, mosquitos, cicada-killer wasps, scorpions, and so much more. Entomologist Wizzie Brown with Texas A&M’s ArgiLife Extension Service joins host Nikki DaVaughn to break down the good, the bad, the ugly, and the summer stunners of our local insect world in today’s episode, and attempts to change Ni...

Austin’s brand-new city manager just kicked-off this year’s budget debates by presenting his first draft of this year’s budget. And while there are millions of dollars at play, the city’s somewhat limited in how it spends those dollars. Will the Austin Animal Shelter get the funding it needs to keep the doors open? And why are we so behind on park maintenance? Host Nikki DaVaughn digs into all of...

A recent opinion from the Supreme Court of the United States came down in favor of an Austin man who’s been fighting for years to protect your right to have a bump stock. Today, host Nikki DaVaughn sits down with Michael Cargill, who owns Central Texas Gun Works and sued the Trump Administration over its ban on bump stocks, to find out what the fight meant to him, and why he stuck it out for so lo...

After President Joe Biden postponed his trip in the aftermath of an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, host Nikki DaVaughn hopped on a phone call to find out how the change affects the political tide in Austin. Listen in as she digs into the implications of the canceled trip, the shooting, and Texans’ role in it all with Scott Braddock of the Quorum Report and executive produc...

For this week’s Friday News Roundup, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by producer Elissa Rozentuller and Hey Austin newsletter editor Kelsey Bradshaw to talk about the story on everyone’s mind in Texas this week: Hurricane Beryl. Also, Austin City Council is back from their summer break, and they’ve got a lot of work to do. Finally, we discuss: Did USA Today miss the mark on their recent ranking of t...

Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by longtime Austinite JB Hager, whose voice graced Austin’s morning radio airwaves for more than 20 years, to talk about the iconic Frank Erwin Center. While the building affectionately known as “The Drum” has been mostly demolished, it still holds a special place for many Austinites as the site of arena-worthy memorable concerts, the Harlem Globetrotters, many perfor...

Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Jane Ko, known to her hundreds of thousands of social media followers as Koko. The self-described “O.G.” food blogger in Austin, Ko has been posting about the Austin restaurant scene since 2010. Tune in for a conversation about the quintessential taste of Austin, tipping, and the role of influencers in the local economy.  We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our f...

Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by local comedian Ivy Le to discuss the items that City Cast Austin audience members said they MUST do by the end of this summer. It’s our Summer Bucket List, y’all! We’re talking performances, movies, paddleboarding, and where to find Austin’s best snow cones. We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town, for being our exclusive launch spon...

Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Jae Graham-Anciso, the co-founder and CEO of Mary Jae, an Austin cannabis dispensary, as the smoke clouds become thicker and thicker over Austin this summer. As visitors flock to town from all over, including from places where recreational marijuana usage is allowed, we discuss: What are the laws and regulations for cannabis products here in Austin?   We’d like to...

City Cast CEO David Plotz sits down with hosts from all 13 City Cast daily local podcast hubs to talk about what stories they’re watching in their hometowns that are likely to impact yours too. Listen in for how Nikki DaVaughn’s story stacks up against the rest. We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town, for being our exclusive launch sponsor.  Want even more Austin n...

Follow us down a little hypothetical rabbit hole. Let’s say that an Austin sculptor is tasked with carving a local version of Mount Rushmore — we’ll call this Mount Waterloo, after the original name of our fair town. Who should be on it? Host Nikki DaVaughn, along with City Cast Austin producer Elissa Rozentuller and Hey Austin editor Kelsey Bradshaw, share which Austin icons they’d like to see pe...

What is going on at the University of Texas at Austin? Host Nikki DaVaughn talks to KUT’s Audrey McGlinchy to find out. It’s been a tumultuous year on the 40 Acres, with the campus dealing with DEI layoffs, pro-Palestinian protests, and disciplinary actions that followed. Plus, why are students living in windowless bedrooms? We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town,...

We’re officially in summer — and if this is your first one here, you’ve probably already realized just how powerful that hot Texas sun can be. The days are long and that evening cool-down that might happen in other places just does not happen here. Have no fear, host Nikki DaVaughn and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec are here with Austin Monthly Editor Madeline Hollern to give you some insider...

It’s the Friday News Roundup! Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined this week by Hey Austin newsletter editor Kelsey Bradshaw and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec to round up the news. We’ll bring you the latest on Austin Bergstrom International Airport’s record-breaking passenger count and some drama on the baseball diamond at the University of Texas. We also bid farewell (for now) to Pride Month, as...

Host Nikki DaVaughn chats with Emily Hill, who posts about all the best Austin-area grocery goodies and shopping tips. She’s got the latest on all the hybrid summer fruits, specialty sodas, and knows which experimental chip flavor is worthy of a smash — or a pass. We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town, for being our exclusive launch sponsor.  Want some more Austin...

As the temperatures warm up and the AC thermostat is nudged down, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Mose Buchele, KUT’s energy reporter, to talk about the vulnerability of the Texas power grid. We’ve all still got post-Winter Storm Uri grid anxiety, but how much should we actually be concerned about the power going out this summer? We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in...

It’s hot out, and the construction at Austin's infamous spring-fed swimming hole, Barton Springs Pool, makes getting there a bit of a hassle. Leave Barton to the tourists and join host Nikki DaVaughn, City Cast Austin producer Elissa Rozentuller, and Hey Austin editor Kelsey Bradshaw as they break down Austin's other swimming options. We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear...

Brigitte Bandit, an Austinite and drag performer, joins host Nikki DaVaughn to talk about celebrating Pride in Austin. Aside from doing drag full-time and hosting a monthly open mic drag show, Bandit has become known for her LGBTQ-plus advocacy work, and has addressed lawmakers at the Texas Capitol and policymakers at Austin City Hall. We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wea...

In today’s Friday News Roundup, we sum up what we know about a shooting at Round Rock’s Juneteenth celebration, and talk about the University of Texas athletes who are heading to this year’s Summer Olympics. Plus, we talk about the Alamo Drafthouse, an Austin institution that’s now under new ownership. To support relatives of the Juneteenth shooting victims, donate via GoFundMe, or make donations...

To commemorate Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, host Nikki DaVaughn talks to CBS Austin Meteorologist Avery Tomasco about what to expect from the weather gods this summer. Spoiler alert: It’s gonna be hot. We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town, for being our exclusive launch sponsor.  Want some more Austin news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey A...

Each city has those things you have to know, those unspoken rules that can help you survive the day-to-day, or at least to not be confused for a tourist. Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by producer Elissa Rozentuller and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec, who together share their nine essential rules every Austinite should know. We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in to...

Tony Plohetski, investigative reporter for the Austin American-Statesman and senior reporter for KVUE, joins City Cast Austin host Nikki DaVaughn to dissect the case against Daniel Perry, who was convicted and then pardoned for killing a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020. Join us for the latest on the case, and the context of the twists and turns that have led us to this point. We’d like to tha...

It’s our first Friday News Roundup! Today, we talk about a bomb threat that upended a popular drag brunch during Pride, and dig into letters that the University of Texas sent to students who protested this spring. Plus, Buc-ee’s bad boy gets busted just as the company opens its newest largest gas station in Luling. We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town, for being...

Host Nikki DaVaughn sits down with Shanisha Johnson, the public relations and volunteer coordinator for Central Texas Juneteenth, which kicks off with a parade in East Austin on Saturday. Johnson’s family has been involved in the celebrations for decades, and she’s got the skinny on what to expect this year. We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town, for being our exc...