City Cast Austin

This summer, Michelin announced that it is creating a Texas version of its acclaimed Michelin Guide, which rates restaurants and hotels. But recently, we learned just how much Visit Austin and others are paying to bring Michelin taste testers to the Lone Star State: $2.7 million over three years. Is it worth the hotel occupancy tax dollars? Host Nikki DaVaughn dishes on Michelin with Hey Austin newsletter editor Kelsey Bradshaw and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec, and we also share our picks for the guide, in case Michelin is listening. Share your choices with us via text or voicemail.City Cast Austin is hiring a producer! Do you love City Cast Austin and want to join our team? Apply now! 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 Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinInterested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE 

On today’s episode of City Cast Austin, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Lauren McGaughy, an investigative reporter and editor for the Texas Newsroom, to discuss a recent hearing over whether the lack of AC in Texas prisons amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. Only one-third of Texas’ 101 prisons are fully air-conditioned, and the state says it wants to air-condition them all, but needs the Texas legislature to allocate funds. Could the federal judge’s ruling force lawmakers to finally fully cool prisons?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 Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE 

It’s the Friday News Roundup! And this week, since it’s August, we’re celebrating Pride month. Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Jeremy A. Teel, a local artist and activist, and Hey Austin newsletter editor Kelsey Bradshaw to talk about challenges and changes to Austin queer-friendly businesses, our favorite LGBTQ+ Austinites, and how we’re celebrating Pride month this weekend. And amid the news, listen up for our Don’t Go Gently tip for this weekend, a new Friday segment brought to you by Tecovas.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 Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE 

More than 1.3 million people live in Travis County, and contribute either as a renter or a property owner to Travis County’s massive budget. But how much do we know about what county commissioners are up to, like testing out a pilot program that could fill an enormous gap in mental health treatment and addressing opioid overdoses? And, why are Travis County voters going to be asked to pay more in taxes to cover their neighbors’ childcare? In today’s episode, host Nikki DaVaughn sits down with Travis County Judge Andy Brown to ask him these questions and more, including what he’ll be wearing as Grand Marshal of the Austin Pride Parade. 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 Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

For the second time in history, a woman has been named as permanent chief of the Austin Police Department. And incoming Chief Lisa Davis will have her hands full, as she addresses staffing and recruitment issues, a department of officers working without a permanent contract, and more. Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined today with Austin American-Statesman and KVUE Reporter Tony Plohetski, to discuss Davis’ appointment. Stay tuned for the debut of a special segment, A Mile in Their Boots, featuring a bonus interview with DJ Chorizo Funk, who’s been spinning tunes for Austin audiences for 15 years. 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 Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

It’s taken years to unravel the unbelievable crime web woven by Erik Maund, heir to a massive Austin auto dealership, which resulted in the deaths of an escort and her estranged boyfriend in Nashville. After Maund and his co-conspirators were found guilty in federal court, reporter Katy Vine got to work with producer Anna Worrell on their now-released podcast series, “The Problem With Erik.” In today’s City Cast Austin episode, Vine joins host Nikki DaVaughn on the ins and outs of Maund’s complex case. 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 Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE 

As Austinites wrap up their summer travel and students get ready to head back to school, nasty viruses are increasingly present to welcome folks home. Specifically, a new Omicron strain of COVID, and the measles, a few potential cases of which are already in town. To find out how we can stay healthy, host Nikki DaVaughn sits down with Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin Public Health’s medical director and health authority. 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 Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE 

It’s the Friday News Roundup! For today’s episode, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Hey Austin newsletter editor Kelsey Bradshaw and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec to break down the week’s news. On our agenda: discussing the recent soaking Austin got from the rain gods, a new development that could help East Austinites fight gentrification, and our favorite local Olympian, Gabby Thomas. 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 Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE 

The dog days are officially upon us, and the start of school is still a few weeks away. But with budgets blown to cover summertime fun, how can an Austinite possibly survive here in August without going into (more) debt? Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Elissa Rozentuller and Eva Ruth Moravec to share some local knowledge on how to save money on back-to-school, how you can join the underconsumption trend, and what you can do for free during these hot summer days and nights.For even more tips on how to make the most of August in Austin, check out Hey Austin’s take on what to do this month. City Cast Austin’s guide to August is made possible by our awesome exclusive launch sponsor, Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town. Want some more Austin news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE 

Today, City Cast Austin wades into the rumor mill to address the falsity that there is a serial killer responsible for bodies found in the past couple of years in Lady Bird Lake. Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by guest Zo Qadri, an Austin city council member whose district includes Rainey Street, about how the Rainey Street Ripper rumor got started, what’s actually causing people to die in Lady Bird Lake, and how Qadri is addressing some major safety concerns in Downtown Austin. 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 Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE