City Cast Austin

TGIF! Today, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Hey Austin newsletter editor Kelsey Bradshaw and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec for the Friday News Roundup. On today’s list of stories to discuss: The City of Austin’s $5.9 billion budget, why Travis County Commissioners secretly allocated $115,000 to the District Attorney and the iconic Austin businesses that we’re praying for these days.Hey, do you love making great podcasts, living in Austin, and think we sound fun to work with? Apply to be City Cast Austin’s producer. And, if you really love what you hear, write us in for Austin Fit Magazine’s best podcast of 2024. Stick around after the roundup for our Don’t Go Gently tip for this weekend. 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 largest public education system in Central Texas, the Austin Independent School District, educates 81% of Austin-area students and is the seventh-largest employer in the area. But why is it operating with a $78 million budget deficit, and what can the district do to climb out of their financial hole? Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Superintendent Matias Segura — himself a product of AISD schools — to talk all things budget, back to school, and his goals for the district’s future. 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

Rumor has it that Major League Baseball has plans to expand by two new teams, and a pair of Austinites is hoping to woo the league to ATX. In today’s episode, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by KXAN Reporter Grace Reader, who recently covered the Austin Baseball Commission’s efforts, to discuss the details, like: What would the team be named? And how much would this whole ordeal cost? (Spoiler alert: BILLIONS.) Stay tuned for our special weekly segment, A Mile in Their Boots, featuring a bonus interview with Chris Harris, a local activist and organizer. 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

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