Austin TV news photographer booked on two misdemeanors related to pro-Palestine protest at UT Austin
Carlos Sanchez, the 43-year-old photographer for an Austin TV news station, is facing two new charges one week after he was arrested while covering a protest on the UT Austin campus, the Texas Department of Public Safety said Wednesday.
Fishing Lines for Christmas Time: Football great Priest Holmes giving away rods, reels to local kids
San Antonio football great Priest Holmes ran for thousands of yards and dozens of touchdowns at Marshall High School all the way to the University of Texas and the NFL. But in retirement, he traded carrying the football for fishing rods.
Son of former Spurs, Longhorns star to play basketball for The University of Incarnate Word
The University of Incarnate Word on Tuesday announced a 9-man class set to join the menโs basketball team this upcoming season and it includes the son of a former San Antonio Spurs player and Texas basketball legend.
Texas, Washington players ride Tidal Surge, interact with dolphins at SeaWorld San Antonio ahead of Alamo Bowl
Football players from the University of Texas and the University of Washington took a break from their Alamo Bowl preparations on Monday and headed to SeaWorld San Antonio.SeaWorld San Antonio said select players from each team put on wetsuits to swim and interact with dolphins and learn about their history.
TribCast, special edition: Our pollsters on how Texans feel about immigration, voting, Greg Abbott and more
In this edition of the TribCast, Ross talks to pollsters Joshua Blank, James Henson and Daron Shaw about the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll and what voters are thinking about issues argued in the Legislature, immigration and border security, voting law and the pandemic.
Black lawmakers, NAACP and students push back on UT-Austinโs โThe Eyes of Texasโ report, urge school to lose the song
โItโs humiliating to be required to sit for the song or be in the presence,โ said Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP. Students have also called on the school to stop playing the song from the bell tower. In his report, Alberto Martinez provided documentation linking the phrase โThe Eyes of Texasโ to a statement made in reference to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. This complicates its understanding and explains how different people experienced the song in vastly different ways.โA UT-Austin spokesperson said the university stands behind its report. AdOn Monday, a UT-Austin band member said said the implications of protesting the song were unclear for students.
Report finds 'no racist intent' behind song 'Eyes of Texas'
FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, file photo, fans join in singing "The Eyes of Texas" after Texas defeated UTEP 59-3 in an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas. The University of Texas' long-awaited report on the history of the school song The Eyes of Texas found it had no racist intent, but the school will not require athletes and band members to participate in singing or playing it at games and campus events. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)AUSTIN, Texas โ The University of Texas' long-awaited report on โThe Eyes of Texasโ has found that the school song has โno racist intent," but the school president said athletes and band members will not be required to sing or participate when the song is played at games and campus events. The report also noted the song was first performed at a minstrel show, most likely with performers in blackface. โNobody has been, or will be, required to sing the song," Hartzell said.
New Texas Longhorns coach Sarkisian defends โThe Eyes of Texasโ
(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)AUSTIN, Texas โ Fresh off a national title with Alabama, Steve Sarkisian plans big changes to Texasโ football program. Sarkisian said that while discussion about "The Eyes of Texas "and other issues are welcome, โ'The Eyes of Texas' is our school song. We support that song.โSarkisian spoke as the Longhorns coach for the first time a day after helping Alabama win its sixth national championship in 12 seasons. Texas, without a conference championship since 2009, is itching to see if Sarkisian can produce similar results in Austin. Asked about scheduling A&M again, Sarkisian said โI would love to play that game.โSarkisian is Texasโ fourth head coach since 2009.
Texas fires Herman after 4 seasons, hires Tide OC Sarkisian
The move comes just a few hours after Texas announced the firing of Tom Herman after four seasons with no Big 12 championships. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)AUSTIN, Texas โ Texas was tired of waiting for Tom Herman to deliver a Big 12 title and turn the Longhorns back into national championship contenders. Texas fired Herman on Saturday after four winning seasons, then hours later announced it was giving the job to the Alabama offensive coordinator. He will be Texasโ fourth head coach since the programโs last Big 12 championship in 2009. Of note, Sarkisian was a USC assistant when Texas beat the Trojans for the national championship in the epic 2006 Rose Bowl.
17 people cited, warned or kicked out of Alamo Bowl for โrepeated refusalโ to wear face masks, city says
SAN ANTONIO โ As the Texas Longhorns crushed the Colorado Buffaloes in the Alamo Bowl Tuesday night, security staff were throwing penalty flags of their own off the field. The City of San Antonioโs running database of citations was updated Wednesday to show that 10 people at the game, inside the Alamodome, were cited for โrepeated refusalโ to wear masks or wear them properly. The violation states that the guests had received prior warnings before they were cited. Another seven people were either issued warnings or left/were escorted out due to violating the mask rule, according to the city. The San Antonio Development Services Department (DSD), Center City Development and Operations Department, San Antonio Police Department and Metro Health are all charged with enforcing San Antonioโs emergency declaration, set in place to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
Alamo Bowl pits Coloradoโs Broussard vs depleted Texas D
Colorado is playing its first bowl game since the Alamo Bowl following the 2016 season. KEY MATCHUPA depleted Texas defense against Colorado running back Jarek Broussard, who comes in averaging 162.6 yards rushing, including a 301-yard effort against Arizona. Four team captains on defense, including sacks leader Joseph Ossai, have opted out of the season since late November. Wellsโ ability to anchor a defense tasked with stopping Robinson and keeping Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger from scrambling for big gains will be key. The other is former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy ... Colorado and Texas havenโt met since 2009 when Colorado was still a member of the Big 12.
Texas and Colorado will meet in the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl
The University of Texas football team celebrates after defeating the Utah Utes at the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio. #20 Texas (6-3) will face Colorado (4-1) in the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl. โWeโre extremely honored and proud to be representing the University of Texas and the Big 12 in the Valero Alamo Bowl,โ said head coach Tom Herman. โOur players will be excited to head back, regardless of the circumstances that 2020 has thrown everyoneโs way, including the Valero Alamo Bowl.โThis year will mark Texasโ fifth appearance in the Alamo Bowl, and fourth since 2012. The 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl is scheduled for Dec. 29 at 8:00 p.m. in the Alamodome.
Texasโ second round of COVID-19 vaccines earmarked for smaller hospitals and long-term care facility residents
Nearly a quarter-million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine arrived at hospitals and health care facilities around Texas this week. Questions remain about who will be first in line for the vaccine once healthcare workers and long-term care residents have had their chance to be inoculated. Decisions on how vaccines are allocated are made by a state panel of advisers โ composed of lawmakers, local and state health officials, and medical experts and researchers โ and finalized by Hellerstedt. Texas is participating in the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, a federal program to vaccinate residents and staff of long-term care facilities. Vaccine doses will be distributed free to those facilities, which are set to receive them starting on Monday, Abbottโs office said last week.
TribCast: The coronavirus vaccine arrives in Texas
Holly Ainsworth, a nursing intern at the University of Texas, administered a COVID-19 vaccine to Nurse Stephanie Vasquez on Dec 15, 2020. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune(Audio unavailable. Click here to listen on texastribune.org.) In this weeks' podcast, Matthew speaks with Karen, Ross and Alex about the coronavirus vaccine and the Electoral College vote in Texas.
โA huge shot in the armโ โ injections begin as 19,500 doses arrive at Texas hospitals Monday
Texas is slated for 1.4 million doses allocated through the end of the year. In San Antonio, UT Health San Antonio received 5,800 doses early Monday and plans to begin vaccinating 1,000 health care workers a day starting Tuesday, according to a Tweet by officials at the site. Vaccine doses for the remaining 86 sites will begin shipping later in the week, he said. โWe anticipate that over the next 10 days, we will vaccinate approximately 2,900 health care providers that are on the state tiers for priority,โ Young said. Disclosure: Dell, MD Anderson Cancer Center and UT Health have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.
Feds: Ex-UTSA lecturer tied to drug trafficking ring that sold counterfeit pills to students in San Antonio, Austin
AUSTIN, Texas โ Thirteen people have been arrested and federally indicted for allegedly distributing and selling illegal drugs to University of Texas students in Austin and San Antonio, according to federal prosecutors. โThese are not pills being carefully manufactured and tested by sophisticated pharmaceutical companies.โSearch warrants were executed Thursday as part of Operation Spiderweb and resulted in the seizure of hallucinogenic mushrooms, counterfeit Adderall, counterfeit Xanax, LSD and other drugs. โInvestigators estimate that the overall sales of the illegal drugs sold by this organization exceed $1 million,โ Sofer said. The arrests in Austin are related to the December 2019 arrest of former University of Texas at San Antonio lecturer Rose Rodriguez-Rabin. She, along with her codefendant, Brandon Sims, distributed counterfeit Adderall pills to UTSA students and others, Sofer said.
Gov. Greg Abbott tells supporters heโs considering placing law enforcement for central Austin under state control
He has for months railed against the Austin City Council's August vote to slash its police department budget by one-third, primarily by shifting some responsibilities out of law enforcement oversight. Violent crime and property crime in Austin were both down slightly through October of this year compared to last year, according to city statistics. But that rise began before the City Council's August vote, and it mirrors a state and nationwide trend for major cities. "We can make sure that area is extra safe for anybody who's walking around downtown, walking around the Capitol, walking around the university," Abbott said. Abbott previously suggested the state could take over policing parts of Austin but had not elaborated as much.
Fleeing the state's strict restrictions on sports, New Mexico basketball teams seek refuge in two of Texas' worst hot spots
Facing restrictive policies prohibiting team sports, the University of New Mexicoโs basketball teams have fled their home state, seeking refuge in Lubbock and Amarillo โ two of the hardest hit coronavirus hot spots in Texas. The menโs team will reside in Lubbock temporarily, though UNM is still finalizing where the team will practice and play games. At West Texas A&M University, where the UNM womenโs team will play, an official said the school is โpleased to hostโ the Lobos. According to Santa Fe New Mexican, Eddie Nuรฑez, UNMโs athletic director, chose West Texas because it was close to Albuquerque after considering a number of locations. Disclosure: Texas A&M University, University of Houston and West Texas A&M University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.
UT, Texas A&M urge students to get tested for COVID-19 before Thanksgiving
Students who attend the University of Texas and Texas A&M University are being urged to take a COVID-19 test before they leave campus and head home for the Thanksgiving holiday break. Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp said getting tested can help families and communities feel safe and can avoid any unnecessary exposure to the coronavirus. In addition to getting tested, UT officials are also asking students to self-quarantine seven days prior to traveling and seven days once they have reached their destination, according to a report on KXAN.com. UT officials are also strongly recommending campus community members get tested through the universityโs Proactive Community Testing program or through other COVID-19 testing resources in Austin. Both Texas A&M and UT will end in-person classes for the fall semester ahead of the Thanksgiving break with only final exams scheduled in December.
UTSA researchers see success in first phase of tracing COVID-19 in wastewater
Wastewater surveillance isnโt new. Many universities across the nation have also used wastewater surveillance to track COVID cases among students. UTSA has partnered with the San Antonio River Authority to collect weekly samples over a 24-hour period from its treatment plants. The first phase included testing the Salitrillo Wastewater Treatment Plant in Converse. Researchers will now focus on the River Authorityโs Martinez II Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Conflict raging over โThe Eyes of Texasโ school song
AUSTIN, Texas โ Losing football games is one thing at the University of Texas. A challenge to the hallowed school song is quite another. โStanding for โThe Eyes of Texasโ is a statement of something โ school spirit, loyalty, solidarity,โ University of Texas law professor emeritus David Anderson said. They first marched with coach Tom Herman from campus to the state Capitol, then led a group of students and athletes demanding the school drop โThe Eyes of Texas." โTo be clear, the UT System Board of Regents stands unequivocally and unanimously in support of President Hartzellโs announcement that The Eyes of Texas is, and will remain, the official school song,โ Eltife said.
TribCast, special edition: Our pollsters analyze the latest UT/TT Poll on the election and pandemic
Voting in Texas. Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune(Audio unavailable. In this edition of the TribCast, Ross talks to pollsters Joshua Blank and Daron Shaw about the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, focused on the coronavirus pandemic, what Texas voters think about it and its effect on the economy, and how voters and governments are responding to it. Disclosure: The University of Texas has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism.
No fair, few fans: Texas, OU play on despite different feel
They just weren't getting their typical requests for photos with OU fans who like to do the โHorns Downโ sign. Food booths, including the one with the famous corny dog, were open outside the Cotton Bowl's main entrance. โIโm glad to be here,โ Oklahoma fan Kury Keeley said outside the stadium before the game. Stark and Wanek, both wearing masks bearing a Texas logo, always brace for some of those boos. But this is nice to stretch out.โStill, these fans hope they don't get used to it.
US Latino civil rights group moves 2021 convention online
LULAC, the nation's oldest Latino civil rights organization, voted Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, to postpone its planned national convention in Albuquerque, N.M., in 2021 over uncertainty caused by COVID-19. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)RIO RANCHO, N.M. โ The League of United Latin American Citizens, the oldest Latino civil rights group in the U.S., has decided to move its 2021 national convention online amid concerns and health orders caused by COVID-19. The state currently limits the number of people at large gatherings and LULAC national conventions typically attract thousands of activists. The group still plans to hold a national convention in Albuquerque in 2023 because the city and the LULAC's local chapters made financial commitments to hold an event in the city. LULAC national conventions and gatherings have attracted presidents, presidential candidates, and international leaders.
Former Texas quarterback Vince Young named to College Football Hall of Fame
SAN ANTONIO โ Former University of Texas quarterback Vince Young has been named part of the 2019 College Football Hall of Fame class, ESPN reported Monday. Young played three seasons with the Longhorns, finishing second in the Heisman voting in 2005. During the 2006 BCS title game versus USC, Young accounted for 467 yards of total offense (200 rushing, 267 passing) and three rushing touchdowns (including a 9-yard touchdown scramble on fourth down with 19 seconds left) to lead the Longhorns to a 41โ38 victory. He received Rose Bowl MVP honors for his performance. The class will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Dec. 10 in New York.
A lot on the line for rivals Oklahoma, Texas in Dallas
The stage -- the Cotton Bowl in Dallas -- is not far from the dividing line between the two states of Oklahoma and Texas. 12 Oklahoma is coming off a surprising loss to Iowa State in Norman and now faces Texas, the winner of two straight games and surprising leader in the Big 12. Texas currently is tied with TCU for first place in the conference and a win over Oklahoma would be huge for the program. 12 Oklahoma (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) vs. Texas (3-2, 2-0) in Dallas, Saturday, 2:30 p.m. CT (ESPN)Line: Oklahoma by 8. Texas's surprise early lead in the Big 12 standings.