The Austin Chronicle
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Alt-weekly serving the Austin community. Find us on stands around town (it's free!) or at austinchronicle.com.
Meet Helena Crevar, the Austin-based Brazilian jiu-jitsu star taking the sport by storm.
Meet Helena Crevar, the Austin-Based Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Star Taking the Sport by Storm • The Austin Chronicle
At just 18 years old, Helena Crevar continues to make her mark as one of Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s youngest stars. As a student of Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu in northwest Austin, Crevar earned her black belt las...
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January 22, 2026 at 10:46 PM
Meet Helena Crevar, the Austin-based Brazilian jiu-jitsu star taking the sport by storm.
In Memoriam: James Magnuson, beloved author and mentor who led the Michener Center for Writers for 23 years, has passed.
In Memoriam: James Magnuson • The Austin Chronicle
If you were to go searching for the person who had influenced the most American writers in our time, you wouldn’t have to look any farther than a modest two-story house on the northern edge of the For...
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January 22, 2026 at 8:38 PM
In Memoriam: James Magnuson, beloved author and mentor who led the Michener Center for Writers for 23 years, has passed.
Austin (and Austin-adjacent) filmmakers, writers, and actors are heading to the Academy Awards.
Austin’s Filmmakers Make It to the Oscars • The Austin Chronicle
The countdown to the 98th Academy Awards began in earnest today with the announcement of this year’s nominees. While the headlines are dominated by Ryan Coogler’s Sinners picking up a record-breaking ...
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January 22, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Austin (and Austin-adjacent) filmmakers, writers, and actors are heading to the Academy Awards.
New year, new execution: Charles Thompson is scheduled to die on Jan. 28.
New Year, New Execution • The Austin Chronicle
Texas prison officials will attempt to execute their first death row inmate of 2026 next week. Charles Thompson, who was convicted of killing his former girlfriend, Glenda Dennise Hayslip, and her com...
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January 22, 2026 at 4:28 PM
New year, new execution: Charles Thompson is scheduled to die on Jan. 28.
AISD receives funding for breakfast in the classroom, Austinites prepare for cold weather, and more of the week’s headlines.
The Week's Biggest News in Brief • The Austin Chronicle
Bracing for Cold Weather: As subfreezing temperatures are expected to roll in across the state this weekend, Texas grid officials say the state is prepared to meet the heightened electricity demand, a...
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January 22, 2026 at 4:27 PM
AISD receives funding for breakfast in the classroom, Austinites prepare for cold weather, and more of the week’s headlines.
Austinites demand that the city and APD refuse collaboration with ICE.
Austinites Demand That City and APD Refuse Collaboration With ICE • The Austin Chronicle
At 2 o’clock on Tuesday, Jan. 20, about 200 protesters gathered in front of Austin City Hall to demand that the Austin Police Department stop collaborating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcemen...
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January 22, 2026 at 4:27 PM
Austinites demand that the city and APD refuse collaboration with ICE.
MOVIE REVIEW: Chris Pratt tries to outwit an AI in tedious sci-fi cop drama Mercy.
Mercy Review: Guilty of Being Stupid • The Austin Chronicle
At a time when AI is being rammed into every aspect of our lives, we deserve a film that will deal with the real ethical and legal quandaries raised by letting LLMs into the courtroom. Instead, what w...
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January 21, 2026 at 5:55 PM
MOVIE REVIEW: Chris Pratt tries to outwit an AI in tedious sci-fi cop drama Mercy.
Flaming Lips, Black Angels, Thee Sacred Souls to headline Austin Psych Fest 2026.
Flaming Lips, Black Angels, Thee Sacred Souls to Headline Austin Psych Fest 2026 • The Austin Chronicle
Four years into its reincarnation, Austin Psych Fest celebrates the city’s spacey roots in experimental sounds with three nights of genre-spanning music at Far Out Lounge. The spring festival, a compl...
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January 21, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Flaming Lips, Black Angels, Thee Sacred Souls to headline Austin Psych Fest 2026.
Chrystabell honors collaborator and mentor David Lynch with a multimedia performance at Radio/East on Jan. 20.
Chrystabell Honors Collaborator, Mentor David Lynch with The Spirit Lamp • The Austin Chronicle
“The whole idea of The Spirit Lamp was the flicker of recognition, or the flicker of that soft candlelight, of something beckoning you to a deeper awareness,” says Chrystabell, the mononymous vocalist...
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January 18, 2026 at 9:51 PM
Chrystabell honors collaborator and mentor David Lynch with a multimedia performance at Radio/East on Jan. 20.
Celebrating MLK Day at the Vortex with Ebony Stewart returning as host for the annual poetry open mic.
Celebrating MLK Day With Poetry at the Vortex • The Austin Chronicle
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first celebrated in 1986. Some 40 years later, the third Monday in January continues to be a moment for reflection on freedom of speech as well as freedom for all people...
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January 18, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Celebrating MLK Day at the Vortex with Ebony Stewart returning as host for the annual poetry open mic.
DAY TRIPS: Loony Old West town keeps the Hill Country weird.
Day Trips: The Cartoon Saloon, Toonstone • The Austin Chronicle
The Cartoon Saloon in Toonstone, Texas, has been called a “roadside distraction” rather than a “roadside attraction.” It’s a photo op outside of Comfort disguised as an Old West town with tongue firml...
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January 18, 2026 at 6:33 PM
DAY TRIPS: Loony Old West town keeps the Hill Country weird.
In this week's comics, there's an emergency meeting in the Oval Office. Uh oh.
Read all the Sunday funnies: austinchronicle.com/comics
Read all the Sunday funnies: austinchronicle.com/comics
January 18, 2026 at 6:32 PM
In this week's comics, there's an emergency meeting in the Oval Office. Uh oh.
Read all the Sunday funnies: austinchronicle.com/comics
Read all the Sunday funnies: austinchronicle.com/comics
Local trans-owned streetwear brand threatened by FDA.
Local Trans-Owned Streetwear Brand Threatened by FDA • The Austin Chronicle
Christopher Rhodes, co-owner of local streetwear brand FLAVNT, received a letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health on Dec. 16. The reason for the...
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January 17, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Local trans-owned streetwear brand threatened by FDA.
In this week's Qmmunity: What sort of energy are y’all bringing into 2026?
Qmmunity: Bring About a Better 2026 • The Austin Chronicle
Start of the year means the start of yearly goals, and boy: I’m not sure what even the next three months hold! To be honest, these early January weeks have been mostly filled by thoughts of how l-o-n-...
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January 16, 2026 at 2:38 AM
In this week's Qmmunity: What sort of energy are y’all bringing into 2026?
Hole in the Wall founder Doug Cugini dies at 75.
Hole in the Wall Founder Doug Cugini Dies at 75 • The Austin Chronicle
Doug Cugini, Hole in the Wall’s founder, died Tuesday, Jan. 13, at age 75. The charismatic barkeep was remembered on Facebook by friends and past employees for his generous spirit. “Doug was a great ...
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January 15, 2026 at 10:56 PM
Hole in the Wall founder Doug Cugini dies at 75.
Behind the legal and financial chaos circling Empire. An employee exodus and artist boycotts threaten the Red River staple.
Behind the Legal and Financial Chaos Circling Empire • The Austin Chronicle
The message on the black gate that separates Empire Garage from the street was simple: “Fuck u Steve.” The spray-painted words, captured on Dec. 30, quickly became a backdrop for angry Instagram posts...
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January 15, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Behind the legal and financial chaos circling Empire. An employee exodus and artist boycotts threaten the Red River staple.
City workers fear layoffs are coming.
City Workers Fear Layoffs Are Coming • The Austin Chronicle
Does City Manager T.C. Broadnax believe that Austin is employing too many workers? Carol Guthrie, a longtime leader of the union representing the city’s employees, AFSCME Local 1624, fears he does. G...
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January 15, 2026 at 4:33 PM
City workers fear layoffs are coming.
Protests following Minnesota ICE shooting, Alamo Drafthouse phone policy changes, and more of the week’s headlines.
The Week's Biggest News in Brief • The Austin Chronicle
ICE Protests Around the Nation: On Jan. 7, an ICE agent in Minneapolis shot and killed 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good. Good, along with others, was protesting ICE operations in the city wh...
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January 15, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Protests following Minnesota ICE shooting, Alamo Drafthouse phone policy changes, and more of the week’s headlines.
Austin Reggae Fest, Old Settler’s, and more local spring fests for every music lover.
Austin Reggae Fest, Old Settler’s, and More Local Spring Fests for Every Music Lover • The Austin Chronicle
Spring in Austin is a season of bluebonnets, wildflowers, and music festivals. Whatever genre is your jam, these eclectic festivals will keep your weekends packed with beloved acts and up-and-coming a...
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January 14, 2026 at 8:06 PM
Austin Reggae Fest, Old Settler’s, and more local spring fests for every music lover.
SXSW Film and TV Festival adds David E. Kelley’s latest for opening night. Other lineup additions includes latest films from Zazie Beetz, Vince Vaughn, and more.
SXSW Film and TV Festival Adds David E. Kelley’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles for Opening Night • The Austin Chronicle
So we all know that Boots Riley’s new satire I Love Boosters has been announced as the opening night film at this year’s South by Southwest Film and TV Festival – but what about the TV side of the equ...
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January 14, 2026 at 5:04 PM
SXSW Film and TV Festival adds David E. Kelley’s latest for opening night. Other lineup additions includes latest films from Zazie Beetz, Vince Vaughn, and more.
MaryJae owner Jae Graham-Anciso tells the story of how cannabis changed her father’s life.
California Sober • The Austin Chronicle
Her dad was her best friend. At times, Jae Graham-Anciso tells me, he would play the role of mom and dad at the same time. All the while, he was struggling with alcohol. Jae says that both her parents...
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January 13, 2026 at 11:00 PM
MaryJae owner Jae Graham-Anciso tells the story of how cannabis changed her father’s life.
MOVIE REVIEW: The 28 Days/Years Later franchise sets the past to rest.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Review: End of the Old, Birth of the New • The Austin Chronicle
Since the massive success of revisionist not-a-zombie zombie flick 28 Days Later in 2002, the franchise has always been fundamentally disinterested in the infected themselves, having added little to t...
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January 13, 2026 at 9:13 PM
MOVIE REVIEW: The 28 Days/Years Later franchise sets the past to rest.
SXSW 2026 adds regional Mexican genres, experimental acts, and rap to the Music Festival lineup.
SXSW 2026 Adds Hannah Cohen, MARCO PLUS to Music Festival Lineup • The Austin Chronicle
More than 300 South by Southwest performers join the 2026 Music lineup today. Regional Mexican music, experimental takes on traditional genres, and up-and-coming rap are emerging as themes for the div...
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January 13, 2026 at 5:25 PM
SXSW 2026 adds regional Mexican genres, experimental acts, and rap to the Music Festival lineup.
RESTAURANT REVIEW: Lynny’s offers excellent biscuits and embraces East 12th’s unique identity.
A Retro Diner in a Fast-Changing Neighborhood • The Austin Chronicle
When it comes to Austin neighborhoods that have taken a speed run through the gentrification gauntlet, East Austin stands out as the prime example. An area once populated by residential homes and smal...
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January 13, 2026 at 1:29 AM
RESTAURANT REVIEW: Lynny’s offers excellent biscuits and embraces East 12th’s unique identity.
Multiple anti-ICE demonstrations took place in Austin this past weekend following the killing of Renee Good. Photographer @john-jack-anderson.bsky.social was there.
Photos From Austin’s Anti-ICE Protests • The Austin Chronicle
Demonstrators gathered in Austin, at 11th & Congress on Friday, and at City Hall on Saturday, to protest ICE and the killing of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. Organized by Austin Immigrant Rig...
www.austinchronicle.com
January 12, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Multiple anti-ICE demonstrations took place in Austin this past weekend following the killing of Renee Good. Photographer @john-jack-anderson.bsky.social was there.