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Comedy club tied to Joe Rogan lands in downtown Austin

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin local Joe Rogan just landed a new project in downtown Austin.The 55-year-old polarizing podcaster, UFC commentator and comedian is behind the launch of the new comedy club, Comedy Mothership.Rogan announced the launch with a post on social media. It shows Rogan wearing an astronaut suit, holding a cardboard sign that says "Austin Texas." He's also standing next to an alien and located somewhere in space.The post also shared the dates of the shows starting March 7. Tickets for the shows sold out quickly.Comedy Mothership took over the iconic The Ritz Theater on East Sixth Street. The venue was built in 1929 and was one of the first theaters in the country to show movies. The shape was revamped in 2007 and turned into a downtown location for Austin-based Alamo Drafthouse. A group of theaters used to line Congress Avenue. Here’s what’s left of Austin’s ‘Show Row’ After filing for bankruptcy, Alamo Drafthouse closed the downtown location citing it was underperf...

Drag story time puts state funding in jeopardy for Texas libraries

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hosting a reading event with drag performers could put state funding in jeopardy for Texas libraries if a newly-filed bill becomes law. Texas Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, introduced a proposal on March 3 that would bar the state from providing money to a municipal library for having someone dressed in drag read books to children. Report: Texas had most anti-LGBTQ protests, threats against drag events in 2022 The bill's text reads, "A municipal library may not receive state funds if the library hosts an event at which a man presenting as a woman or a woman presenting as a man reads a book or a story to a minor for entertainment and the person being dressed as the opposite gender is a primary component of the entertainment." If it's ultimately signed into law by the governor, it would go into effect on Sept. 1. It also stipulates that a library would lose its state funding during the fiscal year following its drag story time event. LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Tex...

Alligator returned to Central Texas zoo 20 years after volunteer allegedly stole it as an egg

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (KXAN) — An alligator that was reportedly stolen from a New Braunfels zoo as an egg was returned recently after being located by Texas Parks and Wildlife in a woman's backyard. A post by the Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo, which is roughly an hour from Austin, said a former volunteer at the zoo appeared to have pocketed an alligator hatchling or egg at least two decades ago, according to its post. "We got a call from Texas Parks and Wildlife department that someone apparently has had in their possession for over 20 years now, interesting part of this story is evidently they volunteered here," the video said. "Either the egg or the hatchling alligator at the time...put it in their pocket and took off and actually kept this thing as a pet," it continued. 🐊🐊An alligator that was reportedly stolen from a New Braunfels zoo as an egg (20 YEARS AGO) was returned to the zoo after being located by Texas Parks and Wildlife a couple weeks ago. Story tonight on @KXAN_New...

PARD vows lighting improvements around Rainey Street

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As crowds descend on Austin for spring 2023 events, the city of Austin says it will improve the lighting and safety near the popular Rainey Street area. According to city memo filed on Tuesday, the Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) says crews will install temporary solar lighting in four locations along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail. According to the memo, PARD needs to work with contractors and other city departments to establish a digging plan, pour concrete foundations and install poles and lighting. The memo says the lights should be installed by Friday, March 10 between the Rainey Street trailhead and the trail-side boat launch adjacent to I-35 on East Avenue. PARD says a thick tree canopy does limit the amount of solar lighting it can use, so the department plans to install a barrier between the trail and the shoreline of Lady Bird Lake. That barrier should be installed by Friday. According to the memo, PARD will also install directional and...

Tickets for Lionel Richie, Earth Wind & Fire and Kid Rock at Moody on sale this week

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Music legends are coming to Austin's Moody Center this summer and tickets will be available later this week for two of the shows.Kid Rock is bringing his "No Snowflakes Summer Concert" tour to Moody on June 23. Presale tickets open Thursday at 10 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. Use the code: DOMAIN.Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire bring their "Sing A Song All Night Long" tour to Moody on Aug. 29. Presale tickets are available from 12 p.m. Friday to 10 p.m. Sunday. Use the code: DOMAIN.General tickets go on sale on Monday at 10 a.m. Among the other groups playing at the Moody Center later in 2023: Duran Duran and KISS.

88 PfISD teachers to be awarded up to $21,000 in additional compensation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) -- Pflugerville Independent School District earned the Teacher Incentive Allotment through the Texas Education Agency, and 88 teachers from across the district will receive additional compensation up to $21,000, according to a PfISD press release. PfISD is the first district in the Central Texas metroplex to earn the TIA approval, the release said. TEA will notify selected teachers of their final 2022-2023 allotment amounts in late May. "I am so proud of our administrative staff for their hard work the last three years to create a model that earned approval for this designation," PfISD Superintendent Dr. Doug Killian said. "This is not an easy process, but we will see the benefits for years by providing additional money to our amazing teachers who qualify and deserve it."According to the release, teachers who earn their designation under TIA retain it for five years, and based on past data, the designation could generate $1.2 million in tota...

UT Austin lab simulates miniature earthquakes; discovers role 'healing' plays in slow earthquakes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Researchers with the University of Texas in Austin are making some exciting discoveries beneath the Earth's surface. A paper published in the journal Science last month revealed an unusual type of earthquake may be a result of rocks "healing.""If that healing is very small, then it doesn't take very long before you can build up enough stress, to break the rock again, to overcome that healing," said Demian Saffer, Director of the UT Institute for Geophysics and one of the lead writers of the paper.According to Saffer, healing occurs when rocks recover following an earthquake."The material actually like strengthens or like heals. And, so then when you slide again and actually takes like more force for you to get it to continue to slide," said Kaitlin Schaible, a Ph.D. student in Saffer's Geomechanics and Geofluids Lab.The lab created simulated earthquakes to discover how the rocks are influenced when the earth moves.Creating 'earthquakes' in a labInside the lab, a gian...

Silver Alert discontinued for Austin man

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Silver Alert for an Austin man has been discontinued after the man was found. The Texas Department of Public Safety originally issued the alert at 2:50 a.m. Wednesday after the man had been missing since 7 p.m.The alert was discontinued at 8:50 a.m. after the man was found.

VOTE: Help us choose the best KXAN viewer photo of February 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Here at KXAN, we get hundreds of photos sent to us each month by viewers just like you.We want to showcase some of the best pictures we receive, so we narrowed them down to our 10 favorites for the month. Unsurprisingly, February's picks are dominated by the ice storm. We received thousands — no really, thousands — of photos during and after the storm.Help us choose the best viewer photo of February 2023. Look through the 10 pictures below, then vote for your favorite. The winning photo will move on to represent February in the best viewer photos of the year competition once 2023 is said and done.If you'd like to submit a photo, email it to [email protected]. Be on the lookout, as KXAN may contact you to send a permission form to use your photo on air and online. RESULTS: This is the best KXAN viewer photo of January 2023, as voted by you Here are the options for February, in no particular order:Cardinal in IceNorth Austin, Feb. 2. Courtesy Sasha Smith.Cardinal in ...

Spring bird migration is here: what to look for and how to help

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- March marks the beginning of spring migration for millions of birds, and Central Texas plays an important role in our feathered friends' journeys. Central Texas lies in the main corridor for migrating birds in the spring season, and there are ways in which we can make our homes less harmful and yards more helpful for these travelers.Meteorologist Kristen Currie spoke with the Executive Director of Travis Audubon, Nicole Netherton, to find out what to look for as we enter migration season and how we can help these birds safely make the trip.Below is a transcription of their interview. (Note: edits were made for clarity)Kristen Currie, KXAN News: Spring migration is here, which is an exciting time of the year. So let's dive into it. What are we seeing in our skies right now? Nicole Netherton, Travis Audubon: Spring migration is when the birds who have been south for the winter, which for us tends to be in South America and Central America, are moving back up to come t...