During a public hearing before the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce June 12, the Public Utility Commission (PUC) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) reported that Texas’ power demand is now expected to nearly double by 2030.

From 2005-2020, now-retired Austin Chronicle News Editor Michael King wrote about city and state politics from a progressive perspective in his weekly column, “Point Austin.” We’re pleased to bring back his column whenever he’s inspired to tackle the state we’re in.

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A massive change is in store for the Alamo Drafthouse: The Austin-based cinema chain and its film festival Fantastic Fest, have been acquired wholly and solely by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and will become part of the new Sony Pictures Experiences division.

Organizers with the United Workers of Integral Care are calling on leadership at Travis County’s largest mental healthcare provider to make changes to prevent unjustified firings. They say transparency and better explanation around dismissals would improve job security and create a healthier work environment.

On May 23, Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission granted over $4.5 million for trail construction and maintenance, helping finance over 16 state park projects across Texas. Nearly a million dollars will be dedicated to parks close to home, with three projects winning grants in Hays County and one in Travis.

At the end of April, nine Austinites died in the span of 27 hours. In one of the biggest spikes in overdose deaths the region has ever seen, at least 79 separate overdose incidents were recorded over just three days.

Nakeenya Wilson almost died as a result of one of her pregnancies. As a Black mom and doula from the county with the lowest life expectancy in the state, she’s seen other pregnancy complications unfold firsthand.

Last August, the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department installed a pilot of new safety improvements to Barton Springs Road. New data shows those changes have worked to reduce crashes and speeding.

Daniel Perry, the Army sergeant convicted one year ago of murdering Black Lives Matter protester Garrett Foster during a march in Downtown Austin in July of 2020, has been pardoned by Gov. Greg Abbott.