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There's a bipartisan effort against data center development across the state, but regulations are slow moving.

Austin-area residents are pushing for data center bans. State leaders are divided on what to do next

As Texas embraces AI development, Austin-area residents are calling for stricter data center regulations, citing concerns over water, power and neighborhood impacts.
Samsung Austin Semiconductor’s campus in Austin. Samsung has received $16 million in economic development funds from the city since October 2023, according to city records.

Incentives: City of Austin revisits development policies that subsidize world’s richest companies

Rendering of the proposed new Austin Convention Center.

Debt financing: Austin issues $645 million in low-risk convention center bonds

SaulPaul works with a young Dream Lab participant.

‘Impressionable moments’: Austin musician SaulPaul asks kids to imagine futures ‘worth building’

Artist’s concept of Austin light rail vehicles for Project Connect.

Track switch: Austin light rail lawsuit diverted to appeals courts — again

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Around Austin

A teacher speaks to students during class. Teacher recruitment and representation remain key issues for schools in Texas and across the country.

Teachable moment: Who’s missing from Austin’s classrooms affects the teacher pipeline

Austin's teacher shortage isn't just about numbers. A more representative educator workforce could strengthen schools and the future pipeline.

News about AFP

Report for America Expands Local News Coverage Nationwide with New Cohort of Journalists

A new cohort of corps members will report on undercovered communities and issues while helping local newsrooms grow trust, engagement and sustainability.

Government Accountability Project

Tracking Power in Plain Sight: A Tool for Government Transparency in Central Texas

Transparent government builds trust and informs communities. Austin Free Press is here to help you see how your government really works. To do that, AFP in partnership with The Austin Bulldog is providing the Government Accountability Project (GAP).

Together, we collect, organize and publish official records in a free, searchable database — open to anyone online. Our goal in partnering with The Austin Bulldog is to strengthen local reporting and advance transparency in our Central Texas community. The GAP was founded by The Austin Bulldog in 2023.

“Thanks to The Austin Bulldog and the Austin Free Press for ensuring documents obtained under our Texas open government laws reach a large audience on a continuing basis,” —Kelley Shannon, executive director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas

Democracy needs Austin Free Press. AFP needs you.
Our nonprofit newsroom seeks to inform and empower readers to hold the powerful accountable. That’s impossible without your support.

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Webber Family Preservation Project panelists speak during a July symposium at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center.

Underground railroad: Remembering when Mexico was a ‘North Star’ to Texas slaves

Silvia Webber, the “Harriet Tubman of Texas,” inspires a movement to preserve Afro-Mexican history in Austin.
The Texas Harm Reduction Alliance’s mobile clinic provides services and supplies to Austinites. The nonprofit is among the social service providers facing proposed city funding cuts.

Harm reduction: City of Austin scrounges for funds to aid unhoused people

Austin’s social service cuts could hit the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance, which says its work helps reduce demands on police and EMS.
Advocates are calling for changes to the city’s emergency response system as the City Council considers its 2026-27 budget.

‘Dispatch is destiny’: Austin leaders dial 911 on funding for mental health response

Austin is rethinking who answers the city’s most urgent calls, as advocates push leaders to shift mental health crises away from police
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Support Austin Free Press
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