City’s Controversial Encampment Crackdown, Firefighter Wins in Court, & Austin’s Viral Owlet

An Update From City Cast Austin

The City Cast Austin podcast is taking a brief break over the next few months to regroup and develop some new concepts. In the meantime, be sure to keep us in your feeds and be on the look out for our return. Stay connected with the latest Austin news and future podcast updates via our newsletter [https://austin.citycast.fm/newsletter]. If you aren’t already subscribed to our daily morning newsletter, now’s the time to sign up.

City’s Controversial Encampment Crackdown, Firefighter Wins in Court, & Austin’s Viral Owlet

The City of Austin is considering changing [https://www.austintexas.gov/communications/news/city-launch-revised-homeless-encampment-management-plan-may] how it responds to homeless encampments, including deploying daily cleanup teams. But after a recent video highlighted [https://www.instagram.com/reels/DXZh-WYjkOv/] the human impacts of these sweeps, questions are being asked [https://www.kut.org/austin/2026-04-17/austin-tx-homeless-population-camps-sweeps] about what that process should look like. On this week's Friday News Roundup, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec and newsletter editor Kelsey Bradshaw to break it all down. Plus, the Austin firefighter pushing for equality [https://www.fox7austin.com/news/austin-firefighter-wins-legal-battle-over-cancer-treatment] in workers’ compensation and the baby owl stealing our hearts [https://www.instagram.com/p/DXZ3d_xkQJj/?img_index=1] (and plenty of our screen time).  Want some more Austin news? Then make sure to sign up for our City Cast Austin newsletter [https://austin.citycast.fm/subscribe-hey-austin-newsletter-texas].  And don’t forget– you can support this show and get great perks by becoming a City Cast Austin Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm [http://membership.citycast.fm/]  Follow us @citycastaustin [https://www.instagram.com/citycastaustin/] You can also text us or leave a voicemail [tel:5122002227].  Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE [https://citycast.fm/advertise/]  Learn more about the sponsors of this April 24th episode: * City of Austin [https://publicinput.com/infoseries] * Taskrabbit [https://www.taskrabbit.com/] * Visit Port Aransas [https://www.portaransas.org/]

Is Austin Really a Blues City?

Decades ago, Stevie Ray Vaughan brought the Texas Blues to town — but since then, Austin has birthed a well-known blues festival and kept the Austin Home of the Blues, Antone’s Nightclub, in business. And, thanks to a 50-year lease, Antone’s won’t be moving out anytime soon. So, where do the blues fit into Austin’s status as the “Live Music Capital of the World”? Executive Producer Eva Ruth Moravec sits down with Austin’s longtime icon, “Soul Man Sam” Evans [https://www.instagram.com/thesoulmansam/], to hear about how we got here; and later is joined by relative newcomer D.K. Harrell [https://dkblues.com/] to talk about the future of blues in Austin. Catch both musicians’ live sets this weekend at the Austin Blues Festival [https://www.austinbluesfestival.com/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23337893262&gbraid=0AAAAAqyK4asm8pMM-FCv-tCxUar748lsv&gclid=CjwKCAjwwJzPBhBREiwAJfHRnWLF8Xj1SZNog411mARu9h4ecgiG8rAAiq-AbiAyFa29YjzW3ajFvRoCaRMQAvD_BwE].  Want some more Austin news? Then make sure to sign up for our City Cast Austin newsletter [https://austin.citycast.fm/subscribe-hey-austin-newsletter-texas]..  And don’t forget– you can support this show and get great perks by becoming a City Cast Austin Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm [http://membership.citycast.fm/]  Follow us @citycastaustin [https://www.instagram.com/citycastaustin/] You can also text us or leave a voicemail [tel:5122002227].  Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE [https://citycast.fm/advertise/]  Learn more about the sponsors of this April 23rd episode: * City of Austin [https://publicinput.com/infoseries] * Taskrabbit [https://www.taskrabbit.com/] * Visit Port Aransas [https://www.portaransas.org/]

What You Don’t Know About Austin’s Trees

Austin’s tree canopy is something to be proud of — even more so if you don’t zoom in. Did you know that the disparities between East Austin and West Austin even extend up to the trees? This Earth Day, learn something new about our tree canopy in today’s episode, a conversation between host Nikki DaVaughn and TreeFolks’ Executive Director Andrew W. Smiley [https://www.treefolks.org/]. Plus, stay tuned for our midweek mood boost, about Central Health's new flagship location [https://www.kut.org/health/2026-04-21/austin-tx-central-health-clinic-hancock-center-sears].  This episode originally aired on May 13, 2025.  Want some more Austin news? Then make sure to sign up for our City Cast Austin newsletter [https://austin.citycast.fm/subscribe-hey-austin-newsletter-texas]..  And don’t forget– you can support this show and get great perks by becoming a City Cast Austin Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm [http://membership.citycast.fm/]  Follow us @citycastaustin [https://www.instagram.com/citycastaustin/] You can also text us or leave a voicemail [tel:5122002227].  Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE [https://citycast.fm/advertise/]  Learn more about the sponsors of this April 22nd episode: * City of Austin [https://publicinput.com/infoseries] * Taskrabbit [https://www.taskrabbit.com/] * Visit Port Aransas [https://www.portaransas.org/]

Could Austin Lose $2.5M in State Grants? Plus, Rowdy Spring Weather and Unhappy Northeasterners

On today’s Tuesday News Roundup, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec and Grace Reader, the city hall and local government reporter for KXAN, to talk about the latest fight between the State of Texas and the City of Austin [https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/gov-abbott-threatens-to-pull-2-5m-in-state-funding-over-apd-ice-policies/] — this time over Austin police’s new ICE policy. Plus, what to watch for in the skies in the next few weeks, why you should pack a “go” bag and be prepared for flooding even in a drought [https://austin.citycast.fm/urban-almanac/travis-county-austin-rain-drought-meteorologist], and whether North Easterners can truly be happy in Austin [https://austin.citycast.fm/podcasts/are-austinites-happy].