Hundreds of Texas State University graduates celebrated after commencement ceremonies Thursday with a jump into the San Marcos River, continuing one of the school’s best-known traditions.
Students gathered in Sewell Park, many still wearing caps, gowns and cords as friends and family watched them jump in the river.
The tradition has become a signature moment for graduates celebrating the end of their time at Texas State. A record 5,200 students graduated from the university, surpassing the previous record set in 2019. Texas State held eight commencement ceremonies Thursday through Saturday.
See more photos by @jayjanner at the link in bio.
Long considered a bedroom community for Austin, Round Rock — like much of Central Texas — has recently seen dramatic growth.
With a population of around 142,530, it's ranked 30th among the state's most populous cities, similar to the size of Waco and Abilene.
With city officials saying Round Rock is only halfway built out, there is plenty of room for the city to grow even more.
Read more about some of the biggest projects underway to give residents new places to live, work and play in Round Rock at the link in bio. Staff photos by @jayjanner .
Austin will fight over almost anything food-related — tacos, barbecue, where to get the best martini — but queso still unites the table.
The city treats molten cheese as a ritual: the thing ordered before the first margarita, the glue between late-night conversations, the appetizer that lands on the table while everybody argues about where Austin went wrong and keeps eating anyway.
Finding the best queso in Austin is not complicated. Adi Anand, co-founder of Quesoff, an annual competition that crowns the city's best dip, once told the American-Statesman that the way to judge it comes down to appearance, taste and texture.
You look for sheen without oil slicks. Flavor without gimmick. Texture that lands somewhere between velvet and recklessness. Food in Austin often gets overthought, but queso still rewards instinct.
Find the full list of the city's top 10 quesos at the link in bio. Photos by @a.m.gutierrez .
The Pflugerville Independent School District will close four elementary schools in fall 2027 as the district projects an $18 million shortfall next school year.
Trustees voted unanimously to close all elementary schools except Windermere, which trustees voted to shutter in a 4-3 vote. Board President Chevonne Lorgio-Johst and trustees Jean Mayer and Claudia Yañez opposed the measure.
In 2019, Parmer Lane Elementary was the public school where Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 3, a landmark $11.5 billion bipartisan school funding law. Last year, Texas Democrats also used the campus as the backdrop for a press conference blaming Abbott for withholding public school funding as he pushed lawmakers to pass a $1 billion private school voucher program.
Pflugerville ISD is the latest Texas school district to close schools in an effort to reduce a mounting budget deficit as enrollment declines. The district is already grappling with a $10.9 million deficit this fiscal year.
Read more at the link in bio. Photos by @jayjanner and Keri Heath.
The Circuit of the Americas' new theme park is facing a $1 million lawsuit alleging “gross negligence” after a roller coaster incident that left a rider injured.
The lawsuit alleges COTALAND, which is set to fully open this year, didn’t have an evacuation plan ready when the “Circuit Breaker” ride malfunctioned on Dec. 17, leaving riders Matthew Cantu and Nicholas Sanchez stuck in a 90-degree position, 120 feet in the air, for more than an hour.
Cantu claims he suffered injuries to his head, neck, back and other body parts during the ordeal.
“When you’re in that scenario and you hear them call out, 'Get the manual,' I mean, that sends shivers down the spine,” Cantu told KXAN.
According to court documents first reported by KXAN, the ride malfunctioned around 8:52 p.m. while the coaster was tilted vertically, leaving the two riders facing straight down from roughly 120 feet in the air. The lawsuit alleges park staff did not evacuate riders and instead restarted the ride after more than an hour with riders suspended in the air.
Read more at the link in bio. Photo by @jayjanner .
One of the most exciting (and flavorful) aspects of Austin's growth over the last 20 years has been the explosion of offerings from all areas of Asia.
The traditionally well-represented cuisines of China and Vietnam have been joined by an exciting collection of Cambodian, Filipino and Indian restaurants, with eateries providing everything from counter service to tasting menus, spread across the city.
Find the full list of Austin's 25 best Asian restaurants, representing more than 10 countries, at the link in bio. Staff photos by @matthewodam and @mikalacompton .
Sometime after 1 a.m., Austin police chasing a car thief kicked in the unlocked gate outside Spencer Harder’s home. Harder awoke that April 2025 morning to find $1,035 in damage that was now his problem.
“I was like, ‘What the hell?’” the software engineer recently said from his Northeast Austin home. “But I thought that maybe we can get (the city) to pay for this. It’s very obvious what happened.”
Instead, he learned that when Austin police break it, you buy it — even if you’re just an unlucky bystander.
We all want police to catch criminals and reach people who might need help. Sometimes that involves breaking down doors or gates. As noted in the first installment of this “Damaged for Good” series last week, the question is what happens next: Who bears the collateral cost for public safety in Austin?
In theory, the city has a process for people to seek reimbursement for damages caused by police. But that system, built on a narrow reading of a contested area of law, is as broken as Harder’s gate.
Austin’s Law Department received 135 claims for building damages caused by police over the past six years. Each time, the city refused to pay.
Read the full opinion piece by editorial page editor Bridget Grumet at the link in bio.
Austin has topped 1 million residents for the first time, joining a small club of U.S. cities with seven-figure populations even as it slipped one spot to become the nation’s 12th-largest city, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
Austin briefly enjoyed a stint among the top 10 before being passed last year by Jacksonville, Fla., and the latest figures show both cities have been eclipsed by Fort Worth.
“This is a historic moment for Austin, and one that my predecessor Edwin Waller probably didn’t even think about when he surveyed the site that would eventually become our beloved city back in 1839,” said Mayor Kirk Watson in a press release. “There’s no denying now that Austin is a big city, and we have big challenges. But we also still have small town heart, and that’s part of what makes it the best place in the country to raise a family or to seek out new opportunities.”
Read more at the link in bio. Photo by @jayjanner .
Texas State baseball fell to UTSA 19-4 Tuesday night, but that was far from the end of the confrontation between the two teams.
When Texas State head coach Steven Trout and UTSA head coach Patrick Hallmark met on the diamond at the game's conclusion, an argument ensued, and coaches from both staffs could be seen yelling and shoving each other.
Find the full story at the link in bio.
Former President @barackobama is no stranger to Austin restaurants. He famously stopped by Franklin Barbecue and Magnolia Cafe in 2014 during his time as president of the United States.
It probably goes without saying that Texas state Rep. @jamestalarico knows Austin restaurants, as well. The Round Rock native attended the University of Texas at Austin and lives in town.
After Obama placed his taco order, the cashier already knew what Talarico wanted.
Read more at the link in bio.
Not sure which ACL day fits your vibe? Let the American-Statesman play music matchmaker.
From indie heartbreak to rave-adjacent dancing, we broke down each day’s lineup so you can decide where your wristband belongs. One-day tickets are on sale now.
Find more details about this year’s ACL Music Fest at the link in bio. Staff photo by @mikalacompton .
Former President Barack Obama appeared alongside U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico and gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa on Tuesday in Austin as part of an attempt to boost a new crop of Democratic candidates ahead of this year's midterms.
The appearance was not a formal endorsement, but Obama introduced the two to a crowd of awestruck lunch goers at a taco restaurant east of the University of Texas as "the next senator and governor of Texas." Democrats haven't won a statewide contest in Texas in 32 years.
Read the full story at the link in bio.
