Austin, TX

Austin advocates urge more support for harm reduction amid high overdose, fentanyl deaths

Published

1 year ago

May 29, 2024

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Austin advocates urge more support for harm reduction amid high overdose, fentanyl deaths

Felix Gonzalez first used drugs at 9 years old.

Decades later, he continues to cycle in and out of drug use as a way to cope with the trauma from his life, he said. But in the past two years, as someone experiencing homelessness, he has seen more family and friends die on the streets of Austin than at any other time of his life. Most of those deaths are due to fentanyl.

“So much death around fentanyl,” Gonzalez said, as he began tearing up. “I really don’t know what a solution to this is. … But we need help.”

Gonzalez was one of dozens of advocates, local officials, and former and current drug users who stood outside of the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance’s drop-in center in East Austin on Wednesday to call for more resources to be put into harm reduction as both the city of Austin and Travis County look to begin their budget processes. The alliance offers services to people at risk of opioid overdoses in the Austin area.

Wednesday’s news conference comes nearly a week after the Travis County medical examiner, J. Keith Pinckard, presented the office’s annual report, which found that overdoses were the county’s leading cause of accidental deaths — a trend driven by an increase in the deadly drug fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin that has been found laced in other drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine.

Overdose deaths and fentanyl-related overdoses increased last year, the report found, with 486 people dying of an overdose.

So far, this year doesn’t seem to be bringing much of an improvement, as the county recently saw an overdose surge that resulted in 79 overdoses and nine deaths in less than a week. Fentanyl was present in each of the nine deaths, county spokesperson Hector Nieto has said. No arrests have been made in connection to this surge.

“We’ve been raising the alarm for so long, and we do not have the support we need,” said Alexandra White, director of services for the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance. “We are so tired. We are working so hard to keep our people alive that we don’t even have time to mourn our dead.”

During the previous state legislative session, harm reduction efforts such as legalizing fentanyl testing strips in Texas stalled in the Senate despite a measure passing in the House.

Many of the people who spoke at Wednesday’s news conference urged state lawmakers to make fentanyl testing strips legal during next year’s legislative session.

Travis County has the highest rate of fentanyl-related deaths in the state compared with other major metropolitan counties. Experts have partially attributed the rate to the area’s lack of treatment options and local policies that have made implementing a successful harm reduction strategy more difficult.

What is harm reduction?

Harm reduction includes making things available to drug users that can help limit some of the adverse effects that are typically associated with illicit drug use. Some of those items include clean needles, wound care and Narcan, a nasal spray that, if administered soon enough, can reverse an opioid overdose.

However, Maggie Luna, executive director of the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance, said harm reduction is a lot more than just providing Narcan to people. She said it’s providing support to drug users, and oftentimes people who are homeless, with dignity and without judgment. This can include offering people a meal, a place to shower or safe sex supplies, all things that the organization provides.

The alliance offers harm reduction in two forms: through its drop-in center in East Austin and through its outreach teams, which go to various places throughout the city where campsites or large numbers of people experiencing homelessness are typically found.

Currently, the alliance employs 11 people, including four on the outreach team and another four in the drop-in center. That’s not enough for Travis County, Luna said, and it’s why the group is asking Austin Public Health to increase its current yearly budget of $684,000 to $1 million.

White said that, in six months, the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance has handed out supplies to more than 1,800 people.

What are county leaders saying?

Leaders such as County Judge Andy Brown and Commissioner Ann Howard both spoke at Wednesday’s news conference and said they would be asking the Travis County Commissioners Court for more funding.

“We have pledged at Travis County to listen and to learn and to invest where it matters,” Howard said. “We need to do more, and we are in agreement about that. It is a struggle. There’s lots of needs in Travis County, we’re growing fast, but I think nothing compares to this one.”

Brown said increasing funding for harm reduction is a short-term solution and that, long term, the county is looking to increase permanent supportive housing for people who are homeless. Additionally, he said the upcoming mental health diversion center is another option to help treat people who are arrested on a low-level crime in a way other than sending them to jail.

While the building is likely years away from being completed, Brown said a pilot program between the county, the city of Austin and Central Health, the Travis County hospital district, has been given the green light. The pilot can handle up to 25 people and will begin taking people soon, if it hasn’t already, Brown said.

Former Texas Longhorns Guard Transfers to Big 12 Team

Published

4 hours ago

June 7, 2025

Press Room

Former Texas Longhorns Guard Transfers to Big 12 Team

AUSTIN — A former Texas Longhorns guard is headed back to the Big 12 for the 2025-26 season after another offseason in the transfer portal.

Per reports from Tobias Bass of The Athletic, former Texas guard Chris Johnson will transfer to the UCF Knights after spending this past season with the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. He averaged 10.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in just three appearances for SFA.

Johnson played with the Longhorns during the 2023-24 season before hitting the transfer portal last offseason.

Nov 15, 2023; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Chris Johnson (0) drives to the basket during the first half against the Rice Owls at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

A Missouri City (Houston) native and four-star guard in the 2023 class, Johnson played at prestigious Montverde Academy where he was teammates with notable names like Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Georgia’s Asa Newell, Maryland’s Derik Queen, UConn’s Liam McNeeley, Ohio State’s Sean Stewart and more.

Johnson originally signed with the Kansas Jayhawks in 2022 but de-committed and was released from his letter of intent in June 2023. He eventually arrived to Austin for 2023-24 season ahead of the first full year under coach Rodney Terry.

Johnson played in a reserve role in his only season at Texas. He played in 17 games with the Longhorns, averaging just 1.1 points in 4.5 minutes per contest. He got playing time at Madison Square Garden in the Empire Classic against Louisville and eventual national champion UConn. In the loss to the Huskies, Johnson saw five minutes of action while recording one rebound.

With Stephen F. Austin this past season, Johnson scored a career-high 17 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists in a win over University of Dallas (Division III) in November. He then had five points in 15 minutes against the Drake Bulldogs, a team that finished with a 31-4 record and made it to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament this season.

As for the current Longhorns, new head coach Sean Miller has rebuilt the roster with portal additions of Xavier forward Dailyn Swain, St. John’s guard Simeon Wilcher, Xavier forward Lassina Traore, Purdue forward Camden Heide and Florida Atlantic center Matas Vokietaitis.

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Austin, TX

Austin creative collective pushes past funding loss with summer events

Published

1 day ago

June 6, 2025

Press Room

Austin creative collective pushes past funding loss with summer events

This month, Austin’s art scene is exploring how history, identity, and relationships shape creative expression. At the Blanton Museum, A Family Affair: Artistic Dynasties of Europe (Part I, 1500-1700) showcases intricate woodcuts and etchings by European printmaking families, revealing an evolution over generations. Similarly, In Creative Harmony: Three Artistic Partnerships examines collaboration and legacy.

Other exhibitions delve into individual experiences and their intersections with the environment. Aisha Imdad’s The Allegorical Gardens at Women & Their Work combines miniature painting with sensory elements to evoke the garden as a space of healing and cultural memory. Meanwhile, Relational Earth at the Doughtery Art Center explores the connections between ecology and human experience through textured, site-specific works.

Whether focused on familial bonds, cultural roots, or the natural world, these exhibitions highlight the diverse ways artists engage with themes of legacy and belonging.

A piece from Lance Myers: “Frequencies in the Static Bloom.”Image courtesy of Lance Myers via Wally Workman Gallery

Blanton Museum

Group Exhibition: A Family Affair: Artistic Dynasties of Europe (Part I, 1500-1700) — Now through June 15

Woodcuts, etchings, and engravings across a nearly 200-year span are on display in this group exhibition. Together, the pieces tell the story of 16 European printmaking families. A Family Affair looks at the striking similarities and drastic differences families make in their creative work over generations. Incredibly detailed and intricate work, these etchings show both high fantasy scenes and realistic renderings. Persian ambassadors, dragons, drinkers, and sorcery all find their way into these works.

Group Exhibition: In Creative Harmony: Three Artistic Partnerships— Now through July 20

Featuring six artists, this group exhibition looks at how artists are inspired through intergenerational connections, friendships, and family. Mexican printmakers José Guadalupe Posada and Artemio Rodríguez use dark humor in their works to interrogate social injustices. Arshile Gorky and Isamu Noguchi’s works reunite collaborative drawings the pair made in 1939. Mother-daughter pair Nora Naranjo Morse and Eliza Naranjo Morse work together for the first time at this scale to create an immersive artistic environment.

Doughtery Art Center

London Farris: Swammer — Now through June 21

This mixed media series was inspired by Farris’ experience as a swimmer, exploring body image, identity, and the challenges of competitive swimming. The artist uses shifting colors and tones to reflect the different phases of her journey, depicting the toll of competition and joy of celebration. Through rich textures, Farris highlights the resilience and beauty of athletes, offering a glimpse into their everyday realities.

Lindsey Millikan: Tides and Time — Now through June 21

Millikan blends celestial and aquatic elements, bold patterns, and surreal landscapes to explore the past, present, and future. Central figures transcend reality, inviting the viewer closer. Rooted in fine art and mural traditions, the work offers perspectives on the human psyche and our evolving world.

Melinda Barsales and Rachel Long: Relational Earth — Now through June 21

Relation Earth is a collaborative exhibition between Barsales and Long, looking at the connections between place, ecology, and the human experience. Melding visual, performing, and healing arts, the artists reconnect with the natural world through collage, texture, and site-inspired works, exploring reflection and belonging.

"Home" by Rachel Long “Home” by Rachel Long.Image courtesy of Rachel Long via the Dougherty Arts Center

Lora Reynolds Gallery

Ewan Gibbs: TX/NY— Now through June 28

Gibbs’ intricate grayscale drawings celebrate the gallery’s 20th anniversary. Known for his meticulous “pin-pointillism,” Gibbs translates iconic landmarks like New York’s Empire State Building and symbolic Texas imagery into delicate, grid-based compositions. His works reflect a lifelong dedication to precision and capturing the passage of time. A highlight is Gibbs’ portrait of Lora Reynolds, created over seven months with 20 pencil grades, symbolizing their decades-long friendship and shared artistic journey.

Women & Their Work

Aisha Imdad: The Allegorical Garden — Now through July 3

Imdad draws inspiration from Indian, Mughal, and Persian miniatures and frescos, reflecting the artistic traditions of her birthplace, Pakistan. Her work blends traditional painting techniques with a contemporary approach. Imdad’s latest series, The Allegorical Gardens, explores the garden as a symbol of paradise, healing, and cultural memory. Through intricate large-scale paintings paired with sensory elements such as floral scents and birdsong, she creates immersive sanctuaries that celebrate the garden’s significance.

Austin Central Library

Group Exhibition: Roots Unveiled: Exploring the Chinese Experience — Now through August 31

This interdisciplinary project mixes traditional visual art with modern video storytelling to explore the Chinese American experience in Texas. Michael Wei, a prominent vlog artist, presents a video series highlighting the stories of Austin’s ten legendary Chinese Americans. Through curated still-life compositions and narratives of Chinese immigrants since the 1800s, the project offers a dynamic multimedia perspective on their journey and contributions.

Untitled painting by June Xu.Image courtesy of June Xu via the Austin Public Library

Wally Workman Gallery

Lance Myers: Frequencies in Static Bloom— June 7 through July 6

Myers’ oil paintings capture surreal scenes rendered in fine detail. From large beetles feasting on oranges to despondent artists sitting before their work, Myers bounces between painting still life and figurative pieces. Many of the pieces capture people in private moments of reflection, creating an intimate, almost voyeuristic connection with the viewer. Bursting across the canvas, Myers’ work showcases vivid, dynamic imagery.

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Austin, TX

Southtown Web Design & Digital Marketing Now Serving Austin, TX Businesses with SEO, Web Design & Digital Marketing Services

Published

2 days ago

June 6, 2025

Press Room

Southtown Web Design & Digital Marketing Now Serving Austin, TX Businesses with SEO, Web Design & Digital Marketing Services

San Antonio, TX – Southtown Web Design & Digital Marketing, a trusted name in web design and SEO for San Antonio businesses, is proud to announce an expansion of services to the Austin, TX market.

Known for helping businesses grow their online presence through custom website design, SEO strategy, and targeted digital marketing, Southtown Web Design is now welcoming clients across Austin and Central Texas.

“We’ve worked with clients throughout Texas for years,” said Michael Lorenzana, owner of Southtown Web Design & Digital Marketing. “As demand has grown from Austin-area businesses, we felt it was time to officially expand our offerings and dedicate a team to supporting the Austin community.”

Austin businesses can now take advantage of:

* Custom Website Design & Development
* Local SEO & Multi-Location SEO
* Google Business Profile Optimization
* Targeted Google Ads Management
* Content Writing & SEO Strategy

Southtown Web Design’s new Austin digital marketing services [https://www.southtowndesigns.com/austin/] page provides more details about the agency’s services now available to businesses in the Austin area.

For more information, visit https://www.southtowndesigns.com/austin/.

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