Austin, TX
Austin man brings vintage pens back to life
AUSTIN, Texas — Dan Zazove is a retired attorney who lives in Austin. He spends his time restoring vintage pens. His fascination with old writing instruments goes back decades.
“My father was a salesman and he won an award. The award he won was a Parker 51 pen and pencil set. I really loved those,” said Zazove.
He’s now part of the Austin Pen Club. Members share a passion for all kinds of pens. The group includes Zazove’s friends Craig Bond and Doug Haugen. Some of Haugen’s pens date back to World War II. They were designed to write and save lives. The pen’s clip is shorter so it wouldn’t attract attention.
“They needed to have the pen covered by the flap of the pocket so that the clip didn’t reflect and give your position away to the enemy,” said Haugen.
Zazove’s own pen collection isn’t as large as it used to be. Nowadays his passion is keeping the art of writing alive with every pen he repairs.
“It’s pausing, and thinking and organizing your thoughts in a way that you cannot get writing on a computer. It’s very rewarding when you’ve restored a pen for somebody and they say, ‘I’m going to give this to my granddaughter. She’s very excited to have grandpa’s pen or grandma’s pen,’” he said.
Zazove knows the ins and outs of each pen he restores. He knows the history, what it’s made of, even who might have used it. His job is to keep the pens in top-top shape for the next generation.
“It fulfills me so I’ll keep doing it for people. I enjoy it very much,” he said.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas’ highway system dropped two spots since 2025, and now ranks at No. 27 in the country for its cost-effectiveness and overall conditions, according to the Reason Foundation’s 2026 Highway Report.
The report assessed pavement conditions, fatalities, deficient bridges, infrastructure costs and congestion levels across the United States. Texas earned the following rankings:
- 33rd in urban interstate pavement conditions
- 21st in rural interstate pavement conditions
- 39th in urban arterial pavement conditions
- 12th in rural arterial pavement conditions
- 3rd in structurally deficient bridges
- 26th in urban fatality rate
- 42nd in rural fatality rate
- 41st in traffic congestion
“More than 42,000 of the nation’s 618,923 highway bridges, nearly 7%, are still structurally deficient. Arizona, Nevada, and Texas reported the lowest percentages of deficient bridges,” the report said.
The full report can be found online.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Small hail peppered the Austin area as strong thunderstorms moved through Saturday.
A few of the storms dropped rain and up to pea-sized hail in San Marcos, Dripping Springs and the Austin metro area.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Williamson County around 8:15 p.m., and then canceled shortly after. However, it was enough for the Two Step Inn music festival in Georgetown to cancel shows for the rest of the evening. Event organizers say the festival will run as planned Sunday.
KXAN’s First Warning Weather team is monitoring the storms. We will update this post as the evening continues.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution unveiled a new monument at the Texas State Cemetery on Saturday, dedicated to Texas Revolutionary War soldiers.
“We must educate every generation about why it is that America grew from a tenuous 13 colonies into the most powerful country in the history of the world,” said Governor Abbott. “This monument here is an enduring testament to the heroes who fought for the freedom that is unique to America.”
The monument was dedicated to 69 soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Texas, according to a press release.
Among those that were honored, Abbott recognized:
- José Santiago Seguín, grandfather of Texas Revolutionary hero Juan Seguín.
- Peter Sides, who fought in the 2nd Battalion of the North Carolina Regiment of the Colonial Army, and was later killed in the 1813 Battle of Medina, fighting for Mexican independence against Spain.
- Antonio Gil Y’Barbo, the founder of Nacogdoches.
- William Sparks, who fought as a mounted rifleman in the American Revolution and later settled in Texas. He had two sons and two grandsons who fought in the Texas Revolution.
“This year marks the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, which not only gave freedom to the British colonies of North America, but inspired movements for freedom and liberty all over the world,” said TSSAR President Mel Oller. “Texans played a role in the war too, and it’s important to recognize them, and the sacrifices they made for our freedom.”
At the monument unveiling, Abbott was also inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution and received its Silver Good Citizenship Medal.
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