Austin, TX
Austin’s ‘We All Belong’ initiative gives residents a tool to report hate crimes
AUSTIN, Texas – The City of Austin’s goal is to empower the community to take action and keep Austin a safe and welcoming place with streamlined access to tools to report hate crimes and incidents.
“No one should live in fear of being a target of hateful acts simply because of who we are. That is not a culture we accept in Austin,” said Austin’s assistant city manager Veronica Briseño.
Briseño says the ‘We All Belong’ initiative is more than just a slogan. The city is committed to ensuring Austin remains a place where diversity is celebrated, and hate is not tolerated.
“As a community, we are willing to report hate crimes and incidents. But when it comes to awareness of tools and resources to do so, there is room for improvement,” said Briseño.
Austin residents can report hate crimes online here.
A busy week for Austin City Council
Austin City Council member Mackenzie Kelly joins FOX 7 Austin in studio to talk about the recent agenda items discussed in this week’s meetings, including an affordable housing measure, homeless issues and the ongoing police shortage.
Three Texas men sentenced after using Grindr for violent hate crimes
“In addition to the streamlined access to hate crime and incident reporting resources, it provides an interactive data experience and offers a look at where hate crimes have been reported in Austin the last three years,” said Briseño.
District 10 council member Alison Alter reflected on previous hate crimes that happened in the city.
“In one of these acts of hate, in October 2021, an 18-year-old member of the Texas State Guard deliberately set my set fire to my temple congregation, Beth Israel. His sanctuary till this day remains unusable,” Alter said.
In addition to reporting hate crimes and incidents, the public can also get involved in the ‘We All Belong’ initiative. Residents can be an information ambassador or participate in the ‘We All Belong’ citywide event that will be at city hall on Saturday, August 1. The celebration kicks off after 5 p.m. and goes until 10 p.m.
The family-friendly event will bring people together for food, fellowship and fun, while highlighting the progress of the ‘We All Belong’ initiative. Admission is free.
Austin, TX
Texas Supreme Court overturns ruling that state Attorney General Ken Paxton testify in lawsuit
(AP) – The Texas Supreme Court on Friday overturned a lower court ruling that state Attorney General Ken Paxton testify in a whistleblower lawsuit at the heart of impeachment charges brought against him in 2023.
The court on Friday said Paxton’s office does not dispute any issue in the lawsuit by four former Paxton employees and agreed to any judgment in the case.
“In a major win for the State of Texas, the state Supreme Court has sided with Attorney General Paxton against former OAG employees whose effort to prolong costly, politically-motivated litigation against the agency has wasted public resources for years,” a statement from Paxton’s office said.
An attorney for one of the plaintiffs declined immediate comment, and a second attorney did not immediately return a phone call for comment.
The former employees allege they were improperly fired or forced out for bringing to the FBI allegations that Paxton was misusing his office to protect a friend and campaign donor, who in turn, they said, was helping the attorney general to conceal an extramarital affair.
The Supreme Court ruling noted that the Texas governor and Legislature have expressed a desire to hear testimony from the witnesses prior to agreeing to appropriate funds to settle the lawsuit.
The court said forcing Paxton, First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster, Chief of Staff Lesley French Henneke and senior advisor Michelle Smith to testify earlier could improperly be used for legislative purposes in deciding any appropriation.
Under the preliminary deal, Paxton agreed to apologize to the former employees for calling them “rogue” employees, settle the case for $3.3 million and ask the state to pay for it, prompting the state House to reject the request and begin its own investigation, leading to the vote to impeach him.
Paxton was ultimately acquitted after a Senate trial.
The Supreme Court termed its ruling conditional upon the lower trial court complying with the decision, while saying it is “confident the trial court will comply” with the order.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
See how the Austin skyline changes annually from ACL Fest 2024
It’s another year of Austin City Limits Music Festival, which means we have an updated photo from 2024 to show the change in Austin’s skyline since 2005.
A Texas city has been named among the top ten U.S. cities to live in over the next two years.
Ten Texas cities were included in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-2026 Best Places to Live list. For the annual rankings, U.S. News analyzed 150 major cities in the U.S. based on quality of life, job market, value of living and people’s desire to live in the area.
How did your city fare on the list? Here’s a breakdown of the data.
LIST: 10 best US cities to live
Texas’ capital secured a spot in the top 10 places to live, as determined by U.S. News.
- Naples, Florida
- Boise, Idaho
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Greenville, South Carolina
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Huntsville, Alabama
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Austin, Texas
- Boulder, Colorado
Austin offers healthy balance of work and pleasure, US News says
Austin had an overall score of 6.8 out of 10, compared to Naples’ score of 7.1. The Texas capital also scored 6.8 in the quality of life index, with a value index score of 6.3.
“With the slogan ‘Keep Austin Weird,’ this Texas city is laid-back to the point that if you’re dressing up, it must be a life event,” the U.S. News analysis says. “People here enjoy the outdoors, even more so with their dogs. Austin has a contagious vibrancy and enthusiasm.”
U.S. News notes Austin’s strongest assets are a mix of work and pleasure. The number of companies headquartered in Austin makes it attractive to working professionals, especially those in technology, government, education, and health care. But the capital is far from being “all work, no play.” Its claim as the live music capital of the world invites music lovers to take a listen, whether at the airport, along streets downtown, or at one of the approximate 200 venues throughout the area.
Austin also ranked no. 32 on U.S. News’ Best Places to Retire in 2025 list.
LIST: Best Texas cities to live
Here are the rankings and scores U.S. News gave for the ten Texas cities included in the list:
Ranking
City
Overall Score
Quality of Life
Value Index
#9
Austin
6.8
6.8
6.3
#48
McAllen
6.4
6.6
7.6
#62
El Paso
6.3
6.5
7.3
#77
Corpus Christi
6.2
5.8
7.0
#87
Brownsville
6.2
6.2
7.7
#89
San Antonio
6.1
6.1
6.8
#95
Dallas
6.1
6.4
5.6
#97
Houston
6.1
5.9
6.2
#99
Beaumont
6.1
5.5
7.3
#107
Killeen
6.0
5.9
7.3
Khalid Comes Out As Gay, Says He Was Outed
'Why do we need to rush?' California's Lake County may have the nation's slowest elections department
Cluster of farmworkers diagnosed with rare animal-borne disease in Ventura County
Dodgers avoid arbitration with Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, non-tender Brent Honeywell
Donald Trump picks Scott Bessent as Treasury secretary
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
WHO says mpox remains public health emergency of international concern
Trump names former Texas state Rep. Scott Turner to lead Housing and Urban Development
Video: Heavy Rains and Wind Wreak Havoc on the West Coast
'Conveyor belt of radicals': GOP slammed over Senate absences that helped Biden score more judges in lame duck
Fact-check: What do we know about Russia’s nuclear arsenal?
-
Business1 week ago
Column: OpenAI just scored a huge victory in a copyright case … or did it?
-
Health1 week agoBird flu leaves teen in critical condition after country's first reported case
-
Business6 days agoColumn: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
-
World1 week agoSarah Palin, NY Times Have Explored Settlement, as Judge Sets Defamation Retrial
-
Science3 days agoTrump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
Politics5 days agoTrump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25739950/247386_Elon_Musk_Open_AI_CVirginia.jpg "Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI")
Technology4 days agoInside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
-
Lifestyle5 days agoSome in the U.S. farm industry are alarmed by Trump's embrace of RFK Jr. and tariffs
