Austin, TX
District 2 council member Vanessa Fuentes works to be a voice for Austin
Vanessa Fuentes is ‘voice for her community’
It’s Hispanic Heritage Month, and FOX 7 Austin’s Amanda Ruiz is featuring an Austin woman who spends most of her time at city hall working to “enact lasting change. District 2 council woman Vanessa Fuentes says she does this to be a “voice for her community.”
AUSTIN, Texas – Council woman Vanessa Fuentes spends most of her time at city hall working to enact lasting change and be a voice for her community. It is a job she says she takes seriously every day especially during Hispanic Heritage Month.
“Honestly, I could pinch myself every time I’m on the dais because people like me don’t often end up in these positions of power,” said Fuentes, Austin City Council for District 2.
She says it is a dream come true for her. She grew up in the small Texas town of Brady with a population of around 5,000 people. She says she eventually moved to Austin to study at the University of Texas and became the first in her family to do so.
“I come from very humble beginnings of a working class immigrant family. My mom is from Mexico and my dad is a military veteran who’s an electrician and my mom works at a grocery store,” she said.
Fuentes says she does not take a moment on the dais for granted because it was not an easy journey.
District 2 council member Vanessa Fuentes
“When I ran for office, I had to quit my job. I was working in a nonprofit. I had to live off of my retirement savings and take this huge risk to represent the 10th largest city in this country, and I was only able to do that through the support of my family and the community that I have,” she said.
After almost 3 years on the job, Fuentes says she has put her all into giving back to the same community who elected her into the position she is in right now.
“For my community in Southeast Austin, this is a community that’s felt, for a long time, underinvested in and neglected by the City of Austin, so when I ran for office, it was to change that [so] serving as a city council woman, I am able to enact change that I can see in my neighborhood and that to me is just incredible,” said Fuentes.
Every day she walks down the halls of city hall to her seat on the dais, she says she remembers why she is here, and she says that is to be a voice for the community.
“It was to ensure that the status quo was no longer and that my community got the resources and attention that we deserve and so everything that I do, I have a very community lens with it,” she said.
A highlight Fuentes told FOX 7 Austin she is proud of is leading an initiative to raise the living wage to $20 an hour. She says that is one of the highest in the country.
Round Rock Juneteenth mass shooting
Two people are dead and multiple people are injured after a shooting at a Juneteenth concert in Round Rock Saturday night. FOX 7 Austin’s Jessica Rivera has the latest from Old Settlers Park.
ROUND ROCK, Texas – The city of Round Rock’s Juneteenth celebration ended early Saturday night after an altercation broke out between two groups. Round Rock police say during the altercation someone pulled a gun and fired it during the concert.
“It is unfortunate that we are here celebrating a wonderful event, and we have a tragedy that happens. My thoughts, my prayers go out to our victims. My condolences go out to the families of the deceased at this time,” said Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks.
Chief Banks confirmed during Sunday morning’s press conference that two people died at the scene. According to ATCEMS, four adults and two children were taken to local hospitals with potentially serious injuries.
“All the victims and the deceased were not emergency personnel or first responders. They were actually folks that were there enjoying the concert,” said Chief Banks.
Chief Banks says at this time the Round Rock Police Department and the FBI are investigating this mass shooting.
“As you can imagine, with a traumatic incident like this, people are going to have different accounts of what happened and different accounts of what that suspect might have looked like. And so, this is why it’s an ongoing investigation. We’re trying to piece that together,” said Chief Banks.
“Our goal is to put those folks behind bars. And our goal is to get them put away for life, and, and we’re going to work tirelessly to do that. No stone left unturned,” said Chief Banks.
Round Rock PD says there’s no suspect in custody at this time. They are asking for the public’s help. Anyone with any information on Saturday night’s shooting is asked to report it to the police department at 512-218-5500.
Round Rock — At least two people are dead and multiple people are injured after a shooting at Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock, according to local officials.
Round Rock Police said they received a call about a shooting at the Juneteenth Festival just before 11:00 p.m. Saturday night.
Officers were already working the event which had been promoted by the City of Round Rock and immediately began rendering aid to multiple victims.
Round Rock police said two people died but said they would not give specific numbers on injuries at this point in the investigation.
The two people deceased have not yet been identified.
Austin-Travis County EMS reported transporting six people with injuries from the scene to area hospitals, including two children.
Police say they are searching for suspects, none are in custody.
The FBI and Texas DPS are assisting in the investigation.
Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks called the shooting a senseless tragedy.
“It breaks your heart for a family that was coming out to enjoy their evening,” Banks said.
He thanked responding officers and firefighters, “I have no doubt their action saved lives tonight.”
The Juneteenth Festival concert was billed as a free family event, scheduled from 5:00 p.m. until midnight.
Performers at the concert included DJ Hella Yella and Paul Wall who wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Round Rock, we are praying for everybody.”
Police say the shooting happened near vendor stands, not the stage area.
Round Rock police is asking anyone who witnessed the shooting or who has video of the shooting to contact them at (512) 218-5500.
AUSTIN (KXAN) – With two weeks to think about their 5-1 loss to Real Salt Lake, Austin FC suffered another defeat Saturday evening 2-0 to the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
While Austin controlled possession more than half the game, they did not have much success offensively. The visitors managed zero shots on goal with eight shot attempts overall.
Colorado struck first in the 22nd minute with a goal from Cole Bassett. The other goal for the Rapids came early in the second half courtesy of Rafael Navarro.
The loss is Austin’s third straight as they have slowed after a strong stretch from late April into May. With another match netting them zero points, Austin is now in eighth place in the Western Conference.
The Verde and Black will next be in action Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. as they’ll host LAFC at Q2 Stadium in Austin.
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