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Former Austin City Council member announces run for mayor

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Former Austin City Council member announces run for mayor


AUSTIN, Texas — Former Austin City Council member Kathie Tovo announced Thursday she is running to be Austin’s next mayor. 


What You Need To Know

  • Tovo was first elected to City Council in 2011 as an at-large member, and she served as mayor pro tem from 2015-2019. She was then reelected as a council member representing District 9 in 2018 and served in that position until January 2023
  • According to her campaign website, Tovo is running to help Austinites “who can’t afford high-paid lobbyists to advance their interests”
  • Current Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has not announced whether he will run for reelection

Tovo was first elected to City Council in 2011 as an at-large member, and she served as mayor pro tem from 2015-2019. She was then reelected as a council member representing District 9 in 2018 and served in that position until January 2023. 

According to her campaign website, Tovo is running to help Austinites “who can’t afford high-paid lobbyists to advance their interests.”

“She believes in an Austin where every person has the right to succeed,” the website said. “She knows that Austin can be a city where the workers and families who have built this community, who keep the lights on, who keep the gears turning, and who show up every day in the hopes of a better life for their loved ones can remain and thrive.”

Some of the accomplishments Tovo touts from her time on City Council are investing in child care facilities, supporting policies that expanded access to affordable housing, providing more than 1 million healthy, free meals to area students and introducing a strategy to create emergency shelters during extreme weather events following the 2021 winter storm. 

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Tovo is currently an adjunct faculty member at the University of Texas. 

Current Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has not announced whether he will run for reelection. He previously served as mayor from 1997-2001. He was then elected to the Texas Senate in 2006 and was in that office from 2007-2020.

Watson ran for his second term as Austin’s mayor in the 2022 election and won by the narrowest margin in over two decades in a runoff election. The mayor normally serves a four-year term but the passing of 2021 ballot measure moved the mayoral election to coincide with the presidential election, shortening Watson’s term to two years. 



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Austin, TX

7 Juneteenth celebrations happening in Austin this weekend

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7 Juneteenth celebrations happening in Austin this weekend


Juneteenth celebrations are happening across the city this weekend. The events will mark the 161st anniversary of the day Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay to announce that more than 250,000 enslaved people in Texas were free. The announcement on June 19, 1865, came more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. June 19 — known as Juneteenth — became a federal holiday in 2021.

From historical bike rides to Austin’s annual parade, here are seven events taking place in Austin.

Annual Juneteenth FunRun, June 19

The city of Austin’s African American Cultural and Heritage Facility will host a fun run starting at 8:30 a.m. on Friday at East Martin Luther King Jr. Street and Leona Street, and concluding at Hargrave Street near the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex. Participants will have one hour to complete the course. The route is the same as the parade through the African American Historical Cultural District that will start later that morning. Runners and walkers of all ages and levels can participate.

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Central Texas Juneteenth Parade & Festival, June 19

The annual Juneteenth parade will take place Friday and begin at 10 a.m. at East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Leona Street and will travel down to Chicon Street before turning on Rosewood Avenue. The parade will feature floats, live music and performers.

A Very Juneteenth Comedy Jam, June 19

The Velveeta Room, Austin’s longest-running comedy club, will have shows highlighting Black voices Friday night at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The 18+ event will feature comedians like Freddy Do Less and Roderick McDaniel. Tickets for both shows are around $23.

Sistas Walk And Talk: Juneteenth Edition, June 20

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Texas Sistas Society will host a 3-mile walk and talk Saturday at 515 S. Pleasant Valley Road starting at 7:45 a.m. Texas Sistas Society is an Austin-based community created for Black women and women of color. Attendees are encouraged to wear Juneteenth colors: red, yellow, green or black, and to RSVP ahead of time.

The Carver Kickback: Juneteenth Edition, June 20

The George Washington Carver Museum in Austin is dedicated to creating a “space where the global contributions of all Black people are celebrated.” The museum is hosting a free celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday with barbecue plates, live music, vendors and activities for all ages.

Black Auteur Film Festival, June 20

The Black Auteur Film Festival, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting Black filmmakers in Texas, is hosting its third annual film festival to showcase short films directed by Black Texans at AFS Cinema on Saturday. One filmmaker will win the $1,000 “Best of Fest” award, and attendees can enter a raffle for a chance to win Austin Film Society memberships and movie tickets. The festival runs from 2 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $14.

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Juneteenth Social Ride, June 21

Black History Bike Ride, an Austin nonprofit teaching people about the city’s Black history through cycling, is hosting its seventh annual Juneteenth ride starting at the Haskell House on Saturday at 10 a.m. Austin-based historian Harrison Eppright will serve as the ride’s guide. Registration is required for all attendees. The event is free, but donations are encouraged.





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Everything you need to know about Austin run clubs

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Everything you need to know about Austin run clubs


AUSTIN (KXAN) — Data analyst Corey Yeung created the ATX Running Guide to help runners find community across Central Texas. What started as a personal project has become one of Austin’s most comprehensive running resources.

Looking for a Run Club? There’s a Map for That

When Corey Yeung moved to Austin three years ago, he had a simple question:
“How many run clubs are actually out there?” The answer wasn’t easy to find. While several websites listed local groups, Yeung felt none offered a complete picture. So, he decided to build one himself. What started as a spreadsheet evolved into ATX Running Guide, a website and social media platform that helps runners discover clubs throughout the Austin area.

“The list would be more useful if it were a map and search tool,” Yeung said. “The Instagram page was simply a way to communicate those free resources to the community.”

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Today, the guide covers running groups from San Marcos to Hutto and serves as a one-stop resource for runners looking to connect. In this episode of KXAN’S Plus Simple Health, Corey Yeung walks us through everything you need to know about the 200-plus running clubs in Austin.





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Texas Volts begin first home slate Thursday at Dell Diamond

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Texas Volts begin first home slate Thursday at Dell Diamond


AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Volts are off to a rough start in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, but maybe a little home cooking can help them get right.

After playing their first five games on the road, the Volts open play at Dell Diamond in Round Rock at 6 p.m. Thursday against the Utah Talons, kicking off an 8-game homestand.

Texas Volts Logo (Courtesy Athletes Unlimited Softball League)

It’s the first season the Volts will call Dell Diamond home. In the league’s inaugural season last year, the original four teams competed with a touring schedule that included a stop at Dell Diamond. This is the first year that the AUSL, now a 6-team league, will play in home markets.

They have a roster peppered with local stars, including 2-time NCAA national champion middle infielder Leighann Goode from the Texas Longhorns. Aliyah Binford, a New Braunfels native, played collegiately for Ole Miss and former Texas State pitcher Jessica Mullins made an appearance in the Volts’ previous series against the Carolina Blaze.

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Goode said there’s been a bit of a learning curve, but she credits her teammates for helping her adjust to the league.

“This group has brought me in and taught me stuff, taken me under their wings,” she said. “They’ve done an awesome job.”

Legendary Texas pitcher Cat Osterman is the team’s general manager, and the head coach is Texas State’s Ricci Woodard.

“We’re ready to rock and roll at home,” Woodard said. “I’m anxious to see what happens now that we get to play in our own place.”

Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 draft, joined the team last weekend after a brief contract holdout.

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The Volts are 1-4 this season, picking up their lone win over the Oklahoma City Spark on June 10. They’ll face the Talons in a 3-game series, the Chicago Bandits for a pair June 23-24, and finish the homestand with a 3-game set against the expansion Portland Cascade on June 26-28.

Ryan Sanders Baseball, the organization that owns and operates the Round Rock Express, is an operating partner with the Volts and an investor with the AUSL.



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