Austin, TX
Music Commission considers space, funding options for Texas Music Museum – Austin Monitor
The Music Commission plans to ask the city to provide emergency storage space and funding for the Texas Music Museum, which is facing overcrowding at its East Austin location and the possible loss of gratis storage space in an Austin Police Department warehouse.
At Monday’s meeting, commissioners heard a presentation from museum leaders and discussed possible options for assisting the museum, which has outlined a three-phase expansion proposal to eventually occupy 13,000 square feet – a dramatic increase from its current 2,000-square-foot space on East 11th Street.
In May, museum representatives told the commission about the dire straits it is facing, with thousands of audio, video and photographic artifacts from over 100 years of Texas musicians currently in storage and at risk of deterioration. For many years, the museum has been a labor of love for Clay Shorkey, president and caretaker of the facility, who covers some of its expenses with his Social Security benefits.
The first phase of the museum’s plan seeks 13,000 square feet of display, meeting and administrative space, plus another 1,000 square feet of storage. Its funding request for staffing, operations and other expenses totals just over $333,000.
“We only have space for three main exhibits, and we have a small conference room that we do presentations and performances that only fit about 60 people max,” said Sylvia Morales, information strategist and policy coordinator for the museum.
“Our ask right now for phase one is gonna be at around $330,000 to keep us afloat, to keep us going where we’re initially at right now. We would love in phase two to go into … discussions of where to go next.”
Commissioners who participated in a working group related to the museum’s future suggested space in the redevelopment of Blocks 16 and 18 or in the reconstructed Austin Convention Center as possible long-term options. For the short term, the commissioners plan to work with staff to draft a realistic recommendation for City Council to allocate money from the city budget toward the museum and assist in finding a stopgap space, possibly using an existing city property or facility.
“It’s gonna be really difficult if you ask for all of this money upfront … so how about we break it up into smaller chunks and see if we can get some help that way?” Commissioner Scott Strickland said of the museum’s long-term, multimillion-dollar plans.
“It would be a lot easier for us to approve a plan that’s immediate and help Council recommend something that is more immediate versus looking at something that’s five, seven years out.”
Shorkey said he and other museum stakeholders have reached out to the Texas Music Office and other would-be supporters of music-related efforts in recent years, with no substantial support having yet materialized. In 2017, the state Legislature considered providing space for a state music museum in the Capitol Complex project downtown, but that effort lost support due to objections from other music museums around the state.
Chair Nagavalli Medicharla asked members of the working group and museum representatives to identify the most critical space and budget needs that could be presented to Council in a way that communicates the severity of the deadline to find a new location and financial support.
“One thing to look at is the absolute must-haves and what is on the critical path, and then next would be the nice-to-haves,” she said. “The museum has a larger vision that could see city support but probably also needs much broader support from outside of the city as well.”
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Austin, TX
UT Austin College of Pharmacy Leads Texas in New U.S. News Rankings
U.S. News & World Report released its 2026 rankings for colleges, universities and higher education programs across the United States. The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy ranked No. 8 in the nation and remains the top pharmacy school in Texas.
UT Austin earned a 4.2 on a 1-5 scale. Respondents represented schools and programs offering Doctor of Pharmacy degrees accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).
“As the link between patients and medicine,” says U.S. News & World Report, “pharmacists must be experts on prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications, understanding use, side effects and interactions.” Texas Pharmacy continues to rank among the nation’s best, remaining rigorously competitive among peer institutions.
“Our students, alumni, faculty and staff are proud to be among the leading colleges of pharmacy in the country,” says Samuel M. Poloyac, Pharm.D., Ph.D., dean of The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy and James T. Doluisio Regents Chair. “We strive for excellence and impact as we shape the future of our profession through innovative care for our communities and groundbreaking health discoveries.”
View the Best Pharmacy Schools rankings to see how UT Austin stacks up against its peer institutions.
Austin, TX
Aaliyah Crump plans to transfer from Texas: report
AUSTIN (KXAN) — According to a report by On3Sports, Texas freshman guard Aaliyah Crump will enter the transfer portal.
On3’s Talia Goodman reported Monday that Crump is headed out of Austin, leaving head coach Vic Schaefer without one of the most coveted recruits of the 2025 class.
Crump averaged 17.4 minutes per game over 24 games played this season, missing almost the entire nonconference schedule with a foot injury. She scored 7.9 points per game, with a high of 18 against Texas Southern on Nov. 16, and about one steal per game.
She was one of Texas’ top perimeter shooting threats, making 23 of 73 3-point attempts for 32%.
Crump, a 6-foot-1 guard from Minnetonka, Minnesota, will have three seasons of eligibility left. She was ranked as the No. 5 recruit in her class by ESPN, and she was on the Team USA U16 squad that won gold at the FIBA Americas Championships in 2023.
Aaliyah Moore, who missed the entire season after having surgery on both knees, also intends to transfer from the Longhorns.
Austin, TX
Austin City Council members ask to begin process of renaming Cesar Chavez Street
AUSTIN, Texas — Some members of the Austin City Council are calling on the city manager to develop a plan for renaming Cesar Chavez Street after allegations of sexual abuse came out against the late labor leader earlier this year.
According to a memo on Friday to City Manager T.C. Broadnax, José Velásquez, Vanessa Fuentes, José “Chito” Vela and Zohaib “Zo” Qadri requested Broadnax develop a community outreach plan to gather input and assess the cost to the city, residents and businesses on renaming the street.
“The City of Austin is committed to upholding the dignity and safety of all people and affirms its unwavering support to survivors of sexual violence,” the memo said.
The council members outlined how the outreach plan should be developed and what should be included.
For the development of the plan, council members asked Broadnax to do the following steps:
- Work with the Equity Office, Transportation and Public Works Department, and other appropriate departments as needed.
- Engage Latino Community Leaders, labor unions, City Commissions and residents, businesses, neighborhood associations located on East and West Cesar Chavez Street.
- Assess estimated renaming costs to the city.
- Assess estimated renaming costs to residents and businesses on East and West Cesar Chavez Street.
- Follow additional guidelines provided by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).
And the council members said the outreach plan should include:
- A series of hybrid listening sessions with at least two in-person sessions and one virtual session.
- An online survey for the public.
- A stakeholder survey for residents and businesses on East and West Cesar Chavez Street to understand the impacts of renaming the street.
The council members requested that Broadnax come up with a report by May 26 that included a plan, cost estimates and a proposed timeline for the renaming, according to the memo.
César Chávez was known for his work with the farmworker movement and co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers of America, with Dolores Huerta. Huerta said she was one of the young women and girls who were groomed and sexually abused by Chávez, which resulted in two pregnancies. She gave birth to the two children and sent them to live with other families.
In her statement, Huerta said she did not know about the other women and girls and that she stayed silent for 60 years because she worried that her coming forward would hurt the farmworker movement.
Other Texas cities have already distanced themselves from Chávez. In Fort Worth, the city removed the street toppers that honored Chávez.
The Cesar E. Chavez Legacy & Educational Foundation — the foundation that hosted the nation’s largest César Chávez march in San Antonio for 29 years — announced it will soon dissolve. The City of San Antonio moved the Cesar Chavez city holiday to Good Friday, and it is requesting the public’s feedback on renaming César E. Chávez Boulevard.
Also, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has directed all public schools to suspend any instruction or activities related to Chávez.
Chávez died on April 23, 1993, at the age of 66.
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