Austin, TX
SAFE Alliance cuts forensic testing service for victims
AUSTIN, Texas – One of the nation’s largest support networks for survivors of domestic and sexual violence is facing a crossroads.
In the last year alone, the SAFE Alliance has lost roughly $4 million in philanthropic and government funding. That massive gap is forcing the organization to end a critical service.
The backstory:
“The part that is going away for Eloise House is the forensic examinations specifically,” said Dr. Pierre Berastain, CEO of SAFE Alliance.
According to SAFE Alliance, it provides 95% of all forensic examinations for sexual assault victims in the city of Austin, amounting to roughly 600 tests annually. Now, hospitals will be taking on that responsibility.
“Response times for forensic exams, whenever they happen at SAFE, are within an hour, an hour and a half max,” Berastain said.
And that’s only the wait time for the test. It often takes much longer at hospitals. On top of that, the exam itself can take anywhere from three to six hours to perform.
“When survivors go to the hospital, they’re having to tell about a dozen people what happened to them, before they’re talking to someone who can actually take their story. They’re waiting hours, sometimes up to eight hours in a room before they are with a nurse or an advocate who can help them. After that, they’re getting a bill for thousands of dollars. The actual exam is free, but the hospital charges you for everything else. We do not do any of that here,” said Holly Bowles, director of the Sexual Assault Victim Advocacy Program at SAFE.
While the assessment is free by law, survivors often get hit with “facility fees” or charges for other medical treatments at hospitals.
“Victims have received no bills from SAFE Alliance whenever they receive forensic examinations. What I can tell you from national data is that victims sometimes receive hospital bills that amount to two, three, $4,000 for services,” Berastain said.
SAFE’s CEO said that while the organization will no longer be able to provide this key service, it is still committed to supporting survivors and hopes to partner with the hospitals in this transition moving forward.
“We’re not going anywhere. And so, my reaction is one of taking in the news, accepting, and then determining what it is that we need to do to ensure that services don’t go away,” Berastain said.
What’s next:
Mayor Kirk Watson announced Tuesday that Ascension Seton, Baylor Scott & White, and St. David’s will conduct the exams.
The three major hospital systems issued a joint statement about their commitment to a “seamless transition,” promising high-quality, trauma-informed care.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin’s Katie Pratt
ASU softball to compete in NCAA Austin Super Regional
The Arizona State Sun Devils softball program will face the Texas Longhorns in the NCAA Austin Super Regional beginning Friday, May 22, 2026.
Momentum is not tangible. It is not something that can be picked up and felt. It cannot literally be seen, but while hard to grasp and seize, momentum is certainly building in Tempe.
No. 19 Arizona State softball (44-16) is preparing to head to the Austin Super Regional in the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament to take on No. 3 Texas (42-10), with a spot in the Women’s College World Series on the line. It’s a homecoming for coach Megan Bartlett, who coached at Texas before moving to ASU.
Ahead of last week’s Bryan-College Station Regional, after shocking everybody by winning the Big 12 tournament, Bartlett said to The Arizona Republic, “When you have momentum at your back in the postseason, you become real dangerous, real quick.”
Those words proved to be prescient.
ASU opened up the Bryan-College Station Regional with a run-rule win over McNeese. In the next game, ASU beat No. 15 Texas A&M, coached by former ASU coach Trisha Ford, 4-3, setting up a potentially decisive game in a rematch.
ASU softball shocked the field and won the Big 12 tournament
After an 11-13 regular season, Arizona State softball shocked the field and won the Big 12 tournament. Next up is the Bryan-College Station Regional.
Then came redshirt senior Brooklyn Ulrich.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Ulrich uncorked a titanic grand slam – ending the game right there, 9-1, and sending ASU to the next round.
Just like that, the Sun Devils have become real dangerous, real quick.
Sun Devils underdogs again — and that’s OK
“They just keep doing their thing,” Bartlett said May 20. “People keep asking, ‘What’d you do with these kids?’
“Nothing. It was the same message over and over again. We got healthy, they put the pieces together. At that point, it’s been a lot of confidence and belief. They’re certainly playing with some incredible momentum at their back right now.”
Since losing three straight to Texas Tech in the second-to-last series of the regular season late last month, ASU has won nine games in a row, including the takedown of Texas Tech to win the Big 12 tournament.
The temperature is quickly rising in Arizona, with the end of spring and the start of summer looming. But that’s not the only thing getting hot.
Arizona State softball thrives with Red Mountain alum Brooklyn Ulrich
Arizona native Brooklyn Ulrich talks about her time growing up at Red Mountain and her journey to playing at Arizona State.
“We feel really confident going into the weekend,” said junior infielder Katie Chester, who hit a two-run home run in the first game against Texas A&M. “We’ve been saying, ‘The Devils are getting hot.’ And we got hot at the right time in the season.”
Despite the confidence built over the past few weeks, ASU is still an underdog. Texas is the defending NCAA champion, coming off ending Oklahoma’s dynastic run of four consecutive NCAA titles.
ASU is trying to use the outsider tag to its advantage.
Brooklyn Ulrich exemplifies ASU’s personality
“We know we’re the underdog going in,” Chester said. “We have nothing to lose. We just go in and play how we play. That’s why we’ve been winning all the games we have.”
For Ulrich, a Mesa native who attended Mesa Westwood and then Red Mountain, this is a moment that she was told wasn’t possible.
As a kid, she hoped to attend ASU. There’s even a photo of a young Ulrich, sporting a Mesa Mountain View shirt, along the fence at an ASU game. But Ulrich was told by Ford’s Sun Devils coaching staff at the time that she wasn’t good enough to play at ASU.
Ulrich shifted her plans and decided to attend Marshall, where she played for the next four years. When she went into the transfer portal for her final season of eligibility, she was the first player Bartlett targeted.
A homegrown talent shining for the hometown team could have a far-reaching impact for Bartlett to retain in-state athletes.
“We would love all those Brooklyns to just stay home from the get-go,” Bartlett said. “BK is such a proud Sun Devil. This was the dream from when she was little. We were so thrilled to get her. She’s a super resilient kid. She’s been a tremendous asset. We want those superstar, Arizonian kids to stay home. Be the next BK.”
Ulrich, typically soft-spoken, is trying to soak it all in. She’s been thinking of this for years — helping lead ASU.
“When I entered the portal, I said I’m not playing anywhere but Arizona State. I’m going to go play there,” Ulrich said. “It has met every expectation, every dream. I used to come here as a little girl, watch softball. We had season tickets right in front of the press box. I just loved it. It’s everything that I could have ever dreamed of.”
This season isn’t over yet — there’s still a national championship in the balance.
But Bartlett was blunt when asked how people should remember this season.
“Arizona State’s back,” Bartlett said. “We’re going to continue to do nothing but get better.”
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@usatodayco.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.
AUSTIN, Texas – We are in the middle of early voting for the runoff elections, and the battle for the Republican nomination for attorney general is heating up.
What they’re saying:
Congressman Chip Roy spent Wednesday morning with members of the Austin Police Association. He came to show support for those wearing the badge and to voice his support for legislative proposals that are focused on liberal district attorneys.
“This is not the same as federalism. Like some people talk about it and say, well, you know, you don’t like the federal government reaching into Texas. Yeah, true. Do I want Austin micromanaging the rest of the state? I do not. But do I think the state has the legal ability? And frankly, I think it’s a moral duty. To make sure that the entire state of Texas is safe for its people? Yes, I do,” said Roy.
Congressman Roy is in a runoff for the GOP Attorney General nomination with state senator Mayes Middleton. The Galveston Republican has also been busy making campaign stops and rallying his supporters.
“You got to go earn this. You got go fight for it. And I am never retreating from Washington DC because I’m never going to Washington DC. I have always known the fight is here. And the most important thing in this race and as attorney general, the number one thing is defeating the left,” said Middleton.
Both candidates are considered staunch conservatives, but neither was included in President Trump’s Tuesday endorsement of current AG Ken Paxton.
President Trump Wednesday morning defended his endorsement of Ken Paxton for the Texas GOP Senate nomination. He made the pick despite recent polls that show Paxton is trailing Democratic nominee James Talarico.
The Paxton endorsement is an example of how the GOP Senate runoff between Paxton and incumbent John Cornyn continues to suck the political air out of all the other runoff races.
FOX 7 asked Roy and Middleton if they were disappointed.
“Well, like I would be honored to have the president’s endorsement, his endorsement in this race here. And look, I’m the pro-Trump candidate,” said Middleton.
Roy also took the presidential pass in stride when asked if he was disappointed no official endorsement had been made in his race.
“We’ve had a lot of great conversations about this race. The president is an engaged guy across the country, but he’s been focusing predominantly on federal races,” said Roy.
Texas runoff elections are almost a month away
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: We are almost a month away from the start of early voting for the May runoff elections. That vote will finalize several big primary races and will kick off the push to the November general election.
Middleton’s campaign has accused Roy of not being a true Trump supporter, citing what the Congressman did and didn’t after Trump’s first-term House Impeachment vote. Roy responded by saying the President knows he is a great ally.
“I’ve delivered on the Big, Beautiful Bill. I’m leading his favorite piece of legislation in his words, the Save America Act. I’m the author of that,” said Roy.
“And we’re delivering a message that’s resonating that you ought to have a real lawyer as your attorney general. Somebody who’s been in court, prosecuted bad guys. Been, the first assistant attorney general run complex litigation not effectively manage your family royalties, never having been in court,” said Roy.
Middleton’s message is also how he is a different kind of conservative than Roy.
“And look, every vote’s going to count. We know turnout is lower in a runoff than it is in the March 3 primary. But the same things that I’m doing. They got me in first place on March 3. I’m going now. And I will make sure that I protect and defend our great state. And I say this as well, a lazy campaigner turns into a lazy elected official.”
The other side:
Texas Democrats are also having a contentious runoff for their AG nomination.
Joe Jaworski, the former mayor of Galveston, and state Senator Nathan Johnson, who is from the DFW Metroplex, have taken a few political and personal shots at each other.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin’s Rudy Koski
As three teens face charges in a string of weekend shootings and robberies, mental health is becoming part of the broader conversation in Austin. One suspect’s mother told KXAN her 15-year-old son had struggled with substance abuse and suicidal thoughts — not as an excuse, she said, but as context for how mental health can affect a young person’s decisions. READ MORE: https://www.kxan.com/news/simplehealth/travis-county-launches-childrens-mental-health-plan-as-teen-crime-case-raises-concerns/
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