Connect with us

Austin, TX

These Austin hospitals declared best in Texas and more popular stories

Published

on

These Austin hospitals declared best in Texas and more popular stories


A new app is building a network of extroverted Austinites who are ready to act as guides in the city. Called Social Additions, the app has opened its waitlist for locals to become “Austin Social Ambassadors,” for doing things like showing someone around town, co-hosting events, providing local services, and more.

Social Ambassadors are paid, making this a gig app above all. Ambassadors set their hourly rates; there are only 10 existing profiles on the site, with rates ranging from $30 per hour to $250 per hour.

The app appears to be like a social version of Fiverr, Taskrabbit, or Thumbtack, all marketplaces where independent contractors offer a range of services depending on their skillsets. A press release from Social Additions invokes Uber and Mary Kay as inspiration for the flexible service model.

Advertisement

The release also emphasizes that people can connect based on shared interests, personality, and relevant social experience, not just availability.

The website lists a number of roles Ambassadors can fill, including networking plus-ones, business assistants, brand ambassadors, accessibility support, study buddies, conversation pals in another language, and even someone to go to the gym or practice yoga with (notably, the site does not specify that it is searching for certified instructors). Some roles are expected one-off hires like photographers, makeup artists, and musicians.

On the more purely social side, it suggests Ambassadors for people who are new in town, seniors, or folks just want to go to an event that is less fun on their own, like an F1 race or karaoke. Though this is somewhat uncommon as a paid service in the United States, it isn’t unheard of internationally.

“We built Social Additions to formalize work that has always existed informally,” said founder Sandra Hucker in the release. Hucker has worked in service, retail, and event marketing. “Showing up for someone. Making introductions. Hosting an event well. Helping someone experience a city through a local’s eyes. Those are valuable skills, yet there has never been a marketplace where people could build flexible income around them.”

A few common sense measures are in place for safety and quality. Both parties need to approve the connection, and they are encouraged to meet once or at least talk before starting the gig. The platform also offers ID verification. Finally, clients can rate Ambassadors after the service is rendered to help other users choose.

Advertisement

Even if users don’t end up hiring someone, the site offers a free local business directory, event listings, and a job board for local businesses to post on. The board is for “temporary staffing opportunities, event support, promotional work, hospitality positions, and community based gigs,” the release says.

Interested Austinites can join the waitlist at socialadditions.com. Qualified early applicants will get limited waived membership fees and Stripe Identity verification, the release says.

This article is not a review. CultureMap has not tested Social Additions.



Source link

Advertisement

Austin, TX

Ohio State coach Ryan Day reacts to the Texas loss Saturday night

Published

on

Ohio State coach Ryan Day reacts to the Texas loss Saturday night


What looked like a fun night to be an Ohio State coach, player, or fan ended up being anything but. The Buckeyes dominated the first half of the contest and headed into the locker room at halftime up 20-3 against Texas on the road. The second half was a different story, however.

Ohio State managed only a field goal in the second half and gave up 21 unanswered points to collapse and fall to the Longhorns 24-23 in a game the Texas no doubt felt was an epic win for the program. That was clearly not what OSU head coach Ryan Day felt with his team, and he was understandably downtrodden when he met with the media after the contest for his postgame press conference.

Advertisement

Advertisement

We have Day’s complete comments here, thanks to the NBC4 Columbus YouTube channel, and have them for you in case you want to absorb what he said afterward. Day discusses his team’s poor play in the fourth quarter, compliments Jeremiah Smith’s play, but more than anything takes accountability for the game and promises to take a look at things and work to fix the problem areas going forward.

Ohio State will now turn the page and prepare to play Kent State back at home next Saturday. We’ll have plenty on that one and some more reflections on this one, so be sure to come back for more coverage.

1 / 34

Photos: Ohio State vs. Texas in Austin from Week 2

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates a catch during the NCAA football game against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas on Sept. 12, 2026.

(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State coach Ryan Day reacts to the Texas loss Saturday night



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Austin, TX

Five reasons Ohio State will beat Texas on Saturday night in Austin

Published

on

Five reasons Ohio State will beat Texas on Saturday night in Austin


The most anticipated nonconference college football game of the 2026 season is about to take place when Ohio State and Texas do battle in Austin on Saturday. The Longhorns are very slight favorites, but a lot of folks in the national media are picking the Longhorns and quarterback Arch Manning to take care of business.

This one will most likely come down to who can execute the keys to the offense and the game, and some breaks here or there. It could come down to one play, as we’ve seen in the previous two matchups Ohio State won. This one is a coin flip with pretty equal talent on both sidelines, but we believe there are reasons the Buckeyes can come out on top.

Here are five reasons Ohio State beats Texas on Saturday in Austin.

Advertisement

Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith could be the difference

The best player on any field Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith steps on is Smith himself. Many in the national media have stomped for Miami’s Malachi Toney or Texas’ Cam Coleman as the best receiver in college football, but if you poll NFL scouts and executives on who they’ll take right now, there’s no doubt who that would be.

Last week, when the Buckeyes had to march down the field, quarterback Julian Sayin threw the ball to Smith five times on all but four plays of the drive, and it resulted in a touchdown. When all else fails, Ohio State can dial up a play for Smith, and there’s a good chance something will happen because he’s strong, fast, and can go up in traffic and catch the ball.

Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and his playcalling for Ohio State

What a luxury to have former NFL head coaches calling both the defense and the offense. The latter of whom, Arthur Smith, was brought into the mix to replace Brian Hartline and has all kinds of tricks in his bag, according to the Ohio State players.

We didn’t really see Smith show too much against an outmatched Ball State last week, but look for some multiple sets, plays out different formations, and creative ways to get the ball to skilled players like Jeremiah Smith, Bo Jackson, Devin McCuin, and more, keeping the Texas defense on its toes all day.

Advertisement

Defensive play calling by Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia

Likewise on the defensive side. You won’t find a better coaching staff than what Ryan Day has assembled, and none better than Matt Patricia. He put an immediate stamp on the defense in Year 1 last season, and his scheme and different looks gave Texas quarterback Arch Manning fits in the Shoe on Week 1.

You might think Manning having experience against the defense last year would help, and it may a little, but Patricia will cook up something again to make pre-reads and progressions awfully hard on Manning again. Ohio State will get some huge negative plays in the game because of it that could make all the difference in the world.

The psychological edge goes to Ohio State

The Buckeyes have won the last two matchups and done it in dramatic fashion. When there’s a play to be made in the last two years, Ohio State has found a way to make it happen. From the Jack Sawyer sack, scoop, and score to a goal-line stand last season, the Buckeyes have been able to execute when needed most.

Advertisement

That matters. Sometimes there’s an inevitability feeling when a team has your number, and although it’s only been two back-to-back years, there are still a lot of players on the roster who have experienced the perceived Ohio State invincibility. Texas will have to push back on a certain mindset in this one when adversity strikes, and that might be hard because of where thoughts go because of recent performances.

The development of Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin

It was Week 1 when these two Goliaths met, and it was the first start for redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin. The game plan was a vanilla one that didn’t ask him to do too much, as Ohio State relied on the defense en route to a 14-7 victory. Sayin was nothing more than a game manager, and the Buckeyes still won.

We’re talking about a much better quarterback wearing Scarlet and Gray under center now. As the season got longer in the tooth last year, Sayin ended up leading the country in completion percentage on his way to becoming a Heisman finalist. He’s gotten even better in the offseason, and though Arch Manning has also developed, Sayin is the better pure quarterback and could lead his team to a victory with a quick release, decisive reads, and pinpoint passing.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Austin, TX

Austin weather forecast for Ohio State vs Texas football game

Published

on

Austin weather forecast for Ohio State vs Texas football game


The heat is on in Texas on Sept. 12, and not just because of the Ohio State-Texas football matchup taking place in the evening.

The Buckeyes and Longhorns will face off in an intense college football game that also brings a sweltering Texas heat to Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.

Advertisement

Though OSU and Texas faced off twice in 2025, the Buckeyes have not played in Austin since 2006. Ohio State beat Texas 24-7 in front a of a Texas crowd. Temperatures for game day were more mild, with recorded high of 85 degrees, according to Weather Underground.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he was glad to see this week’s forecast in Columbus calls for a warming trend because that will allow the Buckeyes to practice in 90-degree conditions.

“It won’t be as hot as it is down there, but it’s the same for both teams,” Day said. “We’ll have a plan for what comes with it, just like if it was a cold game. Whether it’s windy, rainy heat, cold, it’s the same for teams, and we’ll be prepared for it.”

What is the forecast for Ohio State vs. Texas?

Sept. 12 will be sunny and hot in Austin, with a high near 102, according to the National Weather Service. South winds of 5 to 10 mph could gust as high as 20 mph.

Advertisement

The 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff will avoid the peak afternoon heat, but temperatures could remain hot during the game. Saturday night’s low is forecast around 78 degrees.

It will be a significant change from Ohio State’s season opener against Ball State on Sept. 5. The temperature was 80 degrees under cloudy skies when the Buckeyes kicked off their 56-3 victory at Ohio Stadium.

Ohio State’s game against Texas will air on ABC.

How hot was it at Texas’ Sept. 5 football game?

Advertisement

Texas hosted Texas State at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 5, putting more than 100,000 fans inside the stadium during the hottest part of the day.

Austin reached 102 degrees, with a heat index of about 104 to 105, CBS Austin reported. Austin television station KXAN reported that the temperature on the field reached 160 degrees.

Austin-Travis County EMS transported 13 people from the stadium to local hospitals, according to CBS Austin and FOX 7 Austin. At least three cases were possibly heat-related, while the others involved a mix of symptoms.

Fans crowded into shaded concourses to escape the sun. Texas provided 16 free hydration stations and four cooling stations throughout the stadium.

Texas beat Texas State 59-7.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending