TEXAS — The 89th Texas Legislature will start on Jan. 14 with 181 lawmakers.

The House of Representatives’ organization will be managed by Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, who will also select temporary officers. The Secretary leads until a Speaker of the House is elected.

Secretary Nelson announced that Walter Fisher and Sharon Carter were appointed as parliamentarians for the House’s session inauguration.

“This is a duo with extensive parliamentary knowledge and the experience to guide the opening of the 89th Legislative Session,” said Secretary Nelson. “With the support of these individuals, we will make sure the organizing of the House is a fair, transparent and orderly process.”

The 150 members of the Texas House of Representatives and the 31 members of the Texas Senate will be sworn in as the 89th Legislature on Tuesday. The legislature will meet until June 2. 

You are able to watch the Senate proceedings on opening day at this website.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — KXAN is keeping track of the number of homicides in Austin.

As of Jan. 9, two homicides have been reported thus far in 2025.

Last year, 70 homicides were reported, down from 75 in 2023 and 71 in 2022. A record 88 homicides were reported in 2021.

The charts below will be updated as we learn new information. Scroll down for a map of where each homicide occurred.

The chart below shows how the number of homicides reported in recent years changed through the year.

Below is a map showing where homicides occurred in 2025. The map is interactive, so clicking on or hovering over a dot will reveal information about that incident. You can also click on a month in the top left to show only homicides that occurred during that month.

The chart below shows the number of homicides reported each month in 2025.

January

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin has appointed Andrew (Andy) Maas as the new assistant vice president for technology transfer on the Discovery to Impact team, which works with world-class inventors, investors, creators and entrepreneurs to launch startups and collaborates with established businesses to accelerate new products, services, solutions and cures.

In this role, Maas will lead the University’s research commercialization and innovation initiatives and oversee the protection and commercialization of UT’s intellectual property. Reporting to Mark Arnold, associate vice president of Discovery to Impact and managing director of Texas Startups, Maas will ensure that the University’s innovations transition effectively from academic research to market applications that benefit society.

“Andy is nationally recognized for his expertise in technology licensing and commercialization, and we are pleased to welcome a leader of his caliber to the team,” Arnold said. “We have an ambitious agenda for Discovery to Impact this year — to invest early and strategically in faculty ideas and inventions that will change the world — and there is no doubt that Andy is the right person to help lead the charge.”

Maas joins UT from Louisiana State University, where he most recently served as associate vice president for research, overseeing the office of Innovation and Ecosystem Development.

Maas holds a B.S. from Brigham Young University, an M.S. from UT Austin, and a J.D. and LLM from The University of Akron.

During his career, Maas has built an engineering startup, led within the university and research foundation settings, and currently serves as the board chair of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) – the non-profit leader in supporting professionals in the technology commercialization and research innovation space. In addition, he was the principal investigator on a $160 million National Science Foundation Engine award focused on the Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL). Maas has lectured all over the world about intellectual property valuation, economic impact, technology licensing and technology commercialization.

“This is a homecoming for me in many ways, and it’s a privilege and pleasure to be back on the Forty Acres,” Maas remarked. “Discovery to Impact is one of the premier research commercializing programs in the country, and I look forward to working alongside Mark and the team to propel our groundbreaking faculty ideas forward.”