Austin, TX
Your dating horror stories in Austin
Grab your flashlights and gather ‘round, Austinites. It’s storytime.
Earlier this month, we asked readers to share dating horror stories that tragically occurred while trying to find love in the Capital City. Without further ado, we’re presenting our top submissions, just in time for Halloween.
Editor’s note: these submissions have been edited for readability.
That’s ruff
“Dated someone who (brushed) his dog’s teeth with his toothbrush. Proceeded to wash the toothbrush in the washing machine… then proceeded to brush his teeth with the same toothbrush. 🤯 The audacity to proceed to cheat on me.”
Didn’t quite hook ‘em
“When I was a freshman at the University of Texas, a friend of a friend got me a blind date with a very handsome young man. Hopefully to impress him, I put on my new leather vest.
Shortly after arriving at the UT game, I realized that the vest was not a good choice. I began to sweat profusely in the 100-degree heat. Even worse, the vest must not have been properly cured and it began to rub off all over me and my date. Right after the game, he took me back to my dorm. I never saw him again.”
Twist in the wind
“There was once a chick that I had been friends with for a while, and we expressed mutual feelings for each other, but the biggest factor at the time was distance. Well long story short, a new job brought me back to the Austin area, and we lived pretty close to each other. We had gone out to eat a couple of times and hung out, but the situation felt different and we didn’t talk as much.
So, I decided to hit her up to invite her to go to the annual kite event here in ATX. She seemed excited about the event but never confirmed she wanted to attend, only asked about the date and time it was taking place. The day of the event comes around, I never heard from her. As I was doom scrolling on (Instagram) out of pure boredom, I see that she in fact went to the kite event without me… 🫥”
Feeling lovesick?
“I had been seeing this guy off of Bumble because he was from my home state (already a horrible idea). He moved to ATX because he wanted to be a standup comedian, but he worked in sales full-time. We’d been seeing one another for 6 weeks and it started to be exclusive. One night he invited me over to watch a movie because he wasn’t feeling great (you’re assuming he was just tired or had a cold right??? wrong).
First, I walk up and his whole place smells like YUCK. The way you can smell sickness, ya know. SO I knew I had to leave. I ask him to walk me out because you had to have a key fob for the elevator. He got into the elevator with me and proceeded to pass out (with his eyes open??) and we got stuck in the elevator because it wouldn’t open.
We eventually got out and he came back to life but not before passing out a second time so that I had to physically carry him to bed … Here’s your warning not to date any (unsuccessful) comedians that live downtown.”
Ready to unburden yourself of an embarrassing or cringe-worthy dating story? You can still submit your freaky first date or the break-up that haunts you for a chance to be featured in the future.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas’ highway system dropped two spots since 2025, and now ranks at No. 27 in the country for its cost-effectiveness and overall conditions, according to the Reason Foundation’s 2026 Highway Report.
The report assessed pavement conditions, fatalities, deficient bridges, infrastructure costs and congestion levels across the United States. Texas earned the following rankings:
- 33rd in urban interstate pavement conditions
- 21st in rural interstate pavement conditions
- 39th in urban arterial pavement conditions
- 12th in rural arterial pavement conditions
- 3rd in structurally deficient bridges
- 26th in urban fatality rate
- 42nd in rural fatality rate
- 41st in traffic congestion
“More than 42,000 of the nation’s 618,923 highway bridges, nearly 7%, are still structurally deficient. Arizona, Nevada, and Texas reported the lowest percentages of deficient bridges,” the report said.
The full report can be found online.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Small hail peppered the Austin area as strong thunderstorms moved through Saturday.
A few of the storms dropped rain and up to pea-sized hail in San Marcos, Dripping Springs and the Austin metro area.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Williamson County around 8:15 p.m., and then canceled shortly after. However, it was enough for the Two Step Inn music festival in Georgetown to cancel shows for the rest of the evening. Event organizers say the festival will run as planned Sunday.
KXAN’s First Warning Weather team is monitoring the storms. We will update this post as the evening continues.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution unveiled a new monument at the Texas State Cemetery on Saturday, dedicated to Texas Revolutionary War soldiers.
“We must educate every generation about why it is that America grew from a tenuous 13 colonies into the most powerful country in the history of the world,” said Governor Abbott. “This monument here is an enduring testament to the heroes who fought for the freedom that is unique to America.”
The monument was dedicated to 69 soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Texas, according to a press release.
Among those that were honored, Abbott recognized:
- José Santiago Seguín, grandfather of Texas Revolutionary hero Juan Seguín.
- Peter Sides, who fought in the 2nd Battalion of the North Carolina Regiment of the Colonial Army, and was later killed in the 1813 Battle of Medina, fighting for Mexican independence against Spain.
- Antonio Gil Y’Barbo, the founder of Nacogdoches.
- William Sparks, who fought as a mounted rifleman in the American Revolution and later settled in Texas. He had two sons and two grandsons who fought in the Texas Revolution.
“This year marks the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, which not only gave freedom to the British colonies of North America, but inspired movements for freedom and liberty all over the world,” said TSSAR President Mel Oller. “Texans played a role in the war too, and it’s important to recognize them, and the sacrifices they made for our freedom.”
At the monument unveiling, Abbott was also inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution and received its Silver Good Citizenship Medal.
-
Lifestyle24 seconds agoNine non-negotiable items for a well-designed life
-
Politics7 minutes agoSupreme Court weighs phone searches to find criminals amid complaints of ‘digital dragnets’
-
Sports19 minutes agoRyan Ward has a solid debut, but bullpen blows it again as Dodgers lose to Rockies
-
World31 minutes agoSchools, shops shut in northern Israel to protest the Lebanon ceasefire
-
News1 hour agoCommunities launch cleanup after severe weather and tornadoes churn across Midwest
-
Detroit, MI3 hours agoGame 21: Tigers at Red Sox, Garrett Crochet battles both Detroit and the weather
-
San Francisco, CA3 hours agoWhy do gray whales keep dying in San Francisco’s waters?
-
Dallas, TX3 hours agoDallas Mavericks Owners Might Be Making Big Mistake in Search for New GM