Katy McAfee

KUT Public Media

Austin activists protest ICE arrests after Houston shooting

By: Katy Mcafee

Members of the Austin Sanctuary Network say their hotline has seen an uptick in calls reporting immigration enforcement in recent weeks.

KUT Public Media

Mansfield Dam floodgates to open Saturday for first time since 2019 after heavy rain

By: Katy Mcafee

The first floodgate is expected to open around 6 a.m. on Saturday, and the second will be opened around 1 p.m., the LCRA said.

Flood warnings remain in effect for multiple Texas rivers

By: Katy Mcafee, Chelsey Zhu

At least two people died after extreme flooding hit the Hill Country late Wednesday into Thursday morning.

KUT Public Media

Data centers are being built across Texas every day. Here's what goes on inside one in Austin

By: Leigh Walden, Katy Mcafee, Kailey Hunt

KUT News requested tours of several data centers in Hays, Travis and Williamson counties. Most companies either declined or did not respond. But the Texas Advanced Computing Center let us peek behind the curtain.

KUT Public Media

Data centers use lots of water and power, but Texas officials don't know exactly how much

By: Kailey Hunt, Katy McAfee, Leigh Walden

Torrie Martin has lived in Hays County her whole life. More and more of the ranches around her family's farm are being sold and developed.

Denton Media Company

Data centers use lots of water and power, but Texas officials don't know exactly how much

By: Leigh Walden, Kailey Hunt, Katy Mcafee

The high transmission line that bisects Torrie Martin’s ranch hums subtly. Occasionally the frequency changes to a droning buzz that ends in a pop.

KWBU 103.3 FM We Tell Stories. Waco's NPR

Officials say data centers can boost local economies. In Abilene, they have spurred a housing crisis

By: Kailey Hunt, Katy McAfee

Lexi Smith and her family have always had a plan. They wanted to buy land that was big enough to build multiple houses.

KUT Public Media

Austin-area residents are pushing for data center bans. State leaders are divided on what to do next

By: Kailey Hunt, Katy McAfee, Leigh Walden

There's a bipartisan effort against data center development across the state, but regulations are slow moving.

KUT Public Media

How data centers can be built more sustainably and become better neighbors

By: Kailey Hunt, Katy McAfee, Leigh Walden

Data center development has picked up in the Austin area, and residents have voiced concerns about water and energy resources related to the construction. But experts say they can use those concerns to get the companies to build more sustainably.

KUT Public Media

25 years on, Austin firefighters honor 9/11 responders with tower climb

By: Katy McAfee

The Austin Fire Department said the annual stair climb is the longest-running tradition of its kind in the nation. It began the day after the 9/11 attacks on Sept. 12, 2001.