Local news and fun, every day 6am.
Featured
austonia newsletter
Most viewed

Podcast host and new Austinite Joe Rogan has officially shaken the dust off his new Texan boots and sold his former California home.
Rogan, whose show "The Joe Rogan Experience" is one of the most successful podcasts on Apple and Spotify, sold the 7,573 square foot mansion for $3.45 million, a good $250k over the asking price.
The deal further solidifies Rogan's move to Austin, where he has lived for over half a year. Rogan moved his podcast headquarters to an ultimate man cave-style studio last summer and hasn't looked back since, even going so far as to call the city a "utopia."
While Rogan is currently living comfortably in a luxe $14 million lakefront home on Lake Austin, what he's left behind isn't so bad itself.
Rogan bought his former Los Angeles home for $2.3 million nearly two decades ago when his claim to fame was working as the "Fear Factor" host.
Rogan's former French country style home featured five bedrooms and five bathrooms and sits on a 1-acre property overlooking the city lights on one side and rolling hills on the other. Complete with a glass balcony, plenty of outdoor courtyard space, a meditation atrium and a pool, the outside space is just as spacious and serene as the home itself.
The estate's airy living area is accentuated by a massive wrought iron spiral staircase, while its chef's gourmet kitchen comes complete with a pewter island countertop imported from Paris.
The home also has some distinctly Roganesque aspects. As a former UFC commentator, Rogan decked out an at-home gym with plenty of boxing equipment, and a separate media room featuring a wet bar and pool table serve as a man cave retreat.
The home sold five months after it was listed, leaving Rogan and his Texan wife Jessica Ditzel free to cut their LA ties and live a new Austin lifestyle.
- Joe Rogan posts podcast studio as he makes move to Austin ... ›
- New Austinite Joe Rogan visits the Governor's Mansion - austonia ›
- Joe Rogan's new home is a $14 million mansion on Lake Austin ... ›
- The names behind the Joe Rogan podcast studio - austonia ›
- Timeline of Joe Rogan moving to Austin - austonia ›
- Austin home renovated by Property Brothers is sold in a day - austonia ›
- Two luxury Austin hotels listed on Conde Nast Travelers list - austonia ›
Popular
(Austonia)
May's second election is here, in which voters will decide on the candidates to represent their party in the November general election after the winner in some March primary races was unclear.
Just like the March primaries, voters will choose which party they choose to vote in. Then based on location, each ballot will show which races are in a runoff.
In Texas, candidates must win at least 50% of the vote to be elected. In the races where the top candidate only received a plurality of votes, a runoff is being held.
Here's everything you need to know before heading to the polls.
Know before you go
Early voting for the Texas primary runoff election begins Monday and will last through May 20; Election Day is May 24.
The registration period for this election has passed; check if you're registered to vote here.
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. As long as you're in line by 7 p.m., you can vote.
You'll need a valid photo ID to present once you're at a polling location.
Here are the early voting locations in Travis County.
View wait times at polling locations here.
Races to watch in Travis County:
Statewide
Lieutenant Governor
- Republican: Incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick won his primary in March.
- Democratic: Mike Collier and Michelle Beckley are vying to be the Democrat candidate on the ballot.
- Republican: Incumbent AG Ken Paxton is fighting for his seat against George P. Bush.
- Democratic: Rochelle Garza and Joe Jaworski will face off to be the Democratic candidate in this race.
View all the statewide races on the ballot here.
U.S. House of Representatives
View the district you live in here.
District 21
- Republican: Incumbent Chip Roy won his primary in March.
- Democratic: Claudia Andreana Zapata and Ricardo Villarreal are hoping to secure this vote.
- Republican: Dan McQueen and Michael Rodriguez are going head to head to be the Republican candidate in this race.
- Democratic: Former Austin council member Greg Casar won this race in March.
District 19
- Republican: Ellen Troxclair and Justin Berry are vying to be the Republican candidate in this race.
- Democratic: Pam Baggett won her primary in March.
Texas has been home to some of the country’s biggest celebrities of all time—think Amarillo resident Georgia O'Keeffe, Lubbock’s Buddy Holly and Corpus Christi’s famous singer Selena.
The Pudding’s People Map of the U.S., which shows each city’s “most Wikipedia’ed” resident, placed celebrities from all walks of life on the Texas map. As for Central Texas celebrities, there are some interesting (and not so surprising) names on deck.
(The Pudding)
Proving that Austin is “alright, alright, alright,” Minister of Culture Matthew McConaughey is both Austin’s and Uvalde’s top Wikipedia’ed resident. McConaughey, who was born in San Antonio adjacent Uvalde, has deeply ingrained himself in Austin by studying Radio-Television-Film at UT Austin, starring in the Austin-filmed movie “Dazed and Confused” and investing in Austin FC.
Heading down just a few miles south, San Marcos claimed former president Lyndon Baines Johnson as Texas State University’s most famous alumni, who graduated in 1930, and was also named in Fredericksburg. LBJ wasn’t the only ex-president on the map—George W. Bush was listed as the top resident in Dallas, Midland, Houston and Crawford.
You’ll see some other names with ties to Austin strewn around the state: Janis Joplin in Beaumont and Port Arthur; Stone Cold Steve Austin in Victoria and Edna; Dan Rather in his hometown of Wharton; and Waylon Jennings in Littlefield.
Venturing outside of the central areas, there are big celebrities who call Texas Home. Actress and artist Selena Gomez dominated search traffic in her hometown of Grand Prairie, musical artist Post Malone was most “Wikipedia’ed” in Grapevine, and Shaquille O’Neal was named in the city where he went to high school, San Antonio.
Plus, Thomas Haden Church, Angela Kinsey, Jessica Simpson, Chuck Norris, Roy Orbison, Ron White, Jessica Alba, Colt McCoy, Jimmy Dean and Johnny Manziel all had at least one city covered on the list.
Where’s Texas’ newest resident, Elon Musk? You’ll find him still in Los Angeles, as his foray into Texas living has just begun.
Click here to view the full map.