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

Although this Taurus season brings the promise of smooth and delightful renewal, it also features the intense contrast of a heavy full moon lunar eclipse, prompting us to ride the waves of lightness.
Shortcuts: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
Around May 15th, the day of the Lunar Eclipse, it will be especially important to stay on your toes and out of harm’s way. Regardless, we’ll get to continue enjoying the Venus, Jupiter, and Neptune conjunction in Pisces—truly one of the most picturesque combos imaginable, infusing our realities with an extra dose of the supernatural and extraordinary. Mercury is also slowing down to station retrograde, which will happen on May 10, in which we might let our minds ease into the curiosities and questions they will be exploring through the rest of the spring.
Taurus: April 20-May 20
Welcome home, Taurus! Beyond this being your time to shine, this month highlights the ways in which your Taurean nature is currently crackling with evolutionary potential. Our New Moon on May 1 features a strong, electric impulse from the planet Uranus, who has been in your sign since 2018 and will be until 2025. Here, you can renew your experiments in connecting to life’s goodness, supporting quick and organic growth, and probing the possibilities of earth’s beauty. Relative to this liberating potential, the lunar eclipse on May 15 can show you the ways in which this beauty becomes more refined, subtle and rooted. This might look like giving some elements of your universe a good trim or two, but these sharp moments can also be elucidating.
Gemini: May 21-June 20
Just as the Sun slides into Taurus, your ruling planet, Mercury, is slowing down to begin its retrograde. The heavenly trickster will reverse course in your native sign, Gemini, but over the next few weeks, they’ll retrace their steps back into Taurus—an image of returning from the lofty realm of ideas into the rich, thick realm of matter. Beyond presenting an opportunity to test and live out your latest, sparking thoughts (which may include novel ways of thinking about yourself and your brightest expression), this retrograde will give you a chance to develop your mental flexibility and acuity. From the electric New Moon on the 1st to the intense Lunar Eclipse on the 15th, we’ll be swung between life’s polarities.
Cancer: June 21-July 22
In the waxing and waning of the moods that steer your life, this Taurus season will bring some peak drama for you, Cancer. On the one hand, we have a grouping of planets in Pisces pulling you toward your most heavenly aspirations and ideals. On the other, the Scorpio Lunar Eclipse will bring forth the ways in which you can be compulsive, fearful, or overly focused on less than healthy matters. Allowing yourself to go through the month in a soft and slow manner, savoring encounters even with unsavory subjects, will allow you to make this a time of transformation, shedding the slack instead of getting sucked into the subterranean swirl. In doing so, you can be a solid point within your community, helping it be a thing of beauty.
Leo: July 23-Aug. 22
This Taurus season presents a challenge for you to express yourself in a strong, steady glow, Leo. Beyond compulsively trying to limit exactly which lights you’re seen in, though, a better strategy would be to try to embrace your full spectrum of colors, finding ways of weaving together your different selves and others. Figuring out how to dance with your obstacles and enemies will be a central element of this. Although some ambition and competitive heat could be quite enlivening, you might also look for ways to step back from the struggle, be still, and feel into your roots. Especially around the Lunar Eclipse on May 15, consider that you can draw nourishment from below and what has come before.
Virgo: Aug. 23-Sept. 21
Virgos! This coming month highlights the way in which nature can unveil greater, deeper, and broader beauty for your edification. Although this can express itself as potent joy or pleasure, it should also help you rearrange your thoughts and values. You might think of this process as a conversation with a combination teacher/lover, who is best able to speak intimately and truthfully on occasions of quiet and reverence. This discussion is ultimately between you and the divine, but don’t be afraid to reach out to a confidant or beloved thinker. Through all of this, listen to changes in your voice, internal and external, and look for ways to play with a greater range of tone!
Libra: Sept. 22-Oct. 23
This Taurus season will feature some hectic eclipses, Libra, but consider that the greatest way to lean into change will be to find quiet. You might see this as a level surface upon which your scales can weigh and judge properly, or a solid ground from which you can push and pull without spinning out. Here, spin inwards. You do not have to denounce your basic hungers and needs—some renunciation might be contextually appropriate, but only relative to a stronger and more important desire. Regular quiet should help the dust settle so that you can feel the path forward more clearly.
Scorpio: Oct. 24-Nov. 21
You have the best seat in the house for this month’s subterranean orchestra, Scorpio. Although you might occasionally feel like the center of the drama, try to find beauty even amongst the harsher tones, and take curiosity in what resonates inside of you. Surrender to the full spectrum. Get your ears wet with some poetry, and then listen actively. You’ll know if or when your voice is called forth. Until then, find some secret place to make some music and noise, and figure out how you can listen as deeply and clearly as possible.
Sagittarius: Nov. 22-Dec. 21
The month ahead would be a wonderful time to dig deeper into your personal mythology, Sagittarius. What heroes and epics captivated you as a child and bring to life your inner child? Reabsorbing some of the mythical moments that nourished your imagination would be a great, first step—a second would be to play into those stories, to engage in some make-believe. Whenever you’re stuck, ask what would your favorite character do. What happy endings or new beginnings can you dream up and into? Consider possibilities! Ask, ‘What if?’ at least once a day.
Capricorn: Dec. 22-Jan. 19
This is a month with substantive potentials, Capricorn, especially in how you structure your thought. Magic in the air can quickly catch our curiosity, but the full implications of magic are sometimes disruptive and dangerous. In this regard, sometimes we only wade knee-deep into the mysteries. You don’t have to discard your skepticism or need for certainty here—they can be helpful tools in naming and navigating your treasures. So, what are the mythical objects that churn your heroic journey? How can they reorient your universe and change the way you think through the everyday?
Aquarius: Jan. 20-Feb. 18
A transition point lays around our new moon on the May 1, which is conjunct the Aquarian Uranus. On the one side lays challenging momentums that need to be resolved; on the other, worlds to be born, given the freedom. Think of this moment as a second chance to both invest in clear potential and rectify previous misalignments. This procedure might entail considerable reflection and imagination, but be willing to pay equal attention to beauty and majesty as to concrete or difficult scenarios. Take a bet on a welcoming universe!
Pisces: Feb. 19-March 20
How do you twist and turn with the churnings of fate, Pisces? Your sign is one of the great centers of action in the grand eclipse drama this month, and as such, you can expect the unexpected. A dragon is said to writhe through these moments. Even if we often just need to get out of its way, we can be inspired and appreciate the grand powers of life. Can you hear that dragon resonating within you, too? In which biographical directions does that wise innocence want to explore itself? Let it roar and play around in your imagination—what you learn could really help you steer through the years to come.
Aries: March 21-April 19
The great strides that you can take this month, Aries, have to do with gratitude. You can think of your gracious acts as gifts, as seeds you’re planting, or as ways to lighten your load. Sometimes a big exhale is more important than a big inhale, and sometimes the inhale is even more satisfying after emptying out. This gratitude can both loosen you up and take out excessive slack. Think of it as a savory, clean-burning fuel, or as an abundance of simple, reinforcing snacks. These good vibes don’t have to be fluffy or vague, too—you can be sharp, precise, and strong in your giving of thanks
Charlie Cross is a local Astrologer, Spiritual Coach and Creative Consultant. You can follow their regular newsletter, learn about Astrology classes, and book a personal natal chart reading at astrologyally.com.
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.