- Coming up on "Austin InSight", a look at a new tool to track officer-involved shootings, plus a new generation is putting their best foot forward with an old Texas tradition: two stepping.

"Austin InSight" starts now.

- [Announcer] Support for "Austin InSight" comes from Sally and James Gavin and also from Daniel L. Skret.

(upbeat bright music) (upbeat bright music continues) - Hi there.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm Laura Laughead.

Austin is still processing a difficult weekend after a string of shootings in the South Austin area prompted a shelter-in-place order across parts of the city, an order that has since been lifted.

You may have gotten the alert on your phone.

Austin Police say suspects fired into multiple buildings, apartment complexes, and two Austin fire stations.

The news putting Austin once again in the national spotlight.

And just a little over two months since the shooting at Buford's, it's a reminder of how quickly gun violence can disrupt daily life and how much our community wants to understand it and also change it.

That brings us to our first story, a tool that aims to do exactly that.

A new dashboard from the city's Office of Police Oversight is shedding light on officer-involved shootings in Austin, including where they happen most often and who was most involved and affected.

Our local government reporter, Sam Stark, joins us now.

Sam, why was this dashboard created?

- Yeah, so the Office of Police Oversight fronted this effort; that's the civilian office tasked with providing oversight of APD while remaining separate from the police department.

The office spent the last year building the tool, saying they wanted to create a more interactive and transparent way for the public to explore the data.

Their hope is the dashboard will help people identify patterns and trends in officer-involved shootings that could eventually help inform future policy discussions.

- And you actually had a look at this dashboard already.

What stood out to you?

- Yeah, so one of the biggest things that stood out was who was most often involved in these incidents.

The dashboard shows Hispanic men made up the largest share of people involved in officer-involved shootings between 2018 and 2025.

It also showed many of the officers involved had between one and four years of experience.

- Did anyone you spoke with have an explanation as to why these trends may be showing up in the data?

- Yeah, the experts and officials I spoke with were careful not to attribute it to any one factor, saying the sample size is relatively small, which makes it difficult to draw broad conclusions.

But they said newer officers are often assigned to busier patrol areas, with more calls for service and more public interactions.

They also said officer-involved shootings and other police encounters tend to be more common in lower income and higher density areas where there's often a heavier police presence.

- How are people reacting to this tool so far?

Why do they think that it's needed?

- People I spoke with said they are encouraged to see this kind of tool made public, saying it helps boost transparency and makes police data more accessible to everyday community members.

I spoke with an activist with the Austin Justice Coalition who said he sees a lot of value in the product.

- Having presented in this format is a useful step forward in making this accessible to a wider variety of community members who want to talk about what APD is doing, want to follow along with what's happening but aren't necessarily gonna be crawling through huge spreadsheets all the time.

- And Sam, that's not all you've been working on this week, right?

- No, that's right, Laura.

I've also been looking into a city housing voucher program that helps formerly homeless Austinites stay housed, but it could now face cuts as the city deals with its ongoing budget deficit.

- Oh, yeah, this is my room I like to decorate.

- [Sam] Judy Silva is loving her life at Family Eldercare's Pecan Gardens in northwest Austin.

- So, this here is our gathering room, and we have bible study every Thursday night at eight o'clock.

- [Sam] She's feeling great today, but she said not too long ago she wasn't.

- I fell into homelessness when I couldn't deal with a lot of issues that were going on with my family, and so I started using drugs.

I wanted my freedom to use when and as much as I wanted, - [Sam] Silva lived unsheltered in Austin for five years.

After encouragement from a homeless outreach provider, she applied for housing in 2024.

Within weeks she was in a temporary shelter before eventually moving into Pecan Gardens, a permanent supportive housing complex in northwest Austin.

- I feel like every day is a brand new day.

It's the rest of my life.

It's no fear, no fear.

I put all my demons behind me.

I don't live in a dark place anymore.

- [Sam] Silva is one of more than 300 people benefiting from Austin's housing voucher program, which helps people transition out of chronic homelessness and into permanent housing.

But as the city continues making tough budget decisions due to a persistent deficit, the program is on the chopping block.

- If there is no funding being proposed, then, yes, those individuals will be displaced.

- [Sam] Deletta Dean is the director of the City of Austin Housing Department.

She said, while she recognizes the city has difficult decisions to make, she thinks the program is too important to lose.

- Individuals need housing, and that's fundamental for us to be able to have any type of quality-of-life, and the residents see that.

- [Sam] That fact is evident when looking at Silva, who said her at Pecan Gardens has saved her life.

- So, I consider myself very blessed, very fortunate to be here.

So, I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize it.

Not every story is gonna end bad.

There's gonna be a lot of good endings.

- And Laura, the housing director told me that, while funding for the housing voucher program has not yet been secured, some city leaders have told her they recognize the importance of it and will do their best to keep it running.

- Two very important and ongoing stories.

Sam Stark, our local government reporter, thank you so much for your reporting.

- My pleasure.

(upbeat bright music) - Meanwhile, this week, Texans will start casting their votes in the primary runoff election.

These are the races left unresolved from March where no candidate cleared more than 50% of the vote.

The winners will represent their party on the November ballot.

For one race in particular, it's been anything but quiet.

The contest between incumbent US Senator John Cornyn and Challenger Attorney General Ken Paxton has captured national attention, not just for its mud slinging, but also for what it represents.

Some political experts have called it a defining fight for the future of the Republican Party in Texas.

This week, president Trump endorsed Paxton in the GOP primary for US Senate.

This comes more than two months after the president first pledged to name his pick.

Of his decision, Trump wrote the following on social media, saying, in part, quote, "Ken is a true MAGA warrior who has always delivered for Texas and will continue to do so in the United States Senate.

John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough."

End quote.

Now it comes down to the voters.

Whoever wins will take on Austin area Democratic representative James Talarico in the fall.

To break down what's at stake, we previously spoke with Kayla Guo, who covers state politics and government for the Texas Tribune.

So, Kayla, president Trump endorsing Ken Paxton definitely came as a surprise.

Many, including Senator Cornyn himself, believed it wouldn't be coming at all.

What's the reaction, and how does Trump's endorsement change what's been a very tight race for Paxton and Cornyn?

- I mean, I think it's a serious blow to Senator Cornyn that Trump endorsed Paxton.

I think primary voters in the Republican side really care about Trump's endorsement.

It had been a really narrow fight, as you said.

And so, I think this is a huge boost for Ken Paxton, going in.

President Trump did wait a long time to do this.

The first day of early voting had already come and gone.

I think President Trump seemed to be kind of on a high.

You know, he had just successfully primaried Bill Cassidy out of Louisiana in the US Senate and has seen a string of victories axing people he has deemed insufficiently loyal to him.

So, I think that sort of bolstered President Trump going into this, and, you know, he wanted to make his mark and especially if he thought Ken Paxton was gonna win, I think he would wanna take credit for that.

- Yeah, 'cause that was my next question is why did he wait till the 11th hour?

You know, more than two months had passed since he initially pledged to give this endorsement.

So, definitely, I mean he, you know, knows how to get the new cycle going.

And another thing, too, will be interesting to see play out is how you've mentioned, like, historically, it's the most ideological one-way-or-the-other voters that come out in these elections, and it will be interesting to see how Paxton, the more ideologically right of these candidates, how that endorsement will play out at the polls.

And as of late April, Democrat James Talarico was actually leading Cornyn and Paxton according to the Texas Politics Project and Texas public Opinion research, and this week Texas Southern University released a new poll indicating that Talarico was neck and neck.

So, how seriously should Republicans be considering those numbers, and now what does this endorsement from Trump for Paxton mean for Democrats?

- Totally.

I mean, I think this endorsement from Trump for Paxton makes a lot of Republicans nervous.

I think Republicans generally have seen, Republicans, at least in senate leadership and sort of the strategist class, have seen Paxton as a weaker general candidate, general election candidate and are worried that, you know, now Republicans are gonna have to spend a lot more money defending Texas instead of putting that money in other more competitive races like in Maine or North Carolina.

I think republicans should take the polling numbers around Talarico fairly seriously.

In 2018, I don't think Beto O'Rourke, when he came within three points of ultimately defeating Senator Ted Cruz was ever polling this high and certainly not ahead of the Republican in the race.

At the same time, I think you will hear Republicans say that, you know, their nominee hasn't been chosen yet.

It's hard to have voters, you know, in a hypothetical situation pick one or the other, and that once their nominee is chosen, they'll be able to draw that contrast with Talarico and, you know, come up ahead in November.

- And even though this has been the election that's really gripping, you know, state news, obviously, and national news, beyond this, what are some other major runoff races to watch with Ken Paxton leaving a seat?

The Republican race for Attorney General also comes to mind.

- Absolutely.

You know, this is to succeed Ken Paxton.

It's the first time in a long time this office has been open.

You have Congressman Chip Roy competing against state Senator Mayes Middleton.

It's been a big money race.. Middleton has put a lot of his own money into the race, airing a lot of ads, particularly during the pre-runoff period.

Chip Roy, though, has seen an influx of cash from, you know, big Republican donors like Alex Fairly out of Amarillo.

So, he's fighting to the end.

I think the polling or the general sense is that Middleton might have an edge just given his long-term spending and, you know, being able to brand himself MAGA Mayes.

But Chip Roy is, again, fighting and making the case that Republicans want someone who will be independent but also a strong ally of Trump.

And so, yeah, voters are gonna cast their votes and then we'll see.

- That has certainly been a big theme in Republican politics in Texas this year.

Ostensibly, who can out MAGA each other?

Well, never a dull day ever in Texas politics with a lot more new stories, I'm sure, to come out.

Well, Kayla Guo with the Texas Tribune, thank you so much for breaking this down for us.

- Thanks for having me, Laura.

(upbeat bright music) - Popular science, no, not the magazine.

We're talking about actual science, which is having a moment following the Artemis 2 moon mission.

Not to mention AI, medical breakthroughs, and other discoveries, but how do we spark interest in kids today who will become tomorrow's scientists?

Senior multimedia journalist Blair Waltman-Alexin has more from the Rundberg community.

- And how many yards?

- [Student] Five.

- [Interviewer] What did you wanna do when you were little?

- Teaching.

- Oh, teaching was all- - Teaching.

That was always in my everything, teaching.

Well, I wanted to be an astronaut.

(students scream) Without science, how can you make sense of the world you live in?

My name is Monica Sanchez, and I've been working at Hart Elementary for the past eight years.

I run STEM Club.

- [Student 2] If it's so strong, it should stand.

- [Monica] They come in here and do their little project.

- Hi, right over here for hot science.

I can check you in.

- And we will go to hot science co-talks, and they're, like, ready to go and ask questions.

Our intention is to introduce our students to a different world that they usually won't have the opportunity to see.

(soft calming music) (plane soars distantly) - Exactly.

So, today's activity, we're doing Alka Seltzer rockets.

So, you were on... - We do a lot of hands-on activities, so that the knowledge stays with them longer instead of just "Blah, blah, blah, the teacher talk.

Oh my god."

- Can you make the shape with paper?

Try it.

So, I'm here as a volunteer for the NSF MRSEC, and we come to, like, local schools around Austin.

So, this is to help with the drag.

And I love doing little demos.

So, I think it's nice if kids want to get involved in science early, then they should have that opportunity.

(rocket pops) (students exclaim) - Oh my god.

- You know those cartoons where they have a light bulb?

It almost looks like that.

(rocket pops) (students exclaim) - Oh!

That one was good!

- You have to let 'em have that moment where they feel like, "This is impossible."

But then, here's what I love the best.

Once they get it, they don't have to say any words, because their whole face lights up.

(rocket pops) (students exclaim) It makes me giggle every time.

- Nice catch.

- It's a way to give them the opportunity to see beyond Rundberg.

(bus idling) (students chattering) (soft music) (students speaking foreign language) If we look at Rundberg from outside, what do we see?

You know, we see parents working really hard, but again, parents who, most of them did not finish high school or middle school.

(soft music continues) The most pressing issue with them is money to support their kids, to put a roof over their head.

Ultimately, why we educate our kids to break those poverty cycles.

So, I've been trying to break that barrier with the students under my care.

None of that happens unless you make it happen.

So, everybody else, you can go to the table.

I mean, I would say, how can you wish for something if you don't even know this something exists?

So, by exposing them to that, you can plant us that little seed.

This is so cool.

(soft serene music) (student speaking foreign language) - So, we have some wonderful guests with us today.

We have Bernice Hart Elementary School by Lake Fork Laurie Co.

They're gonna perform two pieces for you today, demonstrating their locomotion, as well, so it's related to the talk.

(audience cheering and clapping) - To me, science is the opportunity to understand the world.

(soft serene music continues) Without science, I mean, how can I understand life?

(soft serene music continues) So, it's a way to understand that everything is interconnected, and everything's important.

I don't know, maybe just because I like science and math, but without science, how can you make sense of the world you live in?

(soft serene music continues) (upbeat bright music) - Country music has always had a home here in Texas, but lately it's become the soundtrack of something bigger.

It's an old Texas tradition that you might think went quiet for a while, but walk into the right honky tonk on the right night and you'll find it very much alive.

In this Authentically Austin, we're taking you two-stepping.

(cheerful country music) If you ask Austinites where to get that quintessential two-step experience in town, they're probably gonna give you a few different answers.

But when I asked my friends, they all pointed us to two places: the White Horse and Sagebrush, where we are now.

They're two newer joints in the two-stepping scene, but they've quickly become a sort of honky tonk headquarters for young people.

If he's choosing Texas, then a whole new generation is choosing our two-step tradition.

♪ Just when I thought I got him to fall in love ♪ ♪ With Tennessee ♪ (soft relaxing country music) ♪ I shoulda known better than to take him ♪ ♪ Back to Abilene ♪ - [Laura] It doesn't take a crystal ball to see.

Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" has people falling in love with two stepping.

♪ Tell by the way ♪ ♪ He's two steppin round the room ♪ - [Laura] The song has topped the billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks.

Have you heard the song?

- I certainly have, yes.

It's a good one.

- I play it during my dance lesson, and the entire dancefloor sings.

- I haven't heard it.

Good luck out there, Langley.

Right, that's her name?

- [Instructor] 5, 6, 7, 8.

You go slow, slow.

- [Laura] Here in Austin, in the middle of the music, the whiskey, and the whirling, a new generation is learning this old Texas dance.

- There's just something great about taking a shot of whiskey at the bar and grabbing somebody and dancing to the band.

- [Laura] On any given night, you'll find Sagebrush and the White Horse like this.

At the reigns are old friends and business partners Denis O'Donnell and Marshall McHone.

They didn't plan on becoming titans of the two-step scene.

They met at the Hole in the Wall, the iconic dive joint where Denis ran the bar and booked the bands.

- We were noticing two scenes that were happening at the same time at the Hole in the Wall.

We had our punk rock and roll scene.

The bands were lining people around the block.

And then, we had this beautiful young country scene knocking the tables and chairs out of this small room and dancing.

- [Laura] So, they opened The White Horse in 2011, and it was a hit; a marriage of classic country.

Willie Nelson played there back in the day, and Austin's quirky charm.

Just ask where they got the name.

- So, I'm a hippie, and this has to do with a tarot card.

- [Laura] In 2020, they opened Sagebrush.

They revamped the existing building with some lone-star lore itself.

In the forties it was military barracks, and later a camp for German POWs.

It also came with some tall tales; emphasis on tall, like former owner, Big Gil.

- He was 6'11 and boxed in Madison Square Garden and had a career and came back home to Austin.

- Elvis Presley came here and asked Big Gil if he could play and he goes, "Nope, we don't have that kind of music here, son," and kicked him out.

- Not a whole lot of shaking going on.

- [Laura] So, that raises the question: What is two stepping?

- It's been here since Texas, probably since before Texas actually.

- The two-step grew from a blend of European partner dances brought by Czech, Polish, and German immigrants, like the Schottische, the Polka, and the Waltz.

It's also influenced by the Foxtrot, as well as Swing and Tejano dance traditions.

- All of those people got together and moosh, moosh, mooshed around, and boom, there's your Texas two step.

- [Laura] What's your best tip to someone who's new to two step?

- Come to one of the dance lessons you'll meet and switch around.

- Beth Coffey.

- Yeah, Beth Coffey's great.

- 1, 2, 3.

- [Audience] Yee-haw!

- [Laura] What is your official title?

- Well, I mean, how much time do you have?

- [Laura] If there's a heartbeat round these parts, it's Beth Coffey.

- Right and left together.

Left then right.

I grew up in San Angelo, Texas.

I have Czech background, and so the Czechs get together and have these big, wild, awesome parties.

They're called weddings.

Anyway, and so, when we get together, we dance.

- [Laura] She teaches free lessons every week at the White Horse.

- And I'm starting with my left foot.

Boom!

That's it.

That's half the dance.

Woo!

- [Laura] People come from all over the country.

- Where y'all coming from?

- California.

- It's okay.

I love California.

Your money is green.

Where are you from?

- Illinois.

- Of course, come with me.

- [Laura] And all over the world.

- My name is Carlin.

I'm from Lisbon, Portugal.

- [Laura] She makes a room full of strangers feel like friends.

- [Beth] Right, who's the leader?

- Oh, he is.

Trying to be.

- [Beth] If you have a drink, finish it.

If you have money, put it in the bucket, and after that, find a friend.

I think The White Horse, since it's been around, it really was an all-inclusive place.

It didn't matter what, where you came from, it was always y'all means all.

- In Austin's grand tradition of bucking tradition, the city puts its own spin on Texas' national dance.

- Well, there's no dance police, so it turns out, however you dance, that's the best way.

- [Laura] So, I gave it a go.

Though, I'm not sure I had much choice.

- Then we go this way, this way.

I'm gonna lift them up, and then put 'em down.

There they go.

They go up, and they go down.

- Oh my gosh.

- Yeah, you're doing it.

Let's go.

1, 2.

Let's do it again.

Again.

- Wee!

- Oh my gosh, what am I doing?

- You got it.

- [Laura] Turns out two-stepping isn't as hard as it looks.

The hard part is walking in the door.

- There's these basic steps that people learn at the beginning, and then before long, there's so much creativity going on, you would never recognize it again.

- [Laura] In a world lived through screens, two-stepping asks us to do something radical: look at each other in the eye and trust someone else to take the lead.

The song might be "Amarillo by Morning," but tonight it's Austin.

- To continue to keep what is authentic about partner dancing, and in Texas, alive, it takes young people.

- [Laura] Young people like Tim and Jade.

- She was a really good dancer, and I was intimidated to dance with her.

- Yeah, he was really cute.

- [Laura] He's from Lampasas, and she's from France.

- It really is just kinda like a beautiful third space for us.

Last year was probably one of the toughest years of my adult life, and it just was a lot of changes going on.

It was just trying to meet new people.

And as an adult, that can always be really challenging.

And I can just tell, from a year ago today, I am a completely different person.

- [Laura] All it takes is one step out of your comfort zone and one onto the dance floor.

- I really just think that bravery is something that's a part of Texas, and I'd like to just even move that into social bravery.

It doesn't matter if you don't have boots.

It doesn't matter if you don't have a hat.

It doesn't matter if you don't like any of the music.

That's okay, but just come see this for yourself.

Welcome.

We're waiting for you.

(soft relaxing music) - See, I promise two-stepping is not as hard as it looks.

And if I can do it, anyone can.

Finally today, a bittersweet goodbye to a beloved local business.

This was the line at Lammes Candies ahead of Mother's Day weekend for the last batch of their famous chocolate-covered strawberries.

I'm also partial to their longhorns and their cinnamon gummy hearts.

The company, which was founded in 1885, announced that it's closing all its retail locations.

Lammes said that rising costs and inflation have made running the business more difficult.

While it's sad to say goodbye to yet another Austin institution, seeing a response of all these Austinites going out that day was a fitting farewell and an important reminder that, no matter what, Austinites show up for each other.

And that's our show.

You can catch up on all our stories on the Austin PBS YouTube channel, and you can find full episodes of "Austin InSight" for free in the PBS app.

Thanks again for watching.

We'll see you next time.

(upbeat bright music) (upbeat bright music continues) (upbeat bright music continues) - [Announcer] Support for "Austin InSight" comes from Sally and James Gavin and also from Daniel L. Skret.

(bright flute music)