Swan Dive
David Brendan Hall / Design by Zeke Barbaro
Volume 43, Number 20
ON THE COVER:
news
Headlines / Quote of the Week
Statesman Union Gearing Up to Strike
Gannett still won’t budge on wages, benefits
BY LINA FISHER
Public Defender Warns City’s Proposed First Hearing Process Circumvents Critical Processes
APD's virtual magistration proposal still isn't fully fleshed out
BY AUSTIN SANDERS
Austin Plans Its First All Abilities Playground on Onion Creek
The right to play
BY BRANT BINGAMON
Is Medicaid for Postpartum Moms Still Happening? Most Likely.
Federal agency has a track record of long delays answering Texas’ requests
BY MAGGIE Q. THOMPSON
Could ERCOT Connect to the Southeastern U.S. Grids?
Plan in the works to build transmission lines through Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi
BY LINA FISHER
food
Review: Juicy Claws
Southeast Asia meets Louisiana in this no-frills establishment
BY ROD MACHEN
Swedish Hill Is Kind of Closing; Hong Kong Supermarket, C’est Finis; Dry January Is a Good Idea All Over; But, Oh Boy, We Still Wine an Awful Lot; and More
All the news that’s fit to get your taste buds quivering
BY WAYNE ALAN BRENNER
Austin's Best Food and Drink Events This Week
Dinner parties, farmer's markets, beer, wine, and more for the week of January 11, 2024
BY WAYNE ALAN BRENNER
music
Free Week Unleashed: These Four Austin Acts Hit the Ground Running in 2024
Catching up with Redbud, lluvii, Daydream Twins, and SINE
BY JULIAN TOWERS, LAIKEN NEUMANN, CARYS ANDERSON AND ANGELA LIM
Paper Cuts: Alejandro Escovedo’s Deconstructed “Bury Me” and Five More Songs
New Austin music picks from Geranium Drive, Soupmakesitbetter
BY RAOUL HERNANDEZ, CARYS ANDERSON, DOUG FREEMAN, ELIZABETH BRAATEN AND MICHAEL TOLAND
A.L. West at a Bookstore, and More Crucial Concerts This Week
Stop by Stalefish’s album release or Jonathan Toubin’s Soul Clap
BY CARYS ANDERSON, GENEVIEVE WOOD, KEVIN CURTIN, RAOUL HERNANDEZ, DOUG FREEMAN, DEREK UDENSI AND MICHAEL TOLAND
Live Music in Austin
BY DEREK UDENSI
screens
Austin Film Critics Association Calls Killers of the Flower Moon Top Film of 2023
But Oppenheimer dominates in multiple categories
BY RICHARD WHITTAKER
Film Reviews
Anselm
Two postwar German masters: one in front, one behind the camera
The Beekeeper
Jason Statham hits people in the face in this spy thriller
The Book of Clarence
Uneven attempt to both resurrect and spoof the biblical epic
Destroy All Neighbors
Prog rock splatterpunk comedy revival is all bum notes
Mean Girls
This isn't your mother's Mean Girls. Because it's really bad.
Night Swim
There's something sinister lurking in the pool in the latest Blumhouse horror …
The Zone of Interest
Jonathan Glazer's Holocaust drama is powerfully distancing
arts & culture
Five Free Art Exhibits for Your Aesthetic Delectation
Free Week may have wrapped, but there’s still plenty of gratis entertainment in this town
BY WAYNE ALAN BRENNER
An Open-Door Policy for Performance Art at FronteraFest
Austin’s innovative and egalitarian gathering keeps its public service mission
BY RICHARD WHITTAKER
Arts Events
Art galleries, theatre, comedy, dance, and more
BY WAYNE ALAN BRENNER
Community Events
Local events, volunteer opportunities, kids' activities, and more
BY KATHERINE MCNEVINS
columns
Qmmunity: The RuPaul Express
Join the Ru-volution in Austin at one of our local Drag Race watch parties
BY JAMES SCOTT
Day Trips: Presidio Chapel, San Elizario
Historic chapel maintains a simple beauty
BY GERALD E. MCLEOD
The Luv Doc: Sketchy PPE
A real godsend for all the beefeaters with dodgy gnashers
BY THE LUV DOC
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
BY MR. SMARTY PANTS
Free Will Astrology
Your weekly horoscope, January 12-18
BY ROB BREZSNY
The Common Law
Moving my mailbox – do I have to?
BY LUKE ELLIS
Feedback
Letters to the editor, published daily
comics
