Latest / Austin Signal / Travis County medics work to respond to emergencies amid budget challenges

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Travis County medics work to respond to emergencies amid budget challenges · Austin Signal

0:09
Across the city of Austin, medics
0:11
are working and responding to
0:12
emergency calls.
0:13
Despite the budget challenges facing
0:15
the city and Travis County, voters
0:17
in Austin resoundingly rejected
0:19
a property tax increase that
0:21
officials hoped could be used to
0:22
supplement area first responders.
0:24
Now those departments are adjusting
0:26
to a future with fewer resources.
0:28
Plus, the Supreme Court is allowing
0:30
Texas to use newly drawn
0:32
congressional districts in next
0:33
year's midterm elections.
0:35
The map was drawn to give
0:36
Republicans an advantage in the next
0:38
Congress. We'll have local and
0:39
statewide reaction to the court's
0:41
decision coming up.
0:42
The Austin Signal is a production of
0:44
K U T News, hosted by Jerry
0:46
Quijano.
0:47
And the Blue Genie Art Bazaar is
0:49
celebrating twenty-five years in
0:51
Austin. We'll talk about their
0:52
origins and the best times to avoid
0:54
the long lines.
0:55
That's next here on Austin
0:57
Signal.
1:08
Howdy out there, thank you for
1:10
tuning in to Austin Signal.
1:12
You're listening here on KUT News
1:14
90.5.
1:16
We're on the K U T app and we have
1:17
more news online at K U
1:19
T.org.
1:20
It is Friday and another chilly
1:22
day here in the Capitol City, but
1:24
this weekend in Austin is shaping
1:26
up to be a nice one.
1:27
The National Weather Service is
1:29
forecasting for the clouds to clear
1:31
out of the way and for the sun to
1:32
shine its glorious face on us.
1:34
Highs in the low to mid
1:36
seventies on Saturday and Sunday.
1:38
Don't forget about the holiday sing
1:40
along tree lighting and downtown
1:41
stroll happening in front of the
1:43
Capitol tomorrow night from 5
1:45
until 8.
1:46
We will see you out there.
1:48
Alright, let's get on to today's
1:50
show.
1:51
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday
1:53
that Texas can use its
1:55
newly drawn congressional map in the
1:57
2026 midterm elections.
1:59
For more about the decision's
2:00
impacts on Austin districts as well
2:02
as the rest of the state, we are
2:04
talking with the Texas Newsroom's
2:05
Capitol Reporter, Blaise Gainey.
2:07
Blaise, thanks for being with us.
2:08
Yeah, glad glad to be here.
2:10
So this fight around the
2:11
congressional map has been a a long
2:13
saga.
2:14
So I'm asking you to take us back to
2:16
the beginning, please.
2:17
Why did this fight even begin in the
2:18
first place? Why did Texas redraw
2:20
its maps?
2:22
Absolutely. This whole redistricting
2:23
saga began when President Trump
2:25
asked Governor Greg Gabbott to
2:27
rearrange states' congressional
2:28
districts to give Republicans an
2:30
advantage.
2:31
The DOJ also pointed out to
2:33
Texas that it had districts they
2:35
believed were racially
2:36
gerrymandered, which is illegal.
2:38
That sent the state into a rare
2:40
mid decade redistricting process
2:42
before the next census.
2:43
Lawmakers quickly passed maps
2:45
in a second special session, and
2:46
that was successfully challenged in
2:48
federal court due to concerns of
2:50
racial gerrymandering.
2:51
Yesterday, the Supreme Court stepped
2:53
in and stayed that ruling allowing
2:55
the map to actually be used now.
2:58
And while we have been waiting for
2:59
this Supreme Court ruling,
3:01
candidates here in Texas that are
3:02
planning to run for election, maybe
3:04
for reelection, they've had to do
3:06
some thinking on whether the new map
3:07
or the old map is gonna work for
3:09
them. One official Austin
3:11
Representative Lloyd Doggett, we had
3:12
him on the show.
3:13
After the three judge panel
3:15
initially ruled on the issue, how
3:17
has this back and forth been
3:18
affecting potential candidates here
3:20
in Texas?
3:21
Yeah, the map not being in place
3:23
created a ton of uncertainty.
3:24
Candidates didn't know which
3:26
districts they'd actually be running
3:27
in, whether the twenty twenty one
3:29
map or the newly redrawn map would
3:31
be the one in effect.
3:32
So some people held off on
3:34
announcing in a few incumbents, like
3:35
Representative Al Green or Greg
3:37
Kazar, had to
3:39
consider whether their homes would
3:41
even remain inside their districts
3:44
now that the Supreme Court has
3:45
locked in the map.
3:46
It finally gives clarity just days
3:48
before the Monday filing deadline.
3:50
So candidates should be making those
3:51
decisions over the weekend.
3:53
Yeah, and I will say about an hour
3:55
ago into the KUT email
3:57
inboxes, we got a message from
3:59
Representative Lloyd Doggett.
4:01
He says, I quote, I will continue
4:03
working with the same urgency and
4:04
determination as if next year
4:06
were my last, which in public
4:08
office it will be.
4:09
After that, I will seek new ways to
4:11
join my neighbors in making a
4:12
difference in the only town I
4:14
have ever called home.
4:15
That's a from an email from
4:17
Representative Lloyd Doggett at
4:18
about twelve fifteen this afternoon.
4:21
So he is making it clear that he
4:22
does not intend to run
4:24
for his old seat, which was part of
4:26
the old map. So with this new map,
4:28
how is it directly gonna have an
4:29
effect on the Austin area?
4:32
Yeah, so I mean, y there you
4:34
have it. Lloyd Doggett is
4:35
retiring.
4:36
I mean, that's one of the effects.
4:38
And instead you will have
4:40
a new district
4:42
that encompasses sort of the area
4:44
that he used to cover and now
4:46
what Greg Kazar covers.
4:47
And so, r
4:49
Congressman Gregg will be the one
4:51
running in that seat.
4:52
He he will likely win, but that
4:54
means just one less Democrat
4:56
representing the area
4:57
here.
4:58
We got an interactive map over at K
5:00
U T dot org where you can see the
5:01
changes happening to Austin
5:03
districts and others around the
5:04
state. Blaise, what's been the
5:06
political reaction to the news from
5:07
the Supreme Court ruling?
5:08
Let's start with those who are in
5:09
support of the new maps.
5:11
Yeah, Republican leaders, Governor
5:13
Greg Gabbott, Attorney General Ken
5:15
Paxton, and several House
5:17
and Senate members have celebrated
5:19
the decision. They said that it
5:20
validates the legislature's work and
5:22
allows Texas to move forward with
5:24
more court interference, without
5:26
more court interference.
5:28
Democrats, on the other hand, say
5:29
the ruling greenlights a map
5:31
that dilutes the voting strengths
5:33
of fast growing communities of
5:35
color, especially around Austin,
5:36
Houston, and Dallas.
5:38
And they see this as possibly
5:40
setting up a situation where we
5:41
could have multiple states each
5:43
year trying to undergo a red
5:45
redistricting process.
5:47
We only have about thirty seconds
5:48
left, Blaise, but as I mentioned,
5:50
this has been a a saga, a lot of
5:51
back and forths.
5:53
It is this final ruling
5:55
is is are these the maps we're gonna
5:57
have going forward in the twenty
5:58
twenty six midterms?
6:00
For now, yes.
6:02
But long term, probably not.
6:04
Okay. All right, we have been
6:06
speaking with the Texas Newsrooms
6:07
Capital Reporter Blaise Gainey.
6:09
As I said, you can check out his
6:10
story and an interactive map over at
6:12
KUT dot org about how
6:14
these districts are changing.
6:16
Blaise, thank you for your time.
6:18
Thanks for having me.
6:24
This is Austin Signal.
6:26
Thanks for spending part of your
6:27
Friday here with us.
6:28
Across Travis County, medics
6:30
are working to respond to emergency
6:32
calls while dealing with budget
6:34
hardships.
6:35
That's after voters rejected a
6:36
property tax increase, proposition
6:38
Q, that would have brought in more
6:40
money for emergency
6:42
medical services.
6:44
KUT's Luz Moreno Lozano
6:46
tells us how the department is
6:48
adjusting.
6:50
On Tuesday morning, Austin Travis
6:52
County EMS and the Austin Fire
6:53
Department responded to a call at a
6:55
home in Southeast Travis County.
6:57
A 78-year-old man had fallen
6:59
several days earlier and he was
7:00
unable to get back up.
7:02
Together, medics and firefighters
7:04
helped hoist the man from the floor
7:06
of his home onto a gurney and into
7:07
an ambulance where they began to
7:09
treat him.
7:09
We're gonna give you some IDs.
7:11
So like we're gonna get an ID on
7:13
you.
7:14
We're gonna check all your vitals,
7:15
we're gonna check your heart,
7:17
and we're gonna get you over to
7:19
South Austin.
7:19
Is that okay with you? Yeah.
7:21
Okay.
7:22
Selena Shea is a commander with
7:23
Austin Travis County EMS.
7:25
She's also running for a seat on the
7:26
Austin City Council against District
7:28
8 incumbent Paige Ellis.
7:30
Sitting outside the house, Sia
7:32
explains a little more about the
7:33
call EMS just received.
7:35
This gentleman fell on Friday and
7:37
he was able to crawl inside
7:39
and he was just not able to get up.
7:41
But he thought that
7:43
he would recover over time
7:45
and he just realized he wasn't going
7:46
to.
7:47
She says this is one of the most
7:48
common types of calls EMS gets
7:50
each day, where someone needs
7:52
medical attention, but not
7:53
necessarily an ambulance.
7:55
She says calls for life-threatening
7:56
situations like heart attacks,
7:58
strokes, and car crashes make up
7:59
about 10% of calls to EMS.
8:02
But Shea says, regardless of the
8:04
nature of the call, an ambulance
8:05
staffed with medics responds anyway.
8:07
Austin Travis County EMS Chief
8:09
Robert Lucret says that may not be
8:11
the best use of resources.
8:13
In order to be
8:14
to respond to those needs, we need
8:15
to think differently. And that's
8:17
through the innovation of new
8:18
programs like our basic life support
8:19
ambulances, our mental health
8:21
responders, our single unit
8:23
responders.
8:24
And many of those programs were
8:25
outlined in the proposal
8:27
for prop Q.
8:28
You might remember a lot of buzz in
8:29
Austin about Proposition Q.
8:31
In November, voters soundly rejected
8:33
the property tax hike.
8:35
It would have added $110 million
8:37
to the city's budget, some of which
8:39
would have helped expand EMS
8:41
programs.
8:42
When the ballot measure failed, the
8:43
Austin City Council had to draw back
8:45
expenses.
8:46
Austin Travis County EMS got
8:48
about $3 million to fund overtime
8:50
cost. Chief Lucret says that
8:52
will allow them to staff all
8:53
ambulances to respond to calls in a
8:55
timely manner.
8:56
But some of those other programs he
8:57
mentioned won't be expanding
8:59
immediately.
9:00
We got it.
9:00
Number.
9:01
Of ambulances, community health
9:02
paramedics, mental health responders
9:04
over just the last three to four
9:05
years. And so we need to
9:07
rethink how it is that we're going
9:09
to grow effectively, not only to
9:11
keep up with the existing
9:12
department, but with the new, larger
9:16
Looking ahead, Lucrid says the
9:18
department is focused on recruiting
9:19
and training new medics, but the
9:21
question is how to pay for that as
9:22
Austin faces tough budget decisions.
9:25
After Prop Q failed, city manager
9:26
TC Broadnicks told council members
9:29
that they would have to be more
9:30
realistic about what the city can
9:31
fund.
9:32
Some say the issue is how the city
9:34
council chooses to prioritize
9:36
spending.
9:37
Local attorney Adam Lowy has
9:39
been a vocal critic of Austin's
9:40
spending on homeless services and a
9:42
new logo.
9:43
He shared his thoughts on a panel
9:44
Wednesday hosted by the Texas Public
9:46
Policy Foundation of Conservative
9:47
Think Tink.
9:48
Whoever you are, Democrat or
9:50
Republican, I think we all can
9:51
agree, yes, we need EMS strong,
9:54
but I think people realized
9:56
we have the money from E EMS
9:58
from the current budget, but we're
10:00
spending it on insane things
10:02
as opposed to getting them more
10:03
money.
10:04
The city manager says Austin is
10:06
doing an internal audit of its
10:07
spending to try and find cost
10:08
savings. He and his team are also
10:10
looking at ways to help the city
10:12
bring in new revenue, which could
10:14
support EMS and other crucial
10:16
services.
10:17
I'm Luz Moreno Lozano
10:19
in Austin.
10:22
And coming up here on Austin
10:24
Signal, we've got some Texas music
10:26
history for you to add to your
10:28
storytelling archive.
10:29
Plus, the holiday season here
10:31
in Austin just wouldn't be the same
10:33
for lots of folks without the Blue
10:35
Genie Art Bazaar.
10:36
We're gonna talk about how they got
10:38
their starts and the magic
10:40
of owning your own piece of Austin
10:42
to hold in your hands.
10:43
That's coming up next here on
10:45
Listener Powered Public Radio.
10:47
This is Austin Signal.
11:00
You're tuned in to Austin Signal.
11:01
Thanks for being here.
11:03
The impact Texas has had on
11:04
country music is substantial,
11:06
but it's not just big names like
11:08
Willie Nelson or Bob Wills
11:10
who helped shape the genre's sound.
11:11
It's also the folks in the recording
11:13
studios, the fiddlers in the
11:15
band, names that could end
11:17
up lost to history.
11:19
Jason Mellard from the Center for
11:20
Texas Music History has a story
11:22
of one such band.
11:32
This week in Texas music history, a
11:34
group of East Texans give Bob Wills
11:37
a run for his money.
11:38
On December 2nd, 1927,
11:40
in Dallas, the country musicians
11:42
of the East Texas Serenators entered
11:44
a recording studio for the first
11:45
time. The result was a Columbia 78
11:47
featuring the song Sweetest Flower
11:49
backed with combination rag.
11:51
The group recorded a total of 10
11:52
records between 1927 and
11:54
1937, but together with their
11:56
live performances, this small
11:58
discography left a big legacy.
12:09
The Serenaders were a classic
12:10
Southern string band who inspired
12:12
the burgeoning Western swing sound
12:13
in North Texas.
12:14
The group was unique both for its
12:16
exploration of diverse styles
12:18
and for its instrumentation, most
12:19
notably a three-string cello
12:21
played with a bow in place of the
12:23
larger, fully strung double bass.
12:25
Left-handed fiddler Daniel Huggins
12:27
Williams was a gifted player who won
12:28
fiddling contests across the state
12:30
and later tutored Johnny Gimbal,
12:32
whose work with country hitmakers
12:33
Jimmy Davis, Bob Wills, Willie
12:35
Nelson, and George Jones made him a
12:37
star in his own right.
12:38
The group also featured tenor banjo,
12:40
guitar, and sometimes a double
12:41
fiddle lineup.
12:47
The East Texas Serenaders were
12:48
based in country music, but the
12:50
group searched widely for new sounds
12:52
and incorporated elements of blues,
12:53
Cajun, swing, and jazz.
12:55
Ultimately, the Serenators had a
12:57
major influence on Bob Wills, the
12:59
king of Western Swing.
13:00
Who once noted that the only group
13:01
that gave his early upstart band
13:03
any real competition was the East
13:05
Texas Serenaders.
13:07
And while their primarily
13:08
instrumental work was often
13:09
overshadowed by the more noted
13:11
vocal-led groups, the East Texas
13:12
Serenaders claimed their place as
13:14
one of the pioneering Texas country
13:16
ensembles of the 1920s and
13:18
1930s.
13:27
You can hear music from the Lone
13:28
Star State 24-7 on the Texas
13:30
Music Experience at tmx.fm.
13:33
Support for this week in Texas Music
13:35
History comes from Brain Audio,
13:37
maker of a compact portable speaker,
13:39
featuring an internal subwoofer
13:41
that produces deep bass sound,
13:43
engineered in the live music capital
13:45
of the world. More at
13:46
Brainaudio.com.
13:48
That's B-R-A-N-E-Audio.com.
13:51
This is Austin Signal.
13:53
Thanks for spending part of your
13:53
Friday here with us.
13:55
The Blue Genie Art Bazaar is
13:57
celebrating 25 years here
13:59
in Austin.
14:00
We're joined now by Dana Younger,
14:02
co-founder and partner with Blue
14:03
Genie. Howdy, Dana.
14:05
Howdy.
14:06
Thank you for being with us.
14:07
It's 2025.
14:09
We're nearing the end of it, but I
14:10
want you to take us back a little
14:11
bit to 2001.
14:13
Tell us a little bit about where the
14:14
idea for Blue Genie came about.
14:17
Well, we had a fabric.
14:19
Application shop.
14:20
On the east side and
14:22
we made all kinds of sculptures and
14:24
murals them that helped decorate
14:26
Austin and we love to throw parties.
14:28
And we when when whenever
14:30
we threw a party, we would put some
14:32
art on the walls and and have
14:34
a good time.
14:35
And this amazing thing happened.
14:36
We threw a party at Christmas and
14:38
people bought things.
14:40
And we were like, that was pretty
14:42
cool. We should do that again.
14:44
And we've just been doing it, and it
14:45
was so fun, we've been doing it for
14:47
twenty five years now.
14:48
What was the Austin art scene like
14:49
back then? Was it a lot was it a lot
14:51
of like DIY things like you're
14:52
talking about here?
14:54
Absolutely, yes.
14:55
Space was
14:56
Cheap. In two thousand one, it
14:58
was a different kind of town.
14:59
And and that made
15:01
things possible, you know.
15:03
Big Medium was getting started.
15:05
They had a small group called
15:07
Sotolitas that were the sort of
15:09
core and they had a space over on
15:10
Balm Road and things were a
15:12
little more renegade and that
15:14
there's a real creative freedom
15:16
in things being renegade.
15:18
And we are very grateful to
15:20
have come out of that time
15:22
and and made it to this time.
15:24
So I know the art bazaars had
15:26
a few iterations, a few different
15:27
locations.
15:28
But what about that spirit from the
15:30
early day is still alive in in
15:31
today's marketplace, today's
15:32
offerings?
15:34
Yeah, well it's fun.
15:36
You know, it's
15:38
still fun.
15:39
It's fun for us.
15:40
It's fun for the artists,
15:43
and it's fun for the for the
15:44
community.
15:46
You know, this this town
15:47
is kind of magical.
15:49
There is so much creative
15:51
energy in Austin.
15:53
And there always has been, and
15:55
that's always been a bit really
15:57
important part of what makes Austin
15:58
unique. And then the other side of
16:00
that is that Austin is very
16:02
supportive of creative
16:04
endeavors.
16:05
People show up
16:07
for for cool, fun,
16:09
creative things.
16:11
And those things have not changed
16:13
about Austin, in my opinion,
16:15
and that's that helps make Austin
16:17
a really special place.
16:18
And I think there's also a special
16:19
kind of power in buying something
16:21
or owning something that somebody
16:23
has created.
16:24
And use it's almost like having a
16:25
piece of Austin's magic in
16:27
your hands whenever you go to the
16:28
art bazaar.
16:30
That's exactly right.
16:31
I mean, what we do is we
16:32
platform local artists
16:34
and designers and give them
16:36
a meaningful way
16:38
to show their wares
16:40
to the Austin public that
16:42
can come out and support them.
16:44
And and we we love that and
16:46
the community loves it.
16:47
And they do love to have a piece of
16:50
you know, of the creative Austin
16:52
energy on their wall or in their
16:54
pocket or where you know, wherever
16:56
it goes. Oh speaking of those
16:57
artists, how how many were featured,
16:59
how many were working on that first
17:01
project back in two thousand one?
17:02
How many artists had their art
17:04
featured then and how many are you
17:06
featuring now in twenty twenty five?
17:08
Oh gosh.
17:10
You know, in the very first show
17:11
there was just a handful of people.
17:13
I mean, we'd we put it up for three
17:15
days and maybe had
17:17
fifteen people or so
17:19
and we kinda had to, you know,
17:21
finagle to get friends like
17:23
come on, just put some things
17:25
up. It's not that hard.
17:27
And and now we
17:29
feature over two hundred artists
17:31
every year.
17:32
So it's really changed a lot.
17:34
Speaking of that demand, you know, I
17:36
I go to the climbing gym
17:37
next to the art bazaar location.
17:39
And around November and December
17:41
parking becomes a lot m less
17:43
accessible because the blue
17:45
genie is so popping.
17:47
You know, because life can
17:49
get kind of crazy, people can put
17:51
off things to the end.
17:52
When is a good time, from your pros'
17:54
opinion, when is a good time to kind
17:55
of sneak in and avoid kind of the
17:57
the crazy hours?
17:59
Pro tip is come below.
18:01
Aforenoon.
18:02
And not on a Saturday.
18:04
Okay.
18:05
If you really want to come in and
18:07
and not have it be super crowded,
18:10
Monday through Thursday
18:12
are great times to visit the show.
18:14
And really any time during the
18:16
day. We're open 10 a.m.
18:18
To 10 p.m.
18:18
We try really hard to be very
18:20
accessible.
18:21
And so we're just open for
18:23
12 hours and you can
18:25
find a time in there.
18:26
And if you want to come when it's
18:27
uncrowded, any time in there Monday
18:29
through Thursday is gonna be is
18:30
gonna be great. The weekends from
18:32
here on out, they're gonna be
18:33
bananas.
18:34
If you like that sort of thing, come
18:36
on out. You can feel the energy of
18:37
the of the holiday season, and some
18:39
people, some people like that.
18:41
It you know, you get a charge out of
18:42
it.
18:42
I've never been during the crazy
18:44
times, but is it true that the a
18:45
line, a cue kind of forms out the
18:47
window, you have to like you have to
18:49
basically become a a bodyguard
18:51
and say, No, we can't allow th we
18:53
can only have so many people in here
18:54
right now?
18:55
Okay. That's one of my that's one of
18:57
my roles. You'll sometimes see me
18:58
out there on a Saturday or Sunday
19:00
morning, me or one of my business
19:01
partners. You know, these are the
19:03
benefits of of ownership.
19:04
We get to sweep dust bunnies and we
19:06
get to do you know, be a bouncer.
19:09
Bouncer. I couldn't think of the
19:10
word. Bouncer is the word.
19:12
We have been hearing a lot about how
19:14
AI is infiltrating a lot of
19:15
industries, music, art, not exempted
19:17
as well. How do you feel that Blue
19:19
Genie offers a place for people to
19:21
to go and have something that's
19:22
handcrafted, something that's made
19:24
by a human who lives in their
19:26
community, and and what it what is
19:27
the importance in making that kind
19:29
of move?
19:30
Well people have a lot of people.
19:31
Lot of fear about
19:33
about AI.
19:34
There's massive change happening
19:37
in the world right now and
19:39
you know and I I think people are
19:41
justifiably concerned and not w
19:43
it's we don't know what's happening.
19:45
And and also
19:47
AI and all kinds of other new
19:49
technologies are coming and are
19:51
here to stay.
19:53
And so we just have to
19:55
be clear about what our value
19:57
systems.
19:58
And so we
20:00
are a platform for local
20:02
artists and designers
20:04
to show their to show
20:06
their work.
20:07
And that's the that's sort of how
20:09
we judge what what goes in.
20:12
There are all kinds of cool things
20:13
happening and there's a place for
20:15
all kinds of cool things.
20:17
And so I'm
20:19
not terribly worried about it.
20:21
I think it's interesting and
20:23
we should keep our eye on on what's
20:24
happening and
20:26
you know put your money where your
20:28
value system is.
20:30
That's right. We always say put your
20:31
money where your ears are here on K
20:33
U T.
20:34
We are speaking with co-founder and
20:35
Blue Genie partner Dana Younger.
20:38
Dana, what makes Blue Genie
20:40
so quintessentially Austin?
20:42
We hear about a lost we were talking
20:43
about lots of Austin traditions,
20:45
right? Tomorrow we have the downtown
20:47
sing-along happening in downtown
20:48
Austin. Blue genie feels like one
20:50
of those as well, something that you
20:51
kind of wait for all year long to
20:53
get to experience.
20:54
W what is it about Blue Genie that
20:56
makes it so Austin?
20:58
Gosh, that's a good question.
21:00
You know, I don't know.
21:01
I I don't think I have all the
21:03
ingredients to the secret sauce
21:05
on on a list.
21:07
But I think part of it is that we
21:09
did come out of this more renegade
21:10
time and we have tried
21:12
to retain some of that
21:15
you know, creative energy and
21:16
renegade feeling.
21:18
And and and because that's
21:20
what we like.
21:22
Also we are a platform
21:24
for local artists and designers, and
21:26
so it's very Austin.
21:28
And Austin loves a
21:30
tradition, right?
21:31
The the holiday sing along
21:33
is a great Austin tradition.
21:35
The the Kite Festival is an
21:37
amazing Austin tradition.
21:39
And we love our traditions.
21:41
They're important, they bind us
21:43
to our families, they bind us
21:45
to our communities, they
21:47
create a marker in time,
21:49
and these things are really
21:50
meaningful to h to humans
21:53
and to us as Austinites.
21:55
And so people love to show up
21:57
and we try to make it easy for them.
21:59
And you know, it's free to get in,
22:01
it's free to park if you can find a
22:02
spot.
22:03
Get there early.
22:04
Get there early.
22:06
But we try to make it easy and we
22:07
try to make it fun, and you
22:09
can just come and you can have a
22:11
drink and you can walk around and
22:12
you can meet your friends and you
22:13
can have some chuckles and maybe
22:15
come away with with a treasure.
22:17
We are speaking with co-founder
22:19
and blue genie partner Dana Younger.
22:21
They are celebrating 25 years
22:22
here in Austin.
22:23
Dana, thank you for your time.
22:25
Thanks for having me.
22:26
And thank you for tuning in to
22:28
Austin Signal.
22:29
That is it for today's show.
22:30
But don't forget, you can catch up
22:32
on what we've done all week long by
22:34
going over to K U T.org
22:37
slash signal.
22:38
And don't forget to subscribe
22:40
wherever you listen to your shows.
22:42
Kristen Cabrera is our managing
22:44
producer. Rayna Sevilla
22:46
is our technical director.
22:47
And I'm your host, Jerry Quijano.
22:50
Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
22:51
Don't forget, we'll see you downtown
22:53
tomorrow night for the holiday
22:55
sing along.
22:56
This is Austin Signal.