Feature Story - News of Austin

Teacher Ayaka Ono holds up a kanji character with a smile in a language class with older adults and cherry blossoms

Learning Japanese at 60: One Journalist’s Humble Battle and the Science Behind Late-Life Language Study

Fiona Z. Merriweather December 23, 2025

After seven years of weekly classes, I still can’t grasp Japanese. My teacher, Ayaka Ono, has taught about 600 students over 15 years, most between...

Old worn guitar resting against a weathered wooden fence with long shadows and a hint of distant mountains.

Feature Story News Report

Texas Singer-Songwriter Joe Ely Dies at 78 After Battle with Dementia and Parkinson’s

Morgan J. Carter December 23, 2025

Joe Ely, the Texas‑born singer‑songwriter who helped shape progressive country, passed away at 78 in Taos, New Mexico, after a battle with Lewy Body...

Bouquet of poinsettias and Christmas cacti rests on rustic wooden table with warm golden backdrop and soft diffused lighting

Feature Story Science News

How Light Timing Controls Plant Blooms: A Guide to Photoperiod for Poinsettias and Christmas Cactus

Morgan J. Carter December 23, 2025

Did you know that the secret behind the dazzling red of a poinsettia or the soft blooms of a Christmas cactus isn’t just sunlight—it's the length of...

Jowon sings into a microphone wearing a Jets jersey and holding a football with instruments behind him as teammates react

Feature Story NFL Sports News

Jets’ Defensive Tackle Jowon Briggs Stuns Teammates With Singing Performance and Plays 12 Instruments

Aiden V. Crossfield December 23, 2025

During a routine special‑teams meeting in the New York Jets’ locker room, the team’s defensive tackle Jowon Briggs surprised everyone by stepping up...

Brigitte Macron sitting at a desk with flickering candlelight and a blurred French newspaper showing protest headlines

Feature Story Political News World News

Brigitte Macron Defends Clumsy Sexist Slur Used on Feminist Protesters

Julia N. Fairmont December 23, 2025

On December 16, 2025, France’s first lady Brigitte Macron appeared in a video interview that sparked a national debate. In the clip, she explained...

Teenage girl scrolling on cracked phone with a meh look and unwanted gifts scattered around her and a gaming console beside a

Consumer News Feature Story Lifestyle News

The Ultimate Gift Guide for Tweens: Fashion, Toys, Tech, and More

Isaac Y. Thornwell December 23, 2025

Gift‑giving for tweens can feel like navigating a maze—what works for a five‑year‑old might not hit the mark for a thirteen‑year‑old. Best Tween...

Life ring floats upright in murky Lake Superior waters with rusted metal and barnacles near the decrepit hull of the Edmund F

Business News Feature Story Local News

Edmund Fitzgerald Relics Fetch $150,000 at Detroit Auction

Aiden V. Crossfield December 23, 2025

A life ring and a piece of a lifeboat from the Edmund Fitzgerald fetched $150,000 at a Detroit auction, a month after the ship’s 50th‑anniversary...

18-year-old Camdyn Glover speaks passionately with a small American flag in a university lecture hall filled with focused pee

Feature Story Political News

Turning Point USA Expands to Women After Charlie Kirk’s Death

Aiden V. Crossfield December 23, 2025

In a moment that stunned Indiana University students, 18‑year‑old Camdyn Glover began crying in her classroom after Charlie Kirk was assassinated in...

Snow-covered tree stands with colorful ornaments and wreath beside wooden town sign lit by string lights under indigo sky.

Feature Story Local News

Zillow’s Top 10 Most Festive U.S. Towns Revealed

Morgan J. Carter December 23, 2025

If you love holiday lights, Zillow’s latest analysis of 7 million home listings has a list that might just change your travel plans. 10. Ransom...

Portrait of Burkhard Scheffler hanging above altar with intricate carvings and soft diffused light

Feature Story Religion World News

Vatican Displays Homeless Man’s Portrait Near His Grave

Isaac Y. Thornwell December 22, 2025

A portrait of a homeless German man, Burkhard Scheffler, who died in 2022, now hangs in the Teutonic College chapel at the Vatican, a stone’s throw...