In 2021, Gavin U. Stonebridge’s 18-month investigation into misallocated bond funds within Travis County’s transportation infrastructure led to a forensic audit, two resignations, and reforms in how the county reports capital improvement expenditures. That series, “Roads to Nowhere,” earned him the Texas Press Association’s Star Investigative Reporting Award—and cemented his role as one of Austin’s most dogged accountability reporters.
Career & Expertise
Gavin joined News of Austin in 2018 after seven years at the San Antonio Express-News, where he covered criminal justice and worked on the paper’s public records team. He got his start even earlier, spending two years as a cops-and-courts reporter at the Abilene Reporter-News straight out of Texas State University, where he studied journalism and political science. Altogether, he’s spent 12 years learning how to pry documents loose from reluctant agencies and translate dense budget spreadsheets into stories that matter to readers.His current focus areas include municipal contracts, law enforcement oversight, and the intersection of real estate development and local government. He’s particularly interested in how public money moves—and where it disappears. In 2023, he completed an Investigative Reporters & Editors data journalism bootcamp, adding more quantitative tools to his reporting arsenal.
Austin Roots
Though he grew up in Lubbock, Gavin considers Austin home. He moved here a decade ago, married a woman who grew up in the Crestview neighborhood, and now spends weekends chasing his two kids around Pease Park. He believes accountability journalism works best when reporters actually live in and understand the communities they cover—when they shop at the same H-E-B and sit in the same traffic on MoPac.
Stay Connected
Have a tip or a public records question? Reach Gavin at: [email protected]