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Madlin Mekelburg was a reporting fellow for the Tribune in 2015 and 2016. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied journalism and French. Madlin previously worked at the Houston Chronicle as both a metro intern in Houston and as an intern in their Austin bureau covering the Texas Legislature.
Austin's Proposition 1, a ride-hailing ordinance supported by Uber and Lyft was defeated Saturday. With all precincts reporting late Saturday night, 48,673 voted against the ordinance and 38,539 voted for it. Full Story
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A hard-fought Austin special election over regulations for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft might signal the new normal as the companies aggressively battle to dominate the emerging industry on their own terms. Full Story
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A mere 13 votes allowed state Rep. David Simpson to sneak into a runoff in the Republican primary campaign to fill Sen. Kevin Eltife's open seat. Now, he must try to catch fellow state Rep. Bryan Hughes. Full Story
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An Austin judge temporarily blocked the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services from issuing a child-care license to an immigration detention center in Karnes City on Wednesday. Full Story
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Ride-hailing company Uber was hit with a class-action lawsuit on Wednesday over "robo-text messages" the company has been sending Austin customers seeking their support for a controversial referendum on the ballot Saturday. Full Story
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A nonprofit organization has sued the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for issuing a temporary child-care license to an immigration detention facility that hold women and children from Central America. Full Story
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wants a lawsuit filed against his office by fantasy sports site DraftKings moved to Travis County. Full Story
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When GOP presidential hopeful Ted Cruz announced Carly Fiorina as his would-be running mate Wednesday, he set the wheels in motion for a potential dual Texan ticket. Or at least Texanish. Full Story
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Uber announced Wednesday the company plans to cease operations in Houston if the city council does not repeal its existing regulations relating to vehicle-for-hire companies. Full Story
Uber and Lyft have pledged to leave Austin if the city votes down an ordinance preventing fingerprint-based background checks. But a smaller Austin-based company called getme insists it can fill the gap. Full Story
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