Keyla Holmes

I'm an award-winning Texas journalist with a passion for community-centered storytelling. 

Texas Standard •

Skateboarding helps these Austin women balance their lives

It’s the first Wednesday in November and several women are walking over to a small patch of concrete near a bike trail in East Austin.
Among them is Austin skateboarder Amanda Batchelor. Next to her, a painted cloth banner that reads “Austin Womxn’z Skate” rests on top of a donation box for diapers and extra skateboards.
“I actually skated here from my house, so wouldn’t have been able to do that four months ago,” she said.
Batchelor has always wanted to skate. She started learning how about six...
Texas Standard •

The neighborhood with Texas’ dirtiest air is still waiting for help

For the last three years, an air control monitor maintained by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has detected some of the state’s dirtiest air in Settegast, a northeast Houston neighborhood.
The monitor shows high levels of an air pollutant known as PM2.5, an extremely tiny particle that can lodge itself deep within the lungs.
Rebekah Ward, climate an environment reporter for the Houston Chronicle, spoke to Texas Standard about how the air effects the residents of Settegast. Listen t...
TPR •

This Austin-based organization is spreading kindness with new children’s book, ‘Dude. Be Nice’

The Austin-based organization, Dude. Be Nice, is releasing a children’s book of the same name to forward their mission of spreading kindness.Their story follows a bear named Dude who comes up with a plan to do nice things for his friends, but after a series of mishaps, he learns that an important part of being kind is asking how someone wishes to be helped.Authors Brent Camalich and Jamie Lynn Camalich spoke to the Standard about their hopes for the conversations the book will inspire. Listen to...
KERA News •

‘Cicada invasion’ won’t impact Fort Worth residents— except for phone calls from loved ones

Fort Worth residents will not be sweeping piles of cicada shells off their driveways later this spring, according to an insect researcher at the University of Texas at Arlington.“This is good news,” Alison Ravenscraft, an assistant biology professor, said with a chuckle.The upcoming “cicada invasion” expected to occur this spring is the first time in 221 years, two different broods of the insects will emerge at the same time.One brood pops out of the soil every 13 years, while the other emerges...
KERA News •

North Texas milk bank urges mothers to donate as premature birth rates rise

Paige Vidrine, 31, didn’t expect daughter Riley to be born prematurely.But in February 2023, Vidrine was taken to Medical City Alliance hospital in Keller more than four weeks before her daughter’s due date. In need of around-the-clock care, Riley was taken to the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. There, the baby began to receive milk provided by the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas, as Vidrine was not yet able to breastfeed.Mothers’ Milk Bank, founded in 2004, provides premature infants...
Fort Worth Report •

Cook Children’s recording studio captures music from the heart — literally

Cook Children’s Medical Center patient Mai Fowler appreciates her connection with Raymond Turner. He’s kind of like a therapist or a best friend. 

While Turner does create a safe space for Fowler, he isn’t the 19-year-old’s therapist. He’s the producer of Sparklefly Recording Studio.

At Cook Children’s, patients can work with Turner to create music and write songs. The studio, located in the Child Life Zone, gives kids the opportunity to step away from medical equipment and enter a space all a...
Fort Worth Report •

He started the Fort Worth Rowing Club. At 89, he plans to keep sculling the Trinity River

Lee Smith pushed and pulled. 

His oars broke through the water as he traversed the Trinity River on a recent gloomy morning.

“I’m a weirdo for small boats and getting out on the water,” Smith said, with a chuckle.

The 89-year-old Arlington resident shares his passion with others as a coach and founding member of the Fort Worth Rowing Club. The nonprofit, which promotes rowing for recreation, fitness and competition, has expanded to about 50 members since its establishment. 

In 1989, Smith w...
Fort Worth Report •

‘It's a very difficult topic’: Young adults in Tarrant County respond to new abortion laws

Young Tarrant County residents’ views on abortions are complicated, but they aren’t heard as often as the opinions of those over 30.Recently, the Fort Worth Report interviewed nine Tarrant County residents ages 18 to 25 to hear how the Supreme Court’s decision and new state laws on abortion may affect their health care choices. In March, months before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a Pew Research Center national survey found nearly 3 in 4 respondents under 30 said abortion should be l...
Fort Worth Report •

Blue Door Kitchen transformation delivers healthy, tasty meals for Tarrant County kids

Seasoned chicken with Mexican rice, a tortilla, and beans with cheese filled a black lunch container — all hot and made from scratch.

This wasn’t just any cafeteria food. This food tasted as if it came from a good restaurant — or even home.

Welcome to the Blue Door Kitchen, a hub that prepares meals for the 3,500 children who go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County every day. The food is made from healthy and high-quality ingredients, not prepackaged processed food.

“Kids real...
The Collegian •

Rock Solid Art

Justin Thyme started painting rocks for a class assignment. He earned an A, but felt that his project was too impactful to stop there.
Now, Thyme continues to paint rocks and hides them across NE campus for students to engage in a scavenger hunt. The NE student posts new rocks ready to be found on his Instagram, Rock Hound, a couple of times a week to inform students of when they can begin they’re search, he said.
Thyme thought of the idea from his past experience of living in Colorado Springs....
The Collegian •

Faculty inspire women to pursue STEM careers

Ruth Gallardo has always been interested in science. However, the NE student decided to pursue art when she registered for classes.
Her reasoning – not feeling confident in math.
“Math has always been one of those things where I’m like, ‘I’m just not good at it,’” she said.
Within the last six months, Gallardo has taken biology courses that have caused her to reconsider her hesitations. She’s had super engaging professors that seem to really care about what they’re teaching, and to top things of...
Her Campus •

Navigating Your Period: Common Misconceptions, Self-Care Tips, & Birth Control Pill Confusion

Texas State University Freshman Micaela Farnie used to feel sick during her period. To alleviate her cramps and general discomfort, she started taking birth control pills in middle school. And for a while, she said everything was fine. “But then I got to college, and it was actually awful,” Farnie said.It took more than one doctor’s visit, and switching to different birth control pills for Farnie to feel like she was in a good place with her menstrual cycle again. But now, she doesn’t bleed at a...
Her Campus •

From Nerves to Excitement: My First Pilates Class Was a Success

Thanks to Dr. Raelynn Haynes, my biology professor, I got the opportunity to take a free Pilates class at her studio. Although I wasn’t sure what to expect, I was excited and grateful to attend one of her sessions without paying a penny.Prior to my class, I heard multiple content creators talk about the magic of Pilates. They spoke of toned arms and abs. While the results looked promising, the TikTokers and YouTubers surely emphasized the difficulty of these workouts. “It’s one of the most chall...
Her Campus •

Don’t Let Your Fear Of Judgment At The Gym Keep You From Experiencing Your 'Winter Arc'

If you frequently scroll on TikTok, you might’ve recently encountered clips of young women waking up at five in the morning, hitting the gym, and showing off their healthy meals for the day.Instead of one staying in their pajamas and eating their favorite sweet and savory comfort foods, Gen Z content creators are filming their self-improvement videos and challenging others to take part in the “Winter Arc” challenge. The trend is centered around beginning your transformation period on Oct. 1 inst...