Ben Philpott

Bill hopes to connect the Texas grid to the rest of the country

Three years ago, a winter storm plunged Texas into a deep freeze. Everyone who lived here remembers what followed. Millions went without power for days. Hundreds, maybe more, died. Of the many vulnerabilities exposed by that blackout, one caught people’s attention in particular: Texas exists as an energy island. It is relatively cut off from neighboring electric grids. Now, as KUT’s Mose Buchele reports, that could end — if a bill to be filed in Congress becomes law.

Is Austin Still Keeping It Weird?

“Keep Austin Weird.” The phrase is printed on T-shirts, bumper stickers, posters; it’s part of Austin’s national reputation. But, it seems that for every pocket of weird, there’s a new corporate chain from California moving in.