Columbine. Sandy Hook. Santa Fe High School. Robb Elementary: Touchstones for a sense of shared tragedy. School shootings have become a part of modern life, but what do we remember of the event that opened this chapter 60 years ago?
On Aug. 1, 1966, a sniper climbed to the top of the University of Texas Tower, opening fire on an unsuspecting public below. No one had any way to make sense of it. It was an event so unthinkable at the time, many of those who lived through it only started to share their stories in recent years.
Today: A special edition of the Texas Standard, “Out of the Blue: 60 years after the Texas Tower shooting.”
School finance lawsuit heads to court
Midland ISD claims the way schools are funded has turned them into the state’s tax collector — in violation of the Texas constitution. We’ll dig into what this means and why it matters way beyond Midland.
Recent flooding in South Texas brings something dangerous to the surface: Breakaway buoys in the Rio Grande.
In a dystopian future, a young woman tries to make sense of her world, piecing together fragments of the not-so-distant past. A conversation with Texas-based author Mary Helen Specht about her new novel, “Mudlark.”
San Antonio seeks psychedelic therapy trials for veterans
As cleanup continues after massive rains in the Hill Country, a storm from the east threatens the Texas Gulf Coast.
An update on Tropical Storm Bertha: After making landfall in Louisiana, the storm headed back into the gulf. Forecasters fear it could loop back into South Texas.
Texas’ World Cup summer has come and gone — almost. In Houston, an early accounting of the impact.
San Antonio — a center for research on soldiers and PTSD, and how it could become central to research on some unconventional therapies.
Plus, brisket prices gotcha down? Tri-tips and other tips from Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn.
Big Bend’s dark skies face a new threat
After a week of devastating floods in the Hill Country, it’s now about clean-up and recovery. We’ll have the latest from Kerrville and more.
There are two dead and hundreds rescued after floodwaters rose to record levels for a second time in as many years last week. Concerns are now about the effects downstream. In Uvalde, the flooding is testing the resilience of a community.
Also, with midterms just a few months away, Gov. Greg Abbott appoints Robert Howden to oversee elections across Texas as the new secretary of state.
Concerns are rising about how a border wall will affect the dark skies of far West Texas.
Also, a spotlight on the great Bob Wills.
An update from Kerrville after floods again rattle region
There are two confirmed fatalities in Texas’ Hill Country as rescues continue and precipitation finally begins to taper off. We’ll have an update on the flooding across Texas from Lucio Vasquez of the Texas Newsroom standing by in Kerrville.
Rising food prices aren’t just making it tougher for more Texas families, but also for pantries and food banks trying to bridge the gap. We’ll hear what they’re up against.
There’s a new competitor in the hemp beverage business — but as demand grows here in Texas, so does pressure for greater regulation.
Plus, the week in Texas politics.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can help make this podcast happen by donating at supportthispodcast.org
Emergencies, shelter-in-place orders go out in flood-wary Kerr County region
Life-threatening floods hit parts of the Texas Hill Country as the Guadalupe River swells and flood emergencies and warnings go out.
In the aftermath of shootings in Maine and Texas, a pause in ICE policy ends only hours after the change went into effect. We’ll have more from Houston’s historic East End on how the shooting has galvanized residents there.
Also, the death of a Dallas Cowboy was ruled a suicide by officials, sparking a deeper conversation into the role of CTE: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.
Religion and Texas culture: The new book ‘One State Under God’ by Joseph L. Locke untangles an unexpectedly deep, and often misunderstood connection.
Plus, the end of an era: After more than three decades, Sony pulls the plug on a format once popular with gamers.
And the state’s only legislatively authorized needle exchange program: Why efforts to expand it have stalled.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can help make this podcast happen by donating at supportthispodcast.org
Texans are losing millions in scams involving crypto kiosks
Supporters call it the most important housing legislation in decades, but what does the new housing law mean for everyday Texans?
In Texas’ closely watched U.S. Senate race, a challenge to what’s become conventional wisdom about Democratic nominee James Talarico and his appeal to Texas’ Black voters.
An apparent end to the ceasefire with Iran and where that leaves consumers in Texas.
Plus: They look like ATMs, but critics say Texas is behind the curve on banning them. Why cryptocurrency kiosks are getting a cold hard look.
Questions remain after fatal ICE shooting in Houston
The latest on this week’s fatal shooting by ICE in Houston, described by Mexico’s president as part of a broader pattern of mistreatment of Mexican migrants. We’ll talk with reporters in Houston and in Mexico City.
Frisco has become one of the nation’s fastest-growing hubs for Indian American families, businesses and culture. But the North Texas city has also seen a rise in anti-Indian rhetoric online and in public life.
Lights, camera, Texas? As more big-ticket films focus on the Lone Star State, whether it’s looking like a long term shift in the industry.
Toyota brings Tacoma production back to San Antonio
Many eyes in higher education are focused on Texas and whether we’re starting to see the fruits of a landmark rethink of two-year colleges. More on the significance of enrollment numbers rising at Texas community colleges.
In a deep red North Texas suburb, something that might have been considered unheard of not that long ago: why Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico appears to be finding fans in Collin County.
Toyota announced this week that it would move production of its Tacoma pickup truck from its Baja California plant in Mexico back to San Antonio.
Plus: taco journalist Mando Rayo on the secrets of the perfect tortilla.
What a Catholic Church schism could mean for Texas parishioners
A new report by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune alleges Ken Paxton, the Republican now in a dead heat against Democrat James Talarico in Texas’ U.S. Senate race, may have broken the law by casting ballots outside the district where he resides. We’ll hear details.
A priestly group with churches in Texas has been excommunicated by the Vatican. We’ll discuss what this means for the group — the Society of Saint Pius X, or SSPX — and its followers.
And an investigation into World Cup ghost tickets — a scary situation for some soccer fans.
Vogue Magazine turns its lens on classic Texas
The CDC is trying to get to the bottom of a parasitic infection causing sickness in Texas and other parts of the country. The current spike in gastrointestinal illness has hit Texas, New York, Illinois and Michigan the hardest so far. We’ll hear what medical experts say about the dangers, possible causes and recommendations to stay healthy.
Many might think of fire ants as being as Texan as bluebonnets, but they don’t remember the war against them. Echoed in the more recent fight against the New World screwworm, we’ll hear the backstory.
Also, on the heels of Independence Day weekend, fashion magazine Vogue turns to classic images of Texas for inspiration and celebration.
What investigators found at Camp Mystic
This weekend marks a year since the deadly and devastating Hill Country floods. Now, a final report is out for the Texas Legislature on what happened at Camp Mystic one year ago.
We’ll also hear from a University of Texas at Arlington researcher developing a comprehensive warning system to save future lives.
Also, the story of the Hill Country couple hailed as heroes in the aftermath of last year’s flooding.
Mando Rayo on a trained group of volunteers formed after Mexico City’s 1985 earthquake who came from Mexico to help with the Hill Country flood relief.
And the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.
A year after deadly floods, what has changed?
In the year since the Hill Country floods, how much has changed, and what hasn’t?
A communication breakdown was heavily blamed for the large loss of life during last year’s floods. Neena Satija of The Texas Newsroom tells us about signs of change along the banks of the Guadalupe. Plus, a closer look at a less-talked-about site of the disaster, where the response has been far more limited.
After calling for more regulatory oversight of data centers, Gov. Greg Abbott appears to ratchet up a clampdown on continued expansion.
The first-ever GOP midterm convention happening in Texas.
Plus, a World Cup update.
What immigration arrest data tells us about who is being targeted in Texas
The Trump administration says immigration crackdowns target the worst of the worst, but what do the numbers say? We’ll dig into the details of a Houston Chronicle analysis of immigration arrest data in Texas and what the numbers suggest about who’s really getting rounded up by immigration enforcement.
Also, the U.S. military reverses course on vaccines after flu numbers rise at bases like San Antonio’s Lackland.
Everything’s bigger in Texas, including skeeters, it would appear — especially this year. How health officials are trying to stay on top of the diseases mosquitos carry.
And in a city best known for the songs of Selena, a new and rapidly growing music scene.
Texas approves adding Bible passages to public school curriculum
A much-awaited decision from the U.S. Supreme Court expands the range of presidential power over regulators with a caveat.
Bernie Sanders keynotes as Texas Democrats convene in Corpus Christi to prepare for the midterms. We’ll look at the signals they’re sending in the run-up to November.
The state Board of Education made national headlines with a vote to add Bible passages to the public school curriculum. We’ll dig into what this means for classroom instruction and the likelihood of a legal battle.
Also, a red-letter day looms for folks with student loans. Changes are coming July 1. We’ll share what borrowers need to know.
Plus, renewed attention turning to Julian Onderdonk, the man some claim to be the Father of Texas Art.
Texas Extra: Introducing After the Flood
On July 4th, 2025, devastating floodwaters ripped through the Texas Hill Country, killing more than 130 people.
After the Flood, a new podcast from the Texas Newsroom and PBS’s Frontline, has followed survivors over the last year and tries to find out why this happened – and whether it could happen again.
In this first episode, you’ll hear what happened during those harrowing early morning hours of the flood. And you’ll meet a father who had just sent his daughter to Camp Mystic two weeks earlier.
What to make of new Supreme Court decisions on immigration and status
As the nation awaits some politically charged decisions from the Supreme Court, some new opinions were handed down yesterday with profound implications for immigration. We’ll discuss the decisions concerning asylum and Temporary Protected Status.
Venezuelans in Texas hope to help people back home affected by this week’s devastating back-to-back earthquakes.
This week in Texas politics looks at new polling data in the closely watched U.S. Senate race between State Rep. James Talarico and Attorney General Ken Paxton in Texas.
Plus, a World Cup update.
Nearly a year since July 4 floods, Camp Mystic declares bankruptcy
Facing a summer without campers and millions of dollars in debt, Camp Mystic files for bankruptcy. We’ll delve into what that means.
Recent rains buy time for Corpus Christi, which had been facing an imminent water shortage emergency, but is it enough time to find a long-term solution to its water woes? Dylan Baddour of Inside Climate News with the latest.
Renters face a rise in junk fees from the largest apartment manager in the country.
The A-B-C’s of all things Texas: A new children’s book takes learning about the Lone Star State to new places.
And a controversy in San Antonio amid calls to cancel an upcoming concert by Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West.
New podcast revisits the July 4 Hill Country flood aftermath
An important rethink of the state’s K-12 curriculum is on the drawing board in Austin. We’ll get up to speed on a week of contentious hearings now underway as the state board of education takes up a new statewide reading list featuring Bible passages and a reshape of the social studies curriculum.
One year after the deadly flooding in Texas’ Hill Country, a new podcast examines what happened last July and what’s changed in the months since.
Plus, scholar and storyteller W.F. Strong’s modest proposal to help those struggling with diphthongs and drawls: A phonetic alphabet for the Lone Star State?
Court ruling leaves Boca Chica beach fight unresolved
Texas’ Supreme Court hands down a major ruling that looks like a win for SpaceX on the surface but leaves open serious questions about a clause in the Texas Constitution.
Texas Tech and Texas A&M try to narrow a health care gap in rural Texas.
In North Texas, another World Cup match for Argentina today, this time against Austria, and another chance at history being made. All eyes are on the pitch in Dallas as soccer legend Lionel Messi takes the field as part of the tournament many see as his “last dance.”
After the excitement from the Spurs’ NBA Finals run has faded, many are remembering a basketball championship that might have been and the impact that may last longer-term.
And remembering a pioneer in Tejano and Mexican folk music.