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KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond

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Some Texas counties switch to paper ballots ahead of midterms

No more QR or barcodes: Why Collin, Williamson and Bastrop counties are changing the way voters will cast ballots.
Housing affordability is a big issue in Texas, and three new state laws aim to address it. Will they work?
Many are concerned new Texas congressional maps dilute the voting power of Texans of color. But others welcome the changes.
Inside an ICE job recruitment fair in Arlington.
And: the bigger meaning behind the season’s first high school football game in Kerrville.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.

You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org

No phones, devices in classrooms as Texas students return to school

Undocumented college students in Texas are no longer eligible for in-state tuition. As the new semester starts, many are in limbo.
As we keep an eye on the special session where Texas Democrats broke quorum, a look at another state – Oregon – where Republican lawmakers staged a walkout.
A new state law that bans cell phones, wearables and other electronic devices in Texas classrooms is raising questions from educators, parents and students about its implementation and impact.
The University of Texas at Austin has set up guidelines for using AI responsibly to promote learning.
And: El Paso pecan farmers innovate to cope with persistent drought.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.

You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org

Texans rally statewide on ‘No Kings Day’ to oppose Trump polices

Texas-based historian and author Jeremi Suri joins with the latest about the military back-and-forth between Iran and Israel, threatening to become an even larger all-out war, and what that could mean on the home front – including Texas’ role as the world’s energy capital.
Protests against president Trump’s second administration reach a new high water mark with thousands turning out at events across Texas and the rest of the country over the weekend.
And: LBJ Foundation CEO and presidential historian Mark Updegrove draws leadership lessons from seven American presidents in his new book.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.

You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org

Central Texas art studio centers artists with disabilities

A bill would make it possible for criminal offenders as young as 15 to be sent to state prisons for adults.
Why hopes for a big increase in per-student funding for Texas public schools may have slipped away for this legislative session.
Also at the Capitol: The loud bang of a wooden mallet is supposed to keep lawmakers in check. But it’s a symbol of power, too. What’s the story behind the use of the gavel?
For decades, a quiet but growing movement has supported artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Standard’s Sean Saldana visits a progressive East Austin studio helping redefine what inclusion in the art world can look like.
Plus: Texas musician Carrie Rodriguez joins us to talk about her new collaboration with Calexico.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.

You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org

Potentially historic heatwave settling in over much of Texas

A record-breaking heat wave will blanket big sections of the state. Is this a preview of summer?
The U.S. has suspended imports of cattle from Mexico as a devastating pest, the New World Screwworm, makes its way north, threatening livestock.
The Houston City Council kicks off budget hearings this week, weighing steep cuts.
The new book “Freedom Season” by Texas author Peniel Joseph explores how the year 1963 transformed civil rights in America.
And: Planning a pit stop at Buc-ee’s? Some of you can now enjoy bathroom art galleries.

This Is My Thing: Community Singing!

During Covid lockdown, Sarah Bentley discovered the world of community singing. For the last few years, she’s found connection and a creative outlet through leading singing circles.

Former leader of USAID speaks out against agency cuts

Reports of massive staffing cuts at USAID are rattling the federal bureaucracy and supporters of foreign aid. Andrew Natsios, a Texas A&M professor and a Republican who once served as a USAID administrator, joins the show with his take on the claims of waste and inefficiency at his former agency.
A new historical marker stands outside Rockport building that was once the art studio of Simon Michael – a painter who founded the Fulton School of Painting and played a pivotal role in shaping the region’s artistic community.
Plus: The Standard celebrates our 10th year on the air with a look back at our top 10 film & TV interviews.

Big Bend seeks artists to capture park’s rugged beauty

Last night’s chill has many Texans asking how the state’s power grid is looking for the winter. How much has changed since the freeze and blackouts of February 2021? Mose Buchele of KUT News has been keeping tabs.
The Texas legislative session hasn’t even started, yet more than one representative claims to be the de facto speaker-elect of the House. The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey joins us with the latest.
Calling all creatives: Big Bend National Park is accepting applications for its artist-in-residence program.
And: What’s in your mug? Mando Rayo, host of the Tacos of Texas podcast, has winter tips for cozy sips.

This Is My Thing: Glass Blowing!

Jean Nelson fell in love with the idea of glass blowing at age 10, but it was almost 40 years before she finally got to pursue the art form. Now it’s her passion.

This Is My Thing: Nail Art!

Kim Reist found a creative spark when she started experimenting with the world of fingernail art during the Covid lockdown.

East Texas has a long history of labor disputes you may not know about

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has suspended his bid for the White House and appeared with former President Donald Trump to offer his endorsement. What does it mean for the race moving forward?

Where does the economy really stand, and what do the presidential candidates’ promises add up to in substance? A top Texas economist does the math.

The University of Texas at San Antonio and UT Health San Antonio are set to merge by 2025, with the potential to become a national and international powerhouse.

And: An East Texas reporter has spent the weeks leading up to Labor Day looking back at the biggest historical labor disputes in the region. Michael Garcia of KETK in Tyler shares what he’s learned.

Biden administration bets on Texas Instruments in the chip manufacturing race

Another August day, another forecast for record-setting heat – and plenty of questions about whether the power grid can manage the strain. So far, so good, to the surprise of many who’ve been bracing for calls to conserve electricity. What different about the energy mix this go-round?
Texas Instruments recently received a $1.6 billion Department of Commerce grant for new chip-building facilities.
In the least populated county in Texas, where truly every vote counts, a judge has overturned an election. We’ll hear about a shakeup in Loving County.
Plus: A new pin on our growing Texas Museum Map, this time in the border town of Eagle Pass.

Central Texas top stories for August 21, 2024. 

Austin Pets Alive is expanding its efforts to move animals from under-resourced shelters in Texas to out-of-state foster and adoptive homes. Manor ISD’s school board decided this week to ask voters to approve a new tax rate in November. An Austin ISD trustee who represents voters across the entire district, Noelita Lugo, is not running for reelection in November. The City of Austin has put out a help-wanted sign for artists.

Remembering the London School explosion, a tragedy that changed safety forever

Two women file federal complaints after they say Texas hospitals refused to perform medically necessary abortions to terminate ectopic pregnancies.
In East Texas, a tiny museum is dedicated to preserving the history of the 1937 London School explosion, the deadliest school disaster in U.S. history and the reason natural gas has an added odor.
Are state Republicans passing laws they know are unconstitutional – and is this a political strategy?
People and places in North Texas pay homage to Mexican Painter Frida Kahlo.
And: All across the state, honeybees make a big comeback thanks to new beekeepers – so much so that a statewide bee specialist is now on the job.

After devastating tornadoes, Sanderson residents begin to rebuild and recover

The Texas Medical Board has offered guidance to doctors on the emergency medical exception to the state’s abortion ban.
How the small town of Sanderson in West Texas is recovering after a pair of tornadoes.
Shipments of avocados and mangoes from the Mexican state of Michoacán to the U.S. are suspended after two U.S. Department of Agriculture workers in the region were detained by local protesters and later removed from the area, leaving inspections of produce on hold. What will it mean for prices?
Reading, writing and roasting: Texas A&M is hoping to school the next generation of coffee experts by offering a Coffee Processing and Quality Certificate.
And: what Texas architecture of the mid century tells us about the Lone Star State and its complicated aspirations – we’re talking to the author and photographer behind “Home, Heat, Money, God: Texas and Modern Architecture.”

This Is My Thing: Flag Football!

Richard Samuel has had two great loves in his life: art and football. He played football as a kid, in college, and then professionally in Europe before getting a job as a coach. All the while, he pursued art as a hobby. Then one day he realized that he should flip it — he opened a gallery and became a full-time, professional artist. Now flag football is his most-loved hobby. Host Michael Lee talks to him about all that and more on the first episode of ‘This Is My Thing.’

Texas Extra: Look closer at that quarter featuring Jovita Idár (Extended)

Most of us don’t spend a ton of time thinking about change. In fact, for some — it may have even been a while since you’ve handled, say, a quarter. But an interview we had on Texas Standard this week will definitely make you look twice next time you do. This is an extended version of our conversation with CoinWeek’s Charles Morgan.

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