KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts
KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond
The Austin school district’s plan to close twelve schools to cope with under-enrollment. Plus, how some Republican leaders in Texas may be dipping their toes into gun control policies. And we meet the Texas ‘ambassador’ who works at the Capitol Visitors Center. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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A church destroyed by Hurricane Harvey finally reopens. Plus, how students at an elite magnet school in Austin ISD felt they had to prove they belonged. And how the legacy of slavery is still confounding the county’s efforts to eliminate health disparities. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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How a psychological shift could be helping Texas Democrats. Plus, why is it so difficult to prosecute sexual assault cases in Travis County? And a mom who put her kids into a school with fewer resources to get them into classrooms with more diversity. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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What you need to know about toxic algae blooms on Lady Bird Lake. Plus, how Austin’s past failures at desegregating schools affect today’s decisions about school closures. And why do city of Austin lifeguards blow their whistles in an unusual way to clear city swimming pools? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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Gun politics in Texas after a mass shooting in El Paso. Plus, who cleans up bat guano under the Congress Avenue Bridge? And the story of a woman who helps older Austinites stay connected. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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Fears surrounding school closures and consolidations in Austin ISD. Plus, Dripping Springs takes a community approach to mental health care. And why are there no billboards on MoPac? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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Democrats are betting the state’s changing suburbs will help them win Congressional seats in 2020. Plus, migrants facing legal limbo as asylum laws change. And why some Central Texas lakes could be lowered for safety. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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Austin gets its first triple digit heat of the summer. Plus, how new city rules on panhandling may benefit buskers. And why does the top of Austin’s tallest building look ‘unfinished’? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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The University of Texas at Austin plans to give a free education to students whose families make less than $65,000. Plus, how the Travis County District Attorney is changing the county’s approach toward low level drug offense. And who’s the guy with the giant bird in South Austin? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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Why Austin ISD is planning to close some of its schools. Plus, how a wet spring is causing a relatively cooler summer in Austin. And why the state’s surge in wind power has some people in remote areas of West Texas complaining about the view. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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Why Texas is at greater risk than ever this summer of rolling blackouts. Plus, Austin ISD’s top budget official on what the state’s new school finance law means for the largest school district in Central Texas. And we meet a widower who has helped to foster more than 170 newborn babies. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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The Austin City Council approves $8.6 million for a new homeless shelter on Ben White Boulevard. Plus, why is Austin’s “official” LGBT Pride celebration in August instead of June? And who is the motorcycle rider who does wheelies around Austin in pool floaties? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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Austin ISD wants to raise teacher pay by at least 6 percent. Plus, hundreds of lakefront homes in Austin not on the city tax rolls. And who’s that Krispy Kreme employee who’s so positive all the time? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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One of the issues Texas lawmakers did not tackle the legislative session: the state’s high rate of people without health insurance. Plus, could the boom-bust cycle in the West Texas oil town of Midland be over? And efforts to get more Texas women running for elected office. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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There is more talk in education these days about wellness and more attention to stress, anxiety and other factors that can impede learning. But there is less talk about the ways that good learning practices might improve health. In this episode of the KUT podcast “Higher Ed,” KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss the role of learning and education in wellness.
There are plenty of other subjects we learn to master, so why not health and wellness?
Ed believes that health and wellness information could – and should – be offered at a micro level outside of school. A lot of that kind of information is certainly available already. The challenge is to make it accessible and impactful.
“It’s gotta be bite-sized. You can’t have a full lecture or something,” says Ed. “And it’s got to be meaningful and thought-provoking…. it has to get you.”
For instance, Ed suggests reinforcing a message delivered by a doctor or health care provider with a short video or other educational element; that model is not unlike lessons from a teacher reinforced by text or other materials.
“One two-minute video is not going to do anything,” Ed admits. “But if it kind of is a continuation that keeps moving maybe it stays in your head a little bit, and we become more mindful and maybe we can change.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about how Ed believes learning and mindfulness can be brought to bear on health issues. It is also time for the solution to last episode’s sneaky arithmetic puzzler.
This episode was recorded on April 23, 2019.
Why Austin’s mayor supports a plan to add lanes to I-35 even though he doesn’t think it will fix traffic congestion in the long run. Plus, where are all these people moving to Austin coming from? And how DJ Southpaw bridged a gap in Austin’s hip-hop scene. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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A plan to increase the state’s sales tax is dead. Plus, black advocates demand changes in library policies after a 13-year-old’s arrest. And how did Texas become the only state with its own toast? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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Why the Austin school district is turning to realtors to better market its schools. Plus, a CDC study saying many Austin scooter riders don’t wear helmets, ride fast and don’t know what they’re doing. And how do musicians make the cut for the Austin City Limits TV series? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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What’s happening with school finance and property tax cuts at the Texas legislature. Plus, presidential candidates court women of color at a Texas forum. And how one Texas man almost lost everything when it was his word against border officials. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick considers the “nuclear option” to pass property tax legislation. Plus, problems with the state’s STAAR test. And a Texas family’s tradition of bloodless bullfighting. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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