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This Is My Thing: Tattoos!

Dan Schumacher has been collecting tattoos on his person for over 40 years. In this episode of This Is My Thing, he tells us about his history with the art form, why he gets them, what they mean to him, and why they’re worth the pain.

KUT Morning Newscast for August 13, 2024

Central Texas top stories for August 13, 2024. As the summer heat keeps rolling, worker’s rights advocates and a local congressman are calling for action on proposed rules to limit heat exhaustion. Austin City Council members are considering hiring 16 new full time park employees. A Travis County judge has temporarily blocked the Texas Education Agency from releasing A-through-F accountability ratings. Many districts in central Texas are going back to school today. Texas State University will offer classes in Central Mexico. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is warning people not to dump aquarium pets into local waters.

KUT Morning Newscast for August 8, 2024

Central Texas top stories for August 8, 2024. Austin City Council members are set to finalize the city budget over the next week. Austin is set to open a record number of permanent supportive housing in the next couple of years. The Central Health board of managers vote on a proposed tax rate. The University Interscholastic League has announced new rules for outdoor activities to keep students safe in the heat. Lockhart voters will decide this fall whether to decriminalize low-level marijuana possession, and the National Weather Service expects triple-digit highs into next week.

KUT Morning Newscast for August 7, 2024

Central Texas top stories for August 7, 2024. There’s a heat advisory in place for the Austin area from 11 am today until tomorrow at 8 pm. The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is looking at adding lanes to the 183-A toll road, but first they must address environmental concerns. Travis County Commissioners are considering giving out raises based on market rates, that means some employees wouldn’t get raises at all. The exhibit “Soy Austin, soy Travis County, highlights Latine artists at the Austin History Center.  

KUT News Now 080624  

Central Texas top stories for August 6, 2024. Austin could have a new police chief today. A lawsuit against supporters of then-President Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign is heading to trial in Austin. Changes are coming to Trinity Street and San Jacinto Boulevard: a project will add bus-only lanes. AISD has placed its outgoing chief financial officer on leave. Austin Firefighters Association are calling for solutions to what they call a mental health crisis among firefighters. Lockhart ISD voters will be deciding whether to join Austin Community College’s taxing district in November.

KUT Morning Newscast for August 5, 2024

Central Texas top stories for August 5, 2024. AISD’s Board of Trustees is considering calling a tax rate election to generate more revenue for the district. City officials and the Austin Police Department are working on finalizing a labor contract by the end of the summer. Election officials in Williamson County say they plan to purchase pre-numbered paper ballots ahead of the November election. Travis County has a new website that’s intended to provide easy access to resources for sexual assault survivors ATXBelieves.org. Barton Springs is temporarily closed after Sunday’s storms. Longhorns had a busy weekend at the Paris Olympics. 

KUT Morning Newscast for August 2, 2024

Central Texas top stories for August 2, 2024. The U.S. Department of Justice is calling on Texas to reform the state’s Juvenile Justice Department. Cedar Park is looking to attract new, alternative forms of media production. Forecasters expect a hot, dry August in Central Texas. The inaugural Black Austin Film Festival starts tomorrow at the Coldtowne Theater on East 2nd Street. 

KUT Morning Newscast for August 1, 2024

Central Texas top stories for August 1, 2024. A UT Austin committee says the university administrators violated their own rules when handling pro-Palestinian protests in April. The Austin City Council is holding a public hearing today on the proposed $5.9 billion dollar city budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The San Marcos Police Department is making changes in response to calls for greater transparency. Williamson County is looking to attract more space exploration companies.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 31, 2024

Central Texas top stories for July 31, 2024. Travis County designated $300,00 to kickstart a pilot program to keep yards clean. UT researchers are using AI to forecast the weather during the Paris Olympic Games. Lockhart residents could vote on decriminalizing low-level marijuana. Austin FC beat CF Monterrey last night.  

Dozens of earthquakes rattle region west of Fort Worth

President Biden visits Texas and unveils his plan to reform the Supreme Court, including a call for term limits.
Protests and claims of fraud as Venezuela president says he won another election. Could that spur more migration to the U.S.?
Scurry County, west of Fort Worth, has felt more than 90 earthquakes in the past week.
Why Austin is pulling the plug on a plan to transition to battery-powered city buses.
And: Photographer Richard Doherty snaps images of the place where he’s lived for more than 40 years in his new book “Framing Oak Cliff: A Visual Diary of a Dallas Neighborhood.”

This Is My Thing: Lumber Milling!

JD Murphy has always loved tools and learning. A few years ago (with some help from YouTube), he taught himself about lumber milling, and now he spends his free time milling wood right in his driveway in Cedar Park, Texas. The hobby brings him joy and has helped him discover his creative side.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 30, 2024

Central Texas top stories for July 30, 2024. Hear about President Joe Biden’s visit to Austin yesterday. The Austin City Council continues its discussions on the city budget this week. Former Austin City Council member Chris Riley died on Sunday, he is being remembered as a fierce advocate for bike infrastructure and denser housing. The Hays County Sheriff’s Office has issued a warning about scam calls, here’s what you need to know.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 29, 2024

Central Texas top stories for July 29, 2024. Expect traffic delays as President Jose Biden visits Austin today. The City of Austin is rolling out new rules for electric scooters. San Marcos residents will soon hear outdoor sirens when there’s a local emergency. Hot weather is back in Central Texas.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 26, 2024

Central Texas top stories for July 26, 2024.  Central Health hopes to hire a few hundred more staff in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Biden’s visit to Austin might cause traffic delays, plan accordingly. The Village at Western Oaks is getting 21 Little Free Libraries installed thanks to a city program. Austin FC will play against Mexican club Pumas at Q-2 Stadium tonight.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 25, 2024 

Central Texas top stories for July 25, 2024. This week’s rain is helping fill Lake Travis. Capital Metro is launching a new Pickup Zone in northeast Austin. Hays County officials are reporting the first human case of West Nile virus. Lake Travis ISD won’t allow the use of cellphones for Pre-K through eighth grade students. The Oakwood Cemetery Chapel is offering a free workshop on how to become community organizers.  

Southlake teen Sam Watson sets speed climbing records ahead of Paris Olympics

Kamala Harris consolidates Democratic support, shattering fundraising records. How does this change things for Texas Republicans?

After the death of veteran Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who takes her place for the remainder of her term and on the ballot for her open seat?

Sam Watson, an 18-year-old from Southlake, holds the three fastest times ever in speed climbing and will be competing at the Paris Olympics.

The Rio Grande Valley faces an unprecedented water crisis as drought intensifies.

And: a new push to change how Texas imposes the death penalty.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 24, 2024

Central Texas top stories for July 24, 2024. Austin has two finalists for the city’s next police chief, hear what they say about how they would tackle the job. President Joe Biden has rescheduled his trip to Austin next Monday. The bowling alley Highland Lanes will stay open for another 17 months. Capital Metro is donating single-day bus passes to AISD. Georgetown water customers may soon see an increase in their monthly bills.  

An Austin Artist’s Guide to Success: Part 2

The latest episode of Pause/Play is part two of an Austin Artist’s Guide to Success. You’ll hear from many people in the everchanging Austin music scene about their tips and tricks for making it here.

You’ll hear about the role of streaming in an artist’s career, what makes a great artist and advice from people within the industry.

Featuring advice from:

KUT Morning Newscast for July 23, 2024

Central Texas top stories for July 23, 2024. Today Austinites will get to meet the two finalists in the running to be Austin’s next police chief. Travis County Commissioners are about to put two new members on a board that manages affordable housing in the area. Capital Metro will continue to do business with the company that provides on-demand transit services MetroAccess and Pickup. The Austin Independent School District is heading into the new school year with a 78-million-dollar budget deficit, but that could change.

What’s next after Biden exits presidential race?

President Biden’s decision yesterday to drop his campaign for re-election and to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee follows weeks of mounting pressure from members of his own party. But it was a Texan who was the first Democrat on Capitol Hill to call for Biden to step aside. We’ll talk with U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett.

What can we expect between now and Election Day? A UT Austin professor takes a look at the logistics of Biden stepping down and what it means for next month’s Democratic National Convention.

Some historical perspective: The last time an incumbent president announced he wouldn’t run for reelection was Texas’ Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1968.

Plus: Remembering the legacy of longtime Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who has died at 74.