austin

KUT Morning Newscast for September 4, 2024

Central Texas top stories for September 4, 2024. Austinites will have a chance to meet the candidates running for the city council in November. Lake Travis ISD has rolled out new parental controls for its online library catalog. Austin Independent School District students who are caught with e-cigarettes on campus will have to take an anti-vaping course. Llano got 6 inches of rain on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. 

KUT Morning Newscast for September 3, 2024

Central Texas top stories for September 3, 2024. A new court handling lawsuits against the state is officially open. In 2016, Austin voters approved a bond package aimed at improving safety at busy intersections, hear about those projects. Dockless e-scooters have been around Austin since 2018, but a new audit finds the city is flying blind when it comes to crash data. The Capital Area Rural Transportation System, or CARTS, is expanding its on-demand ride-share service to Elgin and La Grange starting today. The Black Men’s Health Clinic in Austin will host a program for men to learn about breast cancer.

KUT Morning Newscast for August 30, 2024 

Central Texas top stories for August 30, 2024. The City of Austin is pushing back on SB4. Travis County Commissioners approved six- point- three million dollars to offer legal counsel during people’s first appearance in front of a judge when accused of a crime. Austin Community College’s semiconductor training center has been awarded one-and-a-half million dollars in federal funding. If you’re traveling this weekend, make sure to plan ahead.

KUT Morning Newscast for August 29, 2024

Central Texas top stories for August 29, 2024. City leaders are set to decide today whether to pay two Austinites who were injured by police during protests in 2020. Texas Gas Service is proposing a rate hike for residential customers. Texas State University officials say they’re on track to see a record number of freshman enrolled this school year. 

KUT Afternoon Newscast for August 28, 2024

Central Texas top stories for August 28, 2024. The City of Austin is having a tough time keeping employees. The city has a big chunk of money available for museums, cultural centers and other sites in Austin with a historic designation. A public hearing on a long-anticipated audit of Central Health was postponed this week. Affording a home is becoming increasingly difficult in Texas and across the U.S. according to the Texas Comptroller’s Office. For the election this fall, Travis County will have 41 Early Voting sites and 171 polling places on Election Day. A ruling is expected soon on whether the City of Austin can keep 13 amendments to the city charter on the fall ballot. Austin karaoke bar Ego’s is staying open.

Central Texas top stories for August 28, 2024.

Central Texas top stories for August 28, 2024. Travis County Commissioners Court is calling for help to keep the air clean. Williamson County adopted a budget to establish an office of death investigators. Kyle’s police force is working to recruit more employees. This is the last weekend to use the Zilker Shuttle for the season.

KUT Morning Newscast for August 27, 2024

Central Texas top stories for August 27, 2024. The Austin City Council is set to approve more than a million dollars in contracts to expand the services of a nonprofit addressing homelessness. Community is coming together after the fire at Kealing Middle School delayed the start of the school year. AISD is getting a grant for solar panels. Edith Royal passed away yesterday at age of 98.

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.

KUT Morning Newscast for August 22, 2024 

Central Texas top stories for August 22, 2024. The City of Austin is facing a lawsuit over its efforts to pay for Austinites to travel outside of Texas for an abortion. Central Health leadership gave preliminary approval Wednesday evening to their next fiscal year budget, which will go before Travis County commissioners for a final vote next month. The city of Austin is accepting financial donations to replace sixteen bicycles that were stolen this past Sunday from the Lorraine “Grandma” Camacho Activity Center.

KUT Morning Newscast for August 20, 2024

Here are the top stories from the KUT Newsroom for the morning of August 20th. The Austin ISD school board will ask voters to approve new funding for the district. Austinites waste lots of food, and yet, we also have too many people who are food insecure. The Taylor ISD needs to build more schools or it will run out of room for students as the area continues its explosive growth. And it’s the first day of school in Austin! Please watch out while driving to and from work today.

KUT Morning Newscast for August 19, 2024

Central Texas top stories for August 19, 2024. AISD Board of Trustees is deciding tonight whether to call a tax rate election in November. Travis County residents are likely to see higher property tax bills this fall. A new 20-gate concourse at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is getting closer to becoming a reality. Today will be the hottest day of the summer so far.

KUT Morning Newscast for August 16, 2024

Central Texas top stories for August 16, 2024. Violent crime in Austin is down compared to last year. A new rule lowering the amount of land required to build a home in Austin goes into effect today. Travis County Constables want to hire more deputies to patrol what they call traffic “hot spots,” but the budget is tight. AISD says its chief financial officer, Ed Ramos, was reinstated Thursday. Travis County has seen a steady rise in new HIV diagnoses since 2020, they are launching a campaign to end the epidemic. There’s a new cooling center in Austin, it’s located in the Trinity Center on East 7th street. 

KUT Morning Newscast for August 15, 2024 

Central Texas top stories for August 15, 2024. The Austin City Council adopted a $5.9 budget, the largest in the city’s history. Homes in the City of Austin are taking longer to sell and are more expensive than last year. Peter Pan Mini Golf will stay open until March 2025. A prescribed burn is scheduled to take place on the Water Quality Protection Lands today, Austinites might see smoke. Georgetown and Lago Vista ISD are going back to school today.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for August 14, 2024

Central Texas top stories for August 14, 2024. Austin City Council adopts 2024-2025 budget. Logistical issues in the way of legal counsel for low-income people accused of crimes in Travis County. Williamson County does not have a medical examiner. Hays County Commissioners approved putting a bond for roadway improvements on the November ballot. Austin residents can participate in a free Emergency Preparedness Training tomorrow. Capital Metro’s new high-frequency bus lines won’t be fully up and running until 2026. The Major League Soccer summer transfer window closes today.

KUT Morning Newscast for August 14, 2024

Central Texas top stories for August 14, 2024. Travis County is asking voters to approve a tax rate hike this fall to expand affordable childcare programs. The Austin City Council meets this week to finalize a spending plan for the next year. A U.S. District Court Judge in Austin today will hear arguments that could determine the future of the Golden Cheeked Warbler. Hays County Commissioners yesterday approved putting a bond for roadway improvements on the November ballot. Taylor, Manor, Liberty Hill and other Central Texas school districts are starting classes today. 

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.