A second child has died of measles in Texas as cases continue to rise. How this latest outbreak compares with that of the ’90s.
Baylor has just hired its first-ever E-sports director and coach: Adam Stanley of Brewton-Parker College, a small private college in Georgia and powerhouse in E-sports.
Hosting the Final Four of the college men’s basketball championship has been a big boon to San Antonio. We’ll hear more as the Houston Cougars get set for their championship game against Florida tonight at the Alamodome.
And: A homecoming for Texas actor and comedian Michael Yo as the Moontower Comedy Festival gets underway in Austin.
basketball
KUT Morning Newscast for April 7, 2025: A second child in Texas died from measles.
Central Texas top stories for April 7, 2025. A bill that could shut down Austin’s Equity Office is one step closer to the Texas governor’s desk. The Trump administration’s cuts to funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture are affecting food banks across the country, including here in Austin. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. traveled to Texas Sunday after a second child there died from measles. Austin Public Health is holding multiple free screenings and events this week. The NCAA women’s basketball championship game was played yesterday afternoon, without the Texas Longhorns who fell to South Carolina Friday Night.
KUT Morning Newscast for April 4, 2025: Austin Public Health lost funding due to federal budget cuts.
Central Texas top stories for April 4, 2025. Austin Public Health leadership says the agency has lost funding due to recent budget cuts at federal health agencies. Construction of an extension of the 183A toll road in Leander is nearing completion. Drivers trying to get an emissions inspection right now may experience delays. Texas women’s basketball team will play in the Final Four tonight for the first time in 22 years.
KUT Morning Newscast for March 25, 2025: Austin is missing out on millions of dollars in federal funding.
Central Texas top stories for March 25, 2025. Recent budget negotiations in Washington left Central Texas without tens of millions of dollars for local projects. Williamson County officials are searching for a new County Judge. The Round Rock Police Department says an investigation continues after a crash on I-35 yesterday killed one person. UT women’s basketball team advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA.
KUT Morning Newscast for March 24, 2025: An Austinite is suing the US Department of Education for removing access to income-driven repayment plans.
Central Texas top stories for March 24, 2025. An Austinite is suing the U.S. Department of Education for removing access to income-driven repayment plans. Employees at the Travis County Public Defender’s Office will go before Commissioners this week to ask for higher pay, better benefits and more staffing. Voting rights advocates are celebrating a federal judge’s ruling to strike down Texas’ ID requirements for mail ballot voting. Austin FC jumped to second place in the Western Conference standings after beating San Diego FC 2-1. The Texas Women’s basketball team plays Illinois today at 1:00 p.m. for the chance to advance to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament
KUT Morning Newscast for March 20, 2025: Austin has chosen its first-ever poet laureate.
Central Texas top stories for March 20, 2025. The city of Austin has a poet laureate for the first time ever. A state lawmaker wants to create the District of Austin, putting the city under state oversight. Firefly Aerospace concluded its first moon mission, and now we have images of the lunar sunset. Texas men basketball team is out of the NCAA after losing to Xavier.
Texas’ fist women’s sports bar opens in Austin
As women’s sports gain more popularity, the first women’s sport bar in Texas is opening its doors. 1972 Pub is right across from UT’s campus in Austin and is committed to only showing women’s sports. The Texas Standard’s Sara Asch tells us fans are overjoyed.
KUT Morning Newscast for March 17, 2025: The Crabapple fire north of Fredericksburg has burned 9,500 acres.
Central Texas top stories for March 17, 2025. The Texas A&M Forest Service says the Crabapple fire north of Fredericksburg is 55% contained and has burned 9,500 acres. A new report from local public hospital district, Central Health, shows poverty is spreading to new areas of Travis County. A new report from a national housing organization finds Austin has few homes affordable to people earning very low incomes. Sixth Street reopens to vehicle traffic today. UT women’s basketball team earned a number one seed in the 2025 NCAA tournament.
KUT Morning Newscast for March 14, 2025: Five people killed in 17-vehicle crash on I-35.
Central Texas top stories for March 14, 2025. Five people, including a child and an infant, were killed in a collision involving 17 vehicles on North I-35 near Parmer late last night. AISD might sell the former Rosedale Elementary School in Central Austin to cut costs and increase revenue in the face of a $110 million budget deficit. The Austin Police Department is working to fill hundreds of officer positions. A Red Flag warning will be in effect for parts of Central Texas today from noon to 9 p.m. UT men’s basketball team beat Texas A&M last in a double overtime game.
KUT Morning Newscast for February 21, 2025: ACC plans to expand its partnership with Texas A&M’s engineering department.
Central Texas top stories for February 21, 2025. We’ll have below freezing temperatures tonight, Austin’s overnight shelters are set to remain open. ACC plans to expand its partnership with Texas A&M’s engineering department with a $1.5 gift from Samsung Austin semiconductor. The University of Texas head football coach is set to make more than $80million over the next seven years. The San Antonio Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns 120 to 109 at the Moody Center. The Hill Country Conservancy finalized an agreement with the John Knox Ranch to protect 255 acres of land.
Texas Senate passes bill creating school voucher-like program
A bill to let families use taxpayer dollars to cover private school tuition was approved by the Texas Senate, but the debate over the bill’s not done. Next stop: the Texas House.
El Paso has still not recovered from government vacancies dating back to the height of COVID, with growing concerns about how that’s affecting basic services in one of Texas’ biggest cities.
The WNBA season may be months away, but teams are making big moves – signing free agents, making trades and shaking up coaching staffs ahead of 2025.
Spring gardening season is around the corner, but experts say now is not the time to trim your oak trees. February marks the start of oak wilt season, a deadly disease that can devastate trees across Texas.
Some of our favorite stories of the year
We asked our team of journalists at the Standard to reflect on some of their favorite stories of the past 12 months. Today we remember efforts to save animals during the big Panhandle fire, a Texas runner heading to his final marathon, prospects for a WNBA franchise in a city that’s long gone without a pro team, and much more.
Reflecting on the Aggie bonfire tragedy, 25 years later
The Texas State Board of Education could soon approve a curriculum that includes Bible stories and doesn’t spend as much time on slavery.
It’s been 25 years since one of the darkest moments in Texas A&M history. Reflecting on the impact of the Aggie bonfire collapse.
Families in America today can look a lot different than what’s long been considered “normal.” The podcast “Refamulating“ explores why it’s important to re-think family.
A Black-owned bookstore in North Texas is closing one chapter, but its owner says even after very challenging times, the story isn’t over.
Plus: Why Faith Family Academy, a dominant team in girls basketball, won’t be allowed in the state playoffs.
Texas Extra: ‘There’s Always This Year’ goes beyond the bounds of basketball
Hanif Abdurraqib’s latest book centers the sport, but from there spins meditations on mortality and “making it.”
Exploring the difficulties of rural reproductive care in West Texas
Texas leads the nation in executions again, and Harris County sentences more people to die than any other county in the U.S. A new report examines dozens of death penalty cases there.
A new podcast from Marfa Public Radio looks at the challenge of accessing reproductive care in the Big Bend region.
The season started out with great expectations, but now the San Antonio Spurs have lost a record 18 games in a row. What’s gone wrong, and can it be fixed?
Plus, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune’s Ayan Mittra.
What’s behind the massive oil spill in the Gulf?
An oil spill in the Gulf is considered to be among the worst in U.S. history. After two weeks, why is it getting so little attention?
We’ll hear about an unintended impediment to the growth of electric vehicle manufacturing in the U.S.
After a political fight over a school voucher-like program, salary bumps for Texas teachers are off the table. Why some teachers say they’re OK with that.
Also: What’s behind Mark Cuban’s sale of the Dallas Mavericks, and what could it mean?
San Antonio Spurs’ No. 1 draft pick could be a game-changer
A bill would provide $10 billion in low-interest loans that would benefit the oil and gas industry, in the name of beefing up the power grid; there are a lot of questions over the push for those loans, aimed at preventing statewide blackouts.
Almost one year after the worst school shooting in Texas history, state lawmakers are running out of time in this legislative session to make changes to gun laws.
In San Antonio, the silver and black are back as Spurs fans get lit up over a No. 1 draft pick.
Also, actress Christina Vidal on a new streaming series, “Primo” about coming of age in the Alamo City.
KUT Morning Newscast for May 17, 2023
Central Texas top stories for May 17, 2023. NBA number one pick goes to the Spurs. ACL tickets drop. Options for Austin Energy customers with life threatening situations.
What a banking slowdown in Texas means for the economy
The relationship between U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow is under scrutiny after a ProPublica investigation reporting that Thomas accepted lavish vacations and more from the GOP donor.
The Texas House has passed a sweeping budget that reveals a lot about support for some key issues including school vouchers, gun-related crimes and more.
And the Texas Standard’s Sean Saldana with what a new survey of bankers tells us about the state of Texas’ economy.
Breaking down the saga at the Dallas Zoo
School vouchers, now styled as school choice, are back before state lawmakers. They have been rejected in the past, but will this year be different? Senate Bill 8 would provide Texas parents with an education account, taxpayer money that could be used to send students to private school. And the bill has special features designed to win over traditionally reluctant rural Republicans.
The Houston Independent School district braces for the implications of a state takeover.
Jamie Landers of the Dallas Morning News has put together a fuller picture of what happened with a string of crimes at the Dallas Zoo.
And seven Texas teams are spicing up March Madness on the men’s side.