Central Texas top stories for November 14, 2024. Some people living in the Hill Country are protesting a proposed development that they say would deplete the area of water. Texas employers are teaming up to urge the state Legislature to make childcare more affordable and accessible to meet state workforce demands. Two Texas grandmothers are challenging a state law that prevents people with assault convictions from becoming licensed social workers.
Childcare
15 Texas restaurants have received a coveted Michelin star rating
The Texas Supreme Court remains firmly in Republican hands after the election. What that means for cases the court will decide.
For the first time, Michelin has awarded its coveted stars – along with other designations – to restaurants in the Lone Star State.
Texas is in the wake of a solar panel boom. But not everyone who’s had them installed on their roof is happy about the decision.
Amid soaring childcare costs, voters approved a tax rate increase to help pay for it in Central Texas.
And: A new research project at the International Space Station examines the impact of microgravity on human heart tissue.
KUT Morning Newscast for November 6, 2024
Central Texas top stories for November 6, 2024. Results for local elections in the Austin area. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson needs more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff, numbers are uncertain. Here’s what Autsinites decided on City Council. Travis County voters approved Proposition A to expand affordable childcare options in the county. Manor residents approved a new tax rate election to generate more revenue for the Manor Independent School District. Hays County voters have approved a 440-million-dollar bond for road improvements. Voters gave the Lockhart Independent School District a green light to join Austin Community College’s taxing district.
KUT Morning Newscast for October 16, 2024
Central Texas top stories for October 16, 2024. Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and his Democratic challenger, Congressman Colin Allred, squared off in a debate last night, listen to the details. Travis County is asking voters to approve a tax rate hike this November to expand access to childcare for low- and middle-income families. The median sales price of homes in the Austin area fell last month, but that was not the case inside the city limits. Austin had the highest temperature ever recorded in October.
KUT Morning Newscast for October 10, 2024
Central Texas top stories for October 10, 2024. Austinites will vote for a mayor this fall, here’s the latest campaign finance data for that race. Groups in Texas are urging state lawmakers to prioritize affordable childcare in the next legislative session. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath says attendance rates for public schools dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic and still haven’t bounced back. Hays County voters will decide this fall whether to pass a major bond for road improvements.
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.
With the eclipse days away, this small city is more prepared than most
A plan will cap co-pays for state subsidized child care – how much of a difference will it make in stemming a childcare crisis?
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court heard the latest arguments over SB 4, Texas’ controversial new immigration enforcement law. In the meantime, where does the legal back-and-forth leave migrants?
Ennis, a North Texas town that attracts 100,000 visitors each April to see its bluebonnets, has an extra draw for tourists this year: It’s in the eclipse’s path of totality.
And: Why the Judd Foundation, named for Marfa’s most famous modern artist, is taking on Kim Kardashian in court.
YouTube chef blends her Texan and Indian roots in new show
State Sen. John Whitmire defeated U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in the runoff election to serve as Houston’s 63rd mayor. We’ll take a look at what his win may mean for the state’s biggest city.
The borderlines of two South American countries have long been in dispute. How a recent re-ignition of the argument may have just as much to do with politics as it does with oil.
School districts across Texas have been hoping for an increase in funding. Why even some with large tax bases are struggling to make ends meet.
When you think of climate activists, who comes to mind? It may surprise you which age group says it’s become a top issue for them.
And we’re talking food unique to Texas – not BBQ or Tex-Mex, but South Indian-Texan cuisine. Chef Deepa Shridhar joins with more on her YouTube series “KanDeepa Texan.”
KUT Afternoon Newscast for November 9, 2023
Central Texas top stories for November 9, 2023. Airport safety. PUC monitor steps down. Childcare tax exemptions. Parkland dedication changes. Austin’s billion dollar disaster.
What Texans need to know about the impending government shutdown
In six days, the federal government runs out of money. Can a shutdown be averted? What’s at stake if lawmakers can’t come up with a plan for short-term spending by Oct. 1.
In Fort Worth and Tarrant County, families are falling into homelessness as pandemic relief funding is running out.
Five things to know before federally guaranteed student loan payments resume next month.
A plan to close nearly 20% of San Antonio ISD’s schools is being pushed in the name of equity. Camille Phillips of Texas Public Radio takes a closer look.
Plus, a crisis for Texas Gulf Coast shrimpers.
KUT Morning Newscast for September 13, 2023
Central Texas top stories for September 13, 2023. Ken Paxton trial continues. Austin expands parental leave for city employees. Central Health presents budget.
Del Rio’s William Beckmann fuses youthful energy and timeless soul in country music
A body was found in a buoy barrier in the Rio Grande, prompting harsh criticism of Texas’ border strategy.
Four years after the mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, people at the scene that day who are eligible for immigrant visas are still waiting.
The end of the pandemic emergency – and the end of pandemic relief funds – could mean a cut in childcare options in Texas. We’ll hear why.
A women’s soccer champion-turned Texas collegiate soccer coach weighs in on the U.S.’ prospects as the World Cup moves into the knockout rounds.
Plus the rise of songwriter William Beckmann, a Del Rio native.
Insurers are bailing on homes in disaster-prone regions. Is Texas next?
The Texas Senate passed three new bills on border security – but with the House adjourned, does it mean anything?
The Texas Education Agency has taken over the Houston Independent School District, and already some major reforms are taking shape.
Two major insurance companies say they won’t write new homeowner policies in California, citing the costs of climate change. Could something similar happen in Texas?
Pro baseball is a favorite summer sport for many Texans, but a rule change is making it a little less lazy than it once was – for better or for worse? We’ll take a look.
KUT Morning Newscast for June 1, 2023
Central Texas top stories for June 1, 2023. Project Connect faces a pivotal vote. Childcare deserts in central Texas. Austin workers protest telework scheme.
KUT Morning Newscast for May 24, 2023
Central Texas top stories for May 22, 2023. Remembrance for Uvalde. School voucher plans meet resistance. Childcare deserts in Hays County.
KUT Morning Newscast for February 14, 2023
Central Texas top stories for February 14, 2023. Earthquake victim prayer vigil. Storm relief scams. State investment in child care. UT Basketball.
Texas Standard: October 17, 2022
Is South Texas ground zero for a political shift in 2022? Republicans, Democrats and the Latino vote are in the spotlight. Politics watchers say three republican Texas women, Latinas themselves, stand to lead an historic shift in voting patterns. We’ll take a closer look at what’s behind that. Also, has Mark Zuckerberg’s company gone too Meta? As valuations of the company formerly known as Facebook continue to slide, a reality check on whether its Metaverse strategy is grounded in reality. And from far west Texas, a sweet sound 50 years in the making. And for a family, a dream come true.
Those stories and much more when today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 9, 2022
In the aftermath of the Uvalde shooting, wrenching testimony on Capitol Hill and questions about what comes next to protect school kids. We’ll have the latest. Also, what if anything Texas lawmakers might do to tighten gun regulations. And the fight for political control in South Texas this fall. But among democrats, fireworks and calls for recounts already in two close congressional runoff races. Also a new report on childcare deserts. And behind the scenes for primetime hearings on the January 6th insurrection. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 31, 2022
A federal judge calls for an investigation into possible criminal charges of sex trafficking and pornography at a shelter for teens in Bastrop. Robert Garrett of the Dallas Morning News with more on an explosive hearing in a long running suit against the state’s foster care system. Also New Mexico prepares for marijuana tourists from Texas at that state’s laws on recreation pot change at the stroke of midnight. Angela Kocherga with the view from El Paso. And Texas’ role in the personal computer revolution. The unlikely story of the TRS-80, and the man behind it. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 29, 2021
How much wall can a governor buy with $600,000 in donations? Our conversation ahead of the Abbott Trump border visit. Also, we’ll talk about topics involving the children of the state, the workers who care for our kids when they’re little, and the test scores kids get when they’re big. We now know how much those scores dropped after 2 years of school interruptions. And did you know your electricity could be disconnected starting today if your bill is unpaid? It’s rough but moratoriums are over. Plus how big tech may get restrained by Congress. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard: