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KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond

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How one West Texas town built its own broadband lifeline

Texas lawmakers are considering a plan that could help prevent fentanyl overdoses in the state. Why it may not become law.

A decade after the deadly biker shootout in Waco that led to nine deaths and more than 100 arrests, some civil cases against the city are still moving forward.

Some Texas law enforcement agencies are getting rid of a gun they consider too risky for their officers – by selling them to civilians.

State and federal money has been set aside to connect rural Texans to the Internet. When the remote West Texas town of Monahans couldn’t get that help, they did it themselves.

And: Texas cities once again top a list of the fastest-growing in the U.S., led by Princeton, a suburb east of Frisco.

Harris County deputy suicides raise questions about mental health support

From Houston to Fort Worth, thousands of Texans joined people across the country over the weekend in a national day of protest against the Trump administration.
The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey gets us up to speed on what’s happening at the state Capitol with six weeks left in the legislative session.
Four Houston-area suicides among members of law enforcement are drawing more attention to an issue some peace officers are reluctant to talk about openly.
And: Many Texans are mourning Pope Francis, who has died at 88.

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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.

Lawmaker Gene Wu using Reddit to explain Texas Legislature

The clash between city leaders and state lawmakers is set to reach a new level at the Capitol. How state lawmakers are trying to crack down on policies by local prosecutors not to pursue certain cases.

A Texas researcher is pursuing a key to fight aging with the help of small monkeys.

We talk with Rep. Gene Wu, whose videos about how Texas politics actually works have blown up on social media.

In West Texas, concerns about growing tourism and the environmental impact spawn a plan to expand Big Bend National Park by purchasing adjacent land and giving it to the park.

Plus the legacy of San Antonio businessman B.J “Red” McCombs.

What’s happening at the Cutoff in East Texas?

As cities grow, so do tensions between state and local officials over policy direction. A bipartisan coalition of 18 big city mayors team up to press state officials over top priorities. What they’re planning and more in our conversation with the mayor of Fort Worth. Also, how transgender youth and their families are gearing up to fight several new proposals in the GOP led Texas legislature. And an update over public access to a beloved east Texas body of water called The Cutoff. Plus rising grocery prices and the SNAP gap for those needing help to get food on the table. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

News Brief 7-15-2022 8AM

Daily morning news update from the KUT newsroom. Monkeypox cases in Austin. City of Austin budget planning. Summer meal program sites will operate again with federal funding.

Texas Standard: June 21, 2022

An excruciating inside look at what happened during a critical 70+ minutes inside Robb Elementary on that May 24th, 2022 in Uvalde. Though officials have been reluctant to release video evidence from the mass shooting in Uvalde, Terri Langford of the Texas Tribune has seen critical footage from inside the school. She shares with us what she’s discovered. Also Brian Chasnoff of the San Antonio express reports that classroom doors may not have been locked, contrary to one of the key claims made by law enforcement. We’ll have details. Also a very public transitioning for a Texas small town celebrity. And an update on what’s left for the Supreme Court. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 27, 2022

With news of Stephen Breyer’s retirement, a Texas legal scholar offers an inside look at who might be on President Biden’s short list for the supreme court. Also, a new commodity for Texas farmers and ranchers that could help save the world; why so few are currently buying in. Plus, Omar Gallaga with some choice words about the Wordle craze. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 11, 2021

The 5th circuit court of appeals lifts a lower court stay on Texas new abortion law. What comes next? Doctors who performed abortions in the state during a court-ordered stay on the new Texas abortion law could be subject to lawsuits. We’ll have the latest. Also could the Woodlands become Texas’ newest city? Why the developer opposes an upcoming vote to incorporate. And what this coming winter spells for energy demand in Texas. We’ll hear a forecast. Plus, pregnancy during a pandemic: new insights from a Texas study. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 26, 2021

In Texas’ most populous metro area, a rethink of how the COVID-19 vaccine is being distributed, we’ll have the latest. Plus, when the Texas capitol city cut the budget for its police department by almost a third last year, Texas’ governor warned there would be a price to pay. Now, with the Texas legislature in session, what the governor plans to do to keep other Texas cities from following Austin’s move. And the Biden administration’s plan to increase the minimum wage. Is now the right time and do the numbers add up? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 9, 2020

De-escalation between the U.S. and Iran? As president Trump calls for more NATO involvement in the Mideast, we’ll have a Texas take on what that might mean. A former ambassador to Iraq and past dean of the Bush school at Texas A&M weighs in on finding a way past military conflict between the US and Iran. Also a tale of two cities: what if anything Austin and Houston could learn from each other when it comes to zoning. And new consumer tech: the hottest of the hot and the nottest of the not. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 18, 2019

Russian election interference and ties to the Trump campaign. We’re tracking the release of the Mueller report. We’ll have the latest. Other stories we’re following: what may be a preview of the upcoming Texas senate race unfolding at the Texas capitol…results of the census are in. Though it’s probably not the one you’re thinking about, it could nonetheless have a big impact on the Lone Star State. Also, we’ll explain the car of the future will be self driving they tell us. What’s taking so long? Plus, this weekend’s Trip Tip and more today on the Texas Standard:

Getting Out

The Texas Standard asks listeners for poetry requests. This one is for Jess.

Texas Standard: October 15, 2018

Constitutional protections suspended in the name of security: how the so-called border zone is expanding and who if anyone is pushing back. Though the policy of separating families at the border is reported to have ended, the camp housing kids at the Tornillo port of entry is expanding. We’ll get a first hand glimpse inside. Also, Toys R who? with what used to claim to be the world’s biggest toy store out of business, who’s filling the vacuum this holiday season? And seeing the lone star state from a different perspective: a mile in the air. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 2, 2018

Credit card hacking, vote hacking and energy grid hacking… What’s actually being done to protect U-S cyber security? We’ll take a look. And the years-long effort to re-write the code that guides how the state’s capital city grows could be completely thrown out. Has it really gone so horribly wrong? Also the country’s first trillion dollar company won’t be a Texas oil giant but a tech company with a big footprint in the state. We’ll explain. Plus, how will generations to come remember Hurricane Harvey? A project designed to preserve digital stories of the storm. And a new effort to understand a mysterious and devastating phenomenon in the waters of the Texas Gulf Coast. We’ll tell you about that and more on todays Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 31, 2018

How was President Trump’s first State of the Union? You might not be surprised that it depends on who you ask. We’ll have a Texas perspective. Also the Texas Rangers are getting involved in an investigation into a US Gymnastics team facility outside of Huntsville, we’ll have the latest. And Houston consistently sits towards the top of lists of worst traffic cities in the US. A look at how Space City’s highways came about and how they re-shaped communities. Plus, what happens when local lawmakers disagree with a Texas mandate? We’ll explore. We’ll also head to Waco to visit a new Arts facility, and we’ll take the red pencil to a recent claim by a man hoping to be the state’s next governor. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 28, 2017

A republican led race to wrap up a rare rewrite of the nations tax laws hits stumbling blocks in the senate. We’ll hear what provisions are causing problems on the hill and what the cuts could add up to in the political near term. Also, fears growing among many Texas businesses as NAFTA negotiators prepare for round six. And you’ve heard of sanctuary cities? Now hear this: some cities are asking for their police to be deputized into immigration enforcement. And the case that could be the biggest of the century for privacy rights, and why it matters for anyone with a smartphone. All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 26, 2017

Travis County’s Sheriff does a 180 after a ruling on Senate Bill 4. All ICE Detainers will be honored, but it’s not so simple. The status quo ante, the way things were before SB4. Is that what the court wants Texas to return to? We’ll try to sort out an opinion that’s left considerable confusion over the short term implementation of Texas’ so-called sanctuary cities bill. Also, remember the Texas Miracle? A piece in the New York times asks the question, Texas, you still feelin miraculous? And harvey sparks global interest in the concept of sponge cities. Like the suburbs, only extra absorbent. All that and a whole lot more on the national news show of Texas, the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 21, 2017

Two major earthquakes south of the border in the course of two weeks. Should Texans be worried about our tectonic ties to Mexico? We’ll explore. Also, a new battlefront in the debate over just how separate church and state are in the US, and Texas’ Harvey experience is a big part of that discussion, we’ll hear why. Plus the head honcho of the Texas house, Joe Straus has filed for reelection, but a veteran political watcher says the speaker of the house may not return as many think. We’ll hear why and what speaker Straus is and is not saying about the matter. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

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