Central Texas top stories for March 19, 2025. A Red Flag Warning is in effect today for all of Central and South Texas until nine tonight, but what does that mean? The Crabapple fire north of Fredericksburg is now 90 percent contained. The City of Austin’s hosting an Emergency Preparedness pop-up today to help people prepare for wildfires and other weather-related hazards. For at least six months, the Texas DMV has been tracking drivers who have tried to change the sex listed on their driver’s licenses. Texas lawmakers are considering a bill to prohibit local governments from having guaranteed income programs.
Crabapple fire
The Crabapple fire near Fredericksburg has burned over 9,800 acres.
A perfect storm of weather conditions left Gillespie County particularly vulnerable to fire, and Saturday afternoon a very bad one broke out near Crabapple Road, near Fredericksburg. Texas Public Radio’s Jack Morgan went to Fredericksburg to talk to neighbors.
KUT Morning Newscast for March 18, 2025: A crash on I-35 that killed five people last week is now under federal investigation.
Central Texas top stories for March 18, 2025. The Texas A&M Forest Service says the Crabapple fire in Gillespie County is now 85% contained and has burned just over 9,700 acres. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the deadly crash on I-35 that killed five people in North Austin last week. After years of pushback from doctors, patients and advocacy groups, SB31 aims to clarify the medical exception to Texas’ abortion law. The median sales price of a home in Austin hit 564-thousand dollars last month, that’s up compared to the same time last year.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for March 17, 2025: SXSW is downsizing for 2026.
Central Texas top stories for March 17, 2025. The Austin area is under a Red Flag Warning. The South by Southwest festival will look much different in 2026. A new report from a national housing organization finds Austin has few homes affordable to people earning very low incomes.
West Texas hunter stumbles upon rare mammoth tusk fossil
Weekend winds toppled trucks and fueled wildfires, one of the worst of which is still burning north of Fredricksburg. We’ll get the latest on the Crabapple Fire, which has burned almost 10,000 acres.
A hunters’s day out in West Texas leads to an unexpected archaeological trophy: the discovery of a mammoth tusk in a dry creek bed.
And: The brackets are set for the race to the college basketball championships, and several men’s and women’s teams from Texas are part of the madness.
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.