economy

Heat and the next Great Migration

An exemption to Texas’ abortion ban is on hold after an appeal by the state attorney general. What comes next?

Just how powerful are social media algorithms? Texas researchers test whether changes could help defuse political polarization.

Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies got in a kayak to take an up-close look at Gov. Greg Abbott’s floating wall in the Rio Grande.

And a warning that climate change could reverse demographic trends showing major population growth in places like Texas: Could there be a great migration northward?

Remembering Paul Reubens and Pee-wee’s ties to Texas

Triple-digit temperatures are having a cooling effect on the the Texas economy, with a projected $9 billion in losses this summer due to the heat alone, according to economist Ray Perryman.

Gasoline prices at the pump rise an average 30 cents in one month. What’s behind those increases?

A tribute to Paul Reubens, the Pee-wee Herman actor who forgot everything … but remembered the Alamo and won his way into the hearts of many a San Antonian.

And we’ve got the smokers, we’ve got the pit masters – so why is Texas pulled pork so wrong? Texas Monthly’s barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn weighs in.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 25, 2023

Central Texas top stories for July 25, 2023. Texas congressman urges better OSHA protections for heat. Austin Community College finds new Chancellor. Fire conditions spread.

State policies cause Texas to slip from top business rankings

A lawsuit challenging Texas’ new prohibition on hormone blockers and other treatments for transgender youth.

Lawmakers failed to pass new rules on locating concrete batch plants – what do those pushing for change plan to do next?

A report shows modest economic growth in Texas, we’ll hear more. Plus – Texas slips in the rankings of business-friendly states. Why and what are the implications?

A hit, or a swing and a miss? A certain sport using bats and balls arrives in Texas for summer, but are Texans ready for professional cricket?

Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 3, 2023

Central Texas top stories for July 3, 2023. Wrap up of Austin’s nurses’ strike. Record breaking travel numbers for July 4th. New connections to Panama at Austin’s airport.

What did the Legislature accomplish for rural Texans?

The U.S. House approved a measure lifting the debt ceiling, but we’re not out of the woods quite yet.

As state lawmakers continue to tangle with the governor’s priorities, what actually was accomplished in the regular legislative session? A roundtable of Texas reporters looks at changes for rural Texans.

A federal district judge will hear arguments today on the future of DACA in a case brought by the attorney general of
Texas, who’s now been impeached and suspended. How much does that change things, if at all?

Also, they’re not just a time suck but a money pit, too: What can be done to cut the cost of meetings?

Uvalde mariachi team’s win was a bright spot in a year of darkness

Why couldn’t Republicans who control the Legislature see eye to eye?

There’s a cost to Texas taxpayers that comes with the Legislature going into overtime. Professor Mark Jones of Rice University helps us crunch the numbers.

The Texas Education Agency is expected to take over the Houston Independent School District on Thursday. We’ll take a look at what state-appointed managers face once they start getting settled in.

How did a fight over state incentives to attract business in Texas turn out – and did business boosters get what they wanted?

Plus, the young mariachi band that gave Uvalde something to cheer for.

Cloud seeding has never been proven, but drought-stricken Mexico is ready to try

At first, media coverage of the Cleveland, Texas, shooting focused on the manhunt for the gunman. But what about the victims lost?

As the clock ticks away for the 88th legislative session, there are some bills with bipartisan support that advocates say could have a positive effect on the state’s LGBTQ residents.

Housing affordability in Texas: is the state losing a certain edge? The Texas Standard’s Sean Saldana explains.

The cost of living is hitting Texans hard – how a group in San Antonio is fighting back with coupons.

Mexico is trying its hand at a controversial technique – cloud seeding – to break its drought.

Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.

What more electric vehicles mean for the Texas electric grid

Momentum is growing among Republicans to use the U.S. military to take on drug cartels in Mexico in the fight against fentanyl. How serious is such talk?

More ripple effects following a ruling by a federal judge in Amarillo that would effectively ban the abortion drug mifepristone.

The Dallas Federal Reserve finds young adults feel increasingly disconnected from work and school – but there may be more to the story.

And with more electric vehicles hitting the road in Texas, how will the need for pluggable power affect the state’s electric grid?

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.

What’s in the Texas House budget

The opioid fentanyl has become a scourge for many communities. But where is it coming from? New court filings shed light on the fentanyl supply chain. We’ll tell you where it comes from, and how it’s being smuggled into Texas.

The Texas economy just keeps growing. How does this keep happening, and when will it ever stop?

What if Shakespeare was from the Valley? We kind of have an answer. We’ll hear from the professors who compiled pieces from writer’s who’ve reimagined some of the playwright’s works by setting them along the border.

Plus the latest on the Legislature, the Typewriter Rodeo, and breaking news from across the state.

Pumped: Food, fuel and the future of Texas – A Texas Standard special

We don’t think of gas stations much, yet they are fixtures across Texas, and tell us a lot about who we are and where we’re going. There are more than 11,000 of them scattered across the state – along major highways and tiny backroads alike, they fuel up long haul trucks, hungry commuters and sometimes whole communities.

In some ways, the gas station is the backbone of our economy and the center of conversation and community. In other ways, they’re a blight on the landscape and, many feel, a soon-to-be anachronism. “Pumped: Food, fuel and the future of Texas” is an exploration of an often-overlooked staple of our life.

How Ro-Tel became a staple of Texas cooking

Lawmakers at the Capitol are considering changes to how Texas handles bail. The push would give judges more leeway to deny bail for violent offenses – and Democrats may have a considerable say in what happens.

More fallout from this month’s ice storm: why the Texas capital city may be looking for a new city manager soon.

Amid concerns about rising prices, layoffs and more, the Dallas Fed weighs in with a forecast on the Texas economy.

And why a can of diced tomatoes – you know the one – has such a rabid Texas following.

Plan to prevent the next blackout heads to the Legislature

Historic job growth, but how sustainable? Economist Ray Perryman weighs in on the latest numbers.

As lawmakers prepare for bruising legislative battles ahead, one thing some Texas Republicans and Democrats agree on? Dislike of a new proposal to prevent future statewide power grid blackouts.

Watch your wallets online: our go-to tech expert Omar Gallaga with the latest on data breaches.

And high hopes in some quarters for changes to Texas cannabis laws.

In Texas, you can be forced to sell your condo

Eight months after the school shooting in Uvalde, Democratic state Sen. Roland Gutierrez announces a package of gun safety reforms. Will Texas Republicans take it up?

A decades-old Texas is law forcing some condo owners to leave their homes.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first lab-grown meat product for human consumption. But will consumers bite?

After conquering the hearts of many a Texan, Willie Nelson and Family take Sundance.

And a PolitiFact check of President Biden over whether wages are keeping up with inflation.

Native Austinite Gabriel Luna on ‘The Last of Us’

One year after an attack on a synagogue in north Texas: an appeal to fellow Texans to step up the fight against antisemitism. We’ll have details. Other stories we’re tracking: with a record surplus, a legislative wishlist from leaders of higher ed in Texas. And which comes first, chicken or eggs? Inflation forcing some tough choices for many Texans as grocery prices scramble home budgets. Also dry January? Or just drier than usual? Some considerations for those resolving to abstain from alcohol in the new year. And a post apocalyptic video game transformed into a TV series. Actor Gabriel Luna on the show’s ties to Texas as well as his own plus much more today on the Texas Standard:

How Austin is bringing healthcare to people experiencing homelessness

That light at the end of the tunnel, is it a sign that a rail strike can be averted or a freight train headed for the U.S. economy? With an economy already reeling from a multitude of challenges, president Biden gets the wheels rolling in congress to head off a potential nationwide rail strike. We’ll look at the potential impact for Texas and the prospects that a strike can be avoided. Also one of the last fully independent public institutions of higher learning set to join the UT system. What does Stephen F. Austin State University stand to gain or lose in the process? Also a closer look at the Texas economic forecast and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Las Jefecitas: using comida to sustain immigrant households.

Many immigrants have leveraged the delicious cuisines of their países as a means of income and work when they first arrive in the United States. Even before setting up a taco truck or even a brick and mortar, we see vendedoras earning their income by selling tacos out of their hieleritas in grocery store parking lots or wherever they know they’ll find foot traffic. In this episode we explore what motivates these women to leave their kitchens and go out into these parking lots. We discuss these informal economies and how they look in today’s digital age. We also spend time at La Mujer Obrera and Cafe Mayapán to see how the organization supports immigrant and indigenous women by training and employing them.

Texas Standard: September 28, 2022

In Florida, as flood warnings go out ahead of hurricane landfall, echoes of Texas’ Hurricane Harvey. The managing editor of space city weather with a live update on Hurricane Ian and parallels to a catastrophic storms in Houston. Also after relatively upbeat reports on Texas’ economy, is the Dallas fed changing its tune? Plus an update on the trial of the mass shooter accused in the attack on an El Paso Walmart. And non-profits taking a new tack to encourage Texas farmers to use less water. Plus a Politifact check of a claim about democrats objecting to presidential election outcomes. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 15, 2022

A major logistics catastrophe avoided. We’ll talk about the railroad worker strike that wasn’t. Railroad worker unions were prepared to go on strike without a contract that had better protections for sick time. We’ll have the latest on the deal that’s kept the trains on the tracks. Plus you’ve heard of blue books, the green book, but what about the beige book? It’s choc full of the economy’s secrets, and our own Sean Saldana’s been looking through a copy. And a major bridge project in Corpus Christi has produced major headaches. We’ll tell you why. That and the biggest headlines of the day, today on the Texas Standard: