education

How Mexico supplanted China as the nation’s top trade partner

A shooting at one of the most famous megachurches in Texas, Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, leaves one dead and a child in critical condition. We’ll have the latest.

For most of the past few decades, the title of “top trading partner to the U.S.” has belonged to China – but the U.S. Census Bureau reports that last year, the United States’ biggest trading partner was Mexico.

Civil rights groups have filed a federal complaint against Bonham ISD alleging disciplinary discrimination against Black and disabled students.
The latest on a mysterious listeria outbreak.

And Russian propagandists twisting the narrative over border standoff between the Biden administration and Gov. Greg Abbott.

Texas frackers are going electric – but can the grid handle it?

With a push from Texas Republicans, the U.S. House moves a step closer toward a vote to impeach the head of Homeland Security.

Amid a shortage of teachers statewide, a move in Dallas to get more men of color in the classroom.

In the Texas oilfields, how a push for greener drilling has some worried about the effects on the power grid.

A browser update for the ages? Why new features in Google Chrome have one tech writer warning of the end of the human internet.

And Temu takeover? Why U.S. giants like Amazon and Walmart are rethinking their strategies as a China-based retailer turns up the heat.

A national lab didn’t detect disease in Texas deer, but the state had already euthanized them

Missing mail and massive delays in postal delivery in the Houston area are sparking action from U.S. Rep. Al Green. We’ll hear what he plans to do about it.

A controversial law allowing Texas police to arrest people suspected of crossing the border illegally takes effect soon – but some rural sheriffs in the Big Bend region say they’re not eager to enforce it.

And: An entire herd of white-tailed deer at the Kerr Wildlife Management Area was euthanized amid concerns about the spread of a contagious disease. But the affected deer may not have had the disease after all, according to new test results.

Children at Risk’s annual ranking of Texas schools is out

Texas officials say they’re reassigning workers to deal with an ongoing problem of providing care for foster kids without placement.

The 2022-2023 school ratings report from Houston-based nonprofit Children at Risk sheds light on progress and problems that districts are facing statewide.

Former Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo, who also had a short stint in Houston, will soon take on a new position overseeing Austin’s police department.

And a giraffe in a park in Juárez, who made headlines last year, is getting a new home.

Justice Department report on Uvalde shooting finds ‘critical failures’ in police response

After a review of thousands of videos and other evidence, the Justice Department has released its report on the Uvalde school shooting, finding “critical failures” by law enforcement before, during and after the attack.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals strikes down much of a new Texas law that sought to restrict which books are available in school libraries.

Texas may soon be a hub for hydrogen fueling. The Standard’s Shelly Brisbin has more.

CinéWilde, which bills itself as the state’s only monthly LGBTQ film series, turns 10.

And: Remembering award-winning science fiction author Howard Waldrop.

Community colleges get a funding boost, but with some changes

Gov. Greg Abbott received a $6 million campaign contribution from an out-of-state mega donor and school voucher advocate. Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy of the Texas Newsroom shares more.

The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán has the latest on what appear to be endorsement wars among top Texas Republicans.

There’s a new funding formula for community colleges. What could the change add up to?

And commentator W.F. Strong reflects on influencers – both intentional and accidental.

As arctic front looms, how is the electric grid looking?

As Texas braces for a true blast of wintry weather, how much should we be worried about the power grid holding up? Mose Buchele of KUT in Austin is monitoring the power grid and joins us with the latest.

Federal funding cuts for special education could hit Texas hard.

Many Texans who are eligible for Medicaid aren’t signed up. Will Bostwick shares more on his reporting for Texas Monthly.

And: Remembering a musical British invasion of Texas more than a decade after the Beatles.

A Tribute to Shirley A. Chisholm (Ep. 5, 2024)

On this week’s In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. presents a 1982 interview with the late Shirley A. Chisholm, a former Congresswoman from New York’s 12 Congressional District who in 1968 became the first African American woman elected to Congress, and, in 1972, the first major-party African American candidate for President of the United States.

The Gift of the Tidelands

Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong has a little holiday tradition. Every December he likes to count our collective blessings as Texans by highlighting a great gift to Texas.

He says the tidelands were special because the giver didn’t realize how much goodness would continue to flow from them.

What Texans can expect this winter, weather-wise

Winter weather can be challenging for some Texans. Here’s how to prepare.
A lot of people say the best place to talk to kids about violence at home is at school. But there’s a law getting in the way of that here in Texas.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has a lot of power to issue permits across the state. So what do we make of two recent judicial decisions overruling some of those?

Waco is positioning itself to be the next big hub for competitive rowing.

And Texas Monthly has come out with its annual Bum Steer awards – who’s on the list and why.

Tired of the same Christmas carols? This Texas composer has some rearrangements

A Texas judge grants a Dallas-area woman her request for an abortion, despite the state’s strict ban. It is thought to be one of the first attempts to seek a court-approved abortion since the U.S Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe vs. Wade. Olivia Aldridge of KUT in Austin shares more.

Aid for Ukraine and Israel is blocked for now over border security concerns, and Texas’ two U.S. senators were very much a part of that process. A Texas Tech political science professor breaks it down.

As Texas cities try to rein in traffic, San Antonio revives a plan to be more bicycle-friendly.

And: North Texas-based music writer and conductor Taylor Davis is discovering something new in the Christmas carols we’ve heard for decades on end.

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?

KUT Morning Newscast for November 28, 2023

Central Texas top stories for November 28, 2023. Austin Energy rate increase. Developer agreement for site in St. Johns. Texas Supreme Court abortion case. University of Texas teacher pinning ceremony. Hill Country Studios. Giving Tuesday.

Is this the end of efforts to keep Fairfield Lake State Park public?

For the first time in modern memory, the Texas House is set to take up a school voucher-like plan.

How do you put a price tag on a state park? We’ll hear more about the challenges facing Texas Parks and Wildlife as it tries to reclaim parkland purchased by developers.

In a dramatic U-turn this week, China’s president appears to be trying to warm up to the U.S. Some clues as to why might be found in a new report from the Dallas Federal Reserve.

Also: What some forecasters are calling a “super El Niño” is coming soon to Texas.

Why is Texas’ Railroad Commission wading into school textbook policy?

New Texas schoolbooks are raising concerns about the long-term implications for attitudes about climate change.

The state-appointed board now running Houston’s independent school district is dealing with more than what’s happening in the classroom, but also struggling to regain trust.

Apple weighs in on a push to give consumers the right to repair their gadgets. What that means for a growing “right to repair” consumer movement.

Plus, plans to build a major energy plant on the Texas coast on hold after a court rules Texas regulators should have applied stricter emissions standards.

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The Texas discovery of a new, dog-sized dinosaur

After months of stalemate, are the Texas House and Senate finally making progress on school spending?

For millions of years, the bones of a tiny dinosaur lay undisturbed in what are now the shores of Lake Grapevine. We’ll learn about a new species.

El Paso residents are concerned about the growing number of high-speed chases in their city.

And: Are city parks set to decline? A new law could make it tougher for urban areas to procure parkland.

How Texas lowering requirements to become a teacher in the 2000s impacted the profession

As the first week of a fourth special session draws to a close, the Senate passes a voucher-like plan for education.

A teacher shortage and what a new study tells us about the implications of past plans to bring in and retain teachers in Texas classrooms.

The independent market monitor for the Texas power grid steps down after blowing the whistle on what she claims were artificially inflated energy prices.

Texas, once a red-hot housing market, has lost a lot of sizzle, yet many still struggle to get a house of their own. We’ll take a closer look at what’s happening.

Plus, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and poetry with the Typewriter Rodeo.

Why Texans can’t vote on abortion or marijuana anytime soon

The fourth largest earthquake on record in Texas struck Wednesday out west, renewing concerns about fracking and seismic activity. Erin Douglas of the Texas Tribune with more on yesterday’s temblor and what researchers and regulators are saying about it.

The latest on a runoff for mayor in Texas’ biggest city.
In San Antonio, plans to close several public schools getting pushback from communities targeted for closure.

The economics of electric vehicles: Is the race to EVs losing power?

And voters in Ohio approve ballot measures on abortion and marijuana this week. Why such measures aren’t likely to land on Texas ballots anytime soon.

KUT Morning Newscast for November 7, 2023

Central Texas top stories for November 7, 2023. Election day is today. Education propositions. Austin parks funding. San Marcos downtown plan. Longhorn basketball season openers.

Emmitt Smith’s latest move is fighting opioid overdoses

Texas governor Greg Abbott’s prediction a school voucher bill would pass now looks unlikely as the latest special session winds down.

Legendary running back and three-time Super Bowl champ Emmitt Smith teams up with NARCAN to reduce opioid deaths.

How Texans cross into neighboring New Mexico for abortions. We’ll have a special report.

A Texas town’s long-lost photos go on display. What residents hope to learn about their past.

And how a notorious monster has helped generations of parents get children to behave – especially at bedtime. Kristin Cabrera explains the Cucuy.