Election

What’s next for Ken Paxton?

After reaching a deal to dismiss securities fraud charges, Ken Paxton’s political fortunes appear on the rise. What’s next for the attorney general?
One day after a US abstention in a UN Gaza cease-fire vote, how some Arab Americans in North Texas are planning to make their voices heard at the ballot box.
The San Antonio Police Department is getting pushback over the its participation in an international competition alongside police forces the U.S. State Department says have violated human and civil rights.
And with a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse on the horizon, a UTSA astronomy professor talks us through what to watch for in the hours and minutes before and after the main event.

How big events like the pandemic lockdowns can warp our sense of time

Attorney General Ken Paxton’s effort to get business records from Annunciation House, a group that helps migrants, is blocked by an El Paso judge.
As firefighters move closer to containing the blazes that have consumed large parts of the Panhandle in recent weeks, many locals are looking more closely at the causes and asking hard questions about why more wasn’t done to prevent those fires.
As politicians bicker over federal funding, members of the military and their families struggle with worries and fears amid a near-constant threat of a government shutdown.
And: Anyone else feeling a post-COVID time warp? What the science says about perceptions of time.

A recap of Texas primary election night

The votes are in and counted across Texas. What do they add up to for the upcoming general election and the future of Texas politics?
Despite a crowded field, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred took a big victory in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary to challenge incumbent Ted Cruz in November.
Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, the politician considered by many to be the third most powerful person in state politics, is now in a runoff after retaliation from fellow Republicans.
And: Very low turnout means a handful of eligible Texas voters are picking state politicians.

UTEP scientists spot bird not seen in decades

A unanimous decision from the U.S. Supreme Court reverses a challenge to Donald Trump’s eligibility to remain on primary ballots, just ahead of Super Tuesday.

The Texas Newsroom’s Rachel Osier Lindley shares an update on wildfires in the Texas Panhandle, where the biggest blaze in state history is only 15% contained.

We’ll have more on some key races to watch, from Abilene to Dallas County, as Texans prepare to go to the polls tomorrow.

And: The yellow-crested helmetshrike, a bird long feared extinct, was discovered by a team of scientists from the University of Texas at El Paso on an expedition to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

What does the MLS referee lockout mean for the 2024 soccer season?

In a closely watched primary battle near the top of the statewide ballot, we’ll have more on the showdown between two Democrats with considerable name recognition hoping for a chance to take on Ted Cruz in the fall.
A question about Texas seceding from the U.S. was kept off the GOP primary ballot – but it was the closest the Texas Nationalist Movement has come to putting the so-called “Texit” up for a vote in its nearly two decades of trying.
Major League Soccer referees have been locked out ahead of the start of the 2024 season, after Professional Soccer Referees Association union members voted against a bargaining agreement.
And we’ll meet Jon Muq, a Texas-based artist bringing the sounds of his native Uganda to American music.

What new data says about the future of Texas agriculture

It’s the first day of early voting in the Texas primary. What you need to know before casting a ballot and why turning out matters.

What exactly does “residency” mean when running for office? The answer might surprise you.

Every five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts a census – tallying things like livestock, tractors, combines and crops – for a dense report packed with clues on where American farming is heading.

And: Remembering Sandy Wood, who helped stargazers navigate the universe for nearly 24 years as the voice of the radio program Stardate.

Why the U.S. Senate’s immigration bill may be ‘dead on arrival’

Supporters say it’s the most significant bill on immigration in a generation, while opponents call it dead on arrival. Liz Goodwin of the Washington Post breaks down the provisions of the Senate’s $118 billion immigration and foreign aid bill: what’s in it and why the prognosis for passage isn’t good.

New insight on how Texas Republicans are leaning and the effect of endorsements as Texans prepare to cast primary ballots.

Houston halts commercial and residential development in a part of the city designated as a cancer cluster.

Also, a new facet in the hunt for Texas blue topaz, and rockhounds aren’t happy.

Remembering renowned ventriloquist Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Estrada

Ready? Or not? As primaries fast approach, an effort to prepare young Texas voters to cast their very first ballots.

A federal complaint filed over Texans being wrongfully kicked off Medicaid rolls.

The latest on a challenge to Texas’ new law prohibiting social media companies from censoring political speech online.

A new TV series on Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X inspired by the groundbreaking work of a Texas professor. We’ll talk with him.

Also, the Standard’s Kristen Cabrera on the death of a beloved entertainer: San Antonio-based ventriloquist Ignacio “Nacho” Estrada.

How frontline workers fared during COVID and how best to protect them

A Texas senator wants to reopen impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Ken Paxton – but it’s unlikely to happen.

What have recent heavy rains done for drought conditions in Texas?

A plan to overhaul the way the U.S. Census Bureau counts people with disabilities has received so much pushback that the agency is rethinking the updated questions.

And: lessons learned from the pandemic about the impact on frontline workers.

Milk or meat? For modern cattle ranchers, the answer may be both

Texas is moving quickly toward primary day – but where are the debates? Why there’s been a decline in an election institution.

What the families of Uvalde victims are expecting as a grand jury examines law enforcement’s response to the Robb Elementary shooting.

Why Collin County seems to be playing an outsized role in Texas politics right now.

On Texas ranches, you’ve got dairy cows and bovine raised for beef. But the distinctions may be blurring. We’ll hear about a different sort of “cattle crossing.”

And concerns about the bestselling video game “Palworld,” which looks like “Pokémon” but plays like something much more grim.

State has seen rise in teen births since abortion ban was enacted

After Donald Trump’s win in the New Hampshire primary, what are the implications and ripple effects as Texas’ primary day approaches?

The Republican Party of Denton County has issued a resolution calling for Brent Hagenbuch to drop out of race for District 30 of the Texas Senate. At issue: allegations that Hagenbuch doesn’t live in the district.

A federal appeals court has given a second chance to Mexico’s $10 billion lawsuit against gun manufacturers, one of the biggest potential setbacks for gun manufacturers in recent memory.

A new study from the University of Houston finds a rise in teen birth rates a year after Texas’ six-week abortion ban went into effect.

And: Analysis of the Supreme Court’s ruling on razor wire at the border.

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.

What we know about the hotel explosion in Fort Worth

Investigators are still on the scene of a hotel explosion in Fort Worth as some ask if this is part of a larger trend spotted nationwide.

A special election to fill an open Texas House seat – and a race seen as a proxy for an intraparty fight within the Texas GOP.

A community like few others: Why an experiment outside Austin to provide housing for people experiencing homelessness is being seen as a potential model for other cities.

Plus: Could 3D-printed homes help with a housing shortage?

How Texas voted on 14 statewide propositions

The votes are in, and Texans have given the green light to 13 of 14 amendments to the Texas constitution. The Texas Tribune’s Karen Brooks Harper shares a rundown of how the state propositions fared.
Public media reporters statewide join us with updates on key local races across the Lone Star State.

Nuclear power plants, once the target of major protests, are now winning over many Texans looking for lower carbon energy alternatives.

And what some have considered a guilty pleasure: Why more readers are taking the plunge into romance novels. One of the genres’ top authors, Ali Hazelwood, joins us.

Exploring the tale of the Chupacabra

A deal over school vouchers at the Legislature – or high political theatre? As Gov. Greg Abbott declares victory, others have their doubts. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of The Texas Newsroom shares the latest.

You’ve heard of solar farms, but how well do animals share that land? Why agrivoltaic farms are popping up all over Texas.

And our spooky season isn’t over. The Texas Standard’s Kristen Cabrera explores the story of the arguable king of the Texas cryptids: the Chupacabra.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for October 31, 2023

Central Texas top stories for October 31, 2023. First freeze of the season. Williamson County election error. Early voting turnout. State parkland proposition. Education Austin on school vouchers. Austin ISD special education deadline. Austin parkland requirements. Día de los muertos.

Why bird watchers are flocking to Texas cemeteries

Early voting is now underway in Texas – but what’s on the ballot? We’ll get caught up on the 14 constitutional amendments Texans are being asked to weigh in on, ranging from property taxes to education, infrastructure and more.

First it’s Exxon mobil scooping up Pioneer, now Chevron acquiring Hess. Is it a new era of mergers and acquisitions in the oil field – and if so, why?

Final resting places are also surprisingly active sites for a certain group of hobbyists. The Standard’s Raul Alonzo has more with “Cemetery Birding” author Jennifer Bristol.

And the Texas Rangers are off to the World Series after defeating the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the ALCS.

KUT Morning Newscast for October 24, 2023

Central Texas top stories for October 24, 2023. Vote by mail registration deadline. Proposition 9. Integral Care layoffs update. Dead tree removal. Texas Rangers win the pennant.

Public school teachers in Texas are protesting vouchers. They’ve enlisted plumbers to help.

A federal judge strikes down a redistricting map in Galveston County, saying it violated the rights of Black and Latino voters, and gives the county until Oct. 20 to fix its maps.

Public school teachers plan to travel to Austin to fight a plan to use taxpayer money to pay for private tuition. Who’ll teach the students when the teachers are gone? You might be surprised.

As Texas’ population swells, so does empty office space. We’ll dig into what that signals.

And: We continue our month of Tracking Texas Cryptids with the spooky story of La Lechuza.

Celebrating a century of Texas state parks

Dozens of Texas school districts have sued to stop changes in the A-F grading system used to evaluate schools.

The manager of the state’s power grid is out with a new forecast for winter. How prepared is Texas for another statewide freeze like 2021?

Israel, Hamas and disinformation on social media: Tech expert Omar Gallaga joins us with more.

New numbers in the race for mayor of Texas’ biggest city.

And a new book written by longtime Texas conservationist George Bristol, “Texas State Parks: The First 100 Years,” tells the story of how the state’s parks began.