Central Texas top stories for September 8, 2023. Excessive Heat Warning. ERCOT Weather Watch. Rent numbers. TEA proposal reactions. Paxton Trial Day 4. Narcan Distribution. Zilker Relays Closures.
ERCOT
KUT Morning Newscast for August 29, 2023
Central Texas top stories for August 29, 2023. Why does ERCOT pay businesses for lowering energy use? Are you part of a circular economy? EMS Union reaches agreement with Austin.
KUT Morning Newscast for July 17, 2023
Central Texas top stories for July 17, 2023. ERCOT weather warning. Does watering foundations help? Powerball winnings rise.
KUT Morning Newscast for June 29, 2023
Central Texas top stories for June 29, 2023. Texas Legislator split on property tax bills. ACC looks for new chancellor. ERCOT gains new board member. San Marcos eviction grace period ends.
KUT Morning Newscast for June 21, 2023
Central Texas top stories for June 21, 2023. ERCOT energy demands. Fusion energy grants. Education bills roundup.
How two Uvalde survivors are rebuilding their lives
Almost a year after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, two injured fourth graders are still trying to recover. Edgar Sandoval of the New York Times talks with us about his profile of two children injured in the shooting – and the months since.
Yesterday’s half-hour grounding of Southwest Airlines departures was blamed on technical issues. Why the FAA and other investigators want a closer look.
Why some lawmakers are pushing to keep Texas crypto miners from cashing in on a tool to help the power grid survive during times of peak demand.
The Texas Grid Under Pressure
In this bonus episode, you’ll hear a panel of experts we brought together to mark two years since the 2021 blackout, where we discuss the future of the Texas grid in the face of climate change and the increasingly extreme weather linked to it.
KUT Morning Newscast for February 1, 2023
Central Texas top stories for February 1, 2023. Winter storm power outages. Electric grid check in. Austin overnight shelters extended.
KUT Morning Newscast for January 9, 2023
Central Texas top stories for January 9, 2023. ERCOT Texas Supreme Court. Austin ISD registration postponed. Voting Bills in the Texas Legislature. Rep. Hinojosa on school funding. COVID-19 Omicron sub-variant. UT mapping deep space. Longhorn Men’s Basketball.
The latest on Texas’ winter freeze
As temperatures plummet with a major cold front bearing down on the lone star state, down into the teens in many parts, we continue to monitor conditions across Texas. Eric Berge of Houston’s Space City Weather joins us with an overview, the dangers ahead, and when we can expect to thaw out from this last big chill of 2022. Also a rethink of ways to address the mental health crisis. And the week in politics with the Texas Tribune. These stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
KUT Morning Newscast for December 20, 2022
Central Texas top stories for December 20, 2022. Power grid ready for low temperatures. Cold weekend ahead. Austin ISD budget. Williamson County healthcare cost offset.
The Campaign
Nearly two years after the big blackout in Texas, how big of an issue is the power grid in the 2022 race for governor?
We talk with Julian Aguilar, a reporter for the Texas Newsroom.
The Disconnect Season 2 is a project of The Texas Newsroom, the collaboration among NPR and the public radio stations in the state. It received support from FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative, which is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The Midnight Connection
We’ve already learned how Texas (or at least most of it) is an energy island — mostly cut off from grids in other states.
In this episode, we’ll hear about the time when one power company went rogue and threw a transmission line across the Oklahoma border.
This is the story of why they tried and how they failed to build a bridge off the island — and how it shaped the Texas grid today.
The Disconnect Season 2 is a project of The Texas Newsroom, the collaboration among NPR and the public radio stations in the state. It received support from FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative, which is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
BONUS: The Megawatt We Don’t Use
We’ve talked about the supply-side fixes — but what about the demand side?
The Disconnect Season 2 is a project of The Texas Newsroom, the collaboration among NPR and the public radio stations in the state. It received support from FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative, which is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Texas Standard: August 31, 2022
18 months after a deadly statewide electricity blackout, state officials adopt new weather preparedness standards. But is it enough? We’ll look at what the new rules are and whether they have the teeth to prevent future events like the 2021 Winter Blackouts. Also, El Paso’s DA under fire and facing a petition seeking her removal. But she calls it a political move. Plus drug cartels in Mexico shifting production to an unusually lethal synthetic opioid that has health officials in the U.S. concerned about an overdose crisis. Those stories, a Politifact check on teacher salaries and more today on the Texas Standard:
The Fixes
A year and a half after the blackout, lots of Texans are still wondering if they can rely on the power grid. After conservation alerts and one pretty close call this summer, it can seem like the grid is still on a knife’s edge. We look at what’s changed, what hasn’t and how that lack of trust is playing out in one Texan’s life.
The Disconnect Season 2 is a project of The Texas Newsroom, the collaboration among NPR and the public radio stations in the state. It received support from FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative, which is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Texas Standard: August 5, 2022
Monkeypox declared a public health emergency nationwide. We’ll talk with the state epidemiologist about what Texans need to know. Other stories we’re covering: after the Dobbs decision, more than 100 military installations in states where abortion is now banned. What this means for service members seeking abortion care. And as temps hover in the triple digits across much of Texas, the new season of a podcast examines whether the power grid can stand the strain. Mose Buchele, host of the disconnect, joins us. And a Texas based band garnering international attention for its Texas-themed tales of a “Bummer Year”. A conversation with the frontman of the band Good Looks and more today on the Texas Standard:
The Toll
In the time since the blackout, state officials, ERCOT and power generators have tried to convince Texans that they’ve got things under control. But a lot of people aren’t convinced. And with good reason. In this episode, we’ll explore how the trauma of the blackout is still with us — and how we still haven’t dealt with the true toll of the disaster. We’ll hear from one family who lost an entire generation.
The Disconnect Season 2 is a project of The Texas Newsroom, the collaboration among NPR and the public radio stations in the state. It received support from FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative, which is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Texas Standard: July 25, 2022
An immigration decision from the supreme court with a big impact on Texas…though it might not be the last word on the matter. We’ll have more on the decision. Also, how extreme heat is affecting migrants trying to get around border checkpoints on foot and what’s being done for their safety. And why gas prices in Texas are going down. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 15, 2022
The state of Texas is suing the Biden administration over abortion guidance to hospitals. The federal rules instruct emergency room doctors to provide abortion services in emergency conditions. Texas’ own law provides exceptions for the health of the pregnant patient. So why is the state suing? Also, the state terminating its guardianship over scores of young runaways once in the care of child protective services. What happens to those young people? Other stories include the Austinite who many believe invented psychedelic rock. Plus the week in politics and so much more today on the Texas Standard: