Fire

Meteor over Texas leaves debris, questions

A secretive project to build a long water barrier in the Rio Grande is revealed as letters go out to landowners to build a Big Bend border wall. We’ll hear what locals are thinking.

Look up to the sky: It’s a boom, it’s a flash… and a crash through a roof north of Houston. A UT geosciences professor helps us understand the meteor fragment impact that occurred this past weekend.

We’ll also dig into the somewhat surprising findings of a new report from the Brookings Institution on the costs of higher education.

And with March Madness in the air, the Sweet 16’s set in another bracket competition — the best Texas movie.

KUT Morning Newscast for October 8, 2025: Parents are planning to protest at AISD headquarters tomorrow night

Central Texas top stories for October 8, 2025. Protestors are planning to show up outside Austin Independent School District headquarters tomorrow night. Greg Stoker, an Austin activist detained by Israeli forces, is back home. Travis County Tax Office officials say they are facing a backlog due to technical issues with the state’s registration and election management system. Bastrop County’s Office of Emergency Management says the Hole 18 Fire is still about 15 acres in size and now 90 percent contained.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 1, 2025: Report shows racial disparities in how Austinites are affected by chronic diseases.

Central Texas top stories for July 1, 2025. Texas Democrat Colin Allred announced he’s running for U.S. Senate in 2026. A new report from Austin Public Health shows racial disparities in how residents are affected by chronic diseases. Williamson County is getting more than a million dollars in state funding to launch a new program aimed at keeping kids out of the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. The Burnet Fire Department continues working to put out a fire at a tire recycling facility that started yesterday. Austinites can register for the 2025 CityWorks Academy to learn more about city government.

Why ranchers are ‘absolutely terrified’ of the New World screwworm’s return

A old law suddenly no more: a judge strikes down in-state tuition for undocumented students in Texas.
What changes can Texans expect for energy and the environment after this week’s conclusion of the 89th Texas Legislature?
After the Smokehouse Creek Fire scorched over 1 million acres, lawmakers also passed a slate of wildfire preparedness bills.
The devastating New World screwworm, eliminated from North America decades ago, are on their way back. The Standard’s Michael Marks talked to ranchers who remember what it was like to fight them.
And: Texas sheriffs could be required to help enforce federal immigration law.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.

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KUT Morning Newscast for March 6, 2025: Low humidity today will result in near critical fire weather conditions in the Austin area.

Central Texas top stories for March 6, 2025. The National Weather Service says wind gusts as high as 30 miles per hour and low humidity will create near critical fire weather conditions today. The Lower Colorado River Authority is entering tougher drought restrictions. As the city of Austin works to redevelop some of its buildings, works of art housed inside them could be destroyed.

KUT Morning Newscast for March 5, 2025: A fire in Hays County yesterday burned around 80 acres.

Central Texas top stories for March 5, 2025. By 4 a.m. this morning, the fire in Hays County had burned around 80 acres and was 45 percent contained. Strong winds left thousands of Austinites without power. Sixth street is restricting vehicle access during SXSW. Austin City manager, T.C. Broadnax is holding town hall meetings to hear input on the 2025-2026 budget.

Lawsuit challenges federal wildlife trapping in Texas

A nearly $5 billion bill filed in the Legislature seeks to provide across-the-board raises for teachers and put more money toward bonuses.
Lithium-ion batteries are a major fire threat. Learn why and what consumers can do.
Texans love sharing their favorite under-the-radar barbecue spots, but how often do they actually live up to the hype? Texas Monthly BBQ editor Daniel Vaughn recently discovered a standout.
And: The Center for Biological Diversity is suing the USDA to stop its wildlife trapping and killing program in Texas, arguing that the program should be re-evaluated based on updated science, particularly concerning mountain lions and black bears.

KUT Morning Newscast for November 20, 2024

Central Texas top stories for November 20, 2024. The City of Austin has to rethink the project to build caps on I-35. A conflict between two local health organizations came to a head yesterday when Central Health’s CEO fired the CEO of CommUnityCare. The State of Texas is offering land for Donald Trump’s upcoming administration to build its first mass deportation camp. The San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District is considering switching to a four-day school week. The National Weather Service says high – almost critical– fire weather conditions are expected today in most of Central Texas.

KUT Morning Newscast for November 5, 2024

Central Texas top stories for November 5, 2024. It’s election day! Thousands of people are expected to head to the polls today across Central Texas. The biggest statewide race this Election Day in Texas is the U.S. Senate race. A group of Texas OBGYNs are speaking out against the state’s abortion ban following the deaths of two women. Crews remained on site overnight to patrol the wildfire in Bastrop.

KUT Morning Newscast for November 4, 2024

Central Texas top stories for November 4, 2024. Crews continue working to contain a wildfire in Bastrop County. Election Day is tomorrow, millions of Texans cast their ballots during early voting. In Travis County, about half of registered voters cast their ballots during early voting. Conflicts over LGBTQ student rights, lessons about race and book bans are costing public schools a lot of money. Georgetown is finding ways to increase the city’s water supply. Trains in San Marcos are sounding their horns again.

A visit to the traditional Mexican rodeo in San Antonio

One year later, a survivor of the Allen mass shooting talks about his long road to recovery.
New water rules take effect in the Rio Grande Valley as some border cities cope with historically low reservoirs.
With the rise of cloud-based services and AI, the demand for power has soared. What it means for the state Texas.
A new book by University of Houston professor Brandon Rottinghaus takes a look at the political life of Rick Perry, Texas’ longest-serving governor.
And we’ll go to a charreada in San Antonio where Mexico’s rodeo skills are on display.

The latest on Senate Bill 4, which puts immigration enforcement in the state’s hands

The on-again, off-again hold on Texas’ controversial SB 4 immigration law is now back on, hours after the Supreme Court’s temporary green light. Stephen Vladeck of UT Law joins with the latest.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a Texas case that has its roots in small-town petty politics. But it could have implications for the future of free speech and what’s known as qualified immunity.
Plus: revelations from an investigation into what really happened the night of a fire that killed 40 people at a migrant detention center in Juárez almost one year ago.

State approves Boca Chica State Park land swap with SpaceX

A Texas electricity company acknowledges its role in the largest wildfire in state history, a Panhandle blaze still only partially contained. We’ll hear more from the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Despite objections from Brownsville and Rio Grande Valley residents, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department voted to move forward with a plan to swap land within Boca Chica State Park to Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Tech expert Omar Gallaga has an update on the Facebook/Meta outages shutting down services for many on Super Tuesday.
And: Actor Thomas Haden Church on his latest film, “Accidental Texan,” a title that also describes his journey to the state.

The latest on the Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Panhandle

The Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Panhandle, already the second biggest wildfire in Texas history, is so far 0% contained. We’ll talk with an evacuee and officials with the Texas A&M Forest Service to get the latest.
With increasingly unpredictable rainfall and extended droughts, you may be thinking about what to plant to survive our new weather reality. The Standard’s Alexandra Hart has ways you can cut water use without letting your lawn die.
Plus: Director Richard Linklater and filmmaker Alex Stapleton on the new HBO three-part series based on Lawrence Wright’s recent book “God Save Texas.”

A budding pipeline fight highlights activists’ changing tactics

What does the first day of Attorney General Ken Paxton’s historic impeachment trial tell us about what remains ahead? The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán joins us from the Capitol with a recap.

We’ll hear the latest on a new fight over a natural gas pipeline in West Texas – and how new strategies by opponents of such development are getting traction.

Among the new laws now in effect in Texas is a requirement for those who want to run for county sheriff.

The sister of Botham Jean, who was killed in Dallas five years ago, has written a new memoir, “After Botham: Healing from my Brother’s Murder by a Police Officer.”

Plus an update on wildfire dangers statewide.

Tours from Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are big for local economies

COVID cases in Texas rise by almost 25% in a week as concerns mount over a new variant. Although the vast majority of Texans have given up masks and social distancing, health officials say they’re still important tools as cases pick up and students return to the classroom. Dr. Catherine Troisi of UTHealth Houston joins us with an update.

Young plaintiffs in Montana score a high-profile victory in a fight to force their home state to take climate change more seriously. Could a similar approach work in Texas?

And: Tours from Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are generating huge spending on everything from concert tickets and merch to spillover effects on travel, clothing and more.

How to prepare and stay safe amid high wildfire danger

With low humidity and winds picking up across Texas, a growing wildfire threat has prompted officials to raise the state’s preparedness level. What should Texans be doing to prepare for the danger of wildfires?

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is facing not one but two Democrats with considerable name recognition as he prepares to try to retain his Senate seat.

A conversation with Ire’ne Lara Silva, Texas’ poet laureate.

And there are growing concerns about artificial intelligence in Zoom amid recent changes to the app’s terms of service.