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.
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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.
KUT Morning Newscast for August 8, 2023
Central Texas top stories for August 8, 2023. Oak Grove wildfire is 90 percent contained. Red flag and excessive heat warnings for central Texas. Wildfire safety tips.
KUT Morning Newscast for August 7, 2023
Central Texas top stories for August 7, 2023. Oak Grove fire near San Marcos burns 400 acres. Excessive heat and red flag warnings issued for central Texas. Austin looks to its budget.
KUT Morning Newscast for August 4, 2023
Central Texas top stories for August 4, 2023. How heat can affect medications. CapMetro opens new money saving service. Updates on Central Texas wildfires
KUT Morning Newscast for August 2, 2023
Central Texas top stories for August 2, 2023. Red flag warning issued for Central Texas. Fire at Bastrop State Park burns 100 acres. July the hottest on record.
KUT Morning Newscast for August 1, 2023
Central Texas top stories for August 1, 2023. Excessive heat warning and fire conditions for Central Texas. High school bands look to beat the heat. Fans and misters installed in Austin park.
The Texas Eclipse Festival is coming to Burnet next year
Wildfire evacuations in Central Texas this week and concerns about rising sea levels reshaping the Texas coastline.
The Texas Standard’s Sean Saldaña shares the latest unemployment numbers and what they tell us about the economic shape Texas is in.
A new alliance of automakers is going to take on Tesla’s charging standard.
A Texas-sized theme party is planned to welcome the total solar eclipse coming next year.
Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.
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.
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.
Teaching ancient Greek and Roman texts in the Jim Crow era
As Title 42 comes to an end, El Paso declares a state of emergency due to the influx of migrants.
The week ahead at the Texas Legislature, and two bills affecting transgender youth in Texas; one relating to medical treatment, the other, sports competition.
An investigation of a chemical fire in Deer Park outside of Houston, and what it says about warning signs and preparation for potential disasters.
Researchers revisit an educational debate from the Jim Crow era, and the contributions of the Black Texans at the center of it.
Feral hogs are a big problem in Houston
It’s spring in Texas, and that means tornadoes. We’ll find out what’s expected this season.
A federal judge has ordered banned books be put back on the shelves in Llano County.
The CBP One App is a lifeline for migrants stuck on the border seeking an appointment to apply for asylum. But many simply cannot connect.
A new hybrid school in Dallas teaches kids remotely part of the week and in person the rest.
And feral hogs are a growing problem across the state – one place they’ve caused trouble recently is Harris County.