KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts

KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond

Hays County

KUT Morning Newscast for August 26, 2025: The Texas Longhorns football team starts the new season this week

Central Texas top stories for August 26, 2025. The Austin City Council resumes its regular workload this week after passing a new budget. The deadline to apply for financial aid from the Travis County Cares Fund after July floods has been extended. The Texas Longhorns football team starts the new season this week. Delta Airlines is adding three non-stop flights out of Austin. A boil water notice is in effect for parts of eastern Hays County. 

KUT Afternoon Newscast for July 30, 2025: Travis County is raising property taxes to pay for flood damage repairs

Central Texas top stories for July 30, 2025. Travis County is using its emergency authority to raise property taxes to pay to repair damage caused by this month’s flooding. Austin is in the homestretch of its budget season. Austin Police are asking for help from the public as they try to find a man accused of attacking a trans woman. Hays County has confirmed its first human case of West Nile virus this season. We’re starting to see afternoon high temperatures befitting the historically hottest part of the summer.

This podcast is made at KUT and KUTX, which are public radio stations in Austin, Texas. You may have heard that Congress just took back the money it had allocated for public radio. Our organization stands to lose 1.2 million dollars. We’re asking our listeners now to help us make up this shortfall. If you want to help us out, you can make a donation at supportthispodcast.org. 

KUT Afternoon Newscast for July 29, 2025: The Texas Senate had another hearing on redrawing congressional districts

Central Texas top stories for July 29, 2025. The Texas Senate had another in a series of hearings today on redrawing congressional districts at the behest of President Trump. Hays County is looking to make the most of its water supply. Tesla says it’s struck a deal with Samsung to produce semiconductor chips at the South Korean company’s forthcoming plant in Taylor. East Austin has a new pocket park. Humidity has been so low this afternoon that the heat index has been lower than the air temperature in the Austin area.

This podcast is made at KUT and KUTX, which are public radio stations in Austin, Texas. You may have heard that Congress just took back the money it had allocated for public radio. Our organization stands to lose 1.2 million dollars. We’re asking our listeners now to help us make up this shortfall. If you want to help us out, you can make a donation at supportthispodcast.org.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 21, 2025: Texas Gas Service wants to raise Austin’s rates for the third time in the last year

Central Texas top stories for July 21, 2025. Texas lawmakers start a 30-day special session today, among the items on the list are redistricting, disaster relief and preparedness. Texas Gas Service, the for-profit utility that supplies Austin homes and businesses with natural gas, has announced plans to increase gas rates by almost ten percent on average. Hays County is set to continue building new roads even after a judge ruled killed a bond passed by voters in November. There’s a new Disaster Recovery Center in Burnet for people affected by floods earlier this month.  

KUT Afternoon Newscast for July 3, 2025: Hays County officials demand answers from law enforcement about raid near Dripping Springs

Central Texas top stories for July 3, 2025. It’s been three months since the arrests of more than 40 people authorities said were connected to a Venezuelan gang. It’s a busy day at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The Travis County Fire Marshal wants people to go to a professional fireworks show instead of lighting their own. Leander Police have unveiled a new “microchip scanning station” for lost pets. Starting tomorrow, parking at Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park will be limited through the holiday weekend.

KUT Morning Newscast for June 25, 2025: ACC sues the DOJ to challenge the end of the Texas Dream Act 

Central Texas top stories for June 25, 2025. The Austin Community College District’s Board of Trustees joined a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton challenging the end of the Texas Dream Act. The Austin Independent School District is asking the public for feedback on the criteria it’s using to evaluate campuses for potential closure. Georgetown’s City Council approved new ordinances that restrict the use of public spaces, despite concerns about possible impacts to unhoused individuals. A Travis County Judge ruled that a $440 road bond package approved by Hays County voters in November is now void. The George Washington Carver Genealogy Center is teaching people how to track down their family history.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for June 24, 2025: Travis County is eyeing several buildings downtown for a planned mental health diversion center

Central Texas top stories for June 24, 2025. A bill that failed this legislative session has thrown a wrench in Travis County’s plan to build a mental health diversion center for people accused of non-violent crimes. Governor Greg Abbott has called a special session of the Texas Legislature to address a number of the more than two-dozen bills he vetoed outright. The concrete truck driver arrested in the deadly Hays CISD school bus crash last year has pleaded guilty. A Travis County District Judge has ruled that a Hays County $440 million road bond approved by voters in November is now void.

KUT Morning Newscast for June 13, 2025: New flights are coming to ABIA 

Central Texas top stories for June 13, 2025. Frontier Airlines launched nonstop service to San Diego this week, just one of several changes to the flight schedule at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Two tornadoes touched down briefly in Hays County. Officials from the University Interscholastic League say they will continue to study a proposal to make girls’ flag football an official varsity sport in Texas. The City of Austin wants people’s feedback for a 2026 General Obligation Bond. Juneteenth celebrations ramp up at the Carver Museum this weekend. 

KUT Morning Newscast for June 11, 2025: Austin and Travis County leaders celebrate improvements in the response to the opioid crisis 

Central Texas top stories for June 11, 2025. Austin and Travis County leaders are celebrating improvements in the local response to the opioid crisis. Texas high school students this year did better in math and science on state standardized tests than they did in 2024. Hays County Commissioners voted unanimously to pass a resolution for the humane treatment of immigrants. The University Interscholastic League will hear a proposal to recognize girls flag football as an official sport. 

Data centers may start creating their own power plants

Gina Ortiz Jones made history over the weekend, becoming San Antonio’s first openly lesbian mayor and only the third woman to hold the office.
An assault case is exposing deeper failures in Texas group homes.
With the rise of data centers across Texas, a push for private power plants run by natural gas.
The new documentary “Sally” explores the private life of public space hero Sally Ride. We’ll talk to writer and director Cristina Costantini.
And: Diving into the history of Adolph Hofner, the Texas-born bandleader who popularized Czech music and made it swing.

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

You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org

KUT Afternoon Newscast for April 24, 2025: Texas court blocks Austin law that decriminalized small amounts of marijuana

Central Texas top stories for April 24, 2025. People in Austin could soon get cited or arrested for marijuana possession. A Hays County Grand Jury is declining to charge a man who was arrested in connection with the 2018 Iconic Village apartment fire in San Marcos. The Texas Education Agency has released its A through F ratings for 2023. The City of Austin is buying nearly 5 acres of land in South Austin for a new hike and bike trail.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for April 22, 2025: A bacteria which can be toxic to animals and humans was found near Red Bud Isle

Central Texas top stories for April 22, 2025. Voters across Travis, Williamson and Hays counties can cast their ballots ahead of the May 3rd election.Scientists have spotted clumps of blue green organisms near Red Bud Island on Lady Bird Lake. Travis County leaders are hoping to revamp the former Austin State Hospital site. The Austin Animal Center will offer only limited services tomorrow as its staff transitions its data to a new management system. We have a chance of thunderstorms today and tonight in the Austin area.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for April 9, 2025: UT Austin students protest Trump administration for revoking student visas.

Central Texas top stories for April 9, 2025. A few dozen UT Austin students held a demonstration on campus today. Crude oil prices climbed today after the announcement of a pause on most tariffs. Hays County has created a new Animal Welfare Services Division. Rent prices in the Austin area continue to fall. Rori Harmon is coming back next season to play a fifth year for the Longhorns.

KUT Morning Newscast for April 9, 2025: The City of Austin is facing a $33 million shortfall for next fiscal year.

Central Texas top stories for April 9, 2025. Texas Attorney General Republican Ken Paxton has announced he’s running for U.S. Senate. The City of Austin’s facing a $33 million budget deficit for the next fiscal year; it might ask voters for help. Austin’s City Council has only a few weeks to decide where to build parks over I-35. Rent prices in Austin have continued to fall for almost two years. A new program in Hays County will connect people caught driving while intoxicated with treatment instead of sending them to jail.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for April 4, 2025: Austin ISD could close Dobie Middle School to avoid a state takeover of the entire district.

Central Texas top stories for April 4, 2025. Authorities say dozens of people arrested in Hays County this week are connected to a Venezuelan gang. Austin ISD is considering closing Dobie Middle School because it has received too many failing grades from the state. The Texas women’s basketball team will play defending national champion South Carolina tonight for a spot in the NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship game. Texas DPS says there may be delays in getting an emissions inspection right now. Several roads will be closed Sunday for the annual Statesman Cap10k.

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