Health

Is new fertilizer behind Texas cattle deaths?

A climate-friendly fertilizer turned out to be tainted with so-called “forever chemicals” that are killing cattle and other ranch animals.
Education Savings Accounts are on the legislative agenda and likely to pass. What they are and why they’re controversial.
Historic horse-drawn carriages will become a thing of the past in San Antonio as the city phases them out.
Public health experts in Texas say vaccine hesitancy in the state could grow under the new Trump administration.
And: the call for research on mountain lions, the state’s last big cat.

Clinic teams up with barbershops to boost health care access for Black men

As Tropical Storm Francine forms, we’re keeping an eye on nasty weather in the Gulf and will have the latest on the impact to Texas energy as peak hurricane season arrives.
On the political front, cross-party endorsements are raising eyebrows. Political expert Daron Shaw of the University of Texas at Austin weighs in on the significance.
With higher rates of diabetes and heart disease among Black men, there’s an effort in Austin to get them connected with health care, by way of the barbershop.
Also: Grammy winner and Texas raconteur Ray Benson joins us ahead of headlining a new event series at the Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio.

Remembering the London School explosion, a tragedy that changed safety forever

Two women file federal complaints after they say Texas hospitals refused to perform medically necessary abortions to terminate ectopic pregnancies.
In East Texas, a tiny museum is dedicated to preserving the history of the 1937 London School explosion, the deadliest school disaster in U.S. history and the reason natural gas has an added odor.
Are state Republicans passing laws they know are unconstitutional – and is this a political strategy?
People and places in North Texas pay homage to Mexican Painter Frida Kahlo.
And: All across the state, honeybees make a big comeback thanks to new beekeepers – so much so that a statewide bee specialist is now on the job.

Why is Ted Cruz proposing a bill to legislate in vitro fertilization?

There’s infighting among Texas Republicans over the next steps in their efforts to stop abortions in the state.
Canada is Texas’s second-biggest international trade partner, behind Mexico. We’re talking to Mary Ng, Canada’s minister of export, trade and economic development, during her visit to the Lone Star State this week.
After the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children under state law, Democrats raced to pass bills to protect in vitro fertilization. Now, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is pushing a similar bill – but what exactly would it do?
Ahead of Memorial Day on Monday, we’ll hear from a Texas family still working to make sure the legacy of their beloved serviceman is honored.
And: Today marks two years since the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. A survivor’s story.

What’s behind an anti-birth control push on social media?

After an apparent tornado strike in Temple last night, it’s looking to be another day of severe weather across large parts of the Lone Star State.
A ransomware attack on the Ascension hospital network is still having a big impact on staff and patients almost two weeks later.
After online reports and videos of women giving up the birth control pill, The New York Times finds that prescriptions are not actually declining – in fact, the opposite.
And: The latest album from singer-songwriter Susan Werner, “Halfway to Houston,” takes on the wide landscape of Texas.

Inside the explosion of private toll roads in Texas

Texas ramped up construction of toll roads the past two decades and has some of the harshest penalties. We’ll take a look at the impact on drivers.
A third person pleads guilty in the alleged bribery scheme involving U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar.
How a divorce in Denton could change IVF in Texas: The state Supreme Court may take up a case deciding whether a frozen embryo can be defined as a person.
Nearly two years after the Uvalde school shooting, a recent college graduate remembers the younger sister who died in the attack.
And: A new novel navigates love and grief in a Dallas suburb. We’ll talk to Kimberly King Parsons, author of “We Were the Universe.”

Judge overseeing struggling foster system fines the state $100,000 a day

A federal judge says Texas’ foster care system is still broken – and has fined the state $100,00 per day.
The new book “City Limits” examines the effort to rethink urban highways in Texas and traces a history of racism and inequality in three of the state’s’ largest cities. We’ll hear from author and journalist Megan Kimble.
Over the past two decades, developers in Austin have built hundreds of windowless bedrooms. But now some elected officials want them banned.
And: The next generation of mechanics is getting ready to work on the next generation of cars.

Austin to be hit as Tesla announces 14,000 layoffs

Are protest organizers responsible if a participant breaks the law? A court decision could have a chilling effect.
A new report on maternal health shows Black Texans are much more likely to die after giving birth than their white counterparts.
What layoffs at Tesla mean for jobs in Texas and the EV car market.
The Houston Dash celebrates a decade of women’s pro soccer. How the team and the league have grown over the years.
And: We’ll talk to comedian Jeff Hiller, who’s returning to his home state of Texas for the Moontower Comedy Festival.

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.

Exploring SpaceX’s potential land swap with Texas

The Texas Supreme Court hears arguments in a case challenging a law banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for trans minors.

John Whitmire, Houston’s new mayor, campaigned to be “tough-but-smart on crime.” Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider takes a look at some of Whitmire’s plans for law enforcement.

SpaceX wants to give the state 477 acres of land near a national wildlife refuge in exchange for 43 acres from Boca Chica State Park, near its launch site – but the plan is drawing local pushback.

And: West Texas A&M University plans a new institute to advocate what the school’s president calls “Panhandle values.” Critics fear it’s a push to spread conservative values across the university.

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.

Inside Harris County’s guaranteed income experiment

Heavy rain, high winds and snow, elevated fire danger and more prompt the governor to raise the emergency preparedness level in Texas. We’ll have the latest overview of weather concerns.

A new report reveals high levels of toxic benzene exposure in a Houston suburb.

A plan to test a guaranteed basic income gets underway today in Harris County.

We’ll hear who’s eligible and where the money’s coming from.

The town of Diboll is seeking to be officially designated the “Quinceañera Capital of Texas.”

And: Remember cutting the cord for cable TV? Why many households are cutting the streamers, too.

New questions over Texas abortion restrictions after court denies

The Texas Supreme Court overruled an order allowing a Dallas-area woman access to an abortion. What does that mean for future cases?

Why a Texas researcher is excited about the federal approval of a gene-editing procedure.

We’ll hear from Texas author Theo Boyd on why she’s writing about a tumultuous period in her life, and what she wants others to take away from her story.

And why some say ramped-up efforts from the Army to find soldiers who fail to report for duty still aren’t enough.

Tired of the same Christmas carols? This Texas composer has some rearrangements

A Texas judge grants a Dallas-area woman her request for an abortion, despite the state’s strict ban. It is thought to be one of the first attempts to seek a court-approved abortion since the U.S Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe vs. Wade. Olivia Aldridge of KUT in Austin shares more.

Aid for Ukraine and Israel is blocked for now over border security concerns, and Texas’ two U.S. senators were very much a part of that process. A Texas Tech political science professor breaks it down.

As Texas cities try to rein in traffic, San Antonio revives a plan to be more bicycle-friendly.

And: North Texas-based music writer and conductor Taylor Davis is discovering something new in the Christmas carols we’ve heard for decades on end.

The State of Disability in Texas – A Texas Standard special rebroadcast

It’s a population that’s often overlooked and underestimated: People living with disabilities play a wide variety of important roles in the life of modern Texas.

They’re living full lives, advocating for better caregiving options, inclusive transportation and voting accessibility. And many participate in the vibrant arts and culture of our state.

Learn more in this special edition of the Texas Standard: The State of Disability in Texas.

After environmentally destructive launch, will regulators let SpaceX blast off again?

A new law barring transition care for transgender youth has been temporarily blocked by a Texas judge, but it may take effect anyway Sept. 1. We’ll have the latest – plus how doctors are trying to prepare.

Officials were left in disbelief over the scale and scope of environmental damage after the failed test of a SpaceX starship in South Texas earlier this year, according to a new report.

A new book sheds light on the seldom-told tale of conscientious objectors who nonetheless went to the front lines in Vietnam.

Del Rio’s William Beckmann fuses youthful energy and timeless soul in country music

A body was found in a buoy barrier in the Rio Grande, prompting harsh criticism of Texas’ border strategy.

Four years after the mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, people at the scene that day who are eligible for immigrant visas are still waiting.

The end of the pandemic emergency – and the end of pandemic relief funds – could mean a cut in childcare options in Texas. We’ll hear why.

A women’s soccer champion-turned Texas collegiate soccer coach weighs in on the U.S.’ prospects as the World Cup moves into the knockout rounds.

Plus the rise of songwriter William Beckmann, a Del Rio native.

Unraveling the ‘Iron Pipeline’ of gun smuggling from Texas to Mexico

Following the state’s takeover of Houston schools, a plan to eliminate libraries and use the space for kids who misbehave in class.

Watch that water bill: Not only is use up, some municipalities are raising rates to try to drive down demand.

A three-part series explores how the Texas Attorney General’s Office became an incubator for conservative legal strategies that are reshaping Texas and the nation. Eleanor Klibanoff of the Texas Tribune joins with more.

A new focus on trying to cut down the flow of arms from Texas into Mexico.

And we’ll talk to Sethward, the Texan who’s become a viral sensation for losing on “America’s Got Talent.”

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.