Central Texas top stories for November 14, 2024. Some people living in the Hill Country are protesting a proposed development that they say would deplete the area of water. Texas employers are teaming up to urge the state Legislature to make childcare more affordable and accessible to meet state workforce demands. Two Texas grandmothers are challenging a state law that prevents people with assault convictions from becoming licensed social workers.
Hill Country
KUT Afternoon Newscast for September 5, 2024
Central Texas top stories for September 5, 2024. Firefighters in Leander are looking to negotiate benefits, pay and other working conditions within the city’s fire department. Some state lawmakers, local leaders and activists are calling out what they’re calling voter intimidation after millions of people were removed from Texas voter rolls. A federal court has approved a settlement between Austin ISD and Disability Rights Texas. Texas lawmakers say they aim to expand on plans from the last legislative session to boost funding for mental health hospitals. A mosquito trap in Georgetown has tested positive for the West Nile Virus. Recent rain has helped the drought picture in the Hill Country. The top-ranked Texas Volleyball team has their home opener tonight at Gregory Gym.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for July 22, 2024
Central Texas top stories for July 22, 2024. Austin is close to getting a new police chief. Williamson County will continue to provide emergency financial support to its veterans and their families thanks to a grant from the Texas Veterans Commission. The federal government is sending $48 million to the Austin area to get people out of their cars. Austin FC will begin competing in the Leagues Cup this week. Rain has been falling in the Hill Country.
KUT Morning Newscast for May 2, 2024
Central Texas top stories for May 2, 2024. A demonstrator explains the buckets with rocks found at a pro-Palestinian demonstration this week. Lots of rain in the Hill Country last night. People in six areas on the edge of Austin could vote Saturday to remove themselves from the city. Jacob’s Well in Wimberley won’t be open for swimming for the third year in a row. The gathering of the Kyles in Kyle is later this month.
Will third time be the charm for SpaceX’s Starship launch from Boca Chica?
The University of Texas at Austin is among other colleges in the country that are bringing back a standardized test requirement for applicants.
A city report has exonerated the Uvalde Police Department for its response to the Robb Elementary School shooting. Despite the report, Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez announced his resignation.
SpaceX plans a new try at launching its Starship super heavy rocket on Thursday from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
And the discovery of an artifact that one SMU professor believes could be a link to Coronado’s fabled expedition.
The Other Hill Country
Over the next couple of months, many will set off for the Texas Hill Country to enjoy the splendor of the wildflowers celebrating spring. Many of the tourists are flatlanders, who not only love the kaleidoscope of colors but also driving the hilly roads that snake through billions of blossoms. Texas Standard Commentator WF Strong suggests a route he calls the *other hill country — that is far less traveled than its cousin to the west.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for March 7, 2024
Central Texas top stories for March 7, 2024. Garza gets votes from all over Austin. Austin City Council passed another climate change resolution. Only two republican incumbents won their primary race. Prosecutors and defense attorneys made their closing arguments this afternoon in a trial of two former Williamson County Sheriff’s deputies. Austin Police have announced an extended DWI no-refusal enforcement period. Stormy weather inbound.
Why El Paso Mexican food hits different
There’s a six-way race in Houston for the Democratic bid to represent part of the city in the Texas Senate. We’ll look at how it’s shaping up.
A case involving a Navy SEAL is testing a Pentagon policy designed to keep extremists out of the military.
Change is coming to a corridor in the Texas Hill Country known for its wineries. Why it could just be the beginning of more development.
Megan Thee Stallion’s new single, “Hiss,” is her first solo track to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s also being received as a “diss” track.
And: El Paso, with its proximity to New Mexico, does Mexican food a bit different. We’ll hear about some of the people contributing to its unique flavors.
Why the U.S. Senate’s immigration bill may be ‘dead on arrival’
Supporters say it’s the most significant bill on immigration in a generation, while opponents call it dead on arrival. Liz Goodwin of the Washington Post breaks down the provisions of the Senate’s $118 billion immigration and foreign aid bill: what’s in it and why the prognosis for passage isn’t good.
New insight on how Texas Republicans are leaning and the effect of endorsements as Texans prepare to cast primary ballots.
Houston halts commercial and residential development in a part of the city designated as a cancer cluster.
Also, a new facet in the hunt for Texas blue topaz, and rockhounds aren’t happy.
How frontline workers fared during COVID and how best to protect them
A Texas senator wants to reopen impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Ken Paxton – but it’s unlikely to happen.
What have recent heavy rains done for drought conditions in Texas?
A plan to overhaul the way the U.S. Census Bureau counts people with disabilities has received so much pushback that the agency is rethinking the updated questions.
And: lessons learned from the pandemic about the impact on frontline workers.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for October 31, 2023
Central Texas top stories for October 31, 2023. First freeze of the season. Williamson County election error. Early voting turnout. State parkland proposition. Education Austin on school vouchers. Austin ISD special education deadline. Austin parkland requirements. Día de los muertos.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for May 22, 2023
Central Texas top stories for May 22, 2023. Update on APD-DPS patrol partnership. Hill Country farmer grateful for rain, worried about summer. Vouchers added to school funding bill. Long Center free concert series. Austin FC. Kyle gathering record attempt falls short.
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.
TxDOT wants to bury a highway. The Dallas City Council wants to get rid of it.
Tenure is on the agenda in the Texas Senate this week, as lawmakers weigh a bill that would end the practice for the new faculty at public colleges and universities.
The Texas Department of Transportation wants to bury Interstate 345, a 1.4-mile stretch of highway that connects Dallas to its Deep Ellum neighborhood. But the Dallas City Council wants to get rid of it.
A Hill Country destination looks beyond tourism: The city of Kerrville gets busy on a plan to attract industry.
Pro sports teams shunned gambling on games, but now, Texas’ 11 top franchises are teaming up to legalize sports betting in the Lone Star State.
Texas Standard: August 18, 2022
With Texas’ new abortion trigger law set to take effect a week from today, what’s the history of abortion regulation in Texas? We’ll take a look. Other stories we’re tracking: as Texas students return to the classroom, how security has become a central issue this fall. Also home security becomes TV show fodder as the ubiquitous Ring camera gets ready for its closeup. And the rust belt, the Bible belt, now another belt added to the U.S. map and Texas is part of it: what the new heat belt tells us about who’s feeling the greatest effects of rising temperatures. And a later than usual peach season for some. We’ll hear why and much more today on the Texas Standard:
KUT Afternoon Newscast for August 04, 2022
Central Texas top stories for August 4, 2022. Wildfires in central Texas. Hermosa fire. Central Health budget. New Hutto city manager. No toxins in Barton springs. Sebastian Driussi player of the month. Hot summer nights.
Texas Standard: June 8, 2022
After the school shooting at Sandy Hook more than a decade ago, Texas passed a plan to address school shootings. But why have so few districts opted in? Texas’ school marshal plan called for teachers to be armed to defend schools from mass shooters. Only 84 districts out of more than 1200 have gone that route. Kate McGee of the Texas Tribune on what this could mean for the debate about school safety after the shooting in Uvalde. Also, more than a hundred days since Russia’s detention of WNBA star Britney Griner, why suddenly more prominent sports figures and others are publicly demanding her release. Plus a Politifact check and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 22, 2022
Tornados, damaging winds and hail wreak destruction across Texas. Several state agencies still responding to storm damage in north and central Texas and tens of thousands are reported without power. We’ll have the latest on the weather front. Also, the head of investigations for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services resigns as questions mount over allegations of sexual exploitation at a shelter in Bastrop. Plus efforts to secure the return of a Houston native and WNBA star now held in Russia. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 12, 2021
No Texan may be compelled to get vaccinated against COVID-19, so says the Governor in a sweeping new order. We’ll have more on the Texas governor’s executive order on vaccinations, a direct challenge to President Biden’s push for employer mandates. Also, how random are Texas jury pools? Investigators are looking into the process in Brazoria country where its alleged that potential jurors were vetted by geography and race. Plus population growth brings new homes to the Hill Country, and something considerably less bucolic, too: new quarries and environmental concerns. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 7, 2020
With under three months until election day, the Biden campaign getting pressure to pull out the stops in Texas to seize an historic moment, we’ll have the latest. Also, face to face with an interface: in an era of zoom meetings, Child Protective Services takes family visits online. And presidential rhetoric reconsidered. The Texan author of Demagogue for President makes the case that some of it is genius. Plus listeners have more questions about COVID-19. Dr. Fred Campbell of UT Health San Antonio has answers. Plus the week in politics from the Texas Tribune and much more today on the Texas Standard: