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

History

Shorter waits for affordable childcare in Austin area

The cost of childcare across the country is on the rise, outpacing the price of in-state college tuition in many states. While many local governments are working to figure out a solution, Travis County is ahead of the game.

The pool at Barton Springs was first built around a century ago. But the springs that feed it have been around since long before humans ever arrived in Austin. More from our ATXplained series.

Many Austin Energy customers were left without power after strong winds and heavy rains dropped hail and tree limbs across Central Texas. We’ll have an update and a look ahead at the forecast.

Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

Camp Mystic ordered to preserve damaged cabins

Water use for Tesla’s Giga Texas out far beyond East Austin jumped more than 200 million gallons in two years. That’s raising concerns about whether Austin can fulfill its long-term water conservation strategy as plans for a new semiconductor plant could push demand even higher. Sam Stark, Austin Current’s government reporter joins us to talk about this.

A state district judge has ordered Camp Mystic not to alter, demolish, repair or remove structures affected by floodwaters that killed 27 people at the girls’ camp last summer.

This week in Texas music history: Mattie’s Ballroom opens amid East Texas Oil Boom.

Fusebox Festival continues through the weekend, and the Austin Symphony is doing something new: teaming up with an indie rock band.

Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

Travis Heights housing project scale draws some concerns

An affordable housing complex planned for the Travis Heights neighborhood is one step closer to becoming a reality. Neighbors around the proposed site say they aren’t opposed to the idea – more so the scale of it. We’ll hear more about the complex and the neighborhood it could be built in.

The Austin Independent School District is looking to save money and exit some contracts for schools that are slated to close. We’ll dig into how much money they’re looking to save, and how they could do it.

We’ll also hear the story of Dr. James Polk – not the president, but the Austin music legend.

And with the Olympics in full swing, we’ll tell you about an opportunity to get in on the action yourself.

Voces Oral History Center founder talks legacy ahead of retirement

Texas’ top two political officials are lockstep on a new effort to make sure conservative youth organization Turning Point USA can launch at every high school in the state. We’ll take a closer look.
Human plasma is vital for medical needs, but it’s also a multibillion-dollar industry on its own. We’ll explore.
A Texas school district is sounding an alarm about some robotaxis, saying they’re passing school buses and may be putting kids at risk.
Black bears are living in West Texas again. A look at what the humans there need to know about their very large neighbors.
Plus, a history of the Christmas flower in a new children’s book and trailblazing journalist Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, founder of the nation’s largest Latino oral history archive, prepares to call it a career.

Houston megachurch faces legal revolt

A University of Texas professor says Congress has gotten so good at frequent government shutdowns, finding the political will to get back on track could be an obstacle in itself. We’ll take a closer look.

Nearly two weeks after the deadly shooting at a Dallas ICE facility, investigators say the motive may be more about notoriety than ideology.

Second Baptist Church in Houston is locked in a legal battle with its own members over leadership and finances, and the dispute is being heard in the city’s new business court.

Texas leads the nation in energy consumption, driven by population growth and the rise of AI data centers. What does it bode for the state’s grid and energy mix?

Levitation Fest hits Austin this weekend

Texas Republican lawmakers redrew the state’s congressional districts in a special session this summer, doing so at the desire of President Trump and leaving no questions about their reasoning: They were changing the maps to benefit their party. But the idea of gerrymandering hasn’t been limited to just Texas this year. KUT’s Mose Buchele will dive deeper.

While some are counting down to the Austin City Limits Music Festival, others are hitting up Levitation Fest this weekend. It’s the perfect weekend to hit the town before thousands of visitors take over the city.

Plus: more live music and movie recommendations that are worth leaving your couch for.

The 100th meridian

If you examine any good map of Texas, you’ll notice a natural division of East and West Texas that runs from the eastern side of the Panhandle down to Abilene and San Angelo and on past Uvalde to Carrizo Springs and Laredo. To the west side of that line is arid and to the east is wetter and greener. And it becomes increasingly dry as you go west and increasingly humid as you go east. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong explains the history of this geographical marker.

Diving into Texas history

Through the years, countless Texans have made history, though some are far less remembered or memorialized. We’re bringing some of those stories to light today, from the far reaches of space exploration to the farmworkers who fought for change with the Texas Farm Workers Union.

A tale of a stolen town

On the western side of the Panhandle, right on the Texas/New Mexico border are two towns that were established just a few years apart in the late 1800s. They were separated by a line as thin as a goal line. They both still exist today — with populations of less than 1,500 each. But Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong says their beginnings were very different.

Could Napoleon have ruled over Texas?

A strongman politician is something we’ve heard a lot about recently. This Stories From Texas is about a strongman from history and a plan to set him up anew in Texas.

Texas Standard Commentator W.F. Strong dug up this story — one that you probably didn’t hear about in Texas history, for one, because it didn’t come to fruition.

A second siege of the Alamo

Even though the words “Remember the Alamo” are available on t-shirts, bumper-stickers, and kitchen kitsch, the Alamo wasn’t always remembered with the reverence it is today. For a long time, the Alamo was used mostly as a warehouse. Even the church, which people rather universally think of as the Alamo, was used as an army depot for decades. Texas Standard commentator WF Strong has the story of two women who helped to change that.

‘The Stadium’ reconsiders the role of our modern arenas

The Democratic National Convention kicked off with an emotional evening and Texans among the featured speakers.
A jury found that the parents of the accused gunman in the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting were not responsible for his actions.
Highway lanes are shrinking in Austin. It’s part of national trend – but what does it mean for safety?
Why an effort to ban books in a Rio Grande Valley high school library failed.
Also: A new book from historian Frank Guridy delves into why sports stadiums are more than places to cheer on your favorite team.

What’s next for Houston after deadly storms

We’ll have the latest on relief and recovery efforts in Houston days after deadly storms hit the region and left hundreds of thousands without power.
A new plan for mental health care in Texas and what some Texans say needs to be a shift in priorities.
The Texas delegation to Congress is set to up the stakes in a water fight with Mexico.
A small green beetle, the ash borer, has steadily decimated forests across the U.S. for more than two decades – and it’s recently spread to five new counties in Texas.
This week in Texas music history: recounting the spring of 1963, when Texas’ own Roy Orbison hit the road with the Beatles.
Plus, the antiquated music machines still playing back part of Texas history.

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