We’re checking in with polling places from one end of the Lone Star State to the other as Texans cast their ballots on decision day 2018. How are the lines looking at the polls? If you’re not in line, you’re about to find out as we touch base reporters statewide for the latest. Also, who actually counts all those ballots and without a paper trail, what then? We’ll explore how the sausage gets made on election night. And in other news, the famous Texan who’s remixing black feminism. You’ve heard of Beyoncé? You’ll wanna hear this. Plus the rare bird returning to the Texas gulf coast. All of that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Housing
Texas Standard: October 12, 2018
Turkey says it has tapes of the murder and torture of a Washington Post columnsit at the hands of the Saudis. How should the U.S. respond? The disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is creating geopolitical ripples, as Turkey works with U.S. officials over the Khashoggi affair, and this morning, orders the release of a U.S. pastor detained there. Also, counting casulaties in the wake of Hurricane Michael: after Hurricanes Harvey and Maria, why the numbers don’t seem to add up. Plus, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more. No matter where you are, it’s Texas Standard time.
Texas Standard: October 10, 2018
As a Category 4 hurricane bears down on the Florida panhandle, parts of Texas Hill Country try to recover from flash flooding. Also, after family separations at the border, a new concern grows: an AP investigation finds deported parents in danger of losing kids to U.S. adoption. Plus, do student athletes have a fundamental right to be protected from concussions? We’ll hear of a closely watched civil rights lawsuit filed by parents of an injured player. And a claim from the campaign trail: is marijuana really legal in most states? We run it by Politifact. All that and more, today on the Texas Standard.
Texas Standard: September 27, 2018
A new phase in the fight over the Kavanaugh nomination gets underway, raising questions of what due process means in the Me Too era. The latest on the confirmation of President Trump’s high court nominee and placing the proceedings in a different sort of historical context. Also, the 5G revolution: experts tell us it will change our lives. But as local officials look at regulation, the Feds now say hands off. Tech guru Omar Gallaga with what’s at stake. All of those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
CodeNEXT
Join host Rebecca McInroy along with Syeda Hasan of KUT News, Architect David Carroll, Jennifer Todd, Principal Planner with The City of Austin, and Dr. Dean Almy to de-code this controversial plan, talk more about what it means to build a city and find out what CodeNEXT could mean for you.
Texas Standard: April 18, 2018
A first lady and political matriarch, but a thought leader? We remember Barbara Bush and her intervention in an American crisis of compassion. Plus, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee sides with 4 liberal justices in an immigration case. The shape of things to come? A Texas legal scholar has his doubts, we’ll hear why. And Houston’s so-called Dangerous apartment epidemic. We’ll hear the charge and how the city’s responding. Also, choppy waters: a lawsuit challenges a longstanding licensing rule for maritime pilots. And in the US capitol, are Texans the only statues bearing arms? We’ll Politifact check that claim and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 20, 2018
86 cents of every dollar donated to state-level campaigns in Texas went to Republicans. We’ll do the numbers. And it’s here: early voting is underway for the Texas primaries. We’ll explore the rules behind where you can cast a ballot and why. And a city on the Texas coast is making plans to become the first new cruise ship port-of-call in about half a century. We’ll talk with the mayor leading the effort. Plus, a big U-S company is changing the way they do healthcare and it’s turning some heads. It may surprise you which company it is. And we’ll also hear from the filmmakers behind a new movie about an event that thrust one Texas city into the national spotlight a few decades ago. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 18, 2017
Governor Abbott says city politicians are trying to California our Texas. Hurting the Texas brand. But CEOs say there’s something far worse. The story today on the Standard.
Happy first day of the special session. Coming up, what to expect and today’s listener question: Why can’t the lege work faster?
The Texas housing boom of 2017 —look closer: who’s really buying all those houses? And why does it matter?
Are police cruisers making Texas cops sick? A nationwide investigation with its epicenter, the Texas capitol city.
And Lyle Lovett remembers a master craftsman.
What’s Up With Those Handmade ‘We Buy Houses’ Signs Around Austin?
You’ve probably seen them while driving around town –- those handwritten signs next to the road with messages like: “We buy houses for cash! Call now!” What are they about, and why?
Texas Standard: May 26, 2017
Tasers are supposed to be a less-lethal tool for police. But sometimes they still result in deaths, we’ll explore. Also the double-s word is getting thrown around again: special session. We’ll check in on the Texas Legislature as lawmakers set to wrap up. And Texas sheep and goat ranchers are losing animals to predators. How an old-world solution could help. Plus a job interview in Houston like you’ve never heard of before. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 16, 2017
Spy satellite photos made public plus a disturbing allegation against Syria that raises the specter of war crimes, we’ll explore. Plus reporting on the border has always been a challenge, but now it’s deadlier than ever, and some fear a shadow of silence spreading over Mexico. We’ll explain. Also Texas set to become the first state to test a new policy permitting states to withhold funds from groups like Planned Parenthood. And police seizures of personal assets: cars, money, you name it, without proving any underlying crime. A new push in Texas to end what critics call highway robbery. And how do you lose 46 million dollars? A newspaper helps Texas’ biggest city find lost money. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
12th & Chicon: Live Broadcast Wrap-up
In October, KUT embarked on a project to tell the story of a neighborhood in transition: the area around 12th and Chicon streets in East Austin. Decades ago, it was a center of black life in the city, but over the past few years, the forces of gentrification have taken hold. We opened a bureau there to maintain a presence in the neighborhood and allow residents to see KUT reporters on a daily basis and help us determine the stories that needed to be told.
12th & Chicon: Surviving the Development
KUT’s Jennifer Stayton spoke with Nefertiti Jackmon, executive director of Six Square, and Natasha Madison of the 12th Street Merchants’ Association at a live broadcast during Morning Edition from the Urban Co-Lab on 12th and Chicon streets. This is an excerpt from the entire broadcast which can be heard on another episode of this podcast.
12th & Chicon: Austin’s Affordability Crisis
Dr. Eric Tang is an associate professor at the Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis at UT-Austin. After analyzing that data a few years back, Tang wanted to look more closely at why African-Americans were leaving Austin – specifically, East Austin. KUT’s Jennifer Stayton spoke to Tang about this new research for our On My Block series.
Texas Standard: March 13, 2017
Did Texas Republicans draw up districts intentionally to dilute minority voting strength? A federal court says yes: now what? It used to be known as the spinach capitol of the world. These days, it’s famous as the city where nearly every top official was charged with corruption. Crystal City: one year later. Also: it’s part of the lure of Texas: affordable homes. Maybe not so much anymore? A new warning from the Dallas Fed. Plus the top ten places for bibliophiles? A Texas road map for readers…all that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
12th & Chicon: Allowing Denser Housing
Neighborhoods in East Austin are not immune to the difficult deliberations over housing density, affordability, and when a “tear-down” truly needs to be labeled historic. City council and the Historic Landmark Commission are challenged with weighing the rights of a homeowner and the desire to preserve Austin’s history.
12th & Chicon: Preserving History
Ebony Acres, a historically black neighborhood in East Austin, is at the crossroads of preservation and development. With some homes slated for demolition, some neighbors are trying to slow the tides of change.
12th & Chicon: Rising Land Values
Changes in the population of Austin, and the people now living here, are creating opportunities, but they’re also causing tension between the newcomers and the old-timers. The impact in East Austin can be seen through new construction as well as felt by residents.
Why Does It Take So Long to Get Anything Built in Austin?
Austin residents are no strangers to orange cones dotting the highways or construction cranes in the sky. But one KUT listener wondered: Why does it take so long to get anything built around here?
Texas Standard: May 16, 2016
Is there a way to stop skyrocketing prescription prices? A Texas congressman calls for aggressive therapy, we’ll explore. Also should drugs developed with taxpayer support have the patents pulled when prices get too high? A Texas democrat rallies his colleagues to push the Obama administration to do just that. We’ll talk with him. Plus nine people were killed in the Waco biker shootout…and so far no one has gone to trial. One year later what we know—and what we don’t. And dog bites man is news once again…how to keep from being bitten, and what not to do. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard: