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

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How San Antonio’s MLK march became one of the nation’s largest

It may be the single election day with the greatest power to reshape the Texas political landscape, and yet most Texas voters don’t bother with it. We’ll unpack it today.
Do you know when the Texas primaries are? Plan to vote in them? The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey joins us with the often-misunderstood stakes of primary season.
Two weeks after the U.S. military action in Venezuela, why some in very pro-Trump Midland are worried about the bottom line.
Plus, the San Antonian behind one of the biggest MLK Day celebrations in the nation.
Those stories, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and more.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org

Houston ISD has half the nurses it did last year

Healthcare providers and people on both sides of Texas’ abortion ban are working together – kind of – on an effort to clarify the law.
The VA is trying to trim its budget without affecting patients. A closer look at the plans and their potential holes.
The number of nurses in Houston public schools has dropped by 50% in the past year. Now there’s an effort at the Texas Capitol to set requirements for having nurses on campuses.
What you need to know as the federal government restarts collections on federal student loan borrowers in default.
And: We’ll introduce you to Porfirio Salinas, the Texas painter who captured the Hill Country in a way that inspired Lady Bird Johnson.

Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support our work by becoming a sustaining member at supportthispodcast.org.

Measles outbreak spreads in rural West Texas

A measles outbreak in rural West Texas is rapidly spreading, with 49 cases confirmed. We’ll check in to see how the hospital in that region is responding.
The Texas Metropolitan Blueprint is an ambitious five-year plan to help policymakers confront the state’s explosive population growth.
Gov. Greg Abbott is warning Texans to prepare for what could be the coldest winter event in state history.
Plus: What do federal job cuts mean for national parks – and will they affect Texas?

Catholic leader dismisses Arlington nuns amid ongoing dispute with Fort Worth diocese

A new public TV documentary titled “Our Texas, Our Vote” delves into the diversity of Latino voters’ perspectives and priorities.
For over 18 months, the nuns of an Arlington monastery have clashed with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth. Now, a Vatican-appointed overseer has dismissed the sisters from their duties.
A Houston ISD basketball coach has been labeled the “kingpin” behind a $1 million scheme that allegedly led to hundreds of unqualified teachers obtaining certification.
Also: The Jesus Lizard returns with its first album in 26 years and tour dates in Texas this week.

A rare strawberry moon lights the Texas sky this week

It’s been a year since the state took over the Houston Independent School District. How has that affected student scores on the STAAR test?
How the state’s rules on diversity, equity and inclusion may put an end to some university scholarships.
Why more hedge fund managers are making their home in Texas, rather than New York.
A new book examines a family’s long-buried history and pivotal role in shaping the state.
And: How Texans can take in a rare strawberry moon as summer begins.

An Indigenous perspective on the solar eclipse from a traditional healer

In a long-running securities fraud case against Ken Paxton, a deal has been reached that will let the attorney general avoid trial or an admission of guilt.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in what could be the most important case on reproductive rights since the Dobbs decision, this time on access to medication abortion.
Autonomous vehicles are getting a lot of bad press. Could smart roads pave the way to self-driving cars and trucks? A smart highway in Texas may put that to the test.
Marika Alvarado, who describes herself as a “direct descendant of generations of Medicine Women: traditional native healers of body, midwives and plant medicine,” shares her Indigenous perspective on the solar eclipse.
And: A UT San Antonio professor has dubbed the upcoming eclipse “the most profitable 22 minutes in Texas history.” Bulent Temel joins the show with more.

Drilling down on the state takeover of Houston schools

Today, the Standard debuts “The Drill Down,” a new segment highlighting enterprise journalism from our partners across Texas. Today we’ll hear from Dominic Anthony Walsh of Houston Public Media on where things stand more than six months into the state’s takeover of the Houston Independent School District.

Democrats challenging Ted Cruz for his seat in the U.S. Senate debate for what may be the only time before the primaries. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of The Texas Newsroom shares more.

And: A 90-year-old program designed to help blind or visually impaired people find jobs is losing participants, with many leaving because they can’t make a living.

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.

‘Good Night, Irene’ follows a courageous woman’s story in the WWII Red Cross

It was the second hottest summer on record for Texas, but is it safe to ask if it’s over? What to expect as a cold front pushes into Texas. Matt Lanza of Space City Weather with a look at whether today marks a turning point.

Gun violence numbers are changing how many feel about safety in a North Texas suburb. KERA’s Caroline Love with more from Allen.

Google launches an effort to combat spam, but will it work? Tech expert Omar Gallaga with more.

A border bottleneck raises red flags as Texas ramps up truck inspections.
And a Texas Book Festival preview with the author of ‘Good Night, Irene’.

Suburban school districts revolt against ‘recapture’ funding

What does Ron DeSantis really want from Texas? Jeremy Wallace of the Houston Chronicle weighs in on the GOP presidential candidate’s curious Texas tour.

Two North Texas school districts, Keller and Carroll, take steps to challenge one of the lynchpins of state education funding: revenue recapture.

What the auto strike means for the evolution to electric vehicles.

Fantastic Fest, a terrifying film festival that’s the biggest of its kind in the world, is back for its 18th year in Austin.

And we’ll meet the youngest reporter to cover Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial.

Which major city in Texas has the worst weather?

Ken Paxton’s impeachment and Senate trial was the biggest political story in Texas in decades. History will no doubt recall what transpired over the previous two weeks at the Capitol, but how much do most Texans know that anything happened at all?

A state-imposed superintendent for Houston schools rolls out what he calls the New Education System – and it’s getting a lot of pushback.

Remembering Latina scientist Elma Gonzalez.

And with frequent hurricanes in Southeast Texas, and twisters up north … which big city has the worst weather in Texas, and why?

Challenged on the right, progressive Corpus Christi DA seeks higher office

Gov. Greg Abbott has been ordered to remove a controversial buoy barrier from the middle of the Rio Grande.

Among the new laws now taking effect in Texas are new penalties aimed at cracking down on illegal voting. But just how much of a departure from the past is it? The Standard’s Sean Saldana has more.

Facing a trial to force his removal, Mark Gonzalez, a progressive DA in Nueces County, has resigned and announced a challenge to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

And we’ll hear from Pedro Martín, the author and illustrator of “Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir,” a graphic novel about a road trip to Mexico already being called an instant classic.

An old shipwreck was found in coastal East Texas. What’s in it?

 

How to prepare and stay safe amid high wildfire danger

With low humidity and winds picking up across Texas, a growing wildfire threat has prompted officials to raise the state’s preparedness level. What should Texans be doing to prepare for the danger of wildfires?

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is facing not one but two Democrats with considerable name recognition as he prepares to try to retain his Senate seat.

A conversation with Ire’ne Lara Silva, Texas’ poet laureate.

And there are growing concerns about artificial intelligence in Zoom amid recent changes to the app’s terms of service.

Uvalde mariachi team’s win was a bright spot in a year of darkness

Why couldn’t Republicans who control the Legislature see eye to eye?

There’s a cost to Texas taxpayers that comes with the Legislature going into overtime. Professor Mark Jones of Rice University helps us crunch the numbers.

The Texas Education Agency is expected to take over the Houston Independent School District on Thursday. We’ll take a look at what state-appointed managers face once they start getting settled in.

How did a fight over state incentives to attract business in Texas turn out – and did business boosters get what they wanted?

Plus, the young mariachi band that gave Uvalde something to cheer for.

Reflections on Martin Luther King Jr.

Texas marks MLK day with parades, celebrations and reflections on the life and the impact of a giant in the civil rights movement. Coming up, civil rights scholar, teacher and author Peniel Joseph with reflections on what the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have thought of today’s political and social landscape. Also with the Texas Legislature in recess until tomorrow, a look ahead at what to expect in this second week of the 88th session. And if you bought it, you can fix it… unless it’s a tractor? How the farm became a focal point in a fight over the right to repair. And concerns about an oil spill in the Gulf activists say hasn’t been cleaned up. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 23, 2022

With record numbers of detentions at the border, where do we stand with immigration enforcement? We’ll have the head of Customs and Border protection today. Also with fewer than 50 days until statewide elections, today the second interview in our look at the Agriculture Commissioner’s race. Yesterday it was the democratic challenger. Today, our conversation with incumbent republican Sid Miller. Also details of a new survey of Texans on gun regulations and, in the wake of Uvalde, the psychological impact on parents, teachers and students. Plus concerns about a shortage of certified teachers in the classroom, the week that was in Texas politics and more today on the Texas Standard:

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