KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts
KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond
(Episode 2) As archeologists uncover more graves, a new person is added to the team. Catrina Banks Whitley specializes in studying human remains. And after a few months, she thinks she knows who these people might be.
The full transcript and a collection of materials, letters and reports are available on our Sugar Land podcast website.
(Episode 1) The Fort Bend Independent School District is set to start building a new school in the sweet city of Sugar Land, Texas. After years of planning, contractors finally break ground on the site. But the very next day, someone shows up with a warning: Be on the lookout for bodies.
Archival audio in this episode is courtesy of Sugar Land Heritage Foundation and provided by Texas Archive of the Moving Image.
The full transcript and a collection of materials, letters and reports are available on our Sugar Land podcast website.
Sugar Land, Texas, is a city with a sweet reputation … but it’s hiding a dark secret. The suspected remains of 95 convict laborers were discovered during the construction of a new school. Who are they and why are they there?
Economists call it political theater, but the implications of failure to reach a debt ceiling deal are very real.
As Washington faces a debt deadline, lawmakers in Texas race to beat the clock on the end of the legislative session, and one issue in particular could send them into overtime: The latest on the big divide over cutting property taxes.
With much of this session focused on culture war issues, where do registered voters in Texas stand? A new survey from the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation may offer more than a few surprises.
It’s do or die for the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup race.
And a toxic worm that’s got Texans talking.
Early voting is underway statewide for the May 6 elections. What’s at stake? A roundtable of reporters survey the landscape.
New emissions rules from the EPA could mean some big changes coming to Texas coal plants.
Changes to a bill restricting purchases of property by citizens of China, North Korea, Russia and Iran aren’t good enough, says Texas State Rep. Gene Wu. He says it’s discrimination.
And an axe murder in a North Texas suburb in the 1980s is now the focus of a new HBO Max series. We’ll talk to the director of “Love & Death”.
Yes and no signs proliferate in San Antonio over Prop A. What’s behind the city’s so-called justice charter?
In Kyle, a corrections officer indicted in the shooting death of a person awaiting trial, and a family’s struggle to find answers.
Taking the STAAR tests online. Should there still be a paper option?
A push for more transitional housing for Muslim’s recently released from incarceration.
The story of a world premiere in Dallas for one of the most downloaded poets in the U.S.
And the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.
Attorneys for a man convicted of fatally shooting a Black Lives Matter protester in Austin in 2020 are asking for a retrial – a request that comes after Gov. Greg Abbott asked the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to review the conviction.
The debate over school vouchers, or a variation called education savings accounts, has just passed by the Texas Senate. Are there parallels with a decades-old debate over charter schools in Texas?
In Llano County, after a federal order to return books with LGBTQ -and race-related content to library shelves, commissioners today take up whether to close down the library system altogether.
Also: What could be a new tipping point in offshoring jobs.
After the Texas Education Agency’s announcement that it will take over the Houston Independent School district, we’re taking a look at what previous state takeovers could signal for this one.
“Stand up and be heard” – that’s what we’re often told to do when the Legislature’s in session. But how does one do that, exactly? We’ll hear a step-by-step primer.
Our go-to tech expert Omar Gallaga shares some key takeaways from the tech side of South by Southwest.
Plus, the creators of “The Lady Bird Diaries” join us to talk about the new film.
School vouchers, now styled as school choice, are back before state lawmakers. They have been rejected in the past, but will this year be different? Senate Bill 8 would provide Texas parents with an education account, taxpayer money that could be used to send students to private school. And the bill has special features designed to win over traditionally reluctant rural Republicans.
The Houston Independent School district braces for the implications of a state takeover.
Jamie Landers of the Dallas Morning News has put together a fuller picture of what happened with a string of crimes at the Dallas Zoo.
And seven Texas teams are spicing up March Madness on the men’s side.
Two lawsuits in Texas, one in Galveston and one in Amarillo, have potential impacts on a post-Roe v. Wade world. SMU legal scholar Seema Mohapatra on the implications for people seeking abortions in Texas and beyond.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn says he plans to block a Biden administration proposal that would allow thousands of migrants to live in the U.S. while their asylum cases are being considered.
We talk to Dr. Nicola Fox, who has been named NASA’s new head of science – a dream gig that comes with a $7.8 billion budget and responsibility for more than 100 missions.
And a new book, “The People’s Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine,” claims a hospital in Houston could serve as a model for improving health care access nationwide.
An orange haze, a vicious wind, in some places visibility cut close to zero – is an exiting dust storm a warning of more? With high winds expected to return later this week, what the layers of dust across Texas may tell us about changes to our climate.
A recent survey from the U.S. Census Bureau revealed roughly four out of five Houstonians are stressed out about recent price increases – raising the question of whether Houston still deserves its long-held reputation as one of the most affordable large cities in the country.
Tens of thousands protest against the president in Mexico amid concerns about threats to elections there.
A bill set to raise the penalties for illegal voting in Texas gets the green light from a Senate committee.
On Rare Disease Day 2023, we’ll hear how advocates for people with such diseases are pushing for change.
And an online hack targeting Asian Texans.
Lawmakers at the Capitol are considering changes to how Texas handles bail. The push would give judges more leeway to deny bail for violent offenses – and Democrats may have a considerable say in what happens.
More fallout from this month’s ice storm: why the Texas capital city may be looking for a new city manager soon.
Amid concerns about rising prices, layoffs and more, the Dallas Fed weighs in with a forecast on the Texas economy.
And why a can of diced tomatoes – you know the one – has such a rabid Texas following.
Last night’s State of the Union touched on immigration, inflation, gun violence and other issues. Richard Pineda of the University of Texas at El Paso joins us with analysis of the annual message by the president to Congress.
A legal challenge to an abortion drug and a possible decision from a federal judge in Amarillo that could come as early as this week, with potential implications nationwide.
Wage gains for migrants filling jobs in the U.S. and why a visa program for seasonal workers may not be working for U.S. employers.
And author Lawrence Wright on the astonishing transformation of the Texas capital city.
One year after an attack on a synagogue in north Texas: an appeal to fellow Texans to step up the fight against antisemitism. We’ll have details. Other stories we’re tracking: with a record surplus, a legislative wishlist from leaders of higher ed in Texas. And which comes first, chicken or eggs? Inflation forcing some tough choices for many Texans as grocery prices scramble home budgets. Also dry January? Or just drier than usual? Some considerations for those resolving to abstain from alcohol in the new year. And a post apocalyptic video game transformed into a TV series. Actor Gabriel Luna on the show’s ties to Texas as well as his own plus much more today on the Texas Standard:
Millions of dollars in tax incentives for renewable energy are now in limbo with a decision from the Texas Supreme Court. A flood of applications for millions of dollars in tax breaks overwhelmed the system before a New Years deadline. We look at what happens to all those unprocessed applications now that the state Supreme Court has said it won’t force the state to process them. Also how many voters in Harris country were prevented from casting a ballot due to problems at the polls? A new report that leaves many critical questions unanswered. And why warning signs were ignored before the chaos of Southwest Airline’s big holiday meltdown. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
New laws that took effect, decisions from the courts that made history, the fight for social justice and more; it’s 2022 in review. With the Texas Legislature set to reconvene in just days, it’s worth looking back at how much Texas changed over the past 12 months, and what those changes may tell us about what’s to come in the new year. We’ll turn a spotlight on politics and a campaign season that didn’t turn out as expected, the economy, technology and much more as we reconsider the year that was across miles and miles of the Texas, today on the Texas Standard:
After a year covering miles and miles of Texas, what did our producers pick as standout stories? With a new year dawning, we asked our team of producers and reporters to hand pick some of the standout stories we’ve shared over the past 12 months. From amateur astronomers making celestial discoveries to a reconsideration of labor leader Cesar Chavez, and a mysterious tradition involving a certain Sam Houston. We offer a collection of unforgettable voices and tales from 2022 today on the Texas Standard:
In 2022, Texas played more than just bit parts on screens big and small. We look back at the year that was for Texas on film and TV. We’ll have our conversation with one of the most celebrated directors of the Lone Star State, Richard Linklater, on his movie about growing up in Texas at a time when the US was aiming for the moon. Also an actor and comedian from Houston by way of Kuwait, Mo Amer, on his hit Netflix series and what his title character tells us about the Texas of today. And South Texas born comedian, actor and author, Cristela Alonzo on her streaming success, and gettin middle classy. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Oh the weather outside is gonna get frightful, how low could temperatures go? And what should Texans do now to be prepared? All of the state expected to be affected by plummeting temperatures. We’ll check in with the Dallas Fort Worth office of the national weather service for the latest. Also a standoff between the U.S. and Mexico over corn. Most of Mexico’s corn comes from the U.S., but Mexico’s president is considering a ban, one that could have major ripple effects for both countries. Also, the latest on a newspaper strike in Fort Worth. And Michael Marks with the story of one very expensive Longhorn. All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
After a little more than a year in office, the Texas Secretary of State is stepping down. We’ll look at why, and what it means for Texas. Other stories we’re tracking: how a Texan who may be mulling a presidential run in 2024 could, win or lose, shake up politics in Texas in a big way and why. Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas Morning News explains. Also the murder trial of a former Fort Worth police officer gets underway after lengthy delays. We’ll hear more. And the rise and fall of crypto and its impact on the Texas power grid. Plus, TCU: Cinderella no more as the Horned Frogs land in the college football playoffs. All that and then some today on the Texas Standard: