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

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Why Texans can’t vote on abortion or marijuana anytime soon

The fourth largest earthquake on record in Texas struck Wednesday out west, renewing concerns about fracking and seismic activity. Erin Douglas of the Texas Tribune with more on yesterday’s temblor and what researchers and regulators are saying about it.

The latest on a runoff for mayor in Texas’ biggest city.
In San Antonio, plans to close several public schools getting pushback from communities targeted for closure.

The economics of electric vehicles: Is the race to EVs losing power?

And voters in Ohio approve ballot measures on abortion and marijuana this week. Why such measures aren’t likely to land on Texas ballots anytime soon.

How Texas voted on 14 statewide propositions

The votes are in, and Texans have given the green light to 13 of 14 amendments to the Texas constitution. The Texas Tribune’s Karen Brooks Harper shares a rundown of how the state propositions fared.
Public media reporters statewide join us with updates on key local races across the Lone Star State.

Nuclear power plants, once the target of major protests, are now winning over many Texans looking for lower carbon energy alternatives.

And what some have considered a guilty pleasure: Why more readers are taking the plunge into romance novels. One of the genres’ top authors, Ali Hazelwood, joins us.

Exploring the tale of the Chupacabra

A deal over school vouchers at the Legislature – or high political theatre? As Gov. Greg Abbott declares victory, others have their doubts. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of The Texas Newsroom shares the latest.

You’ve heard of solar farms, but how well do animals share that land? Why agrivoltaic farms are popping up all over Texas.

And our spooky season isn’t over. The Texas Standard’s Kristen Cabrera explores the story of the arguable king of the Texas cryptids: the Chupacabra.

Four African American Mayors, pt. 2 (Ep. 48, 2023)

On this week’s In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. presents additional highlights from the 2023 National Urban League Annual Conference in Houston, Texas, featuring comments from Mayors Sylvester Turner of Houston, Eric Adams of New York City, Karen Bass of Los Angeles, and Brandon Johnson of Chicago, hosted by Conference President and CEO Marc H. Morial.

The real history behind Goatman’s Bridge is scarier than any ghost story

After almost seven weeks, striking autoworkers reach deals with the Big 3 automakers. Why Texas played a critical role.

Scientists recently got to see a collision of two stars in space – and its aftermath.

The president has released an executive order on artificial intelligence. How far does it go, and will it go far enough?

The tale of Goatman’s Bridge has a history that haunts Texas to its core. The Standard’s Sean Saldana takes us to Denton for the story.

And: What would Texas cryptids look like in real life? We visited an elementary school art class to get some ideas.

How artificial ocean reefs can help fight climate change

A special session is at an impasse over one of the governor’s top agenda items: Gov. Greg Abbott says if the Texas Legislature doesn’t pass his proposal to use tax dollars to cover private school tuition, he’ll keep calling lawmakers back to the Capitol until they do.

Remembering Roky Erickson, a Texas pioneer in psychedelic music.

A marine science professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is leading a project to build an artificial reef to capture carbon and reduce global warming.

Why seasonal pop-up stores like Spirit Halloween haunt efforts at smart urban planning.

And we’ll talk to Paul Bowman, an archaeologist by profession – and also a Bigfoot expert who’s tracked the elusive sasquatch all over East Texas and Oklahoma.

SpaceX satellite debris could fall from the sky and kill people, FAA report says

Where do we stand with education in the special legislative session? With Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas House at a deadlock over school vouchers.


The Federal Aviation Administration estimates that by 2035, one person could be injured or killed by falling SpaceX Starlink debris every two years.


As the World Series gets underway tonight in Arlington; North Texans share what their hometown Texas Rangers mean to them — and why they’ve never lost faith.


Also: the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.

Why bird watchers are flocking to Texas cemeteries

Early voting is now underway in Texas – but what’s on the ballot? We’ll get caught up on the 14 constitutional amendments Texans are being asked to weigh in on, ranging from property taxes to education, infrastructure and more.

First it’s Exxon mobil scooping up Pioneer, now Chevron acquiring Hess. Is it a new era of mergers and acquisitions in the oil field – and if so, why?

Final resting places are also surprisingly active sites for a certain group of hobbyists. The Standard’s Raul Alonzo has more with “Cemetery Birding” author Jennifer Bristol.

And the Texas Rangers are off to the World Series after defeating the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the ALCS.

Public school teachers in Texas are protesting vouchers. They’ve enlisted plumbers to help.

A federal judge strikes down a redistricting map in Galveston County, saying it violated the rights of Black and Latino voters, and gives the county until Oct. 20 to fix its maps.

Public school teachers plan to travel to Austin to fight a plan to use taxpayer money to pay for private tuition. Who’ll teach the students when the teachers are gone? You might be surprised.

As Texas’ population swells, so does empty office space. We’ll dig into what that signals.

And: We continue our month of Tracking Texas Cryptids with the spooky story of La Lechuza.

Celebrating a century of Texas state parks

Dozens of Texas school districts have sued to stop changes in the A-F grading system used to evaluate schools.

The manager of the state’s power grid is out with a new forecast for winter. How prepared is Texas for another statewide freeze like 2021?

Israel, Hamas and disinformation on social media: Tech expert Omar Gallaga joins us with more.

New numbers in the race for mayor of Texas’ biggest city.

And a new book written by longtime Texas conservationist George Bristol, “Texas State Parks: The First 100 Years,” tells the story of how the state’s parks began.

We’re tracking Texas cryptids all October

From guns to religion, free speech and more, a very loaded docket awaits the Supreme Court as it begins a new term.

Why a race for Houston’s top financial officer is getting so much attention.

A plan to consolidate schools in San Antonio could leave behind almost 20 empty buildings – and the district needs to figure out what to do with them.

As the dollar strengthens, other currencies weaken. But there’s a notable outlier: We’ll look at why the Mexican peso seems to be doing so well.

Also, as the spookiest month of the year gets started, a look at why Texas is so full of mysterious creatures unconfirmed by science.

Marc H. Morial (Ep. 44, 2023)

This week on In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. presents an address by and a conversation with Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of The National Urban League at the historic Civil Rights organization’s National Conference, held this summer in Houston, Texas.

Bears are returning to Texas, whether we’re ready or not

A state law, dubbed the “Death Star bill” and designed to preempt a large number of local ordinances, has been ruled unconstitutional by a Texas judge. But the battle’s far from over.

A new state budget takes effect Friday, with a large portion earmarked for border security.

Decades ago, black bears were all but driven from the state by overhunting and population growth. The bears are back – will Texans co-exist with them any better this time around? The Standard’s Michael Marks reports.

‘Death Star bill’ could destroy local protections for renters

As police departments across the nation back off dangerous high-speed car chases, the trend in Houston is running the opposite direction.

Texas is about to pull out of a multi-state partnership designed to curb voter fraud. Why, and who’s behind the shift?

There’s a hearing tomorrow in a challenge brought by several cities to a new Texas law barring local governments from passing ordinances on labor, agriculture, finance – and even the rights of renters.

Also, Texas author LaToya Watkins on her new book, “Holler, Child,” cited by many critics as one of the most highly anticipated of 2023.

Chronic wasting disease threatens deer and Texas’ hunting economy

With an impeachment trial looming, suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton is facing new scrutiny from the feds in San Antonio, with a federal grand jury convened to hear from witnesses close to him.

Emergency steps are being taken due to a disease threatening the state’s $4 billion deer hunting industry. The Standard’s Michael Marks has more.

In the final month of the hottest season in Texas, DJ Susan Castle weighs in on the question: What’s the ultimate Texas summer song?

Also, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.

Unraveling the ‘Iron Pipeline’ of gun smuggling from Texas to Mexico

Following the state’s takeover of Houston schools, a plan to eliminate libraries and use the space for kids who misbehave in class.

Watch that water bill: Not only is use up, some municipalities are raising rates to try to drive down demand.

A three-part series explores how the Texas Attorney General’s Office became an incubator for conservative legal strategies that are reshaping Texas and the nation. Eleanor Klibanoff of the Texas Tribune joins with more.

A new focus on trying to cut down the flow of arms from Texas into Mexico.

And we’ll talk to Sethward, the Texan who’s become a viral sensation for losing on “America’s Got Talent.”

64,000 Texans stand to benefit from Biden student loan forgiveness

More people in Texas are set to benefit from student debt forgiveness than in any other state.

The Houston Police Department has released a comprehensive report on its investigation into the 2021 Travis Scott Astroworld festival tragedy.

Texas’ major cities are on track to lose lots of jobs to AI, and soon – San Antonio tops the list; Austin and Dallas are not far behind.

Also, billions of dollars have been announced for rural broadband, but apparently there’s a disconnect when it comes to funding the buildout.

What can Texas teach California about dealing with homelessness?

As temperatures rise, so does gun violence. What does this mean for a Texas already struggling with climate change?

A new study on police response times in Texas’ biggest city and what it hints at for other departments elsewhere in the state.

Send in the clones – after Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, are any of the alternates gaining traction?

California doesn’t often turn to Texas for policy tips, but more and more lawmakers from the Golden State are taking a closer look at how Texas cities are handling homelessness.

And a new book on the sitcom’s role in shifting attitudes toward the LGBTQ community.

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