July 4th

Celebrating summer with Willie Nelson, new book releases, aguas frescas & more

With lots of food and fireworks, Texans turn out to mark the Fourth of July – and we’re celebrating with a special program dedicated to summer in the Lone Star State:
Julia Green, the manager at Front Street Books in Alpine, shares her recommendations on new book releases to add to your summer reading list.
Top tips from the barbecue editor at Texas Monthly on how to smoke short ribs in your own backyard.
The backstory of Willie Nelson’s famous Fourth of July picnic.
Mando Rayo, taco journalist and host of the Tacos of Texas podcast, has some suggestions for beating the heat with aguas frescas.
Plus: top songs of the season with a Texas connection.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 4, 2023

Happy July 4th! There’s a lot happening in the Austin area to celebrate the holiday. Also, hear about how to keep pets calm during noisy fireworks. And, one Texas city has new guidelines for special events – after an L-G-B-T-Q plus group was denied entry into a parade last year.

Texas Standard: July 3, 2015

Efforts to step up awareness of possible threats on this 4th of July weekend…just how serious are security concerns? We’ll explore today on the Texas Standard. Nearly 800 million dollars coming to Texas to compensate for the worst oil disaster in history. But how’s that cash gonna be used? And who’s minding the money? Also, a safety net for shale drillers set to expire and a warning about the economic implications.
NPR’s John Burnett joins us to preview his new series on a hush hush crackdown on corruption in South Texas. Plus, the week in Texas politics, your holiday must do list and lots more.