Central Texas top stories for October 1, 2024. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed another lawsuit yesterday against Travis County. Rental assistance in Austin’s new city budget. Austin voters will soon decide who’ll represent them on the City Council. The San Marcos City Council is moving forward with a plan for the city’s future development.
Ken Paxton
KUT Afternoon Newscast for September 30, 2024
Central Texas top stories for September 30, 2024. This September has been one of the driest ever recorded in Austin. A deal between Baylor Scott & White Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas will keep health services in-network for thousands of Texas patients. Today is an Ozone Action Day. Attorney General Ken Paxton filed yet another lawsuit against the Travis County Commissioners Court. Delta Airlines is launching five new routes out of Austin this spring. Applications open tomorrow for the City of Austin’s first ever poet laureate program. U.S. News and World Report ranked Huston-Tillotson University as the number one private historically Black college and university in Texas.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for September 27, 2024
Central Texas top stories for September 27, 2024. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the City of Austin. Austin ISD voters will soon be deciding whether to approve a new tax rate that would generate millions of dollars in additional revenue for the district. Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium just became the first soccer-only stadium in the world to earn TRUE Gold certification. A big expansion of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is officially cleared for takeoff. You’ve got a chance tomorrow to get a first look at new plans for the future of I-35. Travis County wants to get the word out about a new scam call tactic.
Texas Extra: The Poll Party
Barely half of Texas voting age population turned out for the 2020 presidential election. And the story is worse for young voters. We wondered, what can we do about that? So the Texas Standard joined forces with our home music station, KUTX, and the UT Austin student station, KVRX, for what we called a poll party. The focus was issues important to young voters. But we think there’s something here you might find interesting no matter your age.
KUT Morning Newscast for September 18, 2024
Central Texas top stories for September 18, 2024. Travis County filed a federal lawsuit accusing state leaders of violating the National Voter Registration Act. Austin has seen a rise in its older population over the last decade, that’s according to a new Census survey. Travis County Commissioners postponed a vote on the budget for Central Health. Barton Springs pool will open tomorrow. The Austin History Center is hosting conversations with the community to celebrate Hispanic/Latino Heritage month.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for September 6, 2024
Central Texas top stories for September 6, 2024. UT-Austin fell in the bottom ten out of more than 250 institutions nationwide in a ranking of the best and worst colleges and universities for free speech. Potential fraud in the application process has raised questions about the Texas Energy Fund. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Travis County today over a program encouraging voter registration. The Cheneys throw their support behind Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. Austin’s Bat Fest is tomorrow. Del Valle ISD is getting a new acting superintendent after the current one announced his retirement. Longhorns visit The Big House this weekend. This should be a better weekend than last to fill up your gas tank.
Alamo Trust battles to keep Ferris wheel out of historic neighborhood
Rick Perry, the longest-serving governor in Texas history, is returning to the Capitol as an adviser for House Speaker Dade Phelan. What it means for Texas politics.
Five years after a mass shooting in Odessa, a new sculpture rises in hopes of helping the city heal.
Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the State Fair of Texas and the city of Dallas over a gun ban at the fair.
A fast-spreading disease is threatening grape harvests and vineyards across the state.
And: The Alamo Trust is working to block the construction of a proposed Ferris wheel near the historic site.
Ken Paxton sues Bexar County over plan to mail out registration forms to unregistered voters
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Bexar County over a plan to reach out to unregistered voters with applications.
After two years of missing its recruitment goals, a new Army college partnership is helping recruits in San Antonio get their GEDs.
Amazon is trying to save its Echo program with a major artificial intelligence upgrade for Alexa. Tech expert Omar Gallaga with the how and what’s at stake.
And: A conversation with author Alejandro Puyana, a Venezuela native now living in Austin, on his debut novel “Freedom is a Feast.”
Preserving the legacy of the Kilgore Rangerettes
Is an investigation by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton protecting the balloting process or an attempt to suppress Latino voters?
CenterPoint Energy tries to repair damage to its relationship with customers after many were left without power following Hurricane Beryl.
A decade of drone research at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, what does the future hold?
Our Texas Museum Map project looks at the high-kicking legacy of the Kilgore Rangerettes and how they led the way for halftime entertainment.
And: In East Texas, newly hatched horned lizard babies offer hope for the future of the threatened species.
What can Austin learn from Dallas about covering I-35 with a park?
Former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has won the Democratic nomination to replace the late Sheila Jackson Lee on the November ballot for Texas’ 18th Congressional District.
More and more Texas jurisdictions are sending people awaiting trial to other states and counties. What effect is this having on criminal justice?
As Frito pie season returns, Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong dives into the rich history and lore of the iconic dish.
TxDOT is starting work this summer to expand and lower Interstate 35 through downtown Austin, and the city and University of Texas want to install large decks over the highway that could have parks on them. It’s a concept that already exists in Dallas, and KUT’s Nathan Bernier went to check it out.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for July 24, 2024
Central Texas top stories for July 24, 2024. How this week’s rain affects Austin’s water supply. Austin’s City Council is looking into capacity issues at the Austin Animal Center at today’s budget meeting. A Hays County Judge has dismissed a lawsuit Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed against the City of San Marcos over its ordinance decriminalizing low-level marijuana possession. A break from the rain and the heat today.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for June 21, 2024
Central Texas top stories for June 21, 2024. The Texas Medical Board has adopted a final rule intended to guide doctors in navigating the emergency medical exception to state abortion law. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking for another shot at throwing out Austin’s marijuana laws. The Austin ISD school board has adopted a budget for the next school year that includes a 78-million-dollar deficit. A former Hays County corrections officer no longer faces criminal charges in an incident in which he fatally shot a fleeing inmate. Leander is looking at using more artificial turf to cut down on the amount of water used for landscaping. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport will get new baggage screening equipment soon. Austin Community College is seeing a big increase in enrollment for its upcoming semester.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for June 13, 2024
Central Texas top stories for June 13, 2024. The Texas power grid is getting new reliability standards. There’s new information about the evidence tampering case against former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody. The Texas Education Agency has released standardized testing results that show high schoolers’ proficiency in math has not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. A Cedar Park church’s Pride flag keeps getting stolen. A look into the decision to dismiss Texas Attorney General’s lawsuit against Austin over its voter-approved ordinance decriminalizing low-level marijuana possession. Dripping Springs is bringing in a sixth elementary school in fall 2025. New maps from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows a mixed bag.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for June 12, 2024
Central Texas top stories for June 12, 2024. Ascension hospital system believes some patient data may have been affected by last month’s ransomware attack. State lawmakers met for a second time this week to talk about the future of the Texas power grid. Summer meal programs in Austin. A Travis County Judge has dismissed a lawsuit targeting Austin’s voter-approved ordinance decriminalizing low-level marijuana possession. The University of Texas at Austin will require nearly all staff members to return to work on-site full-time. A new study could make the long-promised high speed passenger rail a reality. The Zilker Eagle takes flight. Sony buys Alamo Drafthouse.
How Mexico’s new president could affect U.S. relations
We’re bringing you the latest on Mexico’s historic presidential election in today’s edition of the Standard, hosted by Angela Kocherga from Mexico City. How will Claudia Sheinbaum, the country’s first female president, approach governing and U.S.-Mexico relations?
Is Attorney General Ken Paxton using consumer laws to promote his political agenda? Investigative reporters looked into the issue.
What another mega-merger of two Houston-based oil industry heavy hitters means. This is just the latest in a series of acquisitions across the U.S. oil patch.
And: A new grocery store offers culinary variety and sustainability in San Antonio.
Communities begin cleanup following deadly North Texas tornado
Deadly storms, including a tornado, ripped through North Texas over the weekend, killing at least seven people and injuring 100 others. We’ll have an update on the latest recovery efforts.
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins this week, will be “extraordinary,” forecasters warn.
Our monthly deep dive into investigative reporting, The Drill Down, takes a closer look at the federal investigation into Ken Paxton. Could Texas’ attorney general still face charges?
After years of expanding, some pharmacies are closing their doors – what that could mean for the corner drug store.
And: The state’s lowrider culture is on display in a new exhibit at the Bullock Texas State History Museum.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for May 23, 2024
Central Texas top stories for May 23, 2024. Children at Risk has found nearly 50 zip codes in the Austin area qualify as childcare subsidy deserts for low-income families. Travis County’s Medical Examiner’s report into the impacts of the opioid epidemic in Central Texas. FBI probe into Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Waymo being investigated by NHTSA. Gas prices are trending downward heading into memorial day weekend. Stormy weather helps drought conditions.
Texas Eclipse Festival attendees with disabilities describe treacherous conditions
Landowners in southeast Texas say they should be able to sue the state over their flooded property, and the U.S. Supreme Court agrees. People in Winnie, Texas, say their land only started to flood after the state rebuilt part of nearby Interstate 10. Now, they can seek compensation for the damages.
Live music seems more expensive, but are musicians getting paid more? Not really. We’ll talk to someone trying to change that.
And the attorney general crusades against a media outlet on behalf of Elon Musk.
What ‘Cowboy Carter’ says about Blackness, Beyoncé and country music
Questions are still swirling around the deal cut with Attorney General Ken Paxton over securities fraud charges, with prosecutors pointing fingers – at each other. Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy of The Texas Newsroom has the latest.
As Texans prepare for a once-in-a-lifetime moment, why some say viewing Monday’s total eclipse could make you a better person.
Beyoncé’s exploration of country music in “Cowboy Carter” has sparked conversations about genre stereotypes and cultural boundaries.
Plus: the week in politics with The Texas Tribune.
What’s next for Ken Paxton?
After reaching a deal to dismiss securities fraud charges, Ken Paxton’s political fortunes appear on the rise. What’s next for the attorney general?
One day after a US abstention in a UN Gaza cease-fire vote, how some Arab Americans in North Texas are planning to make their voices heard at the ballot box.
The San Antonio Police Department is getting pushback over the its participation in an international competition alongside police forces the U.S. State Department says have violated human and civil rights.
And with a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse on the horizon, a UTSA astronomy professor talks us through what to watch for in the hours and minutes before and after the main event.