A Texas House committee is set to debate school choice legislation this week, reviving a contentious issue that’s repeatedly stalled in the lower chamber.
Since San Antonio’s annual César E. Chávez March for Justice began in 1997, musicians Los Inocentes have composed ballads telling his story.
An investigation into child abuse deaths in Texas reveals a system that often left children in unsafe homes while closing cases too soon. Texas Public Radio’ Paul Flahive shares more about his new series, “When Home is the Danger.”
And: The Standard’s Raul Alonzo returns to Corpus Christi to reflect on the impact of Selena, 30 years after the Tejano icon was killed.
Legislation
West Texas hunter stumbles upon rare mammoth tusk fossil
Weekend winds toppled trucks and fueled wildfires, one of the worst of which is still burning north of Fredricksburg. We’ll get the latest on the Crabapple Fire, which has burned almost 10,000 acres.
A hunters’s day out in West Texas leads to an unexpected archaeological trophy: the discovery of a mammoth tusk in a dry creek bed.
And: The brackets are set for the race to the college basketball championships, and several men’s and women’s teams from Texas are part of the madness.
What are current struggles signaling for Texas-based Tesla?
The Legislature is considering bills that would lift restrictions on how Texas’ maternal mortality committee can investigate maternal deaths, including by reviewing abortion-related deaths.
Looking for a Tesla? Or trying to sell one? How politics appears to be reshaping the market for the Texas-based company long considered the leader in the electric vehicle space.
Also: Seismic activity in West Texas prompts regulators to put the brakes on the subsurface injection of wastewater. But one company appears to be flaunting the directive.
‘Uvalde Mom’ profiles woman behind viral act of bravery
Protests planned and hearing scheduled at the Capitol this week. The issue? Taxpayer money for private schooling. Blaise Gainey of the Texas Newsroom with the latest on what to expect this week at the Legislature.
Millions in federal funds to help legal immigrants is now being held up in D.C. How is this affecting services in Texas?
Prices at the pump – how are on again/off again tariffs having an impact on what we’re paying?
A new documentary debuts centering on the woman dubbed by the media as the “Uvalde Mom.”
Also, dismay among many Texans who work with fabric and crafts as a mainstay retailer unravels.
Troops may return to Big Bend National Park
With a hot, dry summer looming, how some state lawmakers want to reduce the risk of wildfires.
It’s been decades since active-duty troops patrolled Big Bend. Now they may be headed back to the national park.
Nearly two years after one of the deadliest human smuggling incidents in Texas, a look at how victims’ families and survivors are coping.
And: We’ll check in with the Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey about the week ahead at the Legislature and what’s coming up for school funding.
Major airlines target rule setting standard for disability accommodations
What would be the implications for a Texas constitutional amendment “protecting the right of parents to raise their children”? Blaise Gainey of The Texas newsroom tells us who’s pushing it and the questions surrounding it.
Texas-based Southwest and American Airlines are joining with Delta, JetBlue and United to ask a court to overturn a rule requiring them to meet higher standards for accommodating passengers with disabilities.
The measles outbreak spreads beyond West Texas, with possible exposures at the San Antonio Riverwalk and at San Marcos’ Texas State University.
Plus: The Texas Ballet Theater will soon debut new commissions from women choreographers for the first time in about 20 years.
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?
Why Texas’ paid parental leave plan isn’t working
It took a while, but the Texas House now ready to take action on some closely watched legislation. Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom gets us up to speed on the week ahead under the pink dome.
A new study assesses the severity of water access problems in colonias, unincorporated communities with long-standing infrastructure issues.
What happens after an ICE raid? Cactus, Texas, still feels the impact.
In 2023, Texas lawmakers touted a business-friendly paid parental leave insurance program – but two years later, few businesses are offering it, and most new parents still can’t afford to take time off.
And: Lights, camera, Texas? How some big stars are teaming up to bring in more movie production.
What does the Farmer’s Almanac say about Texas’ winter?
Gov. Greg Abbott announced his priorities over the weekend, and it looks like lawmakers in his party are getting right to work.
The Arlington City Council unanimously approved a drilling site that would put 10 new gas wells within a few thousand feet of homes, a daycare and elementary schools. A closer look at the debate.
The impact of bird flu goes far beyond the price of eggs. The latest on how it’s affecting Texas farms and people.
As we’ve well heard, Elon Musk is taking a big role, attempting to re-shape the U.S. government. The young engineers helping him do it.
Plus: It’s feeling a bit like spring already in Texas, but there’s still winter ahead. What the Farmer’s Almanac predicts for the coming months.
Why did the Mavericks trade Luka Doncic?
With a de facto North American trade war set to begin tomorrow, Presidents Donald Trump and Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico announce a one-month delay on tariffs in exchange for added troops at the border.
What we learned in Gov. Greg Abbott’s State of the State address, where he announced some unexpected priorities.
And: A surprise deal by the Dallas Mavericks to trade away star Luka Doncic is sending waves of disbelief among Dallas fans and pro basketball nationwide.
A&M’s next giant leap is the Texas Space Institute
It’s still election season in the Texas Legislature, where there’s a race for speaker of the House of Representatives. We’re taking a close look at the top two contenders this week, starting today with Rep. Dustin Burrows.
Billy Bob Thornton, who’s long been an honorary Texan, has earned his eighth Golden Globe nomination for his role as Tommy Norris in Taylor Sheridan’s new series, “Landman.” He joins the show today.
Plus: Last month, the Texas A&M Space Institute broke ground near NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Director Nancy Currie-Gregg shares the details.
Lawmakers start filing bills for 2025 legislative session
More than 1,500 bills were filed yesterday for the upcoming Texas legislative session. What they tell us about looming fights in the new year.
What some immigrant rights groups in Texas are doing to prepare for expected changes in enforcement as President-elect Trump promises mass deportations.
As high season for holiday shopping gets underway, consumer advocates warn about the growing popularity of “buy now, pay later” loans.
Also: A conversation with Texas-based actor David Del Rio, who’s part of the “Matlock” reboot.
15 Texas restaurants have received a coveted Michelin star rating
The Texas Supreme Court remains firmly in Republican hands after the election. What that means for cases the court will decide.
For the first time, Michelin has awarded its coveted stars – along with other designations – to restaurants in the Lone Star State.
Texas is in the wake of a solar panel boom. But not everyone who’s had them installed on their roof is happy about the decision.
Amid soaring childcare costs, voters approved a tax rate increase to help pay for it in Central Texas.
And: A new research project at the International Space Station examines the impact of microgravity on human heart tissue.
Sul Ross raises its own bucking horses to keep rodeo tradition alive
We’re taking a look at the new laws that took effect in Texas on Sept. 1.
Hauling freight on trains is a multibillion-dollar industry in Texas. The latest on safety concerns.
A report from the Paralympics in Paris, where Texans are making a strong showing.
Sul Ross State University in Alpine is the birthplace of collegiate rodeo – and is now raising their own bucking horses.
And: Standup comedian Sheng Wang, a Houston native, is bringing his comedy back to the Lone Star State.
Supreme Court puts Texas’ immigration enforcement bill on hold
Senate Bill 4, which would allow Texas police to arrest people suspected of crossing the Texas-Mexico border illegally, is currently on hold after a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Texas Newsroom’s Julián Aguilar has the latest.
Why researchers and teachers are raising red flags over the state’s fully online STAAR tests for public school students.
A one-of-its kind 10K – with half its course in the U.S. and the other half in Mexico – drew hundreds of runners to El Paso.
And: The best U.S. coin design of 2023 features Jovita Idar, a journalist and activist from Laredo.
YouTube chef blends her Texan and Indian roots in new show
State Sen. John Whitmire defeated U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in the runoff election to serve as Houston’s 63rd mayor. We’ll take a look at what his win may mean for the state’s biggest city.
The borderlines of two South American countries have long been in dispute. How a recent re-ignition of the argument may have just as much to do with politics as it does with oil.
School districts across Texas have been hoping for an increase in funding. Why even some with large tax bases are struggling to make ends meet.
When you think of climate activists, who comes to mind? It may surprise you which age group says it’s become a top issue for them.
And we’re talking food unique to Texas – not BBQ or Tex-Mex, but South Indian-Texan cuisine. Chef Deepa Shridhar joins with more on her YouTube series “KanDeepa Texan.”
Is this the end of efforts to keep Fairfield Lake State Park public?
For the first time in modern memory, the Texas House is set to take up a school voucher-like plan.
How do you put a price tag on a state park? We’ll hear more about the challenges facing Texas Parks and Wildlife as it tries to reclaim parkland purchased by developers.
In a dramatic U-turn this week, China’s president appears to be trying to warm up to the U.S. Some clues as to why might be found in a new report from the Dallas Federal Reserve.
Also: What some forecasters are calling a “super El Niño” is coming soon to Texas.
The long push for using public dollars to pay for private schools
What the battle over charter schools in Texas 30 years ago reveals about the fight that’s currently underway at the state Capitol over changes in education policy.
Serious questions abound about the reliability of a highly in-demand fighter jet built in Fort Worth.
The legend of La Llorona – the crying woman – no doubt arrived in Texas with the earliest Mexican settlers and has haunted our rivers, lakes and streams ever since. Commentator W.F. Strong shares one version of the story.
Plus, a political crisis in Guatemala and the implications for migration.
A budding pipeline fight highlights activists’ changing tactics
What does the first day of Attorney General Ken Paxton’s historic impeachment trial tell us about what remains ahead? The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán joins us from the Capitol with a recap.
We’ll hear the latest on a new fight over a natural gas pipeline in West Texas – and how new strategies by opponents of such development are getting traction.
Among the new laws now in effect in Texas is a requirement for those who want to run for county sheriff.
The sister of Botham Jean, who was killed in Dallas five years ago, has written a new memoir, “After Botham: Healing from my Brother’s Murder by a Police Officer.”
Plus an update on wildfire dangers statewide.
KUT Morning Newscast for August 30, 2023
Central Texas top stories for August 30, 2023. Critical fire conditions for central Texas. “Death Star” bill and what it means for Texas cities. Dripping Springs school safety work.