Central Texas top stories for October 7, 2025. After AISD released a plan to close 13 schools, some parents are wondering what would happen to the buildings after schools close. A new state law that regulates who can speak on college campuses is shaking up the way one UT Austin group has been operating for decades. CapMetro is preparing to start construction in November for the new North Burnet/ Uptown Station near the Domain. Barton Springs Pool will be closed for most of the day today.
Legislature
KUT Morning Newscast for September 15, 2025: New nonstop flights coming to Austin airport in the months ahead
Central Texas top stories for September 15, 2025. Republican Representative Michael McCaul announced on Sunday he won’t seek reelection to congress. The Texas Legislature formed new House and Senate committees focused on freedom of speech on Texas college campuses. Texas saw the largest increase in the rate of uninsured children in the country between 2022 and 2024. New nonstop flights are coming to Austin airport this fall. The Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District has declared Stage 3 Exceptional Drought. The Longhorns beat UT El Paso over the weekend.
KUT Morning Newscast for September 3, 2025: Austin City Council is updating the City’s comprehensive plan, “Imagine Austin”
Central Texas top stories for September 3, 2025. he Austin City Council is moving forward with updating its comprehensive plan, known as “Imagine Austin.” The clock is ticking on efforts to ban or regulate THC products in Texas. A trial where a former Williamson County sheriff and a current county employee accused of evidence tampering is being picked up. People in Williamson County have a chance today to comment on the county’s proposed new budget and tax rate.
KUT Morning Newscast for September 2, 2025: A new law intended to speed up residential solar panel installation is now in effect
Central Texas top stories for September 2, 2025. Travis County Commissioners are making final adjustments to a $2.2 billion budget, here’s what the county wants to pay for. The Central Health Board of Managers is hearing community feedback on the fiscal year 2026 budget and tax rate. A new law intended to speed up residential solar panel installation is now in effect. The FDA approved updated COVID-19 vaccines, but a lot of people in the U.S. might have a tough time accessing them.
KUT Morning Newscast for August 25, 2025: Deadlines to apply for financial assistance after the July floods are approaching
Central Texas top stories for August 25, 2025. A new lawsuit was filed right after the Texas Senate approved a new congressional map. The deadline for people affected by the July floods to apply for federal assistance is quickly approaching. We had a cooler than usual summer, we’ll explain why. Cheer Up Charlies is saved by community donations once more.
KUT Morning Newscast for August 19, 2025: Texas House Democrats return to Capitol after two-week walkout
Central Texas top stories for August 20, 2025. Today’s the first day of class for 70 thousand AISD students. Texas House Democrats returned to Austin on Monday, ending their 2-week-long walkout and restoring the chamber’s quorum. Austin Community College has been awarded $3.6 million from the state to help create a new semiconductor manufacturing lab. Is it a summer cold… Or is it COVID-19?
KUT Morning Newscast for August 18, 2025: Thousands rally at Texas Capitol against Republican-backed congressional redistricting plan
Central Texas top stories for August 18, 2025. More than five thousand people took to the Capitol in Austin this weekend to protest President Trump and the Texas Legislature’s plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts to give Republicans more seats in the U.S. House. Starting tomorrow Austin’s streets will get busier with AISD going back to class. The Austin City Council adopted a $6.3 million dollar budget and now voters have to decide if they want to pay more property taxes. The man suspected of killing three people outside a Target in North Austin last week has an extensive criminal history. The City of Georgetown’s asking residents to give feedback on the one-point-three billion dollar proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year.
KUT Morning Newscast for August 14, 2025: The investigation into the Leander ISD bus rollover continues
Central Texas top stories for August 14, 2025. After hours of public testimony and debate, the Austin City Council decided to hold off on adopting next year’s budget. School in Leander ISD will be in session as usual today after a school bus rolled over yesterday. After Monday’s fatal shooting at a North Austin Target, advocates are highlighting the need to restrict firearms through “red flag laws.” Tomorrow is the last the of the Texas Legislature’s current special session, but lawmakers will be called back into another special session the same day. More Central Texas school districts are going back to class today.
KUT Morning Newscast for August 12, 2025: AISD released a list of schools to help the school consolidation process
Central Texas top stories for August 12, 2025. The motive is still not clear in the shooting Monday afternoon in the parking lot of a Target in North Austin. The Austin Independent School District has released a list of schools to help decide which ones should close and how school boundaries should be redrawn. Travis County’s public hospital district Central Health will lay out its proposed budget for county commissioners today. Texas House Democrats are into their second week out of state, protesting a Republican redistricting plan, but they say they are willing to come back and attend the special legislative session. Some Central Texas school districts start school today, watch out for more traffic.
KUT Morning Newscast for July 25, 2025: Austin is dedicating more money to preventing and responding hate crimes
Central Texas top stories for July 25, 2025. The Texas state legislature kicked off a series of hearings on redistricting; advocates and elected officials held a rally outside the Capitol. Austin is dedicating more money to preventing and responding hate crimes. A new hotel and convention center is coming to Austin near the Circuit of the Americas track. A gas rate increase was postponed by Austin City Council. Lake Travis is open once more. Residents look for sentimental items among the debris from the flood of the July 5th weekend.
KUT Morning Newscast for July 24, 2025: UT Austin is asking some students for proof of “lawful presence.” Advocates worry this could have ripple effects.
Central Texas top stories for July 24, 2025. The Texas House and Senate’s new special committees on flood relief and preparedness met for the first time yesterday. Austin’s city council could vote today on a measure aimed at addressing a critical shortage of air traffic controllers at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. UT Austin is asking certain students to show proof of quote “lawful presence” by today. Tomorrow is the last day to volunteer with flood recovery through Travis County’s Volunteer Reception Center.
KUT Morning Newscast for July 22, 2025: Texas lawmakers kicked off a special legislative session yesterday, redistricting is on the table
Central Texas top stories for July 22, 2025. Texas lawmakers kicked off a special legislative session yesterday, here’s what you need to know. The number of people missing after deadly floods in Texas dropped dramatically over the weekend, here’s why. Activists in Kyle are calling on City officials to get rid of license plate readers.
KUT Morning Newscast for July 21, 2025: Texas Gas Service wants to raise Austin’s rates for the third time in the last year
Central Texas top stories for July 21, 2025. Texas lawmakers start a 30-day special session today, among the items on the list are redistricting, disaster relief and preparedness. Texas Gas Service, the for-profit utility that supplies Austin homes and businesses with natural gas, has announced plans to increase gas rates by almost ten percent on average. Hays County is set to continue building new roads even after a judge ruled killed a bond passed by voters in November. There’s a new Disaster Recovery Center in Burnet for people affected by floods earlier this month.
KUT Morning Newscast for July 11, 2025: Cedar Park residents hold a vigil for the flood victims from the Austin area
Central Texas top stories for July 11, 2025. Texas House and Senate established flood and disaster committees ahead of the special session. Cedar Park residents held a vigil to honor the lives lost in the Austin area floods last week. The Central Texas Food Bank opened satellite sites to help those affected by flooding. Education advocates are relieved several changes to a federal student aid program did not make it in the final version President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
KUT Morning Newscast for June 24, 2025: Housing bills are set to become new laws
Central Texas top stories for June 24, 2025. Several bills related to housing in Texas are now officially set to become law on September 1st. The city of Hutto is forming a new commission focused on making local government more efficient. There’s a career fair for Austinites looking for jobs in infrastructure and skilled trades.
KUT Morning Newscast for June 23, 2025: Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes THC ban
Central Texas top stories for June 23, 2025. Texas Governor Greg Abbott vetoed a bill to ban products containing THC. Texas’s health system is ranked very low compared to other states. Musicians and music venues are at risk of losing unclaimed grants. Homes in Austin are selling for less but taking longer to sell compared to this time last year. A new pedestrian bridge is coming to East Austin. Today is the last day to give your input on Austin’s 2026 General Obligation Bond.
Here’s what happened with abortion at the Texas Legislature this year
Three related bills prompted substantial discussions in the Texas House and Senate this year. Two of them passed. KUT’s Olivia Aldridge tells us about the main abortion bills that were part of the conversation at the Texas Legislature this year.
KUT Morning Newscast for June 5, 2025: Texas agrees to end in-state tuition for students without legal status.
Central Texas top stories for June 5, 2025. Texas college students without legal status are no longer eligible for in-state college tuition after the DOJ sued the state of Texas. International students at UT Austin are feeling uncertain about their future. Here are the grid-related bills that passed and didn’t pass during the 2025 Texas Legislature. Texas is a step closer to winning the Women’s College World Series. FM 1826 will be closed starting tomorrow until Saturday at 5 pm.
KUT Morning Newscast for June 02, 2025: Power in Austin is fully restored after last week’s storms.
Central Texas top stories for June 2, 2025. Austin Energy says power has been restored to all customers after last week’s storm that left thousands without power. Local health care experts and nonprofits say a federal budget reconciliation bill would put more than 36,000 people in Austin at risk of losing Medicaid. Today the Texas legislature’s 2025 session is coming to a close. The legislature passed a bipartisan bill to let Texas state agencies determine remote-work policies, it heads to the governor’s desk. The season is over for the UT Baseball team. UT’s Softball team will play in the Women’s College World Series semifinals today.
KUT Morning Newscast for May 29, 2025: One person dead and multiple water rescues after last night’s storm.
Central Texas top stories for May 29, 2025. Last night’s storms left one person dead and extensive damage across the city of Austin. Thousands of Austin Energy customers are without power this morning due to last night’s storm. Two bills in the Texas legislature that could have brought Austin’s light-rail plans to a halt appear to be dead. A bill restricting how much land builders can set aside for homes in new neighborhoods looks poised to pass the Texas legislature.