Ocean

The Texas State Aquarium balances marine conservation and hurricane challenges

The Texas State Aquarium has a spot right on the edge of the Corpus Christi Bay – and storms in recent years have provided lessons that staff put in place for Hurricane Beryl.


There’s tons of evidence that most extreme weather hits communities of color the hardest. As Texas recovers from Beryl, what’s being done to address that?


A new court system in Texas designed just for business matters opens in September with judges appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott.


And: Cameras in your earbuds and health data tracked in a ring? We’ll check in on the latest in wearable technology.

Houston starts cleanup after Hurricane Beryl tears through the region

Hurricane Beryl makes its mark on the Texas coast. Now, the cleanup begins. We’ll hear what’s happening from folks on the Gulf Coast.
Tariff talk was all the rage about four years ago. Now, not so much. But is the Biden administration doing business any different from its predecessor?
And: The State of Texas is putting a lot of money and effort into a border wall. But at its current pace of half a mile per week, it will take approximately 30 years to complete. We’ll have the latest.

Tracking the unprecedented rise in ocean temperatures

Rising temperatures in the forecast this week. Will blackouts come with them? ERCOT, the state’s electric grid operator, says the power might go out this week.
Did a doctor in Houston keep patients from receiving organ transplants? His own hospital is investigating.
And becoming a psychologist is expensive, but Texas is trying to make it cheaper. Could it make mental health care more accessible too?

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.

The Bright Light Social Hour: “Ocean”

On an atypically gray and rainy day in Texas, we can all appreciate the warmth of some good indie-style illumination. And celebrating the 11th anniversary of their eponymous debut this weekend is longtime KUTX favorite The Bright Light Social Hour, the psych-pop connoisseurs who’ve graced both Studio 1A and KUTX at the Four Seasons with their presence in the past. The beloved Austin four-piece takes their sweet-but-sinister sonics to the Mohawk this Saturday for a KUTX Presents event, but if you’re the type who can’t get enough water even in a downpour like today’s, check out a previously-unreleased accoutrement of The Bright Light Social Hour‘s 11th Anniversary Edition, the spellbinding “Ocean”!

Texas Standard: April 26, 2019

It was a perp walk with the TV cameras rolling as the mayor of Edinburg and his wife were led to court in handcuffs. An attorney general’s investigation into allegations of election fraud result in charges for the top official in Edinburg as city officials say they’re standing by their mayor, we’ll have the latest. Also, sea turtle season returns as researchers declare a long term effort to learn more about the critters. Plus, understanding the hype over the new Avengers movie, the week in politics and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: June 19, 2017

What looks like the first major storm of the hurricane season building up off the coast of the lone star state. We’ll have an eye on the sky. Also as professional storm watchers keep an eye on the gulf, a coastal Texas city struggles with keeping its head about water during normal downpours. In need of a hero, Galveston turns to the sand sucker. Plus, artificial caps on kids getting special education services. An investigative story sparked outrage and calls for reform, but how’s that goin? And after years as the top settlement state for refugee families, barriers often remain. How volunteers are trying to remove language as one of them. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 19, 2017

A police pension crisis creating big problems in Dallas. Now has a solution that appears to make all sides happy, we’ll explore. Also legislation being pushed by Texas Republicans could benefit Democrats, so why do Dems oppose it? We’ll check it out. And a new music festival in San Antonio that may be the first like it anywhere… how “Good Vibrations” is reaching an otherwise under-served audience. Plus it’s Friday so that means we’ll hear from the Typewriter Rodeo and wrap up the week in Texas Politics. All that and more today on the Standard:

Texas Standard: March 24, 2017

A vote on health care? Or something else? As republican leaders scramble for votes, what does it mean to be a republican? We’ll explore. Also, 15 percent of UT Austin women have been victims of rape according to the accidentally released details of a landmark study. We’ll hear about the survey and how the numbers got out. And prayer rooms in public schools: does Texas have a problem with that? Why a side of soy sauce might come with that next southwestern dish. James Brown with a dash of Jimi Hendrix? How Black Joe Louis is messing with Texas music is a very good way. Plus the week in politics and a whole lot more. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 13, 2016

President Obama takes a victory lap in his last State of the Union, and Republicans still aren’t impressed. Why are environmentalists in Texas asking for federal intervention and what the state has to say about it. Does a big power ball jackpot equal a big payout for Texas public schools? You might be surprised by the answer. And Why is America obsessed with the Texas teen with affluenza? What’s making news where you are? Tweet us at hashtag Texas Standard…no matter where you are, it’s Texas Standard time: