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KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond

Policy

TxDOT wants to bury a highway. The Dallas City Council wants to get rid of it.

Tenure is on the agenda in the Texas Senate this week, as lawmakers weigh a bill that would end the practice for the new faculty at public colleges and universities.

The Texas Department of Transportation wants to bury Interstate 345, a 1.4-mile stretch of highway that connects Dallas to its Deep Ellum neighborhood. But the Dallas City Council wants to get rid of it.

A Hill Country destination looks beyond tourism: The city of Kerrville gets busy on a plan to attract industry.

Pro sports teams shunned gambling on games, but now, Texas’ 11 top franchises are teaming up to legalize sports betting in the Lone Star State.

What’s happening at the Cutoff in East Texas?

As cities grow, so do tensions between state and local officials over policy direction. A bipartisan coalition of 18 big city mayors team up to press state officials over top priorities. What they’re planning and more in our conversation with the mayor of Fort Worth. Also, how transgender youth and their families are gearing up to fight several new proposals in the GOP led Texas legislature. And an update over public access to a beloved east Texas body of water called The Cutoff. Plus rising grocery prices and the SNAP gap for those needing help to get food on the table. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 14, 2022

A crack in the governor’s crackdown on inspections of commercial border traffic. But the supply chain likely to remain tangled. We’ll have details. Also three top staffers for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo indicted in a contract award scandal. Why and what it might mean for a politician considered to be a rising star among Texas democrats. And a Texas university told it cannot charge out of state students more for tuition than undocumented students. What the decision could mean for colleges and universities statewide. Plus a case 75 years ago that shook the separate but equal status quo in Texas and beyond. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 9, 2020

And we have a winner. What changes for Texas in a Biden- Harris administration, and how quickly? With the presidential contest now called, attention turns to fixing what’s broken and moving forward. We’ll have some projections from a veteran politics watcher and professor. Also, the states top law enforcement official facing a mushrooming scandal and new questions about how much longer he can hang on as Attorney General. And digging a little deeper into the Latina turnout in so-called battleground states. Plus, not your parents biodiesel: as oil prices fall, attention, turns to renewable diesels. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 18, 2019

An indefinite stay. What’s next for death row inmate Rodney Reed, who had been set to be executed on November 20th? We’ll have the latest. Also, once sleepy counties on the edges of our biggest cities starting to boom: the changing face of the Texas suburbs. And a hold up at the police station? Why some say law enforcement agencies are preventing vulnerable immigrants from getting special visa designed to get them out of harm’s way. Also, a large Catholic diocese wants to provide foster care services without penalties for LGBT discrimination. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 12, 2019

A push for teacher pay raises, but what about other state workers? State employees take to the streets in protest, we’ll have the latest. Also, the student government at Texas State university votes to ban a conservative student group. What the president of Texas State has to say about allegations of an attempt to curb conservative speech at the university. And there’s Lollapalooza, there’s ACL fest, and a new music festival for west Texas? Many locals say not so fast. Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more today on the Friday edition of the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 12, 2018

The president’s gamble over tariffs: why Texas may be in the crosshairs if Europe decides to go tit-for-tat. We’ll have a conversation with the EU ambassador. Plus, full speed ahead for the general election? For dozens of Texas candidates, the brakes are still on for the runoffs. We’ll lift the curtain on what it takes to get past the next political hurdle. And is a historic part of downtown El Paso ready for the bulldozer? Some residents say no one prepared them, and they’re pushing back. Also evangelical women in the era of Trump and me too. After allegations from a porn star and more, can Trump still count on support from the religious right? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 3, 2018

North Korea wants to re-open communication with South Korea, and protests in Iran raise tensions. We’ll explore how the U-S might balance these dual crises. Also, the flu is going around. Doctors say wash your hands, stay home when you’re sick and, yes, get the flu shot – even though it might not protect you. Plus, if you’ve been on the roads at all this holiday season you might have this question: why do Texans speed so much? We’ll try to answer it. And a question for you: hows that New Year’s Resolution going? Feel like you’re about to burn through your self-control already? Some advice from Texas researchers about to keep your motivation battery running. Those stories and a whole lot more on todays Texas Standard:

12th & Chicon: Austin’s Affordability Crisis

Dr. Eric Tang is an associate professor at the Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis at UT-Austin. After analyzing that data a few years back, Tang wanted to look more closely at why African-Americans were leaving Austin – specifically, East Austin. KUT’s Jennifer Stayton spoke to Tang about this new research for our On My Block series.

V&B – Intersection of Policy & Scholarship

Tom Philpott of Mother Jones Magazine and KUT’s The Secret Ingredient leads the conversation with eminent economist James K. Galbraith and Michael Lind, co-founder of New America.

Texas Standard: October 25, 2016

By all accounts, a record setting first day of early voting. Some motivated by fears of funny business at the ballot box. How well founded? We’ll explore. Also a few things possibly overlooked in the conversation about a Texas based telecom giant taking over Time Warner: such as what if AT&T gets into the journalism business? Plus, a construction boom in north Texas. Workers needed, for sure, but the real shortage some say are managers. What’s being done to deal with the shortage. And at one of the nation’s top centers for drug abuse data, a discovery: when it comes to the drug war, the numbers don’t add up. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 8, 2016

As the US celebrated the big game, North Korea staged a surprise missile launch. Are America’s eyes on the right ball? Also, Victory tomorrow in the Granite State may be important but it pales in comparison to what’s up for grabs in Texas. We’ll hear how the democrats are chasing Texas delegates. And explosions, fires melting roadways, accidental deaths—6000 miles of unregulated pipelines have some asking why so little scrutiny? From Ebola to Zika: what makes Dallas ground zero for US cases? Those stories and lots more on todays Texas Standard:

Green Room: Pakistan, “The Warrior State”

Dallas and Houston are home to some of the biggest Pakistani-American communities in the U.S. They are doctors, I.T. professionals, entrepreneurs–people taking advantage of opportunities denied them in Pakistan. After more than a half-century of independence, what keeps Pakistan from moving forward? Award-winning scholar T.V. Paul offers a new explanation in his illuminating new book “The Warrior State.”

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