Housing availability is too low across Texas – and the cost to buy a home is just too high. We’ll have the details of a new report that shows the middle class feeling the brunt of the housing crunch.
Seniors were some of the hardest hit during the power outages caused by Hurricane Beryl. What’s being done to protect them before the next storm?
FEMA applications for damage caused by Beryl have far outpaced any other recent storm in Harris County, even Hurricane Harvey.
What we know about how CEOs are using artificial intelligence to make high-level executive decisions – and when humans should step in and override AI’s choices.
And: UT and Oklahoma are now in the SEC. If you don’t really get why that matters, we’ll have the cliff’s notes as college football season kicks off.
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State of Texas defends lack of prison A/C in federal court
Does the lack of air conditioning in Texas prisons amount to cruel and unusual punishment? A state prison official testifies that heat levels contributed to three deaths last summer.
The Great Springs Project aims to someday create a whole new route between San Antonio and Austin – via hike and bike trail.
Rick Jervis, author of the book “The Devil Behind the Badge,” shares the 2018 story of a string of murders in Laredo by a Border Patrol officer.
And: Is there a connection between West Texas wildfires and unregulated power lines?
Former Houston police chief speaks out about ouster
Today in Houston, one of the first speeches by the new presumptive Democratic nominee for president, though not formally a campaign speech. Vice President Kamala Harris delivering the keynote to the American Federation of Teachers meeting in Texas’ biggest city.
Also in Houston, a former police chief alleges he was pushed out to bury a department scandal.
With more frequent extreme weather, Texans are worried about keeping the lights on: Californians? Not so much. What we might learn from their experience.
And you’ve heard “Hooray for Hollywood,” but what about Waco? Lights, camera and all the action on today’s Texas Standard.
Remembering iconic Texas actress Shelley Duvall
Five days after Hurricane Beryl’s landfall, more than 800,000 Texans are still without power as frustrations and questions rise along with the heat – and officials say half a million people may not get power back until next week.
Thirty-five percent of Texas students scored zero on the writing portion of STAAR test, raising big questions about the jump in low scores as computers take over the grading process.
Remembering Fort Worth native Shelley Duvall, who made a big mark on Hollywood and left it all for the Hill Country.
Also: the week in politics with The Texas Tribune and poetry from the Typewriter Rodeo.
A visit to the traditional Mexican rodeo in San Antonio
One year later, a survivor of the Allen mass shooting talks about his long road to recovery.
New water rules take effect in the Rio Grande Valley as some border cities cope with historically low reservoirs.
With the rise of cloud-based services and AI, the demand for power has soared. What it means for the state Texas.
A new book by University of Houston professor Brandon Rottinghaus takes a look at the political life of Rick Perry, Texas’ longest-serving governor.
And we’ll go to a charreada in San Antonio where Mexico’s rodeo skills are on display.
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?
Is high school football on the decline in Texas?
A conversation with state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a self-described progressive Democrat who’s running to challenge Ted Cruz for his U.S. Senate seat.
Three years after the big freeze that plunged most of Texas into darkness, a new bill aims to connect the state to neighboring electric grids. Mose Buchele of KUT in Austin has more.
A big change for the Texas STAAR tests: student essays graded by computer. How does that work, and how fair is it?
And: Is football still king in Texas? A Washington Post analysis looks at the sport’s rise and fall across the country.
Is the industry ready for Beyoncé’s country music album?
As Texans prepare to cast their first ballots in 2024, a conversation with Colin Allred, one of the top Democratic challengers for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Ted Cruz.
Lubbock throws the switch to join Texas’ open electricity marketplace – for better, and some fear, for worse.
A new ‘queen’ of country music? Houston-born Beyoncé generates buzz with a stylistic shift.
Also: Commentator WF Strong on a notorious Texas partnership in crime, and a love story at the heart of it.
A report from Eagle Pass after a weekend of immigration protest
A bipartisan bill to address border security: one that mandates that President Biden shut down the border. David Martin Davies with more on the Senate bill on immigration and border security and an update on border protests over the weekend.
What appears to be the first human brain chip implant by Elon Musk’s Neuralink is raising concerns about safety, consent, and transparency. We’ll hear from a medical ethicist who’s been studying the implications.
In El Paso, a new exhibit that highlights a surprising relationship between humans and ducks.
And the thousandth PolitiFact check of Donald Trump – what the numbers say.
Food safety & tree protection tips as Texas awaits an arctic blast
Most parts of Texas are preparing for a big freeze as an arctic front moves in. We’ll have the latest on what to expect, plus how to prepare your trees to survive a Texas winter and tips on food and food safety in case the power goes out.
The U.S., U.K. and other allies have launched retaliatory airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen; some fear it could expand global tensions and widen the conflict ongoing in Gaza. A UT expert on global studies weighs in.
Plus: The week in politics with The Texas Tribune.
As arctic front looms, how is the electric grid looking?
As Texas braces for a true blast of wintry weather, how much should we be worried about the power grid holding up? Mose Buchele of KUT in Austin is monitoring the power grid and joins us with the latest.
Federal funding cuts for special education could hit Texas hard.
Many Texans who are eligible for Medicaid aren’t signed up. Will Bostwick shares more on his reporting for Texas Monthly.
And: Remembering a musical British invasion of Texas more than a decade after the Beatles.
Exploring the Lone Star State with the evolving Texas Almanac
Charges have been dismissed against 17 Austin police officers accused of assault during racial justice protests of 2020. Andrew Weber of KUT has more.
A prison assault and what records suggest about a lack of transparency over security and safety in Texas lockups.
First published in 1857, the Texas Almanac has evolved and changed hands several times. We’ll hear about the 72nd edition of the journal from its managing editor, Rosie Hatch.
Worried about the power grid holding this winter? Why Houston Chronicle columnist Chris Tomlinson says, he, for one, isn’t.
And a tradition for football fans of the Cowboys, hundreds of miles from Big D.
Celebrating a century of Texas state parks
Dozens of Texas school districts have sued to stop changes in the A-F grading system used to evaluate schools.
The manager of the state’s power grid is out with a new forecast for winter. How prepared is Texas for another statewide freeze like 2021?
Israel, Hamas and disinformation on social media: Tech expert Omar Gallaga joins us with more.
New numbers in the race for mayor of Texas’ biggest city.
And a new book written by longtime Texas conservationist George Bristol, “Texas State Parks: The First 100 Years,” tells the story of how the state’s parks began.
KUT Morning Newscast for September 25, 2023
Central Texas top stories for September 25, 2023. Hail storms across Central Texas cause power outages and damage. New COVID vaccines are available. Round Rock votes on teacher raises.
Dungeons & Dragons becomes lifeline for some Texas death row prisoners
When it comes the electric grid, every megawatt counts during peak demand. Industrial batteries have long been seen as a potential game-changer for energy storage. We’ll have details about how they’re coming online in the Lone Star State.
A new vaccine for COVID-19 will be in pharmacies soon. An epidemiologist lays out what you and your family needs to know.
Plus, Dungeons & Dragons on death row, the latest headlines, and a school finance revolt in North Texas.
Railroad Commission approves South Texas coal mine expansion
In the first Republican debate of the new presidential election season, an issue top of mind for Texans – border policy – takes center stage.
The Texas Department of Transportation is giving a final green light to a highway expansion in downtown Austin that would add at least four lanes and get rid of the road’s existing upper decks.
There’s pushback on solar development in rural northeast Texas.
Energy regulators greenlit a 12,000-acre expansion of a South Texas coal mine on Tuesday, despite locals’ environmental concerns.
And with strays being turned away by many animal shelters, a first-time cat owner – the Standard’s Sean Saldaña – reflects on his first month with his new pet.
Carbon capture is coming to the King Ranch
High winds, unrelenting heat and lots of dry vegetation are feeding a Stage 4 wildfire warning across the state.
As heat remains a major story in Texas, the electric grid has managed to hold out in a summer of record highs.
New technology advances mean that geothermal energy may soon become a bigger part of the nation’s energy generation mix.
Some recent major rulings on gun laws and where we stand in Texas.
And the Energy Department is financing two carbon capture projects, including one at the famed King Ranch in Kleberg County.
Could Texas connect to other electric grids?
A Texas redistricting challenge is being described as an important test of the Voting Rights Act.
Federal regulators are considering a rule that would force Texas to connect to other electric grids.
With Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial set to begin in the state Senate soon, attorneys for the suspended attorney general have asked for the case to be dismissed, citing the “prior-term doctrine.”
Understanding the new “right to farm” protections going into effect next month – and why they should matter to city dwellers, too.
Also, remembering Texas saxophonist Arnett Cobb.
KUT Morning Newscast for July 17, 2023
Central Texas top stories for July 17, 2023. ERCOT weather warning. Does watering foundations help? Powerball winnings rise.
Everything you always wanted to know about the Texas energy grid
Texas senators met yesterday to talk about two divisive issues: property taxes and the impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton. So where do things stand?
Can Texas’ power grid withstand the heat? We’ll get detailed on supply and demand.
A new book from journalist Dan Solomon, ‘The Fight for Midnight,’ reimagines Wendy Davis’ 2013 abortion filibuster as YA fiction.
And a new law protecting trap-neuter-release programs for cats will soon go into effect – but some say there’s a problem no one considered.