A natural gas pipeline fire leads to evacuations in the Houston area.
The University of North Texas Health Science Center suddenly suspends its business using unclaimed corpses.
Also, Texas voters approved $5 billion dollars to pay for upgrades and new power plants, but now there are concerns about one of the finalists for funding.
Plus, Texas is not a battleground state but there could still be some surprises at the ballot box. We’ll explain.
And a new book examines the role of motherhood on the border.
PUC
KUT Afternoon Newscast for June 13, 2024
Central Texas top stories for June 13, 2024. The Texas power grid is getting new reliability standards. There’s new information about the evidence tampering case against former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody. The Texas Education Agency has released standardized testing results that show high schoolers’ proficiency in math has not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. A Cedar Park church’s Pride flag keeps getting stolen. A look into the decision to dismiss Texas Attorney General’s lawsuit against Austin over its voter-approved ordinance decriminalizing low-level marijuana possession. Dripping Springs is bringing in a sixth elementary school in fall 2025. New maps from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows a mixed bag.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for February 1, 2024
Central Texas top stories for February 1, 2024. The number of pregnant teens in foster care increased last year. Reaction to the Texas Attorney General suing 5 Texas cities over marijuana policies. Texas Children’s Hospital opened its first location in Central Texas. Mental healthcare is a top priority for statewide jail reform. An Austin lawyer says the University of Texas at Austin violated students’ free speech rights. The Public Utility Council of Texas has a new Interim Executive Director. Longhorns Basketball.
How Texas lowering requirements to become a teacher in the 2000s impacted the profession
As the first week of a fourth special session draws to a close, the Senate passes a voucher-like plan for education.
A teacher shortage and what a new study tells us about the implications of past plans to bring in and retain teachers in Texas classrooms.
The independent market monitor for the Texas power grid steps down after blowing the whistle on what she claims were artificially inflated energy prices.
Texas, once a red-hot housing market, has lost a lot of sizzle, yet many still struggle to get a house of their own. We’ll take a closer look at what’s happening.
Plus, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and poetry with the Typewriter Rodeo.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for November 9, 2023
Central Texas top stories for November 9, 2023. Airport safety. PUC monitor steps down. Childcare tax exemptions. Parkland dedication changes. Austin’s billion dollar disaster.
Cloud seeding has never been proven, but drought-stricken Mexico is ready to try
At first, media coverage of the Cleveland, Texas, shooting focused on the manhunt for the gunman. But what about the victims lost?
As the clock ticks away for the 88th legislative session, there are some bills with bipartisan support that advocates say could have a positive effect on the state’s LGBTQ residents.
Housing affordability in Texas: is the state losing a certain edge? The Texas Standard’s Sean Saldana explains.
The cost of living is hitting Texans hard – how a group in San Antonio is fighting back with coupons.
Mexico is trying its hand at a controversial technique – cloud seeding – to break its drought.
Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.
KUT Morning Newscast for May 4, 2023
Central Texas top stories for May 4, 2023. San Marcos grand jury decision. State energy regulators summer outlook. Bill could prevent cities passing eviction protections. Erwin Center demolition.
KUT Morning Newscast for December 8, 2022
Central Texas top stories for December 8, 2022. Austin ISD Superintendent interviews. Texas energy regulator resource concerns. Huston-Tillotson grant. Trail of Lights back to normal. UT Volleyball sweet 16.
KUT Morning Newscast for December 7, 2022
Central Texas top stories for December 7, 2022. Texas State University cannabis policy changes. Public Utility Commission staffing problems. Tree of Angels lighting. Mayoral debate correction.
KUT Morning Newscast for December 5, 2022
Central Texas top stories for December 5, 2022. Austin runoff early voting. Austin ISD superintendent search. Teacher salary report. Public Utility Commission power grid overhaul. UT Football Bowl bound. UT Volleyball NCAA tournament. Ronald Reagan Bridge.
Texas Standard: December 24, 2021
In the aftermath of a historic winter storm and deadly rolling blackouts came recriminations – but are we any more ready for this winter? Before the Texas power crisis of last February there were warnings about the power grid. After the storm came the promises for change, to fix the problems and to be better prepared for the next time. What did state leaders do to make sure something like the February blackout never happens again? And what role did deregulation play in the failure of the Texas power grid? From the podcast The Disconnect – answers to those questions and much more on a special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 23, 2021
It was an event that left an indelible mark on Texans – what exactly happened as a winter storm and blackouts rolled across the Lone State State? There had been warnings for years that Texas’ power grid was vulnerable. Yet on a mid-February morning in 2021, the lights went out for millions of Texans – leading to shortages of food, water, heat – and hundreds of deaths. A step-by-step look at how a grim chapter in Texas history unfolded earlier this year – leading to questions we’re still grappling with today. From the podcast The Disconnect, the 2021 Texas power crisis as it unfolded, on this special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 21, 2021
Millions of Texans lost power, hundreds died – months later, the question lingers: how did this happen? They call Texas the energy capital of the world, which makes it all the more a mystery. As a winter freeze gripped the state in February, a text message sent statewide in the middle of the night was the first hint most Texans had that extended blackouts were coming – an event that would bring the Lone Star State to its knees. From the podcast The Disconnect – an attempt to reconnect the dots behind one of the worst power-related disasters in Texas history, on a special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 21, 2021
As the fight over Texas redistricting moves from the legislature to the courts, lawmakers and hopefuls are readjusting their political plans. Today on the Texas Standard.
A San Antonio non profit is drawing some unwelcome attention for its recent move into housing migrants. We’ll explore.
And as more bitcoin mining moves into Texas, what’s being done to make sure the energy gobbling industry doesn’t over tap the state’s power grid?
The longest-running indigenous radio program in Texas celebrates all native culture. We’ll highlight the story.
And there are some newcomers in the top 5 in the latest Texas Monthly list of the best BBQ. Why they stood out. That and more.
Texas Standard: March 17, 2021
Large numbers of migrant children unaccompanied and undocumented being housed in shelters. So what happens next? Coming up democratic congressman Henry Cuellar on how the Biden Administration is facing pressure from both sides of the aisle over what to do about large numbers of minors crossing the border and being held in detention in overcrowded facilities. Also as violent crime rates go up in Texas’ biggest city, questions loom over the causes. And who’s in charge? The governor demands and gets the resignation of the last remaining public utilities commissioner in the wake of the winter outages. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 23, 2021
After a death from hypothermia, a Conroe family among the many filing suit against Texas electric grid manager. But can ERCOT be sued? Under the doctrine of sovereign immunity, a governmental entity cannot be sued without its consent. But ERCOT, a private non-profit corporation, claims it is protected too. What’s behind the claims and counterclaims mounting across the Lone Star State? Also, could technology embraced during the pandemic lead to and end to snow days for schools across Texas?Plus another lingering effect of the storm, the rise of so-called Buy Nothing groups. All those stories and a whole lot more coming up today on the Texas Standard: