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.
Robb Elementary
What we learned from new Uvalde school shooting records
The city of Uvalde releases a trove of records from the Robb Elementary school shooting after pressure from the media. What are we learning?
As tensions escalate in the Middle East with Israel anticipating a strike from Iran or its proxies within days, how could this affect Texas, its role in oil exports and prices? Matt Smith, energy analyst at Kpler has more.
Across the Permian Basin, the discovery of plugged oil wells breaking down and leaking.
All aboard? Amtrak set to restore Gulf Coast train service.
Plus, 41 Texans have picked up medals in the Olympics and U.S. women’s soccer brings home the gold after beating Brazil.
Former Uvalde school police chief indicted over failed shooting response
A grand jury investigating the failed police response to the Robb Elementary shooting has issued indictments against two law enforcement officers on the scene, including former Uvalde school police chief Pete Arredondo.
Kathleen Dorothy Blackburn, author of the new book “Loose of Earth,” talks about her family’s search for faith healers as father died – and later, her effort to learn more about the so-called “forever chemicals” he was exposed to.
A look at the life and legacy of the incomparable Kinky Friedman, who died yesterday at his ranch outside Medina.
And: The week that was in politics includes multiple questions about the ethics of Texas lawmakers.
Why is Ted Cruz proposing a bill to legislate in vitro fertilization?
There’s infighting among Texas Republicans over the next steps in their efforts to stop abortions in the state.
Canada is Texas’s second-biggest international trade partner, behind Mexico. We’re talking to Mary Ng, Canada’s minister of export, trade and economic development, during her visit to the Lone Star State this week.
After the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children under state law, Democrats raced to pass bills to protect in vitro fertilization. Now, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is pushing a similar bill – but what exactly would it do?
Ahead of Memorial Day on Monday, we’ll hear from a Texas family still working to make sure the legacy of their beloved serviceman is honored.
And: Today marks two years since the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. A survivor’s story.
What’s behind an anti-birth control push on social media?
After an apparent tornado strike in Temple last night, it’s looking to be another day of severe weather across large parts of the Lone Star State.
A ransomware attack on the Ascension hospital network is still having a big impact on staff and patients almost two weeks later.
After online reports and videos of women giving up the birth control pill, The New York Times finds that prescriptions are not actually declining – in fact, the opposite.
And: The latest album from singer-songwriter Susan Werner, “Halfway to Houston,” takes on the wide landscape of Texas.
Laredo native Vanessa Gonzalez on how Texas informs her comedy
The May 28 primary runoff elections are fast approaching – we’ll have an update on contests in North Texas and a contentious battle over who will head the Texas GOP.
With Texas school boards at the center of culture wars, a closer look at how those boards operate.
What’s so funny about Texas? Laredo native Vanessa Gonzalez is featured in a PBS docuseries on the roots of comedy.
And: Some Texas legislators are pushing to crack down on squatters.
Who pays for Texas highways?
After spring storms drenched Southeast Texas, the state is offering to buy out flooded homes. Why some are saying no thank you.
Early voting is underway for primary runoffs, and Gov. Greg Abbott’s battle over school vouchers continues as he backs candidates against those who oppose his plan.
A look at how the military trains for tunnel warfare.
Domestic production of EV batteries is ramping up in the U.S. – but EV sales have been down in recent months as consumers opt for hybrids or gas-powered cars that often cost less and offer more choices.
And with summer travel season ahead, have you wondered who’s paying for Texas highways?
What’s next for Houston after deadly storms
We’ll have the latest on relief and recovery efforts in Houston days after deadly storms hit the region and left hundreds of thousands without power.
A new plan for mental health care in Texas and what some Texans say needs to be a shift in priorities.
The Texas delegation to Congress is set to up the stakes in a water fight with Mexico.
A small green beetle, the ash borer, has steadily decimated forests across the U.S. for more than two decades – and it’s recently spread to five new counties in Texas.
This week in Texas music history: recounting the spring of 1963, when Texas’ own Roy Orbison hit the road with the Beatles.
Plus, the antiquated music machines still playing back part of Texas history.
Four dead after severe storms batter Houston, East Texas
Deadly and destructive storms sweep across downtown Houston, killing four and leaving hundreds of thousands without power. We’ll have an update on the latest as damage assessment and recovery efforts are underway.
A new controversy surrounding Houston Superintendent Mike Miles is getting the attention of state lawmakers and the Texas Education Agency – this one involving an apparent transfer of Texas education dollars to charter schools in Colorado.
Plus: the week in politics with Matthew Watkins of The Texas Tribune.
The buzz around the Bumble ad controversy
The border buoys case in court: Why the arguments surrounding Texas’ river barrier were not about immigration.
El Paso County residents are concerned a proposed highway expansion project could imperil the Rio Bosque – a marshy area along the Rio Grande that has been “re-wilded” to support native plants and wildlife.
What will soon be one of Texas’ biggest gas pipelines is raising both environmental and safety concerns from the residents along the path.
The new book “They Came for the Schools” takes us further into the story of the Carroll Independent School District’s battle over what’s on library shelves and in classrooms.
And: Austin-based dating app Bumble apologized this week for an ad campaign that some believed mocked the choice not to date, or to remain celibate. Tech expert Omar Gallaga shares more.
As floodwaters recede, how to protect your home from mold
Voting maps in Galveston County are in the spotlight as the 5th Circuit takes up an unusual challenge to allegations of racial gerrymandering. Why the outcome could have broader implications.
After flooding in East Texas due to recent storms, what can be done to prevent the risk of mold?
Starting a small business with members of the family – what could go wrong? Austin-based entrepreneur and business coach Andy O’Brien shares his new book on red flags and how to deal with them.
And: Can a bite of Texas barbecue really change your life? Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn on a bite that changed his.
Inside the explosion of private toll roads in Texas
Texas ramped up construction of toll roads the past two decades and has some of the harshest penalties. We’ll take a look at the impact on drivers.
A third person pleads guilty in the alleged bribery scheme involving U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar.
How a divorce in Denton could change IVF in Texas: The state Supreme Court may take up a case deciding whether a frozen embryo can be defined as a person.
Nearly two years after the Uvalde school shooting, a recent college graduate remembers the younger sister who died in the attack.
And: A new novel navigates love and grief in a Dallas suburb. We’ll talk to Kimberly King Parsons, author of “We Were the Universe.”
What does Azerbaijan want with Texas politicians?
After weeks of rains in East Texas, hope for a shift into recovery mode is on hold with more rain tap for today and much of this week.
Strong winds, hail damage, what next? Sangita Menon of KUT News looks at the next steps of navigating insurance.
What does Azerbaijan want from Texas? Christopher Hooks of Texas Monthly shares how the indictment of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar may be just the tip of the iceberg.
For decades, the Tower Life building defined San Antonio’s skyline. Changes are on the horizon after the building’s recent sale – but tours are being offered first.
Also: A new report on the pace of global renewable energy shows how Texas and the U.S. stack up.
Will third time be the charm for SpaceX’s Starship launch from Boca Chica?
The University of Texas at Austin is among other colleges in the country that are bringing back a standardized test requirement for applicants.
A city report has exonerated the Uvalde Police Department for its response to the Robb Elementary School shooting. Despite the report, Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez announced his resignation.
SpaceX plans a new try at launching its Starship super heavy rocket on Thursday from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
And the discovery of an artifact that one SMU professor believes could be a link to Coronado’s fabled expedition.
KUT Morning Newscast for March 08, 2024
Central Texas top stories for March 08, 2024. Former Williamson County Sheriff’s deputies acquitted in manslaughter case. The Austin Independent School District is preparing to make significant spending cuts to remain financially stable. City of Uvalde independent investigation finds officers did not violate department policies in Robb Elementary shooting. SXSW road closures. Austin’s Living Streets Program. Hays CISD will close for the April 8th eclipse.
The state’s only sugar mill is closing. What’s next for sugar cane farmers?
New laws – one from Texas – to regulate platforms like Facebook and TikTok are getting Supreme Court scrutiny today, with potentially profound implications.
Years of drought have devastated sugar growers in South Texas – so much so that the state’s only sugar mill is closing.
Austin’s I-35, the spine of the region’s roadway grid, is about to undergo the largest expansion since the highway opened in 1962. Nathan Bernier joins with a drill down into what it means.
And: We’ll learn about a device that can help blind and low-vision people experience the eclipse.
A younger generation is taking over the Texas oil fields
For the first time in centuries, an American-built – and more specifically, Texas-built – spacecraft has touched down on the moon.
Multiple law enforcement officers who responded to the 2022 Uvalde school shooting have been ordered to appear before a grand jury investigating the failed police response.
The folks calling the shots in the Texas oil industry seem to be getting younger. What does this change mean for the industry?
A giant among advocates for people with disabilities in Texas steps down after a quarter century. We’ll talk with Dennis Borel of the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities about the challenges ahead.
Plus, the week in politics with The Texas Tribune.
Milk or meat? For modern cattle ranchers, the answer may be both
Texas is moving quickly toward primary day – but where are the debates? Why there’s been a decline in an election institution.
What the families of Uvalde victims are expecting as a grand jury examines law enforcement’s response to the Robb Elementary shooting.
Why Collin County seems to be playing an outsized role in Texas politics right now.
On Texas ranches, you’ve got dairy cows and bovine raised for beef. But the distinctions may be blurring. We’ll hear about a different sort of “cattle crossing.”
And concerns about the bestselling video game “Palworld,” which looks like “Pokémon” but plays like something much more grim.
Could Texas’ electric grid finally connect to other states?
A grand jury in Uvalde will consider possible charges over law enforcement’s failed response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary.
An Air Force general who was stationed at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph faces a court-martial over charges of sexually assaulting a subordinate.
The Texas power grid is famously separate from the rest of the country – but a plan has been quietly moving forward to connect it to a grid operating in the southeastern U.S.
And: Shipping lanes are shifting routes amid attacks in the Red Sea. What are the ripple effects in Texas?
Standoff between Texas and the feds continues over Rio Grande access
Tensions between Texas and the federal government intensify over Border Patrol access.
On the day after the release of the findings of a federal investigation into the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, what we’re learning and what it could mean for accountability.
With the intensification of winter weather this week, how advocates for people experiencing homelessness are trying to shelter and care for Texans left out in the cold.
A sneak peek at the Super Bowl prospects for the Houston Texans, facing a big playoff challenge this weekend.
And we’ll have the week in politics with Matthew Watkins of the Texas Tribune.