KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts
KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond
It’s go-time at the Texas Capitol as the 89th legislative session opens tomorrow, running through June 2. Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom has a preview of what to expect.
War on drugs? Or drug users? How a mass overdose event underscores what critics say is wrong with Texas’ anti-drug strategy.
You’ve heard of a super moon, blood moon, harvest moon. But what exactly is a wolf moon?
Also: an artistic linkup between San Antonio and Havana, Cuba.
We’re taking a look back at some of our favorite stories of the year from our public radio reporting partners across the state, including:
A Dallas ISD program that’s getting more Black and Latino men into classrooms.
Mobile health clinics rolling out to provide vital medical services as the state loses rural hospitals.
And: A visit to the traditional Mexican rodeo in San Antonio.
What possible cuts to Medicaid under the new Trump administration could mean in Texas, which already limits coverage.
A cold front is blowing through El Paso, bringing high winds and freezing temperatures.
Princeton’s growing pains have led to tension in its mayoral runoff election.
Most of those involved in high-speed chases by state troopers going after suspected smugglers are teens and young drivers. An interview with one of those behind the wheel.
And: We’ll take a look at the two Texas teams that made it into the college playoffs, the Texas Longhorns and the SMU Mustangs.
A climate-friendly fertilizer turned out to be tainted with so-called “forever chemicals” that are killing cattle and other ranch animals.
Education Savings Accounts are on the legislative agenda and likely to pass. What they are and why they’re controversial.
Historic horse-drawn carriages will become a thing of the past in San Antonio as the city phases them out.
Public health experts in Texas say vaccine hesitancy in the state could grow under the new Trump administration.
And: the call for research on mountain lions, the state’s last big cat.
Texas leaders are among President-elect Trump’s biggest supporters. Are they being left off the list of Cabinet picks?
She’s traveled and tasted dishes from across the Lone Star State: After 50 years, Texas Monthly food critic Pat Sharpe is retiring and sharing what she’s learned on the job.
The details of a plan to turn an old golf course into a world-class arboretum in San Antonio.
And: An update on the results of a rural summit bringing residents, local officials and state lawmakers together.
It’s possible the most closely watched statewide race in Texas this election cycle could also be the closest once the ballots are counted. How Ted Cruz and Colin Allred are making a final push in the days before Nov. 5.
In San Antonio, plans to demolish a building once part of a World’s Fair might be put on hold because of its history. Jack Morgan of Texas Public Radio tells us more.
And: The new book “The Fall of Roe” explores the decade before the Dobbs decision and the political apparatus that made it possible.
Areas around Austin, San Antonio and North Texas set records for the first day of early voting this week. But the story was different in El Paso.
A Democrat won a state House seat in Collin County last election cycle – but Republicans think they can flip it back.
What it means that decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana possession is on the ballot in more Texas cities.
A look at the impact of the ongoing IV fluid shortage on Texas hospitals.
And: We’ll ask whether it matters than an elected official in Harris County hasn’t clocked into work in about four years.
Why an arrangement to care for an aging millionaire is raising questions about a Texas Supreme Court Justice and state ethics rules.
More and more college-age students are steering clear of campus life and turning to “microcredentials” as a path to employment.
We’re talking with Nico Lang, author of “American Teenager,” a new book on growing up LGBTQ+ in modern America.
Also: Why red flour beetles have taken over the town of Socorro, just southeast of El Paso, and what’s being done to deal with an unprecedented infestation.
Even though the words “Remember the Alamo” are available on t-shirts, bumper-stickers, and kitchen kitsch, the Alamo wasn’t always remembered with the reverence it is today. For a long time, the Alamo was used mostly as a warehouse. Even the church, which people rather universally think of as the Alamo, was used as an army depot for decades. Texas Standard commentator WF Strong has the story of two women who helped to change that.
From Taco shticks, antics in media and pop culture and cultural appropriation, we’ll explore the highs and lows of taco pop culture. Guest is Stephanie Guerra from San Antonio’s Puro Pinche.
On request from Florida, Texas sends teams of emergency officials to support local authorities as they brace for the arrival of Hurricane Milton.
A geyser erupted in West Texas last Wednesday, shooting salty, oily water 100 feet into the air – an unexpected event that continued through the weekend.
At the heart of San Antonio’s historic Spanish Colonial Missions are their iconic bells, which have been ringing for centuries to mark major community events.
Plus: There’s a growing age gap between Texans and their elected representatives – and emerging leaders are working to reshape the political landscape.
If you grew up along the border in Tejas, you can speak con ganas, know where the good tacos and botanas are and your identity runs as long as the Rio Grande across Texas. Guest is Eddie Vega, Taco Poet and San Antonio Poet Laureate.
As immigration returns to center stage in American politics, a curious reversal in messaging in one of the state’s most closely watched races.
It’s happened before: polls show a statewide race tightening up, hopes rising among Texas Democrats, only to be dashed on Election Day. Do you trust polls that suggest Texas turning blue? A guide for optimists and pessimists.
The latest on a lawsuit brought by inmates and their supporters over intense heat in Texas prisons.
And the dedication of a new national historic site to help explain an era when Texas created separate schools for Hispanic children.
Rick Perry, the longest-serving governor in Texas history, is returning to the Capitol as an adviser for House Speaker Dade Phelan. What it means for Texas politics.
Five years after a mass shooting in Odessa, a new sculpture rises in hopes of helping the city heal.
Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the State Fair of Texas and the city of Dallas over a gun ban at the fair.
A fast-spreading disease is threatening grape harvests and vineyards across the state.
And: The Alamo Trust is working to block the construction of a proposed Ferris wheel near the historic site.
Texas has the third-largest delegation at the Democratic National Convention. We’ll hear more about the four-day political spectacle getting underway in Chicago and what it could mean for the Lone Star State and the presidential race.
Conservative activists, led by the Houston-based group True the Vote, are submitting lists of names to county election officials all over Texas, claiming the listed people are illegally registered to vote.
More and more school districts in Texas taking cellphone bans seriously as students return to class.
Also: Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a special type of self-watering soil that can actually pull water from the air and slowly release nutrients to plants.
Kamala Harris consolidates Democratic support, shattering fundraising records. How does this change things for Texas Republicans?
After the death of veteran Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who takes her place for the remainder of her term and on the ballot for her open seat?
Sam Watson, an 18-year-old from Southlake, holds the three fastest times ever in speed climbing and will be competing at the Paris Olympics.
The Rio Grande Valley faces an unprecedented water crisis as drought intensifies.
And: a new push to change how Texas imposes the death penalty.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas has thoughts for fellow Democrats who haven’t been quick to support Vice President Kamala Harris.
Prison farm labor isn’t just part of Texas history; it’s a reality today. An investigation into the practices and what we don’t know about what goes on in the fields.
A mammoth find for Texas researchers – literally. What a team from Baylor plans to do with the discovery of some ancient DNA.
We’ll take you inside some San Antonio record stores where the love for vinyl keeps going around.
And: The emerging path forward for psychedelics when it comes to treating PTSD.
Hurricane Beryl has become the first of the 2024 season to make landfall in Texas, with major power outages reported across the Houston region as heavy rain and damaging winds move up from Matagorda. With floodwaters filling some streets in Galveston and 121 counties under a disaster declaration, we’ll have the latest on the storm.
The San Antonio Water System is under fire after shutting off water to four apartment buildings – affecting 600 units – after their property owners didn’t pay their bills.
And: Business owners and officials in the Rio Grande Valley seek to counter negative stereotypes about their communities by highlighting the region’s assets – and their first step is rebranding the RGV and its neighbors in Mexico as the “RioPlex.” Will it stick?
Texas Democrats reconvene for their annual convention, plotting an election year comeback. What’s the plan? The Texas Newsroom’s Julián Aguilar tells us more about the Texas Democratic convention that just wrapped up in El Paso.
A change in the state’s Medicaid rules would eliminate several major nonprofit health plans from the program.
UT’s flagship campus taking disciplinary action against recent pro-Palestinian protesters.
The case of the stolen smokers – Daniel Vaughn shares the tale.
And the Mavericks, down but not out as the NBA playoffs shift to Dallas for Game 3.
We’re bringing you the latest on Mexico’s historic presidential election in today’s edition of the Standard, hosted by Angela Kocherga from Mexico City. How will Claudia Sheinbaum, the country’s first female president, approach governing and U.S.-Mexico relations?
Is Attorney General Ken Paxton using consumer laws to promote his political agenda? Investigative reporters looked into the issue.
What another mega-merger of two Houston-based oil industry heavy hitters means. This is just the latest in a series of acquisitions across the U.S. oil patch.
And: A new grocery store offers culinary variety and sustainability in San Antonio.