Defense attorneys for the Walmart mass shooter, who’s already sentenced to life in prison, are asking for the court to take the death penalty off the table or drop the charges altogether due to alleged prosecutorial misconduct.
As we move closer to Election Day, The Texas Newsroom is exploring the role of religion in politics.
And: The city of Palestine, once a booming railroad town, is in a legal battle with Union Pacific to enforce an 1872 contract that promised the railroad company would stay “forever.”
Shooting
Alamo Trust battles to keep Ferris wheel out of historic neighborhood
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.
The state is facing a middle-class housing crunch
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.
‘The Stadium’ reconsiders the role of our modern arenas
The Democratic National Convention kicked off with an emotional evening and Texans among the featured speakers.
A jury found that the parents of the accused gunman in the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting were not responsible for his actions.
Highway lanes are shrinking in Austin. It’s part of national trend – but what does it mean for safety?
Why an effort to ban books in a Rio Grande Valley high school library failed.
Also: A new book from historian Frank Guridy delves into why sports stadiums are more than places to cheer on your favorite team.
What’s ahead for U.S. gymnastics at the Olympics
A faculty committee at UT Austin found that university leaders violated their own rules when calling police to respond to protests over the war in Gaza at the end of the spring semester. Audrey McGlinchy of KUT News shares the latest.
Five years after the mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, a new memorial is unveiled to honor the 23 people killed.
Serious questions have been raised over a private contractor providing healthcare services to prison inmates in many states, including Texas.
And: Texas was well-represented at the men and women’s gymnastics team and all-around events at the Paris Olympics. A look at what’s ahead for the athletes.
Bighorn sheep being released in Franklin Mountains outside El Paso
The Santa Fe community is seeking answers and accountability for the 2018 school shooting as the accused shooter’s parents appear in court this week.
Houston police admit systemic failure in the processes that led to 264,000 cases being dismissed over eight years.
On the anniversary of the 1966 UT Tower shooting, a man who helped a fellow student that day shares a letter he’s kept for decades.
Bighorn sheep are returning to the El Paso area. A look at the challenges of re-establishing the herds.
And: What is a museum? We’re diving into the answer as we kick off a new series exploring the state.
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.
Historic church site in South Texas recognized as stop on Underground Railroad
A Galveston County judge has pushed back the start of a trial in a civil lawsuit against the parents of the accused gunman in the Santa Fe High School shooting, which left eight students and two teachers dead in 2018.
Houston has a new acting police chief in the wake of the abrupt retirement of Chief Troy Finner. We’ll have the latest.
The Jackson Ranch Church in the Rio Grande Valleyis being recognized as a stop on the Underground Railroad ushering enslaved people to freedom in Mexico.
Plus: A group of Gen Z rappers go on a road trip across Texas in the new film “Lost Soulz.”
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.
What we know about the bribery charges faced by U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar
Heavy rains led to severe flooding in parts of Harris County and counties to the north, prompting evacuations, boat rescues and substantial property damage. We’ll get an update on the latest.
Texans voted in numerous municipal elections over the weekend. How some closely watched races turned out.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife were indicted late last week on conspiracy and bribery charges, accused of accepting bribes in connection with Azerbaijan.
On the one-year anniversary of a mass shooting at an outlet mall in Allen, Asian American groups call for a hate crime designation.
And: PETA has released the results of a years-long investigation into unlicensed horse racing, which they call particularly prevalent in Texas.
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.
KUT Morning Newscast for September 1, 2023
Central Texas top stories for September 1, 2023. Updates on North Austin Arboretum shooting. Integral Care prepares for layoffs. New water restrictions for Central Texas.
San Antonio nonprofit forges community for veterans through knife-making
An increasing border presence by state troopers has led to a rise in police chases ending in crashes in El Paso.
A once-pregnant prison guard who says she was told she couldn’t leave her shift as she was experiencing contraction-like pains is now suing over the death of her child. Texas Tribune reporter Jolie McCullough joins with more.
In the wake of a San Antonio police shooting of a woman with mental health issues and an investigation of officers involved, questions remain about how well the department polices itself.
And a San Antonio nonprofit, Reforged, helps veterans forge ahead through knife-making classes and a peer-support group.
KUT Morning Newscast for July 28, 2023
Central Texas top stories for July 28, 2023. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton faces fraud charges. Possible active shooter incident cleared at Tesla factory. Austin previews city budget.
A Texas program pushes drivers to pay old tickets – and over 600,000 have lost their licenses
A federal courtroom was filled with anger and tears as relatives of the victims of the 2019 mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart faced the gunman ahead of his sentencing. Julián Aguilar of the Texas Newsroom shares more.
A program aimed at helping Texans pay off old tickets has left hundreds of thousands without driver’s licenses and tangled in red tape.
Amid a stalemate between House and Senate Republicans over property taxes, House Democrats weigh in with a plan.
A new study has found air pollution from U.S. oil and gas production is responsible for $77 billion in health impacts every year, with Texas among the states with the highest proportion of health damages.
Houston is celebrating 50 years of hip-hop with an exhibit and film screenings at the Houston Museum of African American Culture.
And the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.
How the Legislature’s property tax cut proposals differ
A regular session and now two specials – what will it take to get lawmakers to agree on a property tax cut plan? A closer look at why the two approaches are at the center of a political battle.
Sentencing begins in a federal courtroom this week for the gunman who killed 23 people at an El Paso Walmart in 2019.
How some Houstonians without adequate air conditioning are trying to beat the heat as the thermometer rises.
Plus, what science is revealing about a common bird of prey and frequent defender of many a Texas garden.
What are the weirdest laws in Texas?
At the Capitol, an intraparty rivalry between Republicans explodes into the open. The dueling charges between Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dade Phelan are so personal and serious, some longtime Capitol watchers are characterizing the battle as among the most significant in Texas political history. Lauren McGaughey of the Dallas Morning news will have details.
After a scandal at a Bastrop foster care facility, Texas lawmakers pass two new bills to crack down on abuses.
We’ll have more on a vigil last night in Uvalde marking the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary.
The Texas Legislature will finish its session having made lots of new laws. But there are plenty of old laws on the books that seem pretty weird by today’s standards.
And debt collectors get a new high-tech tool.
Kate the Chemist aims to answer ‘the big questions’ about science with new podcast
Erin Douglas of the Texas Tribune joins with details on water infrastructure efforts that have bipartisan support, but a chasm separating House and Senate proposals – and just 11 more days to come to agreement.
More money for Texas public school teachers? Some educators say the proposals on the table aren’t enough to keep them in the classroom.
In San Antonio, what appears to be a first-of-its-kind effort to dramatically improve access to public bathrooms for people with disabilities.
And UT-Austin chemistry professor Kate Biberdorf – aka Kate the Chemist – shares a preview of her new podcast, “Seeking a Scientist.”
How the ‘We Buy Ugly Houses’ company preyed on desperate and elderly sellers
Migrant crossings at the border with Mexico are reported to be dramatically down after the end of Title 42.
Adolescent medicine doctors at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin are out amid calls from politicians for an investigation of gender-affirming care at the hospital.
A bill to preempt new local regulations on a variety of issues including labor and the environment moves quickly toward an expected passage in the Texas Senate.
And what’s the story behind those “We Buy Ugly Houses” signs? A ProPublica investigation reveals that the buyers behind the signs took advantage of elderly homeowners.