social

Why many Texas cotton farmers are planting less this year

After a disastrous season for cotton production, could Texas lose its crown as top producer? Three Texans on the front lines talk about why some fear 2023 could be a tipping point.

The head of the University of Texas System Board of Regents puts a pause on new diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

With student debt forgiveness plans on hold, what are the implications for those struggling most to get out from under it?

Also tech expert Omar Gallaga on the rising price of social media verification and whether it pays to buy into the changes.

Traffic – The Return!

As pandemic restrictions lesson and many feel safer traveling and gathering at homes, schools, and workplaces we’re also seeing the return of something familiar: traffic. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Texas Standard: September 2, 2020

It is the first detailed look at the impact of the pandemic on state services and it includes a billion dollars in cutbacks. A thick document detailing how hard COVID-19 will hit Texas’ budgetary bottom line, the biggest hit to social services. Asher Price of the Austin American Statesman got the story and he joins us. Also, a Texas state senator demanding congress step forward to help find out why so many apparent killings at Fort Hood. And does a Texas city really hold the nation’s top spot in a jump in crime? A Politifact check and more today on the Texas Standard:

Quitting Facebook

Many of us threaten to do it, but most don’t go through with quitting Facebook. Leaving the social media site that connects us virtually with so many people can sometimes leave us feeling even more isolated, but it just might be what we need to feel more connected in real life. That was the inspiration of this Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Texas Standard: March 6, 2018

Worst deal ever! That’s what candidate Trump called NAFTA. Now putting steel tariffs on the table, could Trump tilt the scales? We’ll explore. Also, it’s primary day in Texas, we’ll have the latest. And are today’s doctors dinosaurs? The head of the new UT medical school in Austin says they’re definitely an endangered species, we’ll hear why. And when companies breaking ties with the NRA and taking stands in the culture wars, smart business? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 12, 2017

As the Weinstein effect hits Washington, a Texas congressman still standing despite growing allegations, we’ll explore. Also, filing deadline comes for what could be a watershed midterm election season. Bob Gee of the Austin American Statesman boils things down to 5 races to watch in 2018. And the Texas wind power revolution: causing a stir for property owners. Are you sure who owns the wind above your land? And in the dust bowl days it was hailed as a savior for ranchers. Now, they’re branding it a scourge. The zombie grass taking over south Texas and beyond. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 12, 2017

Theres gotta be a better way: a top official in Houston says the whole region needs to rethink flood preparation to adjust to a new normal, we’ll have the story. Also: what’s in the water? Residents of Harvey hit Texas want to return to their homes and many have, but experts are concerned about high levels of toxic chemicals still standing in the water. We’ll explore what residents know and don’t know about the dangers. And after the controversy over a pro football player taking a knee in protest during the national anthem, the head of the National Basketball Association is encouraging its players to speak out on special issues. Why the difference in approach? We’ll talk to a former NFL coach. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: June 6, 2017

Are Facebook and Twitter innocent channels for communication, or participants who profit from terrorist propaganda and planning? We’ll explore. Plus, after last weekend’s attacks in London, the UK turns up the heat on social media platforms. We’ll look at the implications with a leading Texas scholar. Plus, how much of the legislature can you miss and still call your self a Texas legislator? What appears to be a test of that question, and the Texas Democrat at the center of the storm. It seems to be a no-brainer: a museum of Texas Music History. Yet plans for such a place fell flat at the capitol. Why? We’ll find out. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 12, 2017

He was one of the most prominent voices spearheading a conservative revolution. Now he faces challenges from all sides. A conversation with Ted Cruz. Also a rare patch of unspoiled land meets massive metropolitan growth. The coming battle over Jones State Forest and what it could mean for all Texans. Plus a lawsuit to nullify the treaty of Hidalgo: are Mexican politicians serious? We’ll explore. And a cold war attack that you seldom read about in Texas history books: the forgotten invasion of Lampasas. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

12th & Chicon: The Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex

The murder of 16-year-old Tamika Ross in East Austin in 1992 started a journey for social justice that would take seven long years to complete. The history of the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex may not be well known, but its impact is felt and appreciated throughout the community.

Texas Standard: January 25, 2017

From sea to shining sea, or something else? The White House order goes out today to build that wall. Also, Governor abbott issues a threat to a central Texas sheriff over her sanctuary city plan: if she doesn’t back down, we’ll remove her from office, we’ll have more. Also, more than 300 thousand in bondage in Texas. The first hard numbers on what’s been called modern day slavery. Plus, something special in the air? Fight attendants at a major Texas based airline say their uniforms are making them sick. And a new focus for space researchers: what’s happening to astronauts’ eyesight? All that and lots more today on the Texas Standard:

V&B: Primate Social Behavior

Views and Brews joined Hot Science-Cool Talks for this special edition on primate social behavior. Listen back to Doctors Anthony DiFiore and Rebecca Lewis, both biological anthropologists at the University of Texas at Austin who study several species of primates and primate social behavior, as they talk with KUT’s Rebecca McInroy about the what we have in common with monkeys and apes, how they got into the field, and what to look out for in the years to ahead.