Texas voters are deciding on 17 proposed amendments to the state constitution – including one to dedicate a portion of state tax revenues to funding water projects. We’ll take a closer look at Proposition 4.
There are growing concerns among military families as the federal shutdown continues, with no clear end in sight.
East Texas is seeing a surge in mineral mining as companies explore new lithium deposits.
And: How Bonnie Parker’s niece has spent decades trying to have her aunt buried alongside Clyde Barrow in Dallas.
Students
Texas taps vendor for school voucher rollout
A billion-dollar school voucher program is coming to Texas, but the company running it is based in New York. What that means for families.
A Texas father convicted of killing his daughter faces execution in less than two weeks, but new evidence is raising serious doubts in the case of Robert Roberson.
New World screwworms: The parasite that once devastated Texas ranches is back. We’ll hear from Ag Commissioner Sid Miller on what the state is doing to prepare.
And Austin veteran Greg Stoker is back home after being detained by Israeli forces while trying to deliver aid to Gaza. We’ll learn why he went and what happened.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
Could a new Texas law make some types of anime illegal?
The Texas Lottery gets a second chance under new management. So what will change?
A new state law now in effect targets AI-generated child pornography. But could it also ban some anime?
Americans have been on the move since the founding of our country. But now, more people staying put rather than relocating for new jobs and other opportunities.
And: Thinking about an energy efficient upgrade for your home? A tax credit to to help you get the job done is expiring at the end of this year.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
11 Texas school districts temporarily blocked from displaying Ten Commandments
A poll on Texas’ 2026 Senate race finds a tightening GOP battle between Ken Paxton and John Cornyn, and a Democratic preference for Beto O’Rourke – who isn’t yet in the race.
This morning, a federal judge temporarily blocked 11 Texas school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms. We’ll bring you the latest.
Texans are bracing for changes to SNAP requirements and cuts in funding to the program that were signed into law by President Trump last month.
And: Some Black men say they’re especially impacted by new facial hair requirements going into effect for military members.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
Tesla’s robotaxi plans shift into gear
Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom joins the show with a live update from the Capitol as the Legislature’s first special session ends amid a Democratic walkout.
After flooding and a historically wet July, new concerns about water levels dropping.
As students return to the classroom, more and more schools are being shuttered. The Standard’s Zachary Suri examines the long-term impact in Austin.
Tesla now has a permit to offer ride-hailing in Texas through next August. The company’s been testing robotaxis in Austin since June, and Elon Musk says “open access” is coming soon.
No phones, devices in classrooms as Texas students return to school
Undocumented college students in Texas are no longer eligible for in-state tuition. As the new semester starts, many are in limbo.
As we keep an eye on the special session where Texas Democrats broke quorum, a look at another state – Oregon – where Republican lawmakers staged a walkout.
A new state law that bans cell phones, wearables and other electronic devices in Texas classrooms is raising questions from educators, parents and students about its implementation and impact.
The University of Texas at Austin has set up guidelines for using AI responsibly to promote learning.
And: El Paso pecan farmers innovate to cope with persistent drought.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
All eyes are on Texan Scottie Scheffler at the Masters
More than 500 student visas are revoked, many in Texas. What’s happened, why and what could come next.
With Texas lawmakers considering bills affecting public schools, how some students are deciding to get involved themselves.
Tech companies are teaming up with video game makers to develop new standards for accessibility.
A golden age of Texas golf is shining bright in Augusta. Kevin Robbins talks about No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the Texas showing at the Masters and his latest reporting for Texas Monthly.
Also: As we continue to celebrate the Texas Standard’s 10th birthday, we’re sharing our top 10 Typewriter Rodeo poems.
A Texas company says it’s brought the dire wolf back from extinction
How shutting down the Department of Education will affect the rights of students with disabilities.
Dallas-based company Colossal Biosciences says it’s successfully created three genetically engineered wolf pups resembling the long-extinct dire wolf.
How the state makes it hard for journalists to track the deaths of abused and neglected children.
Military veterans helped elect President Trump. Now many are protesting his administration’s deep government cuts.
And: As state agencies implement return-to-office mandates, workers report cramped conditions, insufficient parking and more.
KUT Morning Newscast for November 1, 2024
Central Texas top stories for November 1, 2024. Today is the last day of early voting. Low-income residents can apply for help paying their rent from the City of Austin. A federal judge says pro-Palestinian student groups have a right to sue top officials at three public universities in Texas. School is out in many Central Texas school districts today.
How Texas is likely undercounting heat-related deaths
Just how dangerous is triple-digit heat in Texas? They say the numbers don’t lie. Last year was the deadliest on record in Texas, but there’s reason to think we don’t know just how bad it really was – or is.
As schools begin welcoming students back to class, data shows nearly 1 in 5 will be chronically absent.
Are you a mosquito magnet, or does it just seem that way? What the science says, and what you can do about it.
Plus, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and poetry from the Typewriter Rodeo.
The Texas discovery of a new, dog-sized dinosaur
After months of stalemate, are the Texas House and Senate finally making progress on school spending?
For millions of years, the bones of a tiny dinosaur lay undisturbed in what are now the shores of Lake Grapevine. We’ll learn about a new species.
El Paso residents are concerned about the growing number of high-speed chases in their city.
And: Are city parks set to decline? A new law could make it tougher for urban areas to procure parkland.
KUT Morning Newscast for April 20, 2023
Central Texas top stories for April 20, 2023. Severe weather risk in Central Texas. UT student housing stipend. Eid celebration this weekend. Austin is a Bird City. UT Softball.
What Texas’ school safety inspections found
A test of Texas public schools against potential intruders shows a 95% pass rate. But what about that other 5%? Megan Mangrum of the Dallas Morning News with more on the findings from inspections ordered by the governor after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary.
LBJ, Robert Caro, and a new documentary on the challenges of writing an epic biography of a larger than life Texas figure.
Also an effort by juvenile services to help students manage their emotions with the aid of a golden retriever.
Prompting Positivity and Communication
How do we get our kids excited to learn, to feel good about themselves and their time at school, and be interested in communicating what they’re learning and doing to us and others? Sometimes it’s all about prompting. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy conclude their back-to-school series with a few tips on how to prompt positivity and communication.
Uvalde: What’s Next? – A Texas Standard Special (Rebroadcast)
Texans are still reeling from the stories of Uvalde. But are schools any safer now? Today we’ll hear from Texans: students, educators, experts in crime and mental health. But also victims and survivors. We’ll sort through going back to class in the wake of the state’s deadliest school shooting. Uvalde: What’s Next? A special rebroadcast on today’s Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 17, 2022
An historic defeat for a prominent GOP politician who dared to push back against Donald Trump. Does Liz Cheney’s defeat in Wyoming mark a more profound realignment of the GOP? And what does that mean for Texas? Brandon Rottinghaus of the University of Houston with more. Plus mayors in New York and D.C. are pushing back against Texas sending busloads of migrants to their cities. And a rise in mental health issues among students and how schools in places like Lubbock are trying to trying to help. Also flood control going green in areas once inundated by Hurricane Harvey. And a Politifact check about arming the IRS. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 12, 2022
As evidence mounts of atrocities by Russian forces in Ukraine, the conversation shifts beyond war crimes to allegations of genocide. Ukraine says civilian killings constitute genocide. We’ll have a Texas expert on how and why that term is contentious, and what it could mean for the future. Also closer to home, with population growth in Texas, demand for concrete grows and Black and Hispanic communities in Houston disproportionately affected by concrete batch plants. We’ll have more on analysis by the Houston Chronicle. And federal dollars flowed to Texas landlords who pledged not to evict tenants during the pandemic. But many were evicted anyway. So what happens next? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 14, 2022
School districts are buckling under the current pressures of the pandemic. The leader of a Texas teacher’s organization asks, where’s the state in all this? Some districts are shutting down others are asking parents to fill in. We want to hear from you about the current challenges for schools. Also, Governor Greg Abbott’s border enforcement program violates the constitution. That was the ruling yesterday. We’ll look at where it goes from here. And Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton must turn over records related to his time in Washington last January 6th. We’ll get into the exceptional details. Plus, going back in time to 1883 and the depiction of a family’s journey west across Texas. Our interview with one of TV’s rising stars. That and more on today’s Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 4, 2022
As Texas students return to a post holiday footing some are finding it’s not ‘back to the classroom’ just yet. The latest pandemic spike punching holes in back to school plans. We’ll talk with a panel of education reporters with the latest from across Texas. Also, beef prices skyrocketing, but that money’s not making it back to Texas cattle ranchers. Now the Biden Administration’s stepping in: what Texas rancher’s have to say about the Feds’ new plan. And a new Texas law takes effect trying to put renters on an even footing with homebuyers when it comes to knowing if you live in a floodplain. All those stories and more today on the Texas Standard.
Texas Standard: May 26, 2021
What a difference a year makes! The George Floyd ACT Poised to pass unanimously in Texas has stalled. Today we’ll tour the Texas Legislature and report on the progress, or lack there of, legislators have made. From police reform bills to bail reform to permit-less carry and marijuana related bills, we’ll take a look at the implications. Plus, in Texas literature Pulitzer Prize winner Annette Gordon Reed tells us how she mixed personal stories with history. And jolting the electric vehicle market here comes Lightning – ford’s newest F-150. Plus feral cats and the kids who are feeding them. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard: