Central Texas top stories for August 12, 2024. Another hot week ahead for Austin and Central Texas. Austin Community College receives $7.5 million grant to expand and develop new training programs for semiconductor manufacturing. Texas lawmakers kick off two days of hearings on educational issues. The city of Austin is looking to include $50 million in next budget to increase parkland in the city. Texas Longhorn athletes earn 16 medals at Paris Olympic games, including 6 gold.
Texas Lege
SpaceX satellite debris could fall from the sky and kill people, FAA report says
Where do we stand with education in the special legislative session? With Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas House at a deadlock over school vouchers.
The Federal Aviation Administration estimates that by 2035, one person could be injured or killed by falling SpaceX Starlink debris every two years.
As the World Series gets underway tonight in Arlington; North Texans share what their hometown Texas Rangers mean to them — and why they’ve never lost faith.
Also: the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.
What does Nate Paul’s arrest mean for Ken Paxton?
Impeached attorney general Ken Paxton won’t face trial in the Senate until late summer, but the indictment of prominent donor Nate Paul may have big implications for Paxton’s fate nonetheless.
Hurricane season is upon us, and the energy industry is making preparations for potential storms.
A colonia in El Paso is pulling water out of thin air using solar distillation.
A new podcast, “Under Cover of Knight, ” examines a death in small-town Texas – and why the CIA and local law enforcement wanted folks to stop asking questions.
And a longtime Texas radio journalist remembers NPR’s Wade Goodwyn.
What happened to the bill closing the ‘dead suspect loophole?’
Property tax cuts and border security are on the agenda as the Legislature’s special session moves into week 2.
A bill to promote police transparency received support in the House and the Senate, but now it’s apparently gone missing. KXAN investigative reporter Josh Hinkle explains.
There’s a shortage of mental health treatment for people arrested in Texas who are deemed in need of treatment before trial.
And Texas-based American Airlines has grounded planes amid an ongoing pilot shortage. What does this mean for summer travel?
KUT Afternoon Newscast for June 2, 2023
Central Texas top stories for June 2, 2023. Nurses at Ascension Seton Medical Center vote to strike. Travis County considers plan to fund and support communities displaced by gentrification. Austin Transportation Department considers reducing lanes to eliminate crashes along Barton Springs Road. Governor Abbott signs law to increase the number of Texas students taking challenging math courses. Public Utility Commission chairman resigns.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for June 1, 2023
Central Texas top stories for June 1, 2023. Austin will pay $88 million to end lawsuits blocking terminal expansion at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. City of Austin employees protest new work from home policy. 90-day eviction grace period ending in San Marcos. Inflation affecting Central Texas school districts as lawmakers fail to increase per student funding. Austin FC gets a win ahead of another game this weekend.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for May 31, 2023
Central Texas top stories for May 31, 2023. Union representing Austin ISD employees upset with lack of legislative action. More folks experiencing homelessness in Williamson County. Central Texas Food Bank brings back pandemic food assistance program for summer. Austin Public Library offering new ID cards. Round Rock ISD pop-up library. Austin FC takes on Minnesota to close out May.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for May 30, 2023
Central Texas top stories for May 30, 2023. Bill targeting so-called progressive district attorneys goes to Governor’s desk, while another bill to kill Project Connect dies at the Texas Capitol. Jacob’s Well could remain closed through the summer. Writers’ strike affecting this week’s ATX Television Festival. Free meals for all children at IDEA schools. Closures this week at Zilker Park.
Austin tried and failed to rewrite its land code. Republican lawmakers might do it for them.
Several bills at the state Legislature aim to make it easier to build housing in cities across Texas. It’s a goal Austin had when it attempted to rewrite its land development code several years ago — a process ultimately upended by a legal challenge.
What’s at stake in the Texas school voucher debate
School choice and school vouchers are terms that have been thrown around quite a bit during this year’s session of the Texas Legislature, despite the fact that vouchers and other types of school choice legislation are not top of mind for Texas voters.
Do plans for a Texas business court work?
This week at the Texas Legislature: Laws aimed at making it easier to have a baby in Texas.
Under the big dome in Austin, a hearing on a proposal to ban Chinese non-citizens from buying land in Texas.
The state Republican Party censures one of its own, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, after a vote supporting a new gun law.
Is a two-tier court system coming to Texas? We’ll have more on a push for businesses to have their own legal system.
And: A gift to a major Texas museum is aimed at diversity for public art and and greater visibility for Latino artists.
What Texans think lawmakers should prioritize this legislative session
Texans say the border should be the top priority for the state Legislature this session, according to a new poll. We’ll dig into the results.
Questions about how the Center for Law and Human Behavior at the University of Texas at El Paso selected two Border Patrol agents for fellowships.
Taco expert Mando Rayo talks about his favorite traditional mom-and-pop eateries across the Lone Star State.
Piano music fills the air as El Paso hosts the Borderland Chopin festival spotlighting the beloved composer.
Texas Standard: November 21, 2022
‘Tis the season for bill filing; a quick look at what filing season in the Texas legislature tells us about lawmaker priorities for the coming session. Other stories we’re watching: an earthquake recorded in west Texas last week, the third biggest ever recorded in the state, what it could mean for the oil and gas industry. And a nuclear reactor taking shape on the campus of Abilene Christian University, we’ll hear why. Also how military families are trying to deal with the search for suitable housing. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 31, 2022
As funerals begin for the nineteen students and two teachers killed at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, President Biden promises action on gun safety. How likely is that to happen and what sort of change could be coming? Also, criticism growing over the response of law enforcement as the situation unfolded last week in Uvalde. Why did training efforts aimed at stopping school shooters fail and where do we go from here? These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
The Lege Is Back
Texas lawmakers have reconvened at the State Capitol Building for the start of the 86th Legislative Session. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: January 28, 2019
Another Presidential Tweetstorm, this time with a Texas twist: one suggesting widespread voter fraud. We’ll take a closer look at the claim and the source. Also, a Texas city won national attention for becoming the first to go with 100% renewable electricity. Now some are asking did the city pay too high a price? We’ll take a look. And chaos in Venezuela leading to uncertainty in Texas: we’ll hear why. Also, the Corpus Christi caller times warns: what you don’t know about a particular routine government procedure can hurt you. The paper’s opinion editor explains plus a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard: