Ben Rollman has loved LEGO since he was a kid. After a brief ‘Dark Age’ away from the hobby, he started back up as an adult and is now a bigger LEGO fan than ever.
texas
Researchers relocate coral to Texas coast in conservation project
The Matterhorn Express pipeline, a 580-mile project set to go online soon, will transport natural gas from a terminal in West Texas to Katy, near Houston. We’ll hear what it could add up to for Texas and for energy prices more broadly.
A proposed liquified natural gas terminal in the Rio Grande Valley is stirring debate among local Indigenous tribes.
In Corpus Christi, researchers are pitching in for “Operation Coral Rescue,” an attempt to save endangered reefs from the ravages of warmer oceans.
Voting in Texas means having the right ID. Need to update that driver’s license? Many Texans might be surprised it’s not quite as easy as it sounds.
Texas Extra: Remembering DJ Steve Crosno
The El Paso radio and TV disc jockey made a lasting impact on the city’s music scene and contributed to the mixing of cultures that still makes far west Texas so special. This is an extended interview about an effort to document Crosno’s impact before his death in 2006.
Proposed school curriculum with Bible stories nears vote
A possible government shutdown looming with an Oct. 1 deadline. With the backdrop of elections, how might this story unfold? UT-Austin political science professor Sean Theriault talks about a perennial issue of government funding and where its headed.
Bible stories in the classroom? The Texas Education Agency is getting a lot of feedback and blowback over a new curriculum.
Mando Rayo of the Tacos of Texas podcast introduces us to a James Beard award winner in the Rio Grande Valley named the best chef in Texas.
This Hispanic Heritage Month, a look at some of the artists shaping the sounds of Texas.
Also, the week in politics, Typewriter Rodeo and more.
Ultramarathoner prepares for run across Texas
Americans are pretty evenly divided on the issue of gun rights versus regulated ownership. How might it show up at the polls?
The number of migrants trying to cross the border with Mexico into the U.S. is down quite a bit. A look at why.
We’ll also introduce you to an endurance runner preparing to make his way from El Paso to Galveston. His goal is to draw attention to a cause.
The first spacewalk involving private citizens instead of astronauts is in the books. How we got here and what’s ahead.
Plus, recalling the journey to erect the Tejano Monument at the state capitol.
And why Texas lawmakers are working across the aisle to reverse a death penalty case.
On a mission with Chef Ana Liz Pulido
Let’s talk with Ana Liz Pulido, winner of Best Chef – Texas, on how she went from a small town, Mission, TX to the national stage of the James Beard Foundation.
This Is My Thing: Vintage Railroading!
Some folks like to watch trains or photograph trains or build model trains, but for Marc Opperman only the real thing will do. His love of trains led him to become a student conductor on a real, functioning vintage train.
KUT Morning Newscast for September 9, 2024
Central Texas top stories for September 9, 2024.The Austin City Council this week is considering a plan to phase out forever chemicals used in firefighting. A poll shows 78 percent of Texas public school teachers say they have seriously considered leaving their job in the last year. Testing data shows students in Texas are still struggling with math post-pandemic, a Central Texas district is trying to help. A UT poll shows an uptick of support for Democrats. The Longhorns are now #2 in the AP Top 25 College Football Poll.
Don’t Austin My Lockhart: How Austin musicians seeking affordability are impacting surrounding towns
We’re looking at what happens to small towns like Lockhart when a bunch of Austin musicians seeking affordable places to live move there.
You’ll hear from musician Emily Gimble, musician and co-owner of Fiddler’s Green Jenn Miori Hodges, co-founders Courthouse Nights and Rach and Rhodes presents Rachel Lingvai and Will Rhodes, musician Pierson Saxon and founders of Duett’s in Martindale, Texas Ryan and Katie Grametbaur.
Texas athlete Ryan Medrano heads to his first Paralympic Games in Paris
Election Day is fast approaching, and controversies in Texas over who’s eligible to cast a ballot are picking up steam. The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey has an update on Republican-led efforts to purge voter rolls and growing concerns about what could be a recipe for confusion come November.
As Texas public schools see enrollment numbers drop along with their budgets, an idea being tried by some districts in West Texas is garnering lots of attention – and apparently lots of money.
Texas is again well represented in Paris: We’re talking with El Paso fitness trainer Ryan Medrano, who’s running in the Paralympic Games this weekend.
Plus: the week in politics with The Texas Tribune and poetry from the Typewriter Rodeo.
Some of the best Texans have been Californians – on film
These five Californians, including John Wayne and Robert Duvall, have made great Texans in movies.
KUT Morning Newscast for August 20, 2024
Here are the top stories from the KUT Newsroom for the morning of August 20th. The Austin ISD school board will ask voters to approve new funding for the district. Austinites waste lots of food, and yet, we also have too many people who are food insecure. The Taylor ISD needs to build more schools or it will run out of room for students as the area continues its explosive growth. And it’s the first day of school in Austin! Please watch out while driving to and from work today.
Remembering the London School explosion, a tragedy that changed safety forever
Two women file federal complaints after they say Texas hospitals refused to perform medically necessary abortions to terminate ectopic pregnancies.
In East Texas, a tiny museum is dedicated to preserving the history of the 1937 London School explosion, the deadliest school disaster in U.S. history and the reason natural gas has an added odor.
Are state Republicans passing laws they know are unconstitutional – and is this a political strategy?
People and places in North Texas pay homage to Mexican Painter Frida Kahlo.
And: All across the state, honeybees make a big comeback thanks to new beekeepers – so much so that a statewide bee specialist is now on the job.
This Is My Thing: Tattoos!
Dan Schumacher has been collecting tattoos on his person for over 40 years. In this episode of This Is My Thing, he tells us about his history with the art form, why he gets them, what they mean to him, and why they’re worth the pain.
Texas Extra: How do we define a museum?
Texas Standard kicked off a new project in August: The Texas Museum Map. To begin, we decided to get answers to some challenging questions about museums. This Texas Extra is an extended version of that interview with Kenneth Hafertepe, a fellow with the Texas State Historical Association and chair of the Department of Museum Studies at Baylor.
Fifth Circuit rules Texas can keep buoys in the Rio Grande for now
Gov. Greg Abbott receives at least a temporary victory in a fight with the Biden administration over border buoys in the Rio Grande.
NPR’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán has the latest on the reduction in the numbers of people crossing the border from Mexico into Texas, and the political spin in a volatile election season.
As Texas senators hold hearings into the response to Hurricane Beryl, we’ll hear about a group of people especially vulnerable in those many days without power.
WF Strong has some ideas for a competition that would be open to all – the Texas Olympics.
And: Meet the two Brits taking Texas by storm on social media.
This Is My Thing: Lumber Milling!
JD Murphy has always loved tools and learning. A few years ago (with some help from YouTube), he taught himself about lumber milling, and now he spends his free time milling wood right in his driveway in Cedar Park, Texas. The hobby brings him joy and has helped him discover his creative side.
An Austin Artist’s Guide to Success: Part 2
The latest episode of Pause/Play is part two of an Austin Artist’s Guide to Success. You’ll hear from many people in the everchanging Austin music scene about their tips and tricks for making it here.
You’ll hear about the role of streaming in an artist’s career, what makes a great artist and advice from people within the industry.
Featuring advice from:
- Little City Sounds music consultant project manager Lisa Machac
- Howdy Gals co-founder and booker Belicia Luevano
- Rap singer, songwriter, vocalist and entrepreneur Anastasia Hera
- Songwriter, producer, and performer Dayglow
- Singer and songwriter Mama Duke
- KUT The Breaks podcast host Fresh
- KUTX music director Rick McNulty
- KUTX Program Director Matt Reilly
- Austin Chronicle Music and Culture editor Cy White
- Hip hop artist, producer and creative solutionist J Soulja
What’s next after Biden exits presidential race?
President Biden’s decision yesterday to drop his campaign for re-election and to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee follows weeks of mounting pressure from members of his own party. But it was a Texan who was the first Democrat on Capitol Hill to call for Biden to step aside. We’ll talk with U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett.
What can we expect between now and Election Day? A UT Austin professor takes a look at the logistics of Biden stepping down and what it means for next month’s Democratic National Convention.
Some historical perspective: The last time an incumbent president announced he wouldn’t run for reelection was Texas’ Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1968.
Plus: Remembering the legacy of longtime Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who has died at 74.
This Is My Thing: Sword Fighting!
Anna Beard fell in love with swords when she saw ‘Return of the Jedi’ as a child. But it was only a few years ago that she finally learned the sport of sword fighting. Now she finds her joy in swords, sword fighting, and teaching others how to sword fight.