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KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond

Transportation

Why homeschooling is on the rise across the ideological spectrum

Sean Theriault of UT-Austin with a look at why government shutdowns have become so common, and what needs to happen to avoid another come Sunday.

The summer of 2023 was the second hottest on record in Texas. But for renters, air conditioning isn’t legally required — at least not everywhere in the state.

Over the past couple of years, there’s been a shift in the way that many Texans school their kids, with more folks opting for homeschooling – for reasons that span the political spectrum, or lie completely outside it.

Writer Andrew Leland on losing his vision and the struggle to understand the changes, as told in his new memoir, “The Country of the Blind.”

How a UT professor is helping the CDC plan for the next pandemic

The Texas Education Agency is moving forward with plans to monitor problems with Austin ISD’s special education services.

What did we learn from COVID-19? We’ll talk to UT’s Lauren Ancel Meyers, who has been tapped to help the U.S. develop a plan to better tackle the next pandemic.

Texas tops the nation in oil industry deaths – but there’s more to the story once you get into the numbers.

Also: Remembering a pioneer of Tejano music, Lydia Mendoza, who earned the title of “Meadowlark of the Border.”

KUT Morning Newscast for September 28, 2023

Central Texas top stories for September 28, 2023. Ozone day of action for Central Texas. Travis County takes I-35 concerns to the federal government. Texas Education Agency monitors assigned to Austin.

The State of Disability in Texas – A Texas Standard special

How does disability impact millions of Texans, from public policy to long COVID?

People living with disabilities – a population that’s often overlooked and underestimated – play a wide variety of important roles in the life of modern Texas. They’re living full lives: advocating for better caregiving options, inclusive transportation and voting accessibility. And many participate in the vibrant arts and culture of our state.

Encompassing the wide array of these experiences in just one program would be impossible. That’s why we’re treating this special as a kickoff of Texas Standard’s yearlong commitment to featuring the voices of and covering the topics important to disabled Texans.

Diaspora Network’s worship service represents nationwide shift in church demographics

We’re tracking Tropical Storm Harold, which is set to bring considerable rain and wind to large parts of South Texas. Meteorologist Matt Lanza of Space City Weather join us with the latest.

House managers preparing for the impeachment trial of Ken Paxton have published nearly 4,000 pages of documents as the Senate gets set to decide the fate of the currently suspended attorney general.

And though polls show more people turning away from organized religion, many migrants in Texas are forming communities around churches.

KUT Morning Newscast for June 16, 2023

Central Texas top stories for June 16, 2023. Heat advisory extended for central Texas. Vehicle inspection changes across the state. Cooling centers in Austin are open.

San Antonio Spurs’ No. 1 draft pick could be a game-changer

A bill would provide $10 billion in low-interest loans that would benefit the oil and gas industry, in the name of beefing up the power grid; there are a lot of questions over the push for those loans, aimed at preventing statewide blackouts.

Almost one year after the worst school shooting in Texas history, state lawmakers are running out of time in this legislative session to make changes to gun laws.

In San Antonio, the silver and black are back as Spurs fans get lit up over a No. 1 draft pick.

Also, actress Christina Vidal on a new streaming series, “Primo” about coming of age in the Alamo City.

Pumped: Food, fuel and the future of Texas – A Texas Standard special

We don’t think of gas stations much, yet they are fixtures across Texas, and tell us a lot about who we are and where we’re going. There are more than 11,000 of them scattered across the state – along major highways and tiny backroads alike, they fuel up long haul trucks, hungry commuters and sometimes whole communities.

In some ways, the gas station is the backbone of our economy and the center of conversation and community. In other ways, they’re a blight on the landscape and, many feel, a soon-to-be anachronism. “Pumped: Food, fuel and the future of Texas” is an exploration of an often-overlooked staple of our life.

KUT Morning Newscast for March 1, 2023

Central Texas top stories for March 1, 2023. Austin Energy rates. Federal funding for mobility infrastructure. Joshua Wright prayer vigil. Campus polling ban pushback. Rockdale ISD 4 day school week.

KUT Morning Newscast for January 19, 2023

Central Texas top stories for January 19, 2023. Austin Water audit. City of Taylor homeless camping ordinance. ACC chancellor Richard Rhodes retiring. Texas energy grid proposed overhaul. Transportation legislation for bikers and pedestrians.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for December 21, 2022

Central Texas top stories for December 21, 2022. Lack of early weather shelter notifications is frustrating advocates. Arctic blast not expected to adversely affect ABIA. Protecting pipes and your home ahead of the cold snap. The City of Austin is not planning to treat roads ahead of cold weather. Barriers dividing parts of I-35 to pop-up along more roadways in Austin. Trail of Lights reopens tonight. 

Texas Standard: September 14, 2022

Texas’ border security mission has cost more than four billion dollars and counting. Where’s all that money coming from? Operation Lone Star put 10,000 Texas National Guard troops along the state’s border with Mexico. Today we’ll help you make sense of how the state’s paying for it. Also a looming railroad strike could mean pain for people in the checkout line and Democrats at the polls. What’s the Biden administration doing to keep the trains running on time? And do people with low incomes get audited more than others? We’ll see how that claim holds up under scrutiny from Politifact. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 13, 2022

At the hearings on the January 6th insurrection, the spotlight turns to the some potentially key figures from Texas. We’ll have the latest. Other stories we’re tracking: an 85 billion dollar ten year transportation plan for Texas. What it includes and what it leaves out as the state tries to deal with a growing population. And with that growing population, a boom in new home construction. But why so many delays in finishing projects? Plus water levels low on many Texas rivers and questions about whether businesses catering to river recreation will sink or swim. And the Mexican activists fielding calls from Texans seeking abortions. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

How much should it cost to ride Austin’s light rail?

Austin’s light-rail system is still years away from becoming a reality. The first trains won’t start running until 2029 at the earliest.

But already some people are worried about how much it could cost to ride light rail. They don’t want Capital Metro to up-charge customers like the agency does for those who ride the MetroRail commuter train.

Texas Standard: July 12, 2022

Demands for transparency in the investigation of the mass shooting in Uvalde. The focus: hallway surveillance footage. We’ll have the latest. Also why a big fight may be brewing between Austin and Washington over new air pollution regulations in West Texas. And military annual fitness checks getting swapped out for Fitbits? Plus an immigration lawyer on the front lines to keep families together at the border, reflects on his own migrant past and others directly affected by immigration policy. And new images of events millions of years in the past, the excitement over the space telescope and what the pictures tell us. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

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