Central Texas top stories for August 5, 2024. AISD’s Board of Trustees is considering calling a tax rate election to generate more revenue for the district. City officials and the Austin Police Department are working on finalizing a labor contract by the end of the summer. Election officials in Williamson County say they plan to purchase pre-numbered paper ballots ahead of the November election. Travis County has a new website that’s intended to provide easy access to resources for sexual assault survivors ATXBelieves.org. Barton Springs is temporarily closed after Sunday’s storms. Longhorns had a busy weekend at the Paris Olympics.
Travis County
KUT Morning Newscast for July 31, 2024
Central Texas top stories for July 31, 2024. Travis County designated $300,00 to kickstart a pilot program to keep yards clean. UT researchers are using AI to forecast the weather during the Paris Olympic Games. Lockhart residents could vote on decriminalizing low-level marijuana. Austin FC beat CF Monterrey last night.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for July 30, 2024
Central Texas top stories for July 30, 2024. Austin ISD is looking for ways to cut its spending. Travis County is putting together its next budget. The Austin Fire Department is calling for 25 new cadets and a shorter work schedule to improve firefighters’ mental health. Advanced manufacturing is dominating economic development in Williamson County. Facebook parent company Meta has agreed to a 1.4 billion dollar settlement of a lawsuit filed by the State of Texas. This week we’re paying for the rain and below-normal temperatures of last week.
KUT Morning Newscast for July 23, 2024
Central Texas top stories for July 23, 2024. Today Austinites will get to meet the two finalists in the running to be Austin’s next police chief. Travis County Commissioners are about to put two new members on a board that manages affordable housing in the area. Capital Metro will continue to do business with the company that provides on-demand transit services MetroAccess and Pickup. The Austin Independent School District is heading into the new school year with a 78-million-dollar budget deficit, but that could change.
KUT Morning Newscast for June 19, 2024
Central Texas top stories for June 19, 2024. Heavy rain is possible today and tomorrow. Activists are asking Travis County to provide lawyers for low-income people accused of crimes. Austin is one step closer to finding a permanent police chief. Learn about Juneteenth celebrations in Austin as well as City closures for the holiday.
KUT Morning Newscast for May 23, 2024
Central Texas top stories for May 23, 2024. Travis County Medical Examiner’s report on the impact of the opioid epidemic in central texas. The City of Temple confirmed a tornado touched down there last night. Two Central Texas cities are among the fastest growing in the country. Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon Mercado on the significance of local elections. The Texas Baseball team was eliminated from the Big 12 Championship.
KUT Morning Newscast for May 22, 2024
Central Texas top stories for May 22, 2024. Austin’s new city manager is building his team at city hall. Memorial Day Weekend traffic enforcement. Intense rainfall is becoming more frequent in Williamson County. Amber alert issued for two children last seen in Yorktown, Texas. Travis County will soon start design work to reconstruct some of the worst roads in the area.
KUT Morning Newscast for May 16, 2024
Central Texas top stories for May 16, 2024. Austin City Council could vote to reduce the amount of land needed to build a house. The City of Austin is searching for a new police chief. The City of Austin does not have enough money to finish road projects promised to voters when they approved a property tax increase in 2016. Travis County voters will decide whether to raise taxes to expand child care options for low income families. The City of Georgetown could use treated wastewater to meet its long-term water supply challenges. Austin to host the 2025 MLS All Star Game. Strong to severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are possible this afternoon and evening in the Austin area.
KUT Morning Newscast for May 15, 2024
Central Texas top stories for May 15, 2024. The head of the UT System says its institutions have undergone significant changes to comply with a state law banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public universities and colleges. Texas state lawmakers also heard a UT student’s testimony over antisemitism on campus. Travis County voters could decide on a tax rate increase that would expand access to child care for low-income families. Leander ISD’s police force progress. Austin Live Music Fund. May is Wildfire Safety Month.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for May 14, 2024
Central Texas top stories for May 14, 2024. DEI law compliance hearing. Travis County leaders took a big step today toward having a tax-rate increase election this year. The city says 40 to 50 Austin police officers assisted in making arrests at last month’s protests on the UT campus. The Leander School District has named Lucretia Rogers as its executive director of safety and security. The number of days in the Austin area with air quality considered unhealthy for sensitive groups increased to 21 last year.
KUT Morning Newscast for May 3, 2024
Central Texas top stories for May 3, 2024. The Austin City Council approved a resolution to protect transgender people. The Austin City Council has unanimously approved new policies for long-term water conservation and drought response. Travis County voters will elect people to oversee property tax appraisals for the first time. The Leander Independent School District has created a new, two-million-dollar grant program for its teachers and staff. Hays County’s hosting a Tire Collection Event tomorrow.
Is Tesla running out of power?
Twisters up north, flooding to the east, wildfire dangers out in the far west and a forecast that won’t let up… yet. Boat rescues reported in central east Texas and many road closures as riverbanks swell from the rain. Meteorologist Eric Berger with the latest and what to expect.
On the heels of layoffs in April, the state’s wealthiest resident moves to make deeper cuts at the nation’s top EV maker. A tipping point for Tesla?
An update on what Travis County officials describe as the worst outbreak of opioid overdoses in years.
Plus, a preview of a new podcast exploring the state’s takeover of the Texas’ biggest school district.
KUT Morning Newscast for April 25, 2024
Central Texas top stories for April 25, 2024. Fallout from yesterday’s pro-Palestinian protest on UT Austin’s campus. Advocates say the city of Austin still has work to do to ensure sexual assault survivors are getting the help they need. Austin Water’s plans for future conservation have come under fire from members of a city task force.
KUT Morning Newscast for April 24, 2024
Central Texas top stories for April 24, 2024. A Travis County grand jury has indicted a man accused of stabbing a Palestinian-American near the UT-Austin campus earlier this year. Travis County’s “State of the County” address returns. The Austin Police Department this week switched over to a private radio system. “Quiet zones” coming to train crossings in North Austin.
KUT Morning Newscast for April 17, 2024
Central Texas top stories for April 17, 2024. The City of Austin is bracing for a budget shortfall this year and beyond. Travis County commissioners renamed the Justice and Public Safety Division to the Department of Innovative Justice and Program Analysis. The Biden Administration’s 6.4 billion dollar investment in Samsung is expected to bring more than 20 thousand jobs to Central Texas.
KUT Morning Newscast for April 16, 2024
Central Texas top stories for April 16, 2024. Hays CISD approves a plan to ensure all school district buses are equipped with seat belts as soon as possible. Travis County is renaming the Justice & Public Safety department. In-person early voting in the May 4th election starts on Monday. ABIA will be among the first airports in the country to get a new system that helps monitor where planes are on the ground. Application for new grants for artists and small art businesses opens today.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for March 26, 2024
Central Texas top stories for March 26, 2024. Travis County waives property taxes for some childcare centers. Austin’s ten-mile light-rail system could be up and running by the year 2033. Austin Pets Alive! is looking to build a Pet Resource Center in Hays County. Austin Community College is offering free eclipse viewing glasses ahead of the total solar eclipse on April 8th. Travis County’s award winning park.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for February 26, 2024
Central Texas top stories for February 26, 2024. Voter turnout during early voting. Record day for wind and solar power. Two former Williamson County sheriff’s deputies are on trial in Travis County. Quiet zones still a few weeks away.
Ballet folklórico competition comes to North Texas
Former president and presidential candidate Donald Trump wades into Texas politics with downballot endorsements.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton takes aim at a faith-based group in El Paso providing services for migrants.
In Texas farm country, concerns grow over a lack of water.
In the congressional district that includes 800 miles of the state’s border with Mexico, four republicans are challenging the GOP incumbent as polls show high voter interest in border security.
Plus: High schools push for competitive ballet folklórico.
KUT Morning Newscast for February 15, 2024
Central Texas top stories for February 15, 2024. The League of Women Voters are preparing folks for early voting in the March primaries. Travis County republicans will hand-count mail-in ballots. Del Valle ISD is still looking to fill a seat on the school board vacant since June.