UT Austin

KUT Morning Newscast for September 30, 2024

Central Texas top stories for September 30, 2024. The Austin City Council rejects a proposed rate increase for customers of Texas Gas Service. Lane closures ahead of the first of two Austin City Limits Music Festival weekends. Hays County voters will decide this fall whether to pass a major bond for road improvements. The University of Texas at Austin is getting more than $50 million in grants to help low-income students in Texas prepare for college. The Texas Longhorn football team dropped a spot in the AP top 25 rankings after a messy win over Mississippi State.

KUT Morning Newscast for September 17, 2024

Central Texas top stories for September 17, 2024. Texas high school students will need to rank in the top five percent of their graduating class to be automatically admitted to UT Austin starting with the fall 2026 semester. Hays County Commissioners are set to vote on a new budget today. Texas is changing its rules for annual vehicle inspections, get the details here. The Austin Police Department is cracking down on aggressive driving, speeding, and other traffic violations in one part of the city.

KUT Morning Newscast for September 16, 2024

Central Texas top stories for September 16, 2024. Homes in Austin are selling for a bit more than they did last year. Uber says it will start using self-driving cars in Austin and Atlanta early next year. A nonprofit focused on supporting children and families has given tens of thousands of dollars to the AISD. This year has not been great for bat viewing in Austin, but that doesn’t mean it has been a bad year for the bats. The Texas Longhorns are now number one in the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll.

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.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for September 6, 2024

Central Texas top stories for September 6, 2024. UT-Austin fell in the bottom ten out of more than 250 institutions nationwide in a ranking of the best and worst colleges and universities for free speech. Potential fraud in the application process has raised questions about the Texas Energy Fund. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Travis County today over a program encouraging voter registration. The Cheneys throw their support behind Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. Austin’s Bat Fest is tomorrow. Del Valle ISD is getting a new acting superintendent after the current one announced his retirement. Longhorns visit The Big House this weekend. This should be a better weekend than last to fill up your gas tank.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for September 4, 2024

Central Texas top stories for September 4, 2024. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin say they’ve discovered an antibody that could effectively fight all variants of COVID-19. A new poll finds more than three-quarters of Texans say it’s getting more difficult to afford groceries. The City of Austin has a new removal policy for people in its city-owned shelters. Hays County Parks and Open Spaces Bond update. The Austin school board is asking voters to approve a new tax rate to raise millions in funding. Google Fiber is coming to Kyle. 15 year old Paralympic archer Jordan White places 17th at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for August 29, 2024

Central Texas top stories for August 29, 2024. A student arrested at a protest in April is suing the University of Texas at Austin. A Travis County District Judge ruled today that the City of Austin violated the Open Meetings Act. The City of Austin and other cities are in the process of stopping a proposed rate increase from Texas Gas Service. Texas State University is partnering with local high schools to give students college-level classes. Austin has now paid out more than $22 million to settle lawsuits over police conduct during 2020 protests. Abnormal Dryness spread back into Travis, Hays and most of Williamson County.

KUT Morning Newscast for August 26, 2024 

Central Texas top stories for August 26, 2024. Travis County no longer meets air quality standards set by EPA, and county leaders are asking for help from state regulators. A new respite center for teens in crisis is set to open in Austin next month. Today is the first day of classes for UT Austin and ACC. City of Taylor is under Stage Two Water Restrictions.

KUT Morning Newscast for August 5, 2024

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. 

What’s ahead for U.S. gymnastics at the Olympics

A faculty committee at UT Austin found that university leaders violated their own rules when calling police to respond to protests over the war in Gaza at the end of the spring semester. Audrey McGlinchy of KUT News shares the latest.
Five years after the mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, a new memorial is unveiled to honor the 23 people killed.
Serious questions have been raised over a private contractor providing healthcare services to prison inmates in many states, including Texas.
And: Texas was well-represented at the men and women’s gymnastics team and all-around events at the Paris Olympics. A look at what’s ahead for the athletes.

KUT Morning Newscast for August 1, 2024

Central Texas top stories for August 1, 2024. A UT Austin committee says the university administrators violated their own rules when handling pro-Palestinian protests in April. The Austin City Council is holding a public hearing today on the proposed $5.9 billion dollar city budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The San Marcos Police Department is making changes in response to calls for greater transparency. Williamson County is looking to attract more space exploration companies.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for July 25, 2024

Central Texas top stories for July 25, 2024. Budget discussions are underway at Austin City Hall. Dell Seton Medical Center is celebrating the opening of an expanded unit to treat neurological conditions. Lake Travis has been benefiting from this week’s rain. The impact of recent rain on the local drought picture.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for July 18, 2024

Central Texas top stories for July 18, 2024. Rent prices in the Austin area continue to fall. Local officials are drawing up Austin’s first ever “comprehensive food plan.” The Austin City Council is taking more time to consider a bond package that would address climate change in the community. The expansion of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is gaining altitude. The Austin City Council is looking further into the possibility of opening a public bank. The University of Texas received federal funding to build facilities in Austin for the U.S. Department of Defense. Major League Soccer’s summer transfer window begins today.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 11, 2024

Central Texas top stories for July 11, 2024. Steiner Ranch finished a second evacuation route in case of an emergency. Activists in Bastrop are joining other Texas cities to try to decriminalize low-level marijuana possession. Cedar Park officials are looking at changing the city’s housing and subdivision regulations. More Longhorns than ever are participating in this year’s Olympics.

KUT Morning Newscast for June 27, 2024

Central Texas top stories for June 27, 2024. SXSW will no longer partner with the military or weapons manufacturers for sponsorship. More criminal charges have been dismissed against people who participated in pro-Palestinian protests in April. The construction of new toll lanes along 183 will take longer than expected.  

KUT Afternoon Newscast for June 18, 2024

Central Texas top stories for June 18, 2024. Texas Supreme Court rules state electric grid regulators acted legally when they hiked energy rates during a blackout in February 2021. What Hays CISD is doing to tackle a budget deficit. A reward is being offered for information about the shooter that killed two people at a Juneteenth celebration in Round Rock. The University of Texas at Austin is laying off more than a dozen employees responsible for communication and marketing. Lynn Boswel is running for reelection to the Austin ISD board of trustees. The City of Austin is getting rid of some public pool fees this summer. Juneteenth celebrations. Rain expected for tomorrow.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for June 12, 2024

Central Texas top stories for June 12, 2024. Ascension hospital system believes some patient data may have been affected by last month’s ransomware attack. State lawmakers met for a second time this week to talk about the future of the Texas power grid. Summer meal programs in Austin. A Travis County Judge has dismissed a lawsuit targeting Austin’s voter-approved ordinance decriminalizing low-level marijuana possession. The University of Texas at Austin will require nearly all staff members to return to work on-site full-time. A new study could make the long-promised high speed passenger rail a reality. The Zilker Eagle takes flight. Sony buys Alamo Drafthouse.

KUT Morning Newscast for June 10, 2024 

Central Texas top stories for June 10, 2024. UT Austin started disciplinary proceeding against students arrested at pro-Palestinian protests. AISD is trying to reduce how often Black students and students with disabilities are disciplined. The City of Leander is looking to decrease its overall water consumption by two percent by 2029. More Austin pools open today.  

KUT Morning Newscast for June 03, 2024.

Central Texas top stories for Juane 3, 2024. Two UT Austin professors are challenging revision that the Biden administration made to Title IX. Mexicans have elected their first woman president, Austinintes drove to Dallas and Houston this weekend to vote. Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department opens 13 more pools today. The City of Austin will start applying a special treatment to parts of Lady Bird Lake to fight the spread of dangerous blue-green algae. 

KUT Morning Newscast for May 13, 2024

Central Texas top stories for May 13, 2024. UT graduation ceremonies. Central Texas weather warning. Disaster declaration issued in Hays County. Hail damage may be covered by insurance. A retired couple is giving $100 to teachers and staff in two school districts. Austin FC lost to FC Dallas.