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UT Austin announces $750 million gift for new Dell Medical Center

It’s been almost two months since a deadly shooting on West Sixth Street left three people dead, including one UT Austin student. Now a new scholarship to help underprivileged students advance their education has been created in honor of Savitha Shanmugasundaram’s life.

UT Austin has announced a new Dell Medical Center and research campus following a $750 million gift from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation — one that makes the Dells UT’s first-ever billion-dollar donors.

And, the satirical media outlet The Onion says they’ve acquired Infowars, the Austin-based source for decades of conspiracy theories.

Plus: The Indie Meme Film Festival is back for its 11th year. We’ll hear more about what’s coming to town.

Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

Smokable hemp products legal again in Texas — for now

It’s legal again for Texas businesses to sell smokable forms of hemp. New state rules that went into effect in March had effectively outlawed these sales, while raising fees on the businesses who carry them. We’ll delve into the state of the Texas hemp market.

The state board of education gave preliminary approval to a mandatory list of books that all Texas public schools will teach starting in 2030. Critics of the list say it lacks diversity and emphasizes Christianity.

Plus, what’s the story behind the freaky sculpture hanging in the Barton Creek Greenbelt? That’s the exact question someone asked us for our ATXplained project.

Federal court weighs decision over air conditioning in Texas prisons

Ahead of the coming summer heat, a federal court is considering whether air conditioning should be provided in all Texas prisons. We’ve been following the case that’s been happening in Austin over the past couple of weeks.

There are new changes to SNAP, the benefits that help low-income Texans purchase food. That assistance can’t be used for candy or most sweetened drinks. We’ll take a look at what impact this is having.

The San Marcos Studio Tour continues this weekend. We’ll hear about one artist who is showcasing work.

And a bit of good news to start the weekend: Austin’s favorite owl is giving us a couple of reasons to celebrate.

Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

‘They Called Us Outlaws’ revisits rise of outlaw country music

The threat of hail, possible tornadoes and flooding conditions spells what could be a severe start to a stormy weather season in Texas. Meteorologist Eric Berger joins us with what to expect and how it fits into the bigger weather picture.
How are you weathering rising gasoline prices? We’ll hear how some Houstonians are coping.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s election-year forecast: Not a rosy one for the Texas GOP. We’ll talk about that with Jasper Scherer of the Texas Tribune.
We’ll reveal our winner in our contest for the best Texas film of all time, as well as talk with the filmmaker behind “They Called Us Outlaws,” all about the rise of outlaw country music.

Meteor over Texas leaves debris, questions

A secretive project to build a long water barrier in the Rio Grande is revealed as letters go out to landowners to build a Big Bend border wall. We’ll hear what locals are thinking.

Look up to the sky: It’s a boom, it’s a flash… and a crash through a roof north of Houston. A UT geosciences professor helps us understand the meteor fragment impact that occurred this past weekend.

We’ll also dig into the somewhat surprising findings of a new report from the Brookings Institution on the costs of higher education.

And with March Madness in the air, the Sweet 16’s set in another bracket competition — the best Texas movie.

Debate grows over César Chávez Day and public memorials in Texas

Revelations over César Chávez’s reported history of sexual abuse has led to an immediate response across Texas. We’ll break it down.

Texas is home to two of America’s four strategic oil reserves. We’ll dive into why the Gulf Coast was the right place for this storage — beyond its oil and gas infrastructure.

We’ll take a trip to Brownsville for the Final Four — in college chess that is.
And we’ll bring you a story about a Texas-led discovery in South Korea: A new dinosaur species, the Doolysaurus — and it’s really cute.

We’ll also check in on the BBQ World Cup competition drawing interest across Texas for its huge, promised payout.

Would could the Prairieland decision mean for future federal prosecutions?

Fire warnings, scary high winds, dust storms out west, temps plummeting 30 and 40 degrees in some places… We’ll get the latest on a wild weather weekend.
Guilty verdicts in a trial involving the shooting of a police officer outside a North Texas immigration detention center. Could the Prairieland decision be a possible template for future federal prosecutions against antifa protestors?
Texas’ laws on abortion access: New housing data suggests the economic ripple effects of such laws.
And March Madness bracket season with a Texas twist. What’s the best Texas movie? Let the games begin.

New Daniel Johnston exhibit celebrates Austin artist’s enduring impact

Nearly 1 in 5 Americans live in rural areas, where there are often fewer licensed therapists and longer travel distances to mental health care. But hotlines like 988 give people access to the help they need. Today, we’ll find out why the support for that lifeline is stronger in some states than others.

Daniel Johnston was known for his art and music. When he died in 2019, he left behind a trove of his work. But where can you check it out? Well, some of that work is on public display for the first time as part of a new exhibit at Texas State University.

This month marks 100 years of celebrating Black History Month and one local organization is creating space to celebrate Black Austinites. Find out what they have planned this weekend.

Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

Four accused of yogurt shop murders are officially exonerated

Four men accused in one of Austin’s most infamous murders have been declared officially innocent; two of them were convicted, one was sentenced to death. 34 years later, their records have been cleared. We’ll have more from Thursday’s exoneration hearing.

An Austin-area congressional seat is up for grabs for the first time in nearly a decade. We’re going to hear from voters in the 21st congressional district about what they want and don’t want from their next representative.

Plus, Austin FC kicks off their new season Saturday night at Q2 Stadium. We’ll go over the things to look out for on the pitch and what you can expect this season from the team and our podcast Vamos Verde.

And a rare corpse flower blooms at a carnivorous plant shop here in Austin.

Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

Four accused in yogurt shop murders now exonerated

The four men wrongly accused in Austin’s yogurt shop murders were exonerated today in a Travis County courthouse. More than three decades on their records have been cleared. We’ll hear from family members who attended today’s hearing.

The University of Texas Board of Regents has approved a policy limiting from classrooms “controversial topics.” What the new policy says and the plan for putting it into effect.

And, music news with KUTX’s Maile Carballo.

Plus, Spurs basketball is back at the Moody Center tonight and it’s a much different version of the team that’s visited Austin the past few years. The reason for the change and the possibility of a championship this season coming up.

Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

San Marcos residents sound off on proposed data center

The Austin Independent School District has regained control of its special education program. The Texas Education Agency assigned a pair of monitors to the program for the last three years as AISD worked to address a backlog of evaluations. We’ll have the latest from Austin’s school district .

A San Marcos City Council meeting went into the early morning hours today as council members decided on rezoning property to be sold for a data center. Hundreds of folks showed up to make their opinions known. Most were against the idea, others say these data centers are inevitable. We’ll have more from that meeting.

Plus, The VORTEX theater hosted Butch Prom over the weekend.

And, we’re going to hear The Hole Story from our friends over at KUTX.

Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

For couple affected by dementia, a love song keeps memories alive

Five years on from the winter storm that caused blackouts across much of the state of Texas, what’s been done to address the failures of the blackout? And is Austin and Texas ready for the next big winter test of the power grid? More about what has and has not happened since February 2021.

There’s an argument to be made that the lieutenant governor of Texas is the most influential elected official in the state. Republicans have held the position for nearly three decades. We’ll hear about the candidates running to represent Texas Democrats in this fall’s election.

What happens to love when memories fade away? And how can we possibly try to hang on them? Hear how one woman in Pflugerville is doing her best to keep love alive through music.

Austin warming shelter’s lack of nutritious food draws concern

Nighttime temperatures in Austin won’t be cold enough this week to warrant the opening of warming shelters, but last month’s prolonged freeze did highlight the lack of nutritious food being served at one refuge in town. We’ll hear from someone who’s taken shelter there and the people helping to fill the need.

Travis County District Attorney José Garza is joining a group of DA’s banding together to hold federal officers accountable to the rule of law. We’ll look at what brought them together, and the complicated process that the project is hoping to tackle.

And a new photo exhibit at the Austin Central Library celebrates Black-owned businesses in Austin, and their role in preserving the city’s cultural history.

Democrat makes surprise win in solid-red Texas district

In a little-watched race, Taylor Rehmet’s surprise win for Democrats in Texas may be a potential warning shot for Republicans in a midterm election year. Is this a one-off, or is the GOP in trouble in the Lone Star State?
Also, Texas environmental regulators greenlight what looks like the largest fossil-fueled power plant project in the country. We’ll dig into what it might tell us about energy and the environment in Texas going forward.

How the Austin area fared amid arctic front

An arctic cold front brought freezing precipitation to the Austin area over the weekend. Classes were cancelled today at UT Austin and most school districts in Central Texas. Still, the area made out much better this time than in ice storms of years past. We’ll have more about the situation locally and this week’s forecast.

The most high-profile candidates for the Texas Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate race in November – U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and State Rep. James Talarico – debated each other in Georgetown over the weekend. We’ll recap the cases they made and the status of the race ahead of the March primary.

Plus, Annabelle Chairlegs is the KUTX Artist of the Month for January. Their new record “Waking Up” is out this Friday. We’ll chat with group lead Lindsey Mackin and hear from the band’s Studio 1A performance.

Austin police cooperation with ICE faces renewed scrutiny

An update on this weekend’s winter storm – the lingering aftereffects, and when to expect things to get back to “normal.”Though the worst may be over, many extreme cold advisories have been issued statewide today, and frozen precipitation is making many secondary roads treacherous. We’ll have an update, plus a look at the storm’s impact on the power grid.Despite hazardous driving conditions, an important political debate went on as scheduled Saturday: A showdown between the top two Democrats running for a U.S. senate seat from Texas. We’ll have a recap of the Georgetown debate between U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and State Rep. James Talarico. Also, questions about local law enforcement cooperation with ICE in Austin.

Arctic front bears down on Austin, Central Texas

An arctic cold front is approaching Austin and Central Texas. The National Weather Service has already issued an Extreme Cold Watch and a Winter Storm Warning for the weekend. We’ll have more about the latest forecasts and the ways for you to be prepared.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement operations have continued in Central Texas. KUT News has obtained video of one such incident in Kyle. As these operations increase, so does the concern for public safety amid reports of slack hiring practices and training regulations for ICE officers. Speaking with Austin Signal is Alain Stephens, investigative reporter for the Intercept covering gun violence, arms trafficking, and federal law enforcement.

Plus, it’s Hi, How Are You Day in Austin. We’ll share how you can celebrate.

Former Uvalde officer acquitted in first criminal trial tied to shooting

Texans prepare for a major winter storm, projected to be the most severe since the deadly winter storm of 2021. We’ll get an update on preparations by state officials in what promises to be the first real test of the power grid since Winter Storm Uri five years ago.
A Uvalde school police officer, the first law enforcement official to be charged in connection with the Robb Elementary School shooting, has been acquitted by a jury.
Also, the death of Cuban immigrant at an El Paso detention center has now been ruled a homicide.

What to know as arctic front heads to Texas

Freezing temperatures and ice are in the forecast for much of Texas. We’ll go over what you need to know to feel prepared.
An investigation into jail deaths in Tarrant County finds a common denominator: A lieutenant who looked on.
Drone delivery could soon be coming to your front porch. We’ll cover the companies embracing the technology and the challenges it brings.
The new PBS documentary, “American Sons,” highlights the lives of Marines who served together in Afghanistan and how they remember their brother from San Antonio who was killed in action.
Texas author Sarah Bird shares her thoughts on news about President Trump’s push to acquire Greenland.
And a new facility hopes to inspire folks of all ages in Waco.

ICE detainee deaths draw scrutiny at El Paso facility

From one end of Texas to the other: Parades, celebrations and service events in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Veteran host of “In Black America,” John L. Hanson Jr., pays tribute to the civil rights leader.
We’ll also hear from the host of a new PBS documentary on the evolving legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
We’ll delve into the death of an ICE detainee at the nation’s largest detention facility in El Paso – a death that may soon be ruled a homicide.
And a projected shift in Texas weather.