Central Texas top stories for April 19, 2024. EPA announces new regulations on “forever chemicals” in drinking water. Residents giving testimony at Austin City Hall will get more time to speak. In-person early voting starts Monday morning in the May 4th election. San Marcos’s new water restrictions. Weekend rain chances.
Weather
Total eclipse 2024: A special broadcast from the Kerrclipse Festival
Eclipse day has finally arrived, and Texas Standard has a special broadcast from the path of totality.
We’re live at the Kerrclipse Festival, on the grounds of the famous Kerrville Folk Festival, to talk forecast, what NASA and other researchers hope to learn today, the eclipse “observer effect” and much more.
The state welcomed 475,000 new Texans in a year
Large parts of North Texas are cleaning up after severe storms swept the region, but weather dangers continue.
As sea levels rise, cities along the Texas Gulf Coast are sinking. A new report is raising red flags.
Boom times in Texas continue, with new census figures showing the Lone Star State growing faster than any other.
Should Texas’ senior senator, John Cornyn, be worried about a political challenge from AG Ken Paxton? Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas Morning News explains.
Plus: The week in politics with the Texas Tribune and more.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for March 7, 2024
Central Texas top stories for March 7, 2024. Garza gets votes from all over Austin. Austin City Council passed another climate change resolution. Only two republican incumbents won their primary race. Prosecutors and defense attorneys made their closing arguments this afternoon in a trial of two former Williamson County Sheriff’s deputies. Austin Police have announced an extended DWI no-refusal enforcement period. Stormy weather inbound.
UTEP scientists spot bird not seen in decades
A unanimous decision from the U.S. Supreme Court reverses a challenge to Donald Trump’s eligibility to remain on primary ballots, just ahead of Super Tuesday.
The Texas Newsroom’s Rachel Osier Lindley shares an update on wildfires in the Texas Panhandle, where the biggest blaze in state history is only 15% contained.
We’ll have more on some key races to watch, from Abilene to Dallas County, as Texans prepare to go to the polls tomorrow.
And: The yellow-crested helmetshrike, a bird long feared extinct, was discovered by a team of scientists from the University of Texas at El Paso on an expedition to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Coral samples in Galveston could be key to keeping the species alive
On the eve of early voting, Alexandra Samuels of Texas Monthly and Mark Jones of the Baker Institute at Rice University share a closer look at some of the big contests Texas voters will see on their primary ballots.
We’ll hear about what happened when reporters for the Houston Chronicle began mapping where tickets are being issued to people experiencing homelessness there.
Amid mounting threats from climate change, scientists at Moody Gardens in Galveston are caring for 150 coral fragments from five species to keep them alive.
Anyone up for barbecue – for breakfast? BBQ journalist Daniel Vaughn has some prime tips.
New music exhibit features iconic items owned by Willie Nelson, Taylor Swift and more
A new law making it a state crime for migrants to enter Texas without authorization faces a major test in a federal courtroom. We’ll hear the latest.
In Houston ISD, the biggest school district in the state, officials appointed by the state are getting pushback over plans to expand school reforms.
A Texas presidential museum turns a spotlight on Taylor Swift’s guitar, Willie Nelson’s boots and hundreds of other artifacts to help tell the story of American music.
Plus: The week in politics with The Texas Tribune.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for January 19, 2024
Central Texas top stories for January 19, 2024. Art Acevedo returns to Austin. How San Marcos animal shelters are navigating this weekend’s cold temperatures. Austin ISD’s superintendent finalist on facilities issues in the district. Former Austin city council member Kathy Tovo is running for Austin mayor. Texas Rangers visit Round Rock as champions. 3M Half Marathon is this Sunday. Longhorns Basketball.
Standoff between Texas and the feds continues over Rio Grande access
Tensions between Texas and the federal government intensify over Border Patrol access.
On the day after the release of the findings of a federal investigation into the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, what we’re learning and what it could mean for accountability.
With the intensification of winter weather this week, how advocates for people experiencing homelessness are trying to shelter and care for Texans left out in the cold.
A sneak peek at the Super Bowl prospects for the Houston Texans, facing a big playoff challenge this weekend.
And we’ll have the week in politics with Matthew Watkins of the Texas Tribune.
Supreme Court case pits Texas rancher against TxDOT’s highway renovations
A senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service offers a peek at what’s to come as much of Texas remains blanketed by bitter cold.
On South Padre Island, there’s a mission to rescue hundreds of sea turtles stunned by the cold.
A Houston-area rancher says his land is prone to serious floods because of renovations to Interstate 10, and he wants compensation from the state. Arguments are set for today before the U.S. Supreme Court.
A growing standoff between Texas and the federal government continues as the White House accuses Gov. Greg Abbott of blocking Border Patrol access, resulting in the drowning of three migrants.
We’re talking to state lawmaker Judith Zaffirini, the first woman to hold the role of dean of the Texas Senate.
And: re-examining the legacy of the space shuttle with astronaut and spacewalker Tom Jones.
KUT Morning Newscast for January 16, 2024
Central Texas top stories for January 16, 2024. Frigid forecast. Latest state of the power grid. Why we drip faucets in freezing temperatures. Austin-Bergstrom’s lights snow dusting explained. Mother’s Milk Bank at Austin is approaching its 25th anniversary.
Celebrated African American art and history exhibit arrives in Texas
With winter storm warnings out across the Lone State State, emergency management officials are warning Texans to stay inside if at all possible, avoid travel, and monitor calls for energy conservation. We’ll get a status update from Matt Lanza of Space City Weather, plus a look at what’s ahead this week.
With COVID-era protections like eviction moratoriums gone, Texans are feeling the effects.
And on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we’ll hear about an award-winning collection of artifacts now on display in Houston documenting the African American experience: Our conversation with collectors Bernard and Shirley Kinsey about a project more than 50 years in the making.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for January 09, 2023
Central Texas top stories for January 09, 2023. Central Texas is expecting the coldest weather of the season next week. The City of Austin is activating its cold weather shelter operations tonight. Austin Police plan to set up an arraignment court at the downtown jail. A group in Williamson County is petitioning to have the western portion of the county join the nearby Bell County water conservation district. Del Valle ISD school board seat remains open. Longhorns men’s basketball looking for their first Big 12 conference victory of the season.
How the New Year’s focus on dieting can have a negative impact
The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for much Texas as a massive storm moves across the United States. We have the latest on conditions statewide.
Friends, family and colleagues of the late longtime congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson are gathering in Dallas today to reflect on her legacy.
Made any New Year’s resolutions? The Standard’s Sarah Asch looks into how the body positivity movement has challenged longstanding messages about health and dieting.
A major baby formula recall is sparking concerns among families and politicians.
And remembering legendary Texas journalist Stanley Walker.
A look ahead to the new year in Texas, from politics to entertainment
Two experts weigh in on the Texas political landscape and the stakes as we head into a major general election year amid growing rifts among Texas Republicans. Could the new year mark a tipping point for Texas Democrats?
Tech expert Omar Gallaga and the Standard’s own Shelly Brisbin look at what’s buzzing on the technology front.
Plus: coming attractions at the theater and some of the most anticipated book releases of 2024.
A look back at the year in review
It was a year like few others in modern memory at the Texas Capitol, with four special sessions on top of a regular session, a historic impeachment trial of the state attorney general and more.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of one of the most seminal Texas music moments ever committed to vinyl: Viva Terlingua!
The best of the year in science & nature
Science and nature are in the spotlight today.
While the worst of COVID-19 appears to be history, scientists and researchers continue to draw lessons about what happened and how well-prepared we might be for the next pandemic.
How a Texan is trying to help answer questions about science in a new podcast aimed at non-scientists curious about the world around us.
Girl Scouts take a deep dive on science – quite literally – with the help of scuba gear.
And our conversation with an astronaut picked for our next return to the moon.
KUT Afternoon Newscast for December 27, 2023
Central Texas top stories for December 27, 2023. Inflation impacts local food banks. The City of Austin completes resiliency hub upgrades. Eighth Street Shelter reopens. 2023 housing market. Jacobs Well update. Normal weather to end Austin’s warmest year on record.
All about Texas cryptids
Most Texans have heard their names, and quite a few grew up hearing their stories: Bigfoot, jackalope, goatman, La Lechuza, chupacabra, just for starters. Scientists question whether they’re real, but the space they occupy in Texas folklore is very real indeed.
Today we’re sharing the results of a month-long effort to track down the origin stories of Texas cryptids – and discover why they have such a hold on Texas mythology and imagination.
The best of the year in arts & culture
Today we’re turning our attention to the world of arts and culture, from a riveting film featuring the audio diaries of Lady Bird Johnson, to the startling impact of a singer named Taylor Swift.
What if it is your first rodeo? We’ve got you covered there with what to do – and what not to.
And Austin-born actor Gabriel Luna talks about his role in the hit HBO series “The Last of Us.”