The light rail transit line, long
promised to Austinites, could soon
clear a major hurdle.
And if it does, it could give new
momentum to a project that's been
dragged down through legal and
political resistance.
We're gonna hear about where that
project is headed next.
And months after a Texas AM
professor was fired for discussing
gender identity in a literature
class, transgender college students
in Texas are working on how to
make their voices heard.
Some are finding solace through
expression in their community.
Come hear their stories.
That's coming up on today's show.
The Austin Signal is a production of
K U T News, hosted by Jerry
Quijano.
Plus, our sister station KUTX
is highlighting some of their
favorite Austin songs of 2025.
Stay tuned for that, and a little
bit of Austin music history.
That's next on Austin Signal.
Howdy out there, this is
Austin Signal.
Thank you for tuning in.
We are glad to be part of your day.
It is Thursday, December 11th.
We're officially two weeks out from
the Christmas holiday, and Austin
Bergstrom International Airport's
already got a brand new toy,
a mint baggage handling
system. Airport officials say the
upgraded system can process 4,000
outbound bags an hour.
That's about more than twice
as much as the old system.
And officials say this change could
cut down on flight delays, which
could be clutch ahead of the holiday
rush. Speaking of which, more
than 9 million Texans are expected
to travel for the holidays later
this month. That's according to
Triple A Texas.
About 93% of those commuters
are expected to go by car.
Triple A says gas prices
are lower this year compared to last
holiday season.
Let's stay on the topic of
transportation and get right
into today's show.
Austin's long promised light row
line is about to clear a major
bureaucratic hurdle within days,
giving new momentum to a project
that has pushed through years of
political and legal resistance.
KUT's transportation reporter Nathan
Bernier sat down with morning
edition host Jennifer Stayton to
talk about this new development.
Nathan starts off the conversation.
So, federal transportation officials
are expected to issue a
final environmental ruling
by the end of the month.
Basically, it's called a final
environmental impact statement and
record of decision in government
speak. And it's, you know, it's a
sign that Washington still views
Austin's light rail plan as
viable after years
of uncertainty.
This decision, it's not going
to settle the project's fate.
It's not going to lock in the
billions of federal dollars
that Austin is depending upon
to build this 9.8 mile
light rail system.
Those grants would come only
after the Austin Transit
Partnership nails down
the most final, most
detailed designs of the
system, and the Federal Transit
Administration has a chance to
scrutinize those.
And as you pointed out, you know,
there are major challenges to this
project still.
But this sprawling document,
I mean thousands of pages,
this would move Austin's
light rail line into its most
consequential phase since
the 2020 election, when voters
approved the largest ever
transit expansion by authorizing
a similarly historic property
tax increase.
So this sounds like a a big step,
Nathan. So once the Austin
Transit Partnership gets this
federal environmental clearance,
what can they do next?
At a high level, they there are
three major contracts they can
issue. And these are big
high dollar contracts.
One is for building the actual
light rail line, the 9.8
mile three-pronged system.
Another is for designing and
building the operations and
maintenance facility,
62-acre facility,
big area right across Ben
White Boulevard from Austin Bergsham
International Airport.
And then the third contract is
for acquiring the light rail
vehicles that would run on this
system and would be arriving
as often as every five minutes in
the city's core, assuming this all
goes according to plan and is up and
running by 2033.
The Austin Transit Partnership, once
it gets environmental clearance, can
also, and you know, this happened
with the text.i35 project,
once they get federal clearance,
they can begin using eminent
domain to acquire property.
And that would be dozens of
businesses and up to three single
family homes that they would
purchase and so that
they can use that property
integrated into the rail
line. Because this project is
is not just about light rail, it
also includes complete
reconstruction of city streets,
utility relocation, a new bridge
over Lady Bird Lake,
three parking rides.
And so it has a very high
cost per mile, this project
relative to other light rail
projects under federal review, it's
among the most expensive, but it
also includes.
All this other stuff.
So 2026, Greg Canale,
the head of ATP, has described
it as an inflection point.
Once this environmental clearance
comes through, if it comes through
as expected, it's going to be a
very busy year.
Okay, Nathan, so I seem to recall
though that there is a lawsuit
involving Austin Transit
Partnership. What is going on with
the lawsuit that that could
stop this project?
Right. So this lawsuit began after
the Austin Transit Partnership
came out and said, you know what,
instead of building the 20-mile
light rail line like we said we were
going to do before voters approved
the property tax increase, turns out
we can only afford to do about 10
miles. That prompted a lawsuit
where the plaintiffs accused
essentially the city and Austin
Transit Partnership of doing a bait
and switch.
However, that's been kind of tied
up with another lawsuit.
The Austin Transit Partnership to
build this light rail system needs
to borrow billions of
dollars in bonds.
And the Attorney General
of Texas needs to would have to
approve those bonds.
So ATP went to the courts and
said, Can you s essentially
establish that we are entitled
to issue these bonds so that the
attorney general can't block us from
doing it?
Those two cases got wrapped
up together. And what's happening on
January 14th is a hearing
before the Texas Supreme Court
on a somewhat of a side matter,
but it does tie back.
And it really has to do with whether
or not ATP can
even file a bond validation
suit.
So that is definitely something
to watch, you know, how the Texas
Supreme Court rules.
And of course, the Texas legislature
in 2023 and 2025,
Republican lawmakers tried
to pass legislation that would
essentially undo the financing
for this project.
Without getting too much into the
details, they're arguing that.
The city is playing a bit of a shell
game with maintenance and operations
tax that you're not supposed to be
able to use that type of tax to
borrow bonds against.
So they tried to pass legislation to
like hammer that into law,
but failed both times.
So they'll have another chance in
2027. By that point, ATP is hoping
they're already under construction
and it will be much harder to stop.
Lots of moving parts here, Nathan.
But just to remind us kind of to
step back maybe for those who are
new to Austin, what exactly
is This light rail
project.
That is a great question, Jennifer.
I often forget the details of
this when I don't cover the story
for a while, but essentially what
we're looking at here is a 9.8
mile light rail system with
electric rail vehicles
powered by overhead
wires.
And it's a three-pronged
system extending north to 38th
Street, east to Yellow
Jacket Lane, which is sort of near
the intersection of Riverside Drive
and Benwite Boulevard, and south
to Olttorf Street.
There would be 15 stations.
And these electric trains
would run at street level
every five minutes during peak hours
in the downtown and north sections.
And that would, you know, drop,
they'd be less frequent during off
hours, seven and a half minutes.
And then the eastern and southern
segments would have peak hour
service every 10 minutes.
Another feature of this would be
tree-lined pedestrian and bike
paths down the middle of Riverside
Drive. I mentioned the elevated rail
bridge over Ladybird Lake, which
would include pedestrian and bike
paths.
But to make way for that bridge, ATP
will have to tear down the Waller
Creek boathouse and relocate it
elsewhere. So there's many
displacements with this project.
There are many changes to the
streetscape with this project.
Making left turns would be more
difficult if you're driving in a car
in certain areas.
So much to talk about, Jen, but
this is a huge project.
And the point is with this federal
environmental impact statement, it
is.
Clearing the way for this to
steam ahead in twenty twenty six.
If you pardon the pun, it's electric
rail, but you know what I mean.
Yeah, got it, Nathan.
And we will certainly have many more
conversations on this in the
coming years.
K U T's transportation reporter,
Nathan Bernier.
Thanks, Nathan.
Thank you so much, Jennifer.
And you can keep up with more
coverage of Austin Light Rail
and more transportation projects
at kut.org.
This is Austin Signal.
Thank you for tuning in and making
us part of your Thursday.
It's been close to three months
since Texas AM fired a professor
after she discussed gender identity
as part of a children's literature
class. The shock waves have
continued to rock higher education
across the state of Texas.
Mandatory course reviews and changes
to policies at universities have
faculty warning of dire threats
to academic freedom, especially
when it comes to teaching hot button
topics like transgender identity.
For transgender students worrying
about being silenced, Texas Standard
intern Kaye Knoll reports that the
solution has been to get out into
the community and to get
loud.
Transgender university students are
dealing with the scrutiny over
courses involving gender identity
the best way they know how.
By partying through the panic.
Kai Pacheco is the president of
Transcend, a club for transgender
students at Texas State University
in San Marcos.
He says he's proud of the ways the
club serves the city's sizable trans
community.
I know that when I came in as a
freshman I felt very lonely
and still freshly new in the
community. I wasn't sure
if there was gonna be a place where
I was able to explore my
identity further and I
just think it's amazing that I am
now able to
give that community to someone else.
On this night in particular, the
students are creating community
behind a queer coffee house in
downtown San Marcos.
There are pride flags, drag queens,
and queer student organizations
showing their colors.
In the background, though, there are
concerns about what's happening on
campus. Medusa Abercrombie
is another transcend club leader.
There are definitely moments
of pretty intense hostility.
I've gotten
some pretty intense death stares.
I've been lucky enough to not
have any verbal
sort of assaults or anything.
And Kai Pacheco says he's already
seen the impact of recent policy
changes.
I feel like the idea of
gender in general is just
not really talked about or advocated
for. Like currently,
like our advisor
at the moment is being
somewhat targeted because
they teach a gender studies course
and they're essentially
attempting to get rid of
Texas Standard reached out to Texas
State University for comment about
changes in how the school is
treating gender-related topics, but
officials declined to speak on the
matter. When we instead reached out
to the Texas State Employees Union,
which represents some Texas State
faculty, many of their members were
ready to talk, but they wanted to do
so on the condition of anonymity,
for fear of retaliation.
I spoke with four people who I
verified teach at the university,
but their names and voices will not
be used.
Our discussions gave some insight
into the upcoming implementation of
what Texas State is calling
value-neutral instruction.
The new guidelines go into effect
next semester and ask teachers to
change almost everything about their
classes, from course descriptions to
the structure of assignments.
In a pamphlet instructing faculty
on how to institute these new
guidelines, Texas State says that
they're designed to promote critical
thinking and help teachers retain
academic freedom.
The faculty members I spoke with say
they will do the exact opposite.
The professors believe that this new
so-called value-neutral initiative
and the intensified scrutiny that
comes with it will hurt areas of
learning that tend to sit on the
leading edge of theory and critical
thinking, like the humanities and
social sciences.
These subjects are where transgender
students are more likely to see
themselves represented.
The faculty members I talked with
said Texas State's guidelines on
being neutral in all applications
are too vague, and since crossing a
line could mean risking suspension
or their job, they're worried that
they may have to avoid issues like
transgender identity entirely.
Fears of losing their academic
independence are even causing some
professors to think about leaving
the state.
Meanwhile, transgender students are
left feeling unsupported, and the
instructors see that.
They told me they've noticed trans
students participating less in class
and experiencing more distress about
their academic futures.
Medusa Abercrombie says trans
students would like to see a little
more support from their university.
Just seeing that
Texas State is on our side.
And, you know, it's not a this side
or that side necessarily, but I
just mean that they're going to,
you know, support us, make
sure we're safe and comfortable.
And in some aspects
I think they've let
down recently in
that in that prospect.
But as the university has taken a
step back, the community has stepped
up. Even as Texas State debates
trans people's place in curriculum,
transcends leaders insist that they
will never disappear.
And we want to let people
know that we are here for them.
So we make sure we show up.
And we're gonna continue to show up
for our community as much as we can.
Basically our goal is to
foster a kind,
caring community for the trans
students at Texas State where they
can be somewhere and feel safe
and experience joy
even in a place
that is is rapidly
growing more hostile to them.
The faculty members aren't sure if
or when this intense scrutiny on
what they teach may pass, but
they've told us that they're
confident trans students are strong
enough to weather it.
Kai Pacheco is, too.
I'd say in these struggling times,
stay strong for yourself, stay
strong for your community.
If you feel as if you do not have
a community, keep
searching because there is one out
there for you.
He has faith that standing together
and sometimes throwing a party
will give them the power to
overcome.
I'm Kaye Knoll, the Texas Standard.
We've got more Austin Signal coming
up in one moment.
But don't forget, if you ever miss
an episode, worry not, you can
find our show on Spotify, Apple
Podcasts, all the places where you
get your shows.
Just search for Austin Signal
and hit subscribe.
And you can also find those at K U
T.orgslash
Signal.
This is Austin Signal.
Hi, I'm Laurie Gallardo.
I'm a show host and producer for
KUTX 989.
And I'm here to talk about one
of my favorite songs from
this year.
And it happens to be from an
Austin-based artist.
I am talking about Black Odyssey
and the song Heartbreak.
You can find that on his
sensational album, Mood
Control.
On my podcast, SPF 1000
Vampire Sunscreen, I had
the opportunity to speak with Black
Odyssey about his songwriting
process for the album.
And they actually used
frequencies, not just
certain sounds, not just certain
textures, but frequencies.
I was like, oh, creativity and
science, they go great together.
And it really is an outstanding
experience.
They wanted to connect emotionally
with these different frequencies or
or kind of, you know, hone
in on very specific emotions,
I should say.
That is what fascinates me about the
entire album because I believe it's
working.
I love this song so much
because I connect to this
feeling of longing.
Not just on this track in
particular, but on the entire
album.
With something like mood control,
it's the thing in its entire
picture, the entire chemistry,
the way these stories
are all connected throughout.
Now, obviously you can listen to
these as singles individually,
but I think it's the entire
story on mood control
and this whole idea of using
frequencies, that is
always going to get my attention.
That is always fascinating
me every time I think about that.
Black Odyssey is an
extraordinary artist because
he's not confined to just
one genre.
So the thing that initially
caught my attention
was the sound of it, the
pop of it.
And of course I'm I'm all about the
beats, I'm all about the rhythm.
That's always my my first
impression. That that kind of
pulls me right in right away.
My name is Laurie Gayardon.
I'm a show host and producer at
KUTX 989.
You can find out more about all
our favorite songs from 2025
at KUTX.org.
This is Austin Signal.
Thank you for listening.
This is indeed Austin
Signal.
There was a mystique and a
magic that permeated Austin's music
scene in the late seventies and
eighties when legends like Townes
Van Zandt and Doug Som roamed
the streets of an Austin that was
much different than ours, probably
much cooler.
One such legend, Blaze
Foley.
His story comes to us from the
Center of Texas Music History
at Texas State.
Here's Jason Mellard on how a
wandering Arkansas born musician
found a home and a place
of refuge here in Austin.
This week in Texas Music History, a
singer-songwriter sets the Outhouse
ablaze.
In December 1988, singer-songwriter
Blaze Foley played the Austin
Outhouse for the last time, an
appearance later released as a live
album. His birthday falls this week
too, born December 18, 1949
in Arkansas.
Foley grew up in San Antonio, Dallas
Fort Worth, and around the south.
He wandered further after dropping
out of high school, a drifter,
biker, roadie, and songwriter.
His songcraft flowered after
settling in Georgia, living in a
treehouse with partner and muse,
Sybil Rosin.
Foley moved to Austin in 1977,
the Progressive Country Boom years,
and became a stalwart in spots like
Emma Joe's, Spellman's Lounge,
Hole in the Wall, and the Austin
Outhouse.
He grew close there to another
Starcross songwriter, Towns
Van Zandt.
Their hard-luck drifter ways drew
them together, but their lyrical
gifts cemented the relationship.
Blaze and Towns could plumb the
depths of human despair in one
stanza and pivot to absurd silliness
in the next.
Foley's craft shone in such
songs as If I Could Only Fly,
Clay Pigeons, and Election Day,
but missed opportunities abounded.
In 1984, he recorded an album in
Muscle Shoals, but it didn't see the
light of day.
Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard
recorded If Only I Could Fly, but it
didn't take off like the duo's cover
of Banzance Poncho and Lefty.
Foley remained a hometown hero,
though, a songwriter's songwriter,
known for the duct tape holding his
boots together and sleeping rough
under pool tables.
In February 1989, Blaze
Foley lost his life in an
altercation in South Austin,
defending an elderly friend.
Lyle Lovett, John Prime,
Gurf Morlicks, and Lucinda Williams
covered his songs and sung his
praises in later years.
Ethan Hawke told his story on screen
in 2018, and the Live at
the Austin Outhouse album captures
the city's poet in his prime.
Rough and raw and ready.
You can hear music from the Lone
Star State 24-7 on the Texas
Music Experience at TMX.fm.
Support for this week in Texas Music
History comes from Brain Audio,
maker of portable speakers with
patented, built-in subwoofer
technology to deliver deep bass
sound with waterproof design and
Alexa functionality.
Holiday inspiration at
Brainaudio.com.
That is it for today's
episode of Austin Signal.
Thank you for being with us.
You can mind you can find
more from us at kult.org
slash signal.
Kristen Cabrera is our managing
producer. Rayna Sevilla
is our technical director.
Austin Signal will be back
with you tomorrow.
I'm your host, Jerry Quijano.
We will talk to you then.