KUT Public Media General Manager Debbie Hiott was fired Monday by leadership at UT Austin. The dismissal followed a dispute ahead of KUT’s inaugural festival in May and comes at a time when public radio stations across the country are dealing with mounting financial and political pressures.

Today, the university named an interim general manager to lead the station going forward. We’ll tell you what we know about the firing and the new leader on today’s show.

The firing has raised questions from listeners and readers about how KUT and the university are connected — as well as how monetary donations to KUT/X impact UT Austin. We’ll share answers to those questions.

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

The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post What next after UT Austin fires KUT head Debbie Hiott appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Flooding this morning in the Austin area caused road closures and a water rescue and even necessitated the lifting of floodgates on the Colorado River.

As the city of Austin tightens the strings on its upcoming budget, nonprofits are bracing for even more cuts. Austin Current’s Sam Stark chats with us more about the groups that could be impacted and how organizations are preparing.

It’s last call at the Paramount Theatre as the doors shut temporarily for an all-out renovation — but they’re still bringing plenty of entertainment to town.

Summer reading has started. Join KUT for our bingo challenge!

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

The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

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Plans to put a border wall in the Big Bend region have been taking shape, and a co-founder of the outdoor brand YETI is connected with a ranch involved in those plans.

Some Taylor residents are proposing an ordinance aimed at creating stricter regulations for data centers in the city. What they’re asking for.

The Austin airport is adding summer flights as expansion work continues.

The first-ever girls flag football state championship is happening this weekend, and the Round Rock High School team is preparing to compete.

Plus: The KUTX staff shares their favorite songs of 2026 so far, from Austin and beyond.

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

The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post Round Rock girls flag football team plays for state title appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

With confirmation of cases of the New World screwworm in Texas, plenty of focus is on the potential impact on the state’s cattle industry. But they’re not the only animals vulnerable to the parasite. We’ll have some prevention tips.

Texas Republicans dominated the primaries by going all-in on the MAGA movement. Now they have to sell that plan to Texans come November

A comedy game show at Austin’s Fallout Theater has segments that consistently go sideways, and that’s just how they want it.

And another excerpt from the Accent Unmuted storytelling series, elevating the voices of immigrants.

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

The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post How to protect your pets from New World screwworm appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

More than 60,000 Austinites work in the city’s food industry. A local nonprofit wants to help these food workers get health insurance. We’ll tell you about their work.

Peaches from Fredericksburg may be harder to find because of yet another warm winter. We’ll have more from the Texas Hill Country.

An Austin food influencer is moving from the small screen to the bigger screen with his new show, highlighting immigrant-owned eateries across town. We’ll hear about what he’s learned by going inside the kitchen.

And FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off tomorrow. Our soccer/fútbol expert will have some teams to watch and a local connection on the Canadian national team.

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

The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post Local food influencer gives peek at new docuseries ‘David Eats Everywhere’ appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

A judge in Travis County is expected to decide soon whether Camp Mystic and its owners can settle wrongful death lawsuits out of court stemming from last year’s deadly summer flooding. The families want jury trials, but the owners want arbitration.

Visitors to Big Bend National Park are hoping to catch a glimpse before the protected region changes. The Trump Administration has been pushing on-again-off-again plans for a border wall through the park.

An event this week identifying and highlighting Asian artists in Austin is taking on an added function: Raising funds for some of their own involved in an accident while trying to pursue their art. Austin Creates Together and the recovery for Peelander-Z.

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

The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post Judge to decide whether Camp Mystic lawsuits can be settled out of court appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Texas Republican leaders previously shunned Bo French for his racist social media posts. Now they want him to regulate the state’s oil and gas industries.

The Austin City Council voted in May to annex a 2,600-acre site in the eastern part of the city. City leaders had planned the Dog’s Head development for months, but neighbors nearby only had a few days to make their voices heard about those plans.

What happens to the dead animals the city picks up on the roads here in Austin? In the latest from our ATXplained project, we meet some of the people handling that service with care.

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

The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post A shunned GOP candidate could regulate Texas oil and gas appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The Austin ISD community came together Thursday night to discuss budget changes that include cutting more than 550 positions, including teachers, as the district is working on reducing a $181 million deficit.

Christopher Taylor, a former Austin police officer, is suing the city and the Austin Police Department to try and get his job back after being acquitted in a fatal shooting.

The University of Texas at Austin has begun the process of removing a statute honoring Cesar Chavez, following accusations of sexual abuse against the late labor leader.

Plus: Ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals, where to catch the action and how Spurs fans in Austin are feeling.

And join KUT for our summer reading bingo challenge!

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

The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post UT Austin begins removal of Cesar Chavez statue appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The Austin Independent School District is planning to cut hundreds of jobs in its upcoming budget, including teachers, librarians and campus law enforcement.

CapMetro’s Bikeshare system has been shut down since a fire Memorial Day weekend, with no timeline for resuming service. A forensic investigator is examining whether lithium-ion batteries caused the blaze at a CapMetro facility.

We’re coming up on the final weekend of the Kerrville Folk Festival. Let’s take a trip out to the Texas Hill Country This year’s iteration of the folk music mecca has special meaning after last summer’s deadly flooding in the Texas Hill Country.

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

The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post Austin ISD planning to cut hundreds of jobs appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

New research finds 10% of Texans under 6 were recently uninsured, the highest of any state in the country. We’ll have the latest data.

We continue our Series of Lasts: stories from the final days of some Austin ISD campuses. Bring your appetite and some Kleenex as we sit for one last school lunch at Ridgetop Elementary.

Margaret Gómez, the longest-serving Travis County commissioner in history, is retiring after 53 years working for the county.

And: The Austin African American Book Festival kicks off later this month, but they’ve got a special guest helping to start the festivities this weekend.

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

The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post Margaret Gómez, longest-serving Travis County commissioner, retires appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.