KUT Weekend

KUT Weekend episodes:

• 04.16.2021

  KUT Weekend – April 16, 2021

  New challenges in the rush to get people vaccinated: unfilled appointments! Plus, renters still stuck in limbo after their homes were damaged by the February winter storm. And how librarians are using the outdoors to get kids reading together again....

  
• 04.02.2021

  KUT Weekend – April 2, 2021

  COVID numbers continue to flatten in the Austin-area. Plus, why it’s so hard to find out what Austin Energy circuit your home is on. And how an out-of-work musician’s latest album was inspired by having to spend hours on hold...

  
• 03.26.2021

  KUT Weekend – March 26, 2021

  Texas expands coronavirus eligibility to everyone over 16 in Texas starting Monday. Plus, the legacy of Austin civil rights leader Bertha Sadler Means. And the story behind Herman the singing plumber. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT...

  
• 03.19.2021

  KUT Weekend – March 19, 2021

  A recording of the state’s top utility regulator that caused him to lose his job. Plus, bills in the Texas legislature that seek to undo what local election officials did to try to make voting safe during the pandemic. And...

  
• 03.12.2021

  KUT Weekend – March 12, 2021

  The Austin school district needs to evaluate 800 students for special ed. It doesn’t have the staff to do it. A UT Austin committee determines the intent of the school song ‘The Eyes of Texas’ was ‘not overtly racist.’ And...

  
• 03.05.2021

  KUT Weekend – March 5, 2021

  Frontline workers react to Governor Abbott rescinding the mask mandate. Plus, local officials prepare for an influx of COVID vaccine. And how local otters stayed warm during last month’s extreme winter weather. Those stories and more in this edition of...

  
• 02.26.2021

  KUT Weekend – February 26, 2021

  State lawmakers considering how to stop last week’s power outages from happening again. Plus, some Austin apartment dwellers still have no water. And how those sad mounds of dead cactus across Central Texas may be reborn. Those stories and more...

  
• 02.13.2021

  KUT Weekend – February 12, 2021

  A dangerous cold snap freezes Austin. Plus, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley retires. And who’s buried in that cemetery on 51st Street? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend! Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org

  
• 02.05.2021

  KUT Weekend – February 5, 2021

  Austin Public Health tries to shed light on its confusing vaccine rollout. Plus, how coronavirus testing has become a “cash cow” for freestanding ERs in Texas. And an effort to preserve the memory of East Austin’s Metz Elementary School. Those...

  
• 01.29.2021

  KUT Weekend – January 29, 2021

  Challenges of the coronavirus vaccine rollout in Bastrop County. Plus, what is the future of the Broken Spoke now that its founder James White has died? And why it takes years for some Central Texans to develop cedar allergies. Those...

  
• 01.22.2021

  KUT Weekend – January 22, 2021

  The latest on Austin’s coronavirus vaccine rollout. Plus, Governor Abbott targets Austin’s move to relax rules where homeless people can camp. And Texas Parks and Wildlife eradicates a zebra mussel infestation for the first time. Those stories and more in...

  
• 01.15.2021

  KUT Weekend – January 15, 2021

  Austin opens an alternate care site for COVID patients in the convention center. Plus, the Texas legislature gavels in for its once-every-two-year regular legislative session. And UT researchers experimenting with empathy as a treatment for loneliness. Those stores and more...

  
• 01.08.2021

  KUT Weekend – January 8, 2021

  Austin prepares a field hospital at the convention center as hospitals fill with COVID patients. Plus, we’ll hear from two members of Congress while they were locked down as pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol. And the Texas Legislature gears...

  
• 12.24.2020

  KUT Weekend – December 24, 2020

  Austin moves to its highest level of COVID risk guidance. Plus, health care workers express relief as the vaccine rolls out statewide. And part 2 of the story behind some of Austin’s most prominent graffiti. Those stories and more in...

  
• 12.18.2020

  KUT Weekend – December 18, 2020

  An Austinite who’s still planting flags in his yard for every Texan who’s died from COVID-19. Plus, the voices of Central Texans facing hunger during the pandemic. And who’s spray painting some of Austin’s most visible graffiti? Those stories and...

  
• 12.11.2020

  KUT Weekend – December 11, 2020

  Austin could move to Stage 5 of its COVID-19 risk based guidelines as soon as next week. Plus, Austin ISD’s decision to deny hundreds of teachers requesting pandemic medical exemptions the ability to work from home. And an Austin guitarist...

  
• 12.04.2020

  KUT Weekend – December 4, 2020

  Austin Mayor Steve Adler apologizes for vacationing in Cabo while urging people to stay home. Plus, the contentious Austin city council runoff elections in North Austin. And the hero lab mice we are sacrificing to advance COVID-19 vaccine research. Those...

  
• 11.20.2020

  KUT Weekend – November 20, 2020

  With COVID-19 hospitalizations increasing, Austin moves to Stage 4 of its risk based guidelines. Plus, CapMetro tries to make public transit more accessible for low-income riders. And why general aviation in Fredericksburg is soaring through the pandemic.Those stories and more...

  
• 11.13.2020

  KUT Weekend – November 13, 2020

  Coronavirus numbers going the wrong way in Travis County. Plus, why the Democrats’ attempt to flip the Texas House failed. And KUT’s efforts to improve its diversity and inclusion. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend! Subscribe...

  
• 11.06.2020

  KUT Weekend – November 6, 2020

  Election results in Central Texas! Plus, the blue wave in Texas that failed to materialize. And public fridges offering free food in food insecure areas of Austin. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend! Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org

  
• 10.30.2020

  KUT Weekend – October 30, 2020

  Record voter turnout in Texas! Plus, the latest on COVID-19 trends in Central Texas. And a show celebrating the achievements of African Americans marks 50 years on the air at KUT. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT...

  
• 10.23.2020

  KUT Weekend – October 23, 2020

  Third-party groups put their voices and dollars to work ahead of a public transit referendum in Austin. Plus, a look at some of the competitive elections in Travis County. And the declining COVID-19 situation in nearby Waco. Those stories and...

  
• 10.16.2020

  KUT Weekend – October 16, 2020

  Early voting starts and people flood the polls in record numbers. Plus, UT-Austin struggles to stop parties that could spread the coronavirus. And Mother’s Cafe, a 40-year-old vegetarian restaurant, closes permanently because of the pandemic. Those stories and more in...

  
• 10.09.2020

  KUT Weekend – October 9, 2020

  Governor Abbott allows county judges to reopen bars at 50 percent capacity. Plus, how the Republican Party consolidated power in Texas. And why are there so many otters popping up in Central Texas? Those stories and more in this edition...

  
• 10.02.2020

  KUT Weekend – October 2, 2020

  Does less spending on police mean higher crime rates? Plus, the University of Texas response to COVID-19. And why Luby’s cafeteria was such a huge success (before it wasn’t). Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend! Subscribe...

  
• 09.25.2020

  KUT Weekend – September 25, 2020

  The Austin Independent School District plans to phase-in students back to school buildings on October 5th. Plus, trying to gauge the Latino vote in Texas ahead of the presidential elections in November. And a 15-year-old girl who wouldn’t let the...

  
• 09.18.2020

  KUT Weekend – September 18, 2020

  Governor Abbott allows restaurants, retail businesses and offices to increase to 75% capacity on Monday. Plus, the challenges of being a UT professor and parent of two toddlers during the pandemic. And a local indigenous tribe seeks to reclaim remains...

  
• 09.11.2020

  KUT Weekend – September 11, 2020

  The employment picture in Texas sixth months into the global pandemic. Plus, why the city of Austin is stopping a company from doing diversity training for city employees. And COVID-19 is keeping many students of color from returning to college,...

  
• 09.04.2020

  KUT Weekend – September 4, 2020

  A UT-Austin professor says the school’s history of segregation and racism still complicates campus life today. No solution is permanent for an Austin mom struggling with child care during the pandemic, And, Austin could ‘decouple’ Victim Services from the police...

  
• 08.28.2020

  KUT Weekend – August 28, 2020

  Thousands of Hurricane Laura evacuees take shelter in Austin. Plus, why is the Austin housing market booming during a pandemic? And Austin’s Latino community loses two giants but their legacy lives on. Those stories and more in this edition of...

  
• 08.21.2020

  KUT Weekend – August 21, 2020

  Texas leaders threaten to punish Austin for cutting police funding. Plus, how COVID-19 has devastated the local hotel industry. And what it’s like to play in a high school marching band during a pandemic. Those stories and more in this...

  
• 08.14.2020

  KUT Weekend – August 14, 2020

  Austin’s city council cuts the police budget. Plus, how Census changes could take political power and funding from Texas Latinos. And a funeral home founder dies from COVID-19. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend! Subscribe at...

  
• 08.07.2020

  KUT Weekend – August 7, 2020

  The Austin school district delays the start of the school year because of COVID-19. Plus, local election officials in Texas scrambling to find places to put polling places during the pandemic. And a flea market that brought cultures together for...

  
• 07.31.2020

  KUT Weekend – July 31, 2020

  The relatively broad self-defense laws in Texas. Plus, what it’s like to have COVID-19 in Texas without health insurance. And a spontaneous bike ride to trace Austin’s Black history draws hundreds. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT...

  
• 07.24.2020

  KUT Weekend – July 24, 2020

  It took a statewide order, but wearing a mask in Austin isn’t weird anymore. Plus, how COVID-19 precautions have left homeless Austinites with fewer places to escape the heat. And ICE detainees in Texas are 15 times more likely to...

  
• 07.17.2020

  KUT Weekend – July 17, 2020

  Austin is turning the convention center into a field hospital for COVID-19 patients. Plus, Austin’s city council losing faith in the police chief they hired unanimously. And the economic turbulence facing Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Those stories and more in this...

  
• 07.10.2020

  KUT Weekend – July 10, 2020

  People in Austin who don’t wear face masks in public could face fines of up to $2,000. Plus, research forecasting up to 90 percent of live music venues in Austin could close permanently by Halloween. And a local couple sets...

  
• 07.03.2020

  KUT Weekend – July 3, 2020

  Mandatory masking ordered in counties across Texas. Plus, a call to end arrests for minor crimes in Hays County. And some of the primary runoff races you’ll find on the ballot during early voting. Those stories and more in this...

  
• 06.26.2020

  KUT Weekend – June 26, 2020

  Texas reverses its phased reopening. Plus, suburbs around Austin confront monuments to the Confederacy in their backyards. And what happened when Big Bend reopened? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend! Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org

  
• 06.19.2020

  KUT Weekend – June 19, 2020

  The city of Austin orders businesses to require face masks. Plus, the racist roots of UT Austin’s school song. And a Texan in her 90s still working to make Juneteenth a national holiday. Those stories and more in this edition...

  
• 06.15.2020

  KUT Weekend – June 12th, 2020

  After Mike Ramos’ death, his mother calls on Austin Police to ‘make a change.’ Project Connect makes a lot of promises. Equity is one of them. And the pandemic is making it harder to get Austin college students counted in...

  
• 06.08.2020

  KUT Weekend – June 5th, 2020

  An Austin medic recalls a weekend of police violence amid peaceful protests. We hear Austinites recount police violence during protests and demand cuts to the Austin Police Department budget. And thousands rally in Austin for economic justice and an end...

  
• 05.29.2020

  KUT Weekend – May 29th, 2020

  Two Austin nurses travel to a Detroit hospital hit hard by COVID-19. Pease and Brooke Elementary students say goodbye – from a distance – as schools close for good. And despite COVID-19, leases in Austin are still ending. We find...

  
• 05.15.2020

  KUT Weekend – May 15th, 2020

  Austin music venues worry the COVID-19 pandemic could leave them shuttered permanently. Austin Pets Alive! sees increase in fosters and adoptions as people spend more time at home. And, no prom, no graduation – but the Class of 2020 is...

  
• 05.08.2020

  KUT Weekend – May 8th, 2020

  This week, the first class from Dell Medical School gets ready to graduate in the midst of a pandemic. Phones are a lifeline for homeless Austinites. That’s especially true during COVID-19. And we talk to two KUT Digital team members...

  
• 05.01.2020

  KUT Weekend – May 1st, 2020

  This week, we hear from some KUT listeners about how they’re coping during the coronavirus pandemic. Whether small businesses in Austin get SBA loans could depend on where they bank. And we talk to a couple KUT ‘extroverts’ on how...

  
• 04.24.2020

  KUT Weekend – April 24th, 2020

  This week, a UT grad student is marooned in Dubai after COVID-19 travel rules stymie his return to Austin. Construction in Texas is ‘essential’ during the pandemic. Workers worry their health is not. And UT Researchers say social distancing is...

  
• 04.17.2020

  KUT Weekend – April 17th, 2020

  This week, an Austin running company changes course amid the coronavirus pandemic. Testing and tracing could get us out of quarantine someday. But what’s tracing, and how does it work? And, with families stuck close to home, ‘bear hunters’ take...

  
• 04.10.2020

  KUT Weekend – April 10th, 2020

  This week, Austinites who depend on real-life connections for sobriety find community online. As UT students log on to finish classes from home, some in rural Texas struggle to stay connected. And, we take a look at who’s using public...

  
• 04.04.2020

  KUT Weekend – April 3rd, 2020

  This week, how the coronavirus pandemic has upended the most difficult part of life – death. Homeless Austinites – and the people who help them – are having to do less with less amid COVID-19. And, Austin therapists offer teleheatlh...