Texas Standard

What does Congress’ budget deal to avert a partial government shutdown mean for food and the farmers and ranchers who produce it? We’ll hear more on the Farm Bill extension, and the implications for Texas.

The push for police accountability: An investigative report from the Austin American-Statesman reveals that police indictments rarely lead to convictions.

Last weekend’s destructive rocket launch was a big fail for SpaceX – or was it? What explains radically mixed reviews of the Starship test launch.

Plus the harrowing account of a Texas hiker, lost in Big Bend Ranch State Park in triple-digit heat, and his near-miraculous survival.

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The post How this man survived in the West Texas desert for 27 hours appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

After seven months pushing a school voucher-like plan, Gov. Greg Abbott gets a firm pushback from fellow Republicans. Scott Braddock of the Quorum Report shares the latest.

Mexico plans to offer “know your rights” educational sessions in Texas as lawmakers send a wide-ranging border security bill to the governor.

Amid slowing sales of EV’s, one city in Texas seems to be leading the switch away from gas pumps to charging stations.

The past legislative session saw the filing of a historic number of bills impacting LGBT Texans – but that’s just the latest effort in what’s been a half-century of criminalizing these communities, according to a new investigation from KXAN TV.

The post Examining Texas’ legacy of anti-LGBT laws appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

For the first time in modern memory, the Texas House is set to take up a school voucher-like plan.

How do you put a price tag on a state park? We’ll hear more about the challenges facing Texas Parks and Wildlife as it tries to reclaim parkland purchased by developers.

In a dramatic U-turn this week, China’s president appears to be trying to warm up to the U.S. Some clues as to why might be found in a new report from the Dallas Federal Reserve.

Also: What some forecasters are calling a “super El Niño” is coming soon to Texas.

The post Is this the end of efforts to keep Fairfield Lake State Park public? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

New Texas schoolbooks are raising concerns about the long-term implications for attitudes about climate change.

The state-appointed board now running Houston’s independent school district is dealing with more than what’s happening in the classroom, but also struggling to regain trust.

Apple weighs in on a push to give consumers the right to repair their gadgets. What that means for a growing “right to repair” consumer movement.

Plus, plans to build a major energy plant on the Texas coast on hold after a court rules Texas regulators should have applied stricter emissions standards.

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The post Why is Texas’ Railroad Commission wading into school textbook policy? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The Supreme Court finally has its own ethics code for justices following a series of scandals – including a Texas billionaire showering gifts on Justice Clarence Thomas. Will this new code of conduct make a difference?

Bison once ruled the Great Plains of North America before being hunted almost to extinction. We’ll hear about how Indigenous people in Texas are supporting their slow rebound.

For descendants of Black Seminoles – a group whose members included former slaves and the Seminole native people – finding foodways through Texas and Mexico takes care and intention.

And: Colleges can no longer use race as a determining factor in admissions, thanks to a Supreme Court decision earlier this year. What’s the upshot? It may surprise you.

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The post Tracing the foodways of Black Seminoles appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill last week that will do away with COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Medically vulnerable folks are speaking up about its effects.

More than 100 years ago, a regiment of Black soldiers was found guilty of crimes like mutiny and murder after a riot in Houston. Now, the Army has cleared their names.

Pope Francis has fired Texas bishop Joseph Strickland, a rare move that some say highlights the growing divide between the Vatican and more conservative factions of the Catholic church.

Feral hogs can be a common sight in North Texas – and the invasive species loves one neighborhood in Arlington in particular.

The post Clemency comes for Black soldiers, a century after their court-martial and execution appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

After months of stalemate, are the Texas House and Senate finally making progress on school spending?

For millions of years, the bones of a tiny dinosaur lay undisturbed in what are now the shores of Lake Grapevine. We’ll learn about a new species.

El Paso residents are concerned about the growing number of high-speed chases in their city.

And: Are city parks set to decline? A new law could make it tougher for urban areas to procure parkland.

The post The Texas discovery of a new, dog-sized dinosaur appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

As the first week of a fourth special session draws to a close, the Senate passes a voucher-like plan for education.

A teacher shortage and what a new study tells us about the implications of past plans to bring in and retain teachers in Texas classrooms.

The independent market monitor for the Texas power grid steps down after blowing the whistle on what she claims were artificially inflated energy prices.

Texas, once a red-hot housing market, has lost a lot of sizzle, yet many still struggle to get a house of their own. We’ll take a closer look at what’s happening.

Plus, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and poetry with the Typewriter Rodeo.

The post How Texas lowering requirements to become a teacher in the 2000s impacted the profession appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The fourth largest earthquake on record in Texas struck Wednesday out west, renewing concerns about fracking and seismic activity. Erin Douglas of the Texas Tribune with more on yesterday’s temblor and what researchers and regulators are saying about it.

The latest on a runoff for mayor in Texas’ biggest city.
In San Antonio, plans to close several public schools getting pushback from communities targeted for closure.

The economics of electric vehicles: Is the race to EVs losing power?

And voters in Ohio approve ballot measures on abortion and marijuana this week. Why such measures aren’t likely to land on Texas ballots anytime soon.

The post Why Texans can’t vote on abortion or marijuana anytime soon appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The votes are in, and Texans have given the green light to 13 of 14 amendments to the Texas constitution. The Texas Tribune’s Karen Brooks Harper shares a rundown of how the state propositions fared.
Public media reporters statewide join us with updates on key local races across the Lone Star State.

Nuclear power plants, once the target of major protests, are now winning over many Texans looking for lower carbon energy alternatives.

And what some have considered a guilty pleasure: Why more readers are taking the plunge into romance novels. One of the genres’ top authors, Ali Hazelwood, joins us.

The post How Texas voted on 14 statewide propositions appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.