Water is never far from the top of concerns for Central Texans and folks across the state. Down in Corpus Christi, plans for a desalination plant are underway , and one Austin-area city is set to spend half a million dollars for a spot in line to get some of that water. City of Austin leaders are divided on a bond election to improve local roads and parks. The election this November would come just one year after voters soundly rejected a property tax rate increase known as Proposition Q. Plus, ...
Jun 24, 2026•26 min•Season 2026Ep. 122
The city of Austin is being sued by a group of Travis County property owners after reversing course on an agreement that would have released nearly 170 properties from the city’s jurisdiction. Sean Hemmersmeier from the Austin Business Journal tells us more. We’re approaching one year since the devastating Fourth of July floods that claimed the lives of more than 100 Central Texans. A new podcast, “ After the Flood, ” takes a deeper look at the disaster’s lasting impact. Looking for your next gr...
Jun 23, 2026•25 min•Season 2026Ep. 121
A new study from UT Austin found several water samples collected from the Austin’s Colony neighborhood in far East Austin exceeded regulatory guidelines for lead and other heavy metals . For decades, residents in the area have been at odds with its water provider, a for-profit company. The Austin Independent School District board voted in favor of more than $200 million in cuts to next year’s school budget — but, in a last-minute change, all campuses will keep a full-time librarian. The Austin A...
Jun 22, 2026•24 min
It’s Juneteenth, and it’s time for another trek through town for the Black History Bike Ride . The organization has been hosting the event for a few years now and a new documentary has been made highlighting the mental and physical journey of the ride. We’ll sit down to chat with the filmmaker about the project. The Austin African American book festival is fast approaching. We’ll hear some book recommendations from the leader of the fest. Plus; KUT’s Miles Bloxson speaks to Black Austinites abou...
Jun 19, 2026•23 min•Season 2026Ep. 119
Joshua Baer — founder of the tech investment company Capital Factory and described as the “godfather” of the Austin startup scene — died in a plane crash this week on his way back to Austin. We’re learning more about the crash, the investigation and about Baer’s larger impacts here. Summer break is well underway for the Austin school district, but teachers and staff from 10 closing schools are thinking about life at a different campus next school year. How one math teacher made the decision to r...
Jun 18, 2026•27 min•Season 2026Ep. 118
Students in the Austin school district outperformed state averages in most courses during the recent round of STAAR testing , with some scores surpassing pre-pandemic levels — but there are still groups of students falling behind the state standard. How the district is planning to address that. It’s been a rough few years for the craft brewing industry in Austin and across the state. After a spat of brewery closures, businesses are looking for new ways to get folks to frequent their neighborhood...
Jun 18, 2026•27 min•Season 2026Ep. 117
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...
Jun 16, 2026•23 min•Season 2026Ep. 116
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...
Jun 15, 2026•24 min•Season 2026Ep. 115
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...
Jun 12, 2026•24 min•Season 2026Ep. 114
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 an...
Jun 11, 2026•24 min•Season 2026Ep. 113
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...
Jun 10, 2026•25 min•Season 2026Ep. 112
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 highlighti...
Jun 09, 2026•23 min•Season 2026Ep. 111
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 f...
Jun 08, 2026•25 min•Season 2026Ep. 110
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 accus...
Jun 05, 2026•25 min•Season 2026Ep. 109
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 Cou...
Jun 04, 2026•25 min•Season 2026Ep. 108
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 kic...
Jun 03, 2026•24 min•Season 2026Ep. 107
A father who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a traffic stop in San Marcos has been reunited with his family . Gerardo Reyes, who spent more than two months in detention, might still face deportation. Parents and staff from the Austin Independent School District are urging state legislators to increase funding for schools. We’ll hear from some of the folks who spoke out this week. Lou Diamond Phillips has been acting for decades, but his breakout role as Ritchie Valens i...
Jun 02, 2026•24 min•Season 2026Ep. 106
Have you encountered an e-moto on the streets of Austin? The high-speed electric bikes are capable of reaching motorcycle-like speeds, and the City Council is looking at stricter regulations . Austin Current’s Sam Stark tells us more. The school year is over, but there’s no break for the many things the Austin Independent School District has to consider — including a budget deficit. How the money problems got so bad, and how they’re hoping to address it. The dog days of summer are creeping up on...
Jun 01, 2026•24 min•Season 2026Ep. 105
The Texas Education Agency has rejected Austin ISD’s proposal for three middle schools that have received consecutive failing grades — putting the entire district at further risk of a state takeover. The Austin City Council has approved guidelines for the construction and operation of a new natural gas plant after the project was OK’d in a secret vote. Thousands of Austinites received a call or text this month urging them to seek shelter or evacuate immediately, but many weren’t even sure the me...
May 29, 2026•33 min•Season 2026Ep. 104
Delta-8, a hemp product you might’ve seen for sale in gas stations and strip malls across Texas, could soon be treated as an illegal drug, putting it in the same category as heroin and LSD. What this would mean for the businesses that sell them and the people who use them. It’s the last day of school for students in Austin ISD, meaning it’s the last day many seniors will ever set foot on campus. Before that, a group of them went back to trace their steps at Dawson Elementary before the school cl...
May 28, 2026•25 min•Season 2026Ep. 103
Primary runoff election night ended with some big changes for the Austin area and across the state . We’ll bring you the latest on last night’s results and the races we’ll be watching this November. After a shooting spree this month by three teenagers ended in Manor, Austin Police say they could have caught the suspects sooner if they had license plate readers . Now, Mayor Kirk Watson is considering proposals to bring this kind of technology back to the city. This week in Texas music history : a...
May 27, 2026•23 min•Season 2026Ep. 102
It’s been nearly six years since a majority of Austinites voted in favor of creating 20 miles of state-of-the-art light rail transit across the city. But since that vote, the total length of the future rail system has been chopped in half. Despite that, the price tag for the project has continued climbing. Some folks who voted in favor are now suing to stop it from happening. An update on Project Connect. Data from a Travis County mental health diversion pilot is showing some promising early res...
May 26, 2026•25 min•Season 2026Ep. 101
The Austin Independent School District expects a $181 million deficit in next school year’s budget — but it still hasn’t released a proposal for what cuts will be made. Austin revised its rules on how city police can interact with federal immigration agents — and city leaders are divided on what the change actually means . The Austin Animal Center is often overcrowded. But a new program at the Travis Unit state prison is getting dogs there training and socialization to help them get adopted. And...
May 22, 2026•25 min•Season 2026Ep. 100
A high school senior in Austin has been released from ICE custody and reunited with his family after a judge’s order — in time to walk in his graduation ceremony next month. The city of Austin has faced another blow in its efforts to keep painted street murals and crosswalks . Also, the popular Pease Park troll, Malin, has burned down. We’ll share what we know. The end of this school year will feel very different at the 10 schools in the Austin Independent School District that are permanently cl...
May 21, 2026•26 min
Early voting is underway for Tuesday’s primary runoffs, and we have a look at two races on some Central Texans’ ballots: state House District 49 and Hays County judge . Austin is working to rename Cesar Chavez Street after accusations of sexual abuse and assault. But some are struggling with those changes . Some good news and some bad news about a ranking of Austin’s parks. We’ve got more from a new report , including who rivals the city’s parks. And: A sneak peek at tomorrow night’s ATXplained ...
May 20, 2026•25 min•Season 2026Ep. 98
The Austin City Council is set to take up a controversial proposal this week about relying more on natural gas during times of high energy demand, and opponents worry about how it could affect climate goals. If you venture out to Lady Bird Lake this Memorial Day weekend, you might encounter an unfamiliar sight: a construction zone on the water. How a photography project is helping one woman reclaim her story of loss and perseverance. Television lovers rejoice: The ATX TV Festival is returning fo...
May 19, 2026•25 min•Season 2026Ep. 97
Three people are in custody following a weekend crime spree and manhunt in Austin that made national headlines. Police say the suspects, all juveniles, are tied to multiple shootings and stolen vehicles across the city. As grocery costs rise, a church near the University of Texas campus gives out hundreds of free burgers weekly to combat food insecurity. Texas Democrat James Talarico’s taco order is going viral after a stop at Taco Joint. More on the order heard around the country. Austin FC has...
May 18, 2026•24 min•Season 2026Ep. 96
Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations have been on the rise during the second Trump administration. And while enforcement in some parts of the U.S. has been messy and public, operations here in Texas are being carried out with a quieter, systematic approach . Today we’re taking a closer look at the situation here in Austin and Central Texas. We’re bringing you a one-hour special sharing the experience of a UT student who was detained by ICE; talking about the potential health effects fe...
May 15, 2026•51 min•Season 2026Ep. 95
A hearing this week that would’ve allowed for the review of evidence and testimony in lawsuits against Camp Mystic never came to be, and lawyers for the Hill Country girls camp where children and counselors died in last summer’s flooding were absent from the courtroom. Texas will soon have a new attorney general , with a pair of Democrats and Republicans vying to represent their party in November, but the issues they’re talking up in the runoffs might not be the ones that matter most at the ball...
May 14, 2026•23 min•Season 2026Ep. 94
A housing program for chronically homeless Austinites could be facing cuts because of budget deficits and clean-ups of local encampments. The potential loss of funding is raising questions about where unhoused Austinites will go if the program is gone for good. Sam Stark from the Austin Current joins us to talk more about this. With the cost of living on the rise, adult education programs are offering another path to earning more money. We’ll make a visit out to Austin Community College’s Eastvi...
May 13, 2026•24 min•Season 2026Ep. 93
