A massive dockworkers strike has ended – but the settlement reached is only a tentative deal, and it leaves one of the most contentious issues still unsettled. Presidio County wants to gain control of an international crossing that’s currently in the hands of the state. But the process might be more complex than it seems. A new documentary, “We’re …

A reservoir first proposed in 1968 to provide water to the DFW area has failed to move forward for decades. Why a small group of landowners say all Texans should care. Many state prison inmates in Texas, including people on death row, are eligible to vote and may not know it. The Texas Newsroom’s Lauren McGaughy shares the details. Texas is startin…

Looking for zingers in last night’s vice-presidential debate? You might come up short. What does it add up to just five weeks out from Election Day? We’ll talk with a Texas-based political expert about what may be the last real faceoff between Republicans and Democrats before the presidential election. A rocket attack on Israel and vows of retaliat…

Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female president, is inaugurated today. What her administration means for trade, the border and more. Dock workers from Houston and ports up and down the East Coast are now strike. How that affects the supply chain and what’s on store shelves. A UT Austin psychology professor shares his findings on the science of m…

Though it’s not clear how many Texans don’t yet know who they’ll vote for, there are plenty of questions about who will get to vote at all. A closer look at challenges to voting rolls across Texas. New lawsuits suggest the 2021 winter blackouts may have had a man-made cause: market manipulation. Fort Martin Scott, a 19th century military fort, is t…

UT-Austin historian H.W. Brands is known for taking a very personal approach to history. This is an extended interview about his latest book, America First: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War. The full transcript of this episode of Texas Standard is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles …

Today we’re bringing you a special broadcast from the opening day of the State Fair of Texas in Dallas: The fair’s storied history dates back to 1886. Karl Chiao, executive director of the Dallas Historical Society, shares more about its history, and the fair’s Karissa Condoianis talks about its future. Big Tex is a cowboy icon – but did you know h…

Schools and public libraries are often the focus of book bans. But what can we learn from a list of books prohibited in state prisons? We’re celebrating the contributions of Hispanic Texans, including one who credits a librarian for helping him rise to became a leader in academia. The infamous nuclear power plant at Three Mile Island could come bac…

Princeton, a Dallas suburb, has quadrupled in population since 2010. Recently, city leaders paused all new residential development to let infrastructure catch up. The latest in our series on the intersection of religion and politics: students from two schools in Abilene with a diversity of perspectives and a strong desire to bridge the political di…

In Texas’ 2024 elections, long shot candidates are facing uphill battles in heavily gerrymandered districts. Why these candidates are running. Why federal regulators are giving researchers the green light to build a nuclear reactor at Abilene Christian University. The state is paying more for mental health services. But private psychiatric hospital…

The Matterhorn Express pipeline, a 580-mile project set to go online soon, will transport natural gas from a terminal in West Texas to Katy, near Houston. We’ll hear what it could add up to for Texas and for energy prices more broadly. A proposed liquified natural gas terminal in the Rio Grande Valley is stirring debate among local Indigenous tribe…

The El Paso radio and TV disc jockey made a lasting impact on the city’s music scene and contributed to the mixing of cultures that still makes far west Texas so special. This is an extended interview about an effort to document Crosno’s impact before his death in 2006. The full transcript of this episode of Texas Standard is available on the KUT &…

A possible government shutdown looming with an Oct. 1 deadline. With the backdrop of elections, how might this story unfold? UT-Austin political science professor Sean Theriault talks about a perennial issue of government funding and where its headed. Bible stories in the classroom? The Texas Education Agency is getting a lot of feedback and blowba…

Americans are pretty evenly divided on the issue of gun rights versus regulated ownership. How might it show up at the polls? The number of migrants trying to cross the border with Mexico into the U.S. is down quite a bit. A look at why. We’ll also introduce you to an endurance runner preparing to make his way from El Paso to Galveston. His goal is…

New questions about Attorney General Ken Paxton and his properties not disclosed in financial statements. Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy of The Texas Newsroom with more on what she’s found looking into the property disclosures of the state’s top lawyer. State lawmakers hear testimony about the investigation into what caused the largest wild…

Barely half of Texas voting age population turned out for the 2020 presidential election. And the story is worse for young voters. We wondered, what can we do about that? So the Texas Standard joined forces with our home music station, KUTX, and the UT Austin student station, KVRX, for what we called a poll party. The focus was issues important to …

A natural gas pipeline fire leads to evacuations in the Houston area. The University of North Texas Health Science Center suddenly suspends its business using unclaimed corpses. Also, Texas voters approved $5 billion dollars to pay for upgrades and new power plants, but now there are concerns about one of the finalists for funding. Plus, Texas is n…

As immigration returns to center stage in American politics, a curious reversal in messaging in one of the state’s most closely watched races. It’s happened before: polls show a statewide race tightening up, hopes rising among Texas Democrats, only to be dashed on Election Day. Do you trust polls that suggest Texas turning blue? A guide for optimis…

Texas’ Supreme Court Justices weigh a misconduct case against a top aide to Attorney General Ken Paxton. The state’s education agency updates how it gathers data on Texas 12 hundred plus school districts…but now many of those districts worried they’ll pay a steep price. With wind a bigger part of the energy mix in Texas, concerns about what happens…

Defense attorneys for the Walmart mass shooter, who’s already sentenced to life in prison, are asking for the court to take the death penalty off the table or drop the charges altogether due to alleged prosecutorial misconduct. As we move closer to Election Day, The Texas Newsroom is exploring the role of religion in politics. And: The city of Pale…

Jefferson County, Texas, may not feel the brunt of Hurricane Francine but has prepared for any possible changes in the storm’s path. Will last night’s presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump move the needle at all? Campus libraries across Cy-Fair ISD are open only part of the time this year after trustees cut librarian positions …

Tropical storm Francine is expected to become a hurricane. Texas will avoid a direct hit but Gulf Coast residents should still prepare. Tonight’s presidential debate… the last debate changed the course of history. Could this one give one of the candidates the edge needed to win a tight race? Plus, who will pay for El Paso’s climate action plan? New…

As Tropical Storm Francine forms, we’re keeping an eye on nasty weather in the Gulf and will have the latest on the impact to Texas energy as peak hurricane season arrives. On the political front, cross-party endorsements are raising eyebrows. Political expert Daron Shaw of the University of Texas at Austin weighs in on the significance. With highe…

Rick Perry, the longest-serving governor in Texas history, is returning to the Capitol as an adviser for House Speaker Dade Phelan. What it means for Texas politics. Five years after a mass shooting in Odessa, a new sculpture rises in hopes of helping the city heal. Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the State Fair of Texas and the city of Dallas…

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Bexar County over a plan to reach out to unregistered voters with applications. After two years of missing its recruitment goals, a new Army college partnership is helping recruits in San Antonio get their GEDs. Amazon is trying to save its Echo program with a major artificial intelligence upgrade for Alex…