It’s still election season in the Texas Legislature, where there’s a race for speaker of the House of Representatives. We’re taking a close look at the top two contenders this week, starting today with Rep. Dustin Burrows. Billy Bob Thornton, who’s long been an honorary Texan, has earned his eighth Golden Globe nomination for his role as Tommy Norr…

On the western side of the Panhandle, right on the Texas/New Mexico border are two towns that were established just a few years apart in the late 1800s. They were separated by a line as thin as a goal line. They both still exist today — with populations of less than 1,500 each. But Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong says their beginnings were v…

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit claiming a New York doctor illegally prescribed abortion pills to a Texas resident. A state plan to provide incentives for affordable housing: A Houston Chronicle investigation finds little affordable housing being built – and taxpayers holding the bag. Two Texas families take legal action again…

Today we come to you from one of Texas’ once great railroad towns – and though the trains aren’t so much a central part of life here anymore, something else has happened that’s been bringing people, prosperity and a sense of renewal back to Abilene. An AI-focused facility could transform the Big Country region. Ahead of the 2025, legislative sessio…

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued two giants of the chemical business, 3M and DuPont, over so-called forever chemicals contained in household objects. A new kind of car needs a new kind of mechanic. The Standard’s Kristen Cabrera goes inside a school for hybrid and electric vehicle repairs. The old art form of tintype photography is being …

Last night’s chill has many Texans asking how the state’s power grid is looking for the winter. How much has changed since the freeze and blackouts of February 2021? Mose Buchele of KUT News has been keeping tabs. The Texas legislative session hasn’t even started, yet more than one representative claims to be the de facto speaker-elect of the House…

What possible cuts to Medicaid under the new Trump administration could mean in Texas, which already limits coverage. A cold front is blowing through El Paso, bringing high winds and freezing temperatures. Princeton’s growing pains have led to tension in its mayoral runoff election. Most of those involved in high-speed chases by state troopers goin…

Dade Phelan is out, and a bruising battle for speaker of the Texas House is set to begin – unless it’s already over? Over the weekend, GOP members backed David Cook, but Dustin Burrows claimed he had enough votes to override the caucus. What does a House speaker do, anyway? In a stunning turn of events, a coalition of Syrian rebels has overthrown B…

Facing a challenge from fellow Republicans, Dade Phelan says he’s dropping his bid for re-election as Texas House speaker. Texas has some of the most expensive insurance in the nation, forcing homeowners to pay more for less coverage. Desert bighorn sheep return to the Franklin Mountains of El Paso, a major milestone in restoring the species. While…

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about restrictions on gender-affirming care for young people. What a ruling could mean. Texas elected officials will soon have to start disclosing more information about the properties they own – changes that could reveal more about Attorney General Ken Paxton’s recent real estate transactions. Houston-based E…

Martial law has now been lifted in South Korea – Texas’ fourth-largest trading partner – but the effects may not be as short-lived. A top Texas expert tells us why. Ongoing casualties in what was long touted as the war on drugs: Kevin Krause of The Dallas Morning News analyzed a decade of meth sentencing data in North Texas. Texas is known for its …

A climate-friendly fertilizer turned out to be tainted with so-called “forever chemicals” that are killing cattle and other ranch animals. Education Savings Accounts are on the legislative agenda and likely to pass. What they are and why they’re controversial. Historic horse-drawn carriages will become a thing of the past in San Antonio as the city…

Texas does more business with Mexico than any other nation, and with 25% tariff threats now on the table from President-elect Trump, what should we expect? We’ll take a closer look. The Texas Public Utility Commission issues a report on CenterPoint Energy’s much-criticized response to Hurricane Beryl. Squaring economic data points with how voters f…

Over the course of the year we talk with dozens of authors – some stars in the making, others well-known names among Texas readers – and today we’re sharing a selection of great reads in 2024. Plus: Just in time for Black Friday, booksellers share their top books for holiday gifts. The post Some of our favorite books of 2024 appeared first on KUT &…

This Thanksgiving, we’re reflecting on some of the stories we’ve been grateful to share over the past few months: – A Texas-based freelance visual journalist reflecting on winning a prestigious prize – A Uganda-born musician who calls Texas home and is taking the U.S. by storm – A comedian landing on many best-of lists, now reconnecting with his Te…

We’ve been cooking up a special treat: a show all about Texas eats and drinks – the sweet, the savory and everything in between. The biggest food story in Texas in recent months was the announcement of the first-ever Texas Michelin guide, the creme-de-la-creme. What Texas Monthly’s barbecue editor learned traveling the country in search of BBQ. Ins…

We’re taking a look at the Texans who have been picked for President-elect Trump’s new Cabinet. How some Democratic candidates in parts of Texas won their races amid a big red wave. There’s a demand for raw milk, despite its health risks, and more public officials are saying that folks should be able to have it if they want it. After 13 years, UT a…

The State Board of Education has approved a new Bible-infused curriculum that critics say overemphasizes Christianity and is a likely violation of the separation of church and state. It’s set for introduction in schools in 2025, though it’s likely to face a long legal battle. Election transparency vs ballot secrecy: How changes to state law may hav…

A Houston-area nonprofit that helped thousands find a new life in the U.S. disappears. A new investigation reveals surprising answers about what happened to the Alliance. More international students than ever before are studying in the U.S., and among the top destinations are the University of North Texas and UT Dallas. How a much-talked-about Depa…

The president-elect says he might use the military to support mass deportations of migrants in the country without legal authorization. But there are considerable obstacles to such an effort, both legal and logistic. A new trade policy with an accent on tariffs. How Texas might find itself in the crosshairs. Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing to boost nuc…

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants the state to lead in dementia research. Why it’s such a priority and what happens next. More people than ever get their news via social media, but with feeds looking very different for different folks, how do you bring people together? As the Standard’s Sarah Asch reports, the public library might help. A school district …

Texas Standard commentator WF Strong says the Gruver Farm Scholarship Foundation has already made a multi-generational impact. The full transcript of this episode of Stories from Texas is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps. The post How some donated land became …

Texas leaders are among President-elect Trump’s biggest supporters. Are they being left off the list of Cabinet picks? She’s traveled and tasted dishes from across the Lone Star State: After 50 years, Texas Monthly food critic Pat Sharpe is retiring and sharing what she’s learned on the job. The details of a plan to turn an old golf course into a w…

The Texas State Board of Education could soon approve a curriculum that includes Bible stories and doesn’t spend as much time on slavery. It’s been 25 years since one of the darkest moments in Texas A&M history. Reflecting on the impact of the Aggie bonfire collapse. Families in America today can look a lot different than what’s long been considere…

Human brains begin to alter significantly around the age of ten — as people start to enter biological adolescence. But why are the teenage years so dreaded? And what can science tell us about how to make them less so? That’s exactly what this next interview is about. It’s an extended version of a conversation that first aired on Texas Standard in O…