New ratings suggest big improvements for Houston schools, but not everyone is excited about the changes: In the wake of the state’s takeover, a huge number of teachers and staffers have been leaving.An Abilene family’s experience with a fentanyl overdose has sparked a citywide call to action. KACU’s Alexis Jones reports.As rent falls in some places, many people are finding an ever greater portion of their paychecks going to cover housing.Amid concerns about shark attacks this summer, a new report shows a rapidly growing population of baby bull sharks along the Texas Gulf coast. The post Record number of employees leave Houston ISD after state takeover appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The podcast dives into the alarming rise of carbon monoxide poisoning after Hurricane Beryl and highlights the ongoing legal struggles of El Paso shooting victims. It also tackles Texas's healthcare deficiencies for women and investigates the impact of uncertified teachers on student performance. Notably, Amazon is expanding its Prime delivery service into rural areas, posing a challenge to the USPS while discussing logistical innovations and community partnerships. The episode compellingly weaves together urgent societal issues and competitive market dynamics.

Does the lack of air conditioning in Texas prisons amount to cruel and unusual punishment? A state prison official testifies that heat levels contributed to three deaths last summer.The Great Springs Project aims to someday create a whole new route between San Antonio and Austin – via hike and bike trail.Rick Jervis, author of the book “The Devil Behind the Badge,” shares the 2018 story of a string of murders in Laredo by a Border Patrol officer.And: Is there a connection between West Texas wildfires and unregulated power lines? The post State of Texas defends lack of prison A/C in federal court appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

A faculty committee at UT Austin found that university leaders violated their own rules when calling police to respond to protests over the war in Gaza at the end of the spring semester. Audrey McGlinchy of KUT News shares the latest.Five years after the mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, a new memorial is unveiled to honor the 23 people killed.Serious questions have been raised over a private contractor providing healthcare services to prison inmates in many states, including Texas.And: Texas was well-represented at the men and women’s gymnastics team and all-around events at the Paris Olympics. A look at what’s ahead for the athletes. The post What’s ahead for U.S. gymnastics at the Olympics appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The Santa Fe community is seeking answers and accountability for the 2018 school shooting as the accused shooter’s parents appear in court this week.Houston police admit systemic failure in the processes that led to 264,000 cases being dismissed over eight years.On the anniversary of the 1966 UT Tower shooting, a man who helped a fellow student that day shares a letter he’s kept for decades.Bighorn sheep are returning to the El Paso area. A look at the challenges of re-establishing the herds.And: What is a museum? We’re diving into the answer as we kick off a new series exploring the state. The post Bighorn sheep being released in Franklin Mountains outside El Paso appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Gov. Greg Abbott receives at least a temporary victory in a fight with the Biden administration over border buoys in the Rio Grande.NPR’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán has the latest on the reduction in the numbers of people crossing the border from Mexico into Texas, and the political spin in a volatile election season.As Texas senators hold hearings into the response to Hurricane Beryl, we’ll hear about a group of people especially vulnerable in those many days without power.WF Strong has some ideas for a competition that would be open to all – the Texas Olympics.And: Meet the two Brits taking Texas by storm on social media. The post Fifth Circuit rules Texas can keep buoys in the Rio Grande for now appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

President Biden visits Texas and unveils his plan to reform the Supreme Court, including a call for term limits.Protests and claims of fraud as Venezuela president says he won another election. Could that spur more migration to the U.S.?Scurry County, west of Fort Worth, has felt more than 90 earthquakes in the past week.Why Austin is pulling the plug on a plan to transition to battery-powered city buses.And: Photographer Richard Doherty snaps images of the place where he’s lived for more than 40 years in his new book “Framing Oak Cliff: A Visual Diary of a Dallas Neighborhood.” The post Dozens of earthquakes rattle region west of Fort Worth appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

President Biden is in Austin to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act – and is expected to deliver a speech that could have big implications for the future of the U.S. Supreme Court.The surprise arrests in Texas of two leaders of the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel were a major victory for the feds, but now there are hints that the backstory involves a double cross. One of the state’s top experts on Mexico’s drug cartels explains.A new survey finds that two-thirds of Texans support Gov. Greg Abbott’s school voucher plan.And: A new investigation from NPR, Texas Public Radio and public radio program 1A finds more than 250 preventable deaths in trench accidents. The post Investigation finds worker deaths from trench collapses were often preventable appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee comes to Houston talking teachers, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Andrew Schneider of Houston Public Media was at Kamala Harris’s speech to the American Federation of Teachers. We’ll hear what she had to say in her sprint toward the convention and Election Day.How El Paso could teach the rest of Texas a thing or two about the future of managing water.In the Panhandle, a federal plan to expand a wildlife refuge tenfold. Not everyone’s happy about it, either.Corn or flour? Taco journalist Mando Rayo on some choices we Texans must face.Plus, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and poetry from Typewriter Rodeo. The post What VP Kamala Harris said at her Houston stop appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Today in Houston, one of the first speeches by the new presumptive Democratic nominee for president, though not formally a campaign speech. Vice President Kamala Harris delivering the keynote to the American Federation of Teachers meeting in Texas’ biggest city.Also in Houston, a former police chief alleges he was pushed out to bury a department scandal.With more frequent extreme weather, Texans are worried about keeping the lights on: Californians? Not so much. What we might learn from their experience.And you’ve heard “Hooray for Hollywood,” but what about Waco? Lights, camera and all the action on today’s Texas Standard. The post Former Houston police chief speaks out about ouster appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.