Austin Signal

Four men accused in one of Austin’s most infamous murders have been declared officially innocent; two of them were convicted, one was sentenced to death. 34 years later, their records have been cleared. We’ll have more from Thursday’s exoneration hearing.

An Austin-area congressional seat is up for grabs for the first time in nearly a decade. We’re going to hear from voters in the 21st congressional district about what they want and don’t want from their next representative.

Plus, Austin FC kicks off their new season Saturday night at Q2 Stadium. We’ll go o...

The four men wrongly accused in Austin’s yogurt shop murders were exonerated today in a Travis County courthouse. More than three decades on their records have been cleared. We’ll hear from family members who attended today’s hearing.

The University of Texas Board of Regents has approved a policy limiting from classrooms “controversial topics.” What the new policy says and the plan for putting it into effect.

And, music news with KUTX’s Maile Carballo.

Plus, Spurs basketball is back at the Moody Center tonight and it’s a much different version of the...

The Austin Independent School District has regained control of its special education program. The Texas Education Agency assigned a pair of monitors to the program for the last three years as AISD worked to address a backlog of evaluations. We’ll have the latest from Austin’s school district.

A San Marcos City Council meeting went into the early morning hours today as council members decided on rezoning property to be sold for a data center. Hundreds of folks showed up to make their opinions known. Most were against the idea, others say these data centers are...

It’s the first day of early voting in the Texas primaries and there are many statewide races for consideration: comptroller, lieutenant governor, governor, as well as lots of eyes on the Democratic and Republican races for U.S. Senate.
We’ll have an overview, plus plenty more on the ballots in Travis, Hays and Williamson counties, as well.

Also, the Austin-raised college student who was deported while trying to visit family last Thanksgiving could soon be headed back to the U.S. We’ll have the latest from a judge’s order and from the attorney...

A $25 million contract between the City of Austin and the Long Center is under scrutiny over how the public money is being spent. The contracts and the fees inside it are tied to the city’ cultural arts grants program, raising questions about transparency and oversight. We’ll dig into the details of the contract and the future between the two sides.

Texas Republicans have revived anti-Muslim messaging in races across the state as early voting begins tomorrow. It’s a change in messaging from elections over the past decade or so. We’ll look at why that’s the case...

Five years on from the winter storm that caused blackouts across much of the state of Texas, what’s been done to address the failures of the blackout? And is Austin and Texas ready for the next big winter test of the power grid? More about what has and has not happened since February 2021.

There’s an argument to be made that the lieutenant governor of Texas is the most influential elected official in the state. Republicans have held the position for nearly three decades. We’ll hear about the candidates running to represent Texas Democrats in this f...

The University of Texas at Austin is restructuring departments in the College of Liberal Arts. The decision was announced today, but it’s a move that students and staff have been worried about for months. We’ll hear more about the departments affected.

Police in Austin are still using license plate reader data months after city council ended using the technology on grounds of privacy concerns. We’ll dig into how and when APD says they’re using the data and the tech’s future use here in Austin.

Today, we’re learning more about a life insur...

Pregnant migrant girls are being sent to a South Texas shelter, where both the region and the facility lack the necessary care. The decision from the Trump Administration was made against objections from officials inside the administration. The story is a collaborative effort between The Texas Newsroom and The California Newsroom, and we’ll have from their reporting on today’s show.

A new housing project in East Austin is combining affordable rent with support for musicians as they try to do their part to allow artists to afford to live in the city. We’ll go over w...

An affordable housing complex planned for the Travis Heights neighborhood is one step closer to becoming a reality. Neighbors around the proposed site say they aren’t opposed to the idea – more so the scale of it. We’ll hear more about the complex and the neighborhood it could be built in.

The Austin Independent School District is looking to save money and exit some contracts for schools that are slated to close. We’ll dig into how much money they’re looking to save, and how they could do it.

We’ll also hear the story of...

The parents of an 8-year-old Austinite still missing after last July’s flooding in Texas have filed a lawsuit against Camp Mystic. It’s the fifth such lawsuit against the camp in the Hill Country where campers and counselors drowned in the floodwaters. We’ll have more about that lawsuit.

Early voting in the primaries gets going next week and folks in southeast Travis County will elect a new leader for the first time in decades. We’ll hear about the candidates running for Precinct 4 commissioner.

It’s Black History Month all February long, and our sister...

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis and members of the Austin City Council met with community members this week to talk about local Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and the city and police’s role in them. The meeting was billed as a conversation but turned into a shouting match that laid bare the community tensions around ICE enforcement in the Austin area and around the country. We’ll talk more about that meeting, and we’ll hear from some of the voices who were there.

Construction is happening on a new convention center in downtown Austin. Even so, a...

Teachers and students in the Round Rock school district say they’re seeing benefits from a statewide ban on cell phones in public school classrooms. The ban went into effect at the beginning of this school year, and some students say they feel more engaged inside the classroom and outside of it, too. We’ll have more from Williamson County.

Elon Musk’s Tesla stands to lose millions in tax rebates unless they meet Travis County requirements. Another Musk-owned business is looking for the same deal, except with state funds. Why critics are questioning whether the potential tax in...

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said Immigration and Customs Enforcement needs to “recalibrate” its tactics, and he isn’t the only member of the Texas GOP to comment on the operations and the rhetoric around it. The messaging comes a few weeks before early voting begins in the Texas primaries ahead of the midterms. We’ll have more about that on today’s show.

Former Austin police chief Art Acevedo says ICE agents are deploying tactics that show they’re either insufficiently trained or poorly supervised. He says when trust collapses, criminals win. We’ll hear more from that conv...

Student walkout demonstrations in the Austin area continued this week in protest of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Texas and across the country. The Austin Independent School District has come under fire from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton over such actions. We’ll hear from some of the students who participated in the walkout, as well as their parents.

We’ll also follow up on an incident at a demonstration Monday in Hays County – hearing from more student voices, and ways to deal with everything that we’re seeing on social media these da...

Nighttime temperatures in Austin won’t be cold enough this week to warrant the opening of warming shelters, but last month’s prolonged freeze did highlight the lack of nutritious food being served at one refuge in town. We’ll hear from someone who’s taken shelter there and the people helping to fill the need.

Travis County District Attorney José Garza is joining a group of DA’s banding together to hold federal officers accountable to the rule of law. We’ll look at what brought them together, and the complicated process that the project is hoping to tac...

There are about 43,000 people experiencing homelessness in Texas, and more than 3,000 of them are Austinites. We’ll take a look at the programs and services helping people get back on their feet here in the city. https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/esperanza-community-austin-ged-classes-adult-education-texas/

Most people have gone down a one-way street before – and downtown Austin is full of them. But it wasn’t always that way, and soon, we could be heading back to our old ways of two-way streets if a city commission recommendation moves forward. https://austincurrent.org/2026/01/26/austin-roads-traffic-downtown/

A local nonprofit supporting the Austin...

Local nurses led a peaceful vigil last night in Austin for Alex Pretti, the Minnesota ICU nurse shot and killed over the weekend by U.S. immigration officers. We’ll hear about the latest instance of local folks protesting ongoing customs and border patrol activities in Minneapolis.

Three Austin ISD middle schools could get a fifth failing accountability rating, which means the state might step in to run them. We’ll learn about an alternative to that, and whether or not it worked at another AISD middle school.

Plus, we’ll introduce you to folks who to...

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement operations have been happening in Austin and Central Texas in recent week. During the past weekend’s weather event, local officials had to dispel rumors fueled by the operation. The lack of information and communication around these operations is causing panic and anxiety that can boil beyond social media.

Gov. Greg Abbott is freezing new H-1B visa applications until 2027, with some exceptions. The move is the latest in the administration’s scrutiny of foreign workers employed at taxpayer-funded institutions.

We’re less than a month away from the start of the ne...

Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota have caught the attention of the nation and the world in recent weeks. Meanwhile, such operations in Texas have been taking place at the same time. We’ll check in with folks from Elgin, just outside of Austin, to hear how it’s impacting them.

The City of Austin paid out more than $143 million dollars to its employees in 2025. Five city departments regularly account for the bulk of overtime spending. We’ll go over which departments they are.

Plus, a spot in East Austin is building community beyond its me...

An arctic cold front brought freezing precipitation to the Austin area over the weekend. Classes were cancelled today at UT Austin and most school districts in Central Texas. Still, the area made out much better this time than in ice storms of years past. We’ll have more about the situation locally and this week’s forecast.

The most high-profile candidates for the Texas Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate race in November – U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and State Rep. James Talarico – debated each other in Georgetown over the weekend. We’ll recap the cases they made...

The forecast continues to evolve as an arctic cold front heads towards the Austin area this weekend. Temperatures are forecast to remain below freezing starting Saturday night in Central Texas and could stay that way through Monday. We’ll have the latest forecasts and updates from city officials.

Austin Community College’s free tuition pilot program ballooned to nearly 10,000 students this academic year. We’ll look at the students who are being impacted and the things they’re learning about.

Huston-Tillotson University’s Jazz Orchestra is among the top bands in the country. We’ll hear about t...

An arctic cold front is approaching Austin and Central Texas. The National Weather Service has already issued an Extreme Cold Watch and a Winter Storm Warning for the weekend. We’ll have more about the latest forecasts and the ways for you to be prepared.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement operations have continued in Central Texas. KUT News has obtained video of one such incident in Kyle. As these operations increase, so does the concern for public safety amid reports of slack hiring practices and training regulations for ICE officers. Speaking with Austin Signal is Alain Stephens, in...

Early voting for the upcoming primaries in Texas begins next month. Up in Williamson County, things are going to be a little different this election cycle. Voters there will no longer be able to vote at any polling site on Election Day. We’ll talk about why that is, and the impacts it could have.

Protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement have continued in the Austin area this week. Demonstrators gathered outside Austin City Hall on Tuesday. We’ll hear more from those who took part.

Plus, bats have long found a cozy home...

Hundreds of private schools in Texas are being shut out of the state’s new school voucher program because of alleged ties to some organizations or foreign governments, and that includes dozens of schools in the Austin area. We’ll have more about the voucher program and its continuing rollout.

Plus, hobbies can lead to rewarding experiences, but carving out the time to invest in one can be tough. We’ll hear the story of a group of skaters in Austin that prioritizes community and fun – despite their busy schedules.

And the executive director for Texas Pe...

A person was detained last week by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Kyle. The man had to be transported to the hospital, according to local police, and the KUT Newsroom is working to get more details on the story.

An attorney for the student who was deported while flying back to Austin for a holiday says the federal government admitted it violated a court order when it deported her to Honduras. Any López Belloza, an Austin-raised student at Babson College outside of Boston, was detained after trying to fly home to Austin before Thanksgiving. W...

Complaints against Austin Police could be worked out through a new city program focused on mediation. We’ll hear more about what these types of guided conversations to address community concerns could look and sound like.

There is a downtown fixture close to Rainey Street that has somehow avoided becoming yet another Austin skyrise – the IHOP on Cesar Chavez, of course. We’ll hear about the real estate drama behind its longevity and what the future could hold for the building and the land it’s built on.

This week in Texas music history...

The Austin Police Department is changing its rules over how officers report people to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The change comes after the detention and apparent deportation last week of a Honduran mother and her 5-year-old daughter.
We’ll go over the changes and the reaction from Austin City Council members.
And Austin voters could once again be faced with deciding whether to raise property taxes to help the city tackle expenses like park improvements and public safety. KUT’s city council reporter will have more on that.
Austin Poet Laureate Zell Miller talks about his new...

Text messages from officials in Kerr County reveal confusion amid the July 4 Hill Country floods last year. Information and misinformation spread amid the flooding that killed more than 130 people. We’ll talk about those messages.
More changes are coming to I-35 as work continues on overhauling the highway at the center of Austin. We’ll dive into what to expect on the roads and how it could impact your travels.
Plus, the Alamo Drafthouse is doing away with pen-and-paper ordering and folks have feelings about it.
And a chat about the TV shows you and everyone else...

Earlier this month, the CDC reduced the number of recommended vaccines for children. The change has flummoxed some parents and pediatricians in the Austin area. We’ll listen to some of the questions they’ve been asking.

It’s been more than six months since deadly flooding killed more than 130 people across Central Texas and the Hill Country. Recovery is still a long way down the road. We’ll have an update from some of the folks still working through that process.

Plus, the ATX Free Fridge Project has been filling in gaps in food acces...

Demonstrations against ICE continued in Austin this weekend after an officer fatally shot Renee Nicole Good last week in Minnesota. We’ll hear about the activity around town and its aftermath.

We’ll also hear about an Austin mother and her five-year-old daughter who were taken into ICE custody last week after police responded to a disturbance call at their home.

Plus, smokable hemp could be outlawed in Texas by the end of this month. The state’s health agency has proposed new rules that could upend the hemp market in Texas. We’ll delve into the n...

People in the Austin area joined with many thousands of others across the country in protesting after an ICE officer fatally shot a woman this week in Minneapolis. Demonstrators gathered outside a Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville. We’ll bring you some of those voices.

After a U.S. military operation in Caracas last weekend, Venezuelans in Austin are hoping for bigger changes before they feel ready to go back home. We’ll hear from them, along with a Venezuelan-Texan author based here in Austin.

Plus, how did Austin come to be k...

The state health agency in Texas has proposed new rules for hemp products. Those rules could mean higher fees for businesses, more testing for products, and could effectively outlaw access to hemp flower. We’ll look at what’s being proposed and how Texas business owners are feeling about it.

Plus, after oak wilt claimed a tree in his yard, local artist Steve Parker turned its wood into a sonic experience. His solo exhibit at Ivester Contemporary features wooden records and wind instruments. We’ll experience some of those sounds for ourselves.

What do you get whe...

Austinites aren’t the only ones who are bringing some change to the new year. The airport in Austin will be undergoing some modifications in 2026. More gates, more flights – and more construction.
We’ll take a closer look at the changes happening at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Plus, a major milestone has been reached in the construction of a new water delivery system underneath Lake Travis. Once it’s finished, the system is expected to increase the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority’s water supply to 145 million gallons per day and reduce its vulnerability to drought.

Maybe yo...

As we embark on the new year, many are expecting higher costs for the health care they need to live their best lives. That’s after Congress failed to extend subsidies to the Affordable Care Act during last year’s government shutdown and ahead of the new year deadline. We’ll talk about how Austinites and Texans will be affected in 2026.
The City of Austin and a former APD officer are being sued for excessive force. Austin has struggled for years to change the culture at APD’s training academy. We’ll have more about both those stories on today’s...

Crime statistics for Austin trended downward in 2025, with the city experiencing the lowest number of murders this decade. We’ll talk about the trends, both locally and nationally, and discuss why the sentiment that crime is rising still persists.

Also, the city has released an updated design plan for a revamped Sixth Street. What will it look like and when will that work begin?

Plus, the first full week of January means it’s Free Week in Austin. Some of the city’s finest musicians will be putting on shows in venues across the city. We’ll...

The start of 2026 brings a bevy of new laws across the state, with a focus on taxes. Other new legislation focuses on artificial intelligence and how sheriff’s offices will work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

New toll lanes have opened on 183 North, and the additional access could mean increased traffic on your drive home.

Looking to cut back on distractions in the new year? We’ve got some techniques that you can use to keep your focus strong in 2026.

The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT...

It’s the final day of 2025, and we’ve been taking some time to listen back and reflect on the year that was here in Austin.

Austinites love supporting local shops and restaurants, but the hard truth is that running any kind of business is the city is a difficult and expensive pursuit. A look back at some local businesses that shuttered their doors for good this year.

Plus: New Year’s festivities bring on annual traditions — have you got yours ready? Come and share some good home cookin’ with us.

The full transcript...

This year, Austinites reached out to 311 with 285,000 requests, covering everything from garbage and loud music to animal bites and scooters. We’ve got more about those requests —  and some coyotes.

KUT News launched a new desk in 2025: the Art Beat. We’re talking about the year in arts in Austin, including the return of a beloved outdoor gallery and the venues that are planning for the future.

The Texas Longhorns wrap up their football season tomorrow against Michigan. It’s not the ending fans and pundits predicted at the start of the year, but perhaps things ar...

It’s the last week of 2025, and we’re reflecting on the year of news here in Austin, including:
Resolution in a decades-long cold case known as the Yogurt Shop Murders.
The summer’s deadly flooding in Austin and Central Texas.
School campuses set to shutter across the city.

We’re also taking a look at the status of Austin’s housing market heading into the new year.

Plus: Another favorite track from 2025, and a look at some of the artists we lost this year.

The full transcript of this episode of...

It’s been a busy year, and KUT’s multimedia team has been capturing the moments that defined Austin in 2025. So which ones stood out most?  Visuals Editor Deborah Cannon takes us through the year in photos.

The Paramount Theatre is known for hosting unforgettable events — but have you ever wondered how audiences find their seats in the rush before showtime? What it’s like to work as an usher.

The year is winding down, but we still have songs for ya! Technical director Rayna Sevilla shares her top song of the year.

Plus: Mor...