Austin Signal

The Taylor City Council was set to consider a citizen-led initiative to temporarily ban data centers, but 15 minutes into its meeting on Thursday night, the city released a statement that state law would not allow the effort. The City of Austin is releasing details on its proposed budget for the next fiscal year as it […] The post Taylor rejects citizens’ effort to temporarily ban...

Data center construction is booming in Texas, and though proponents say the industry stands to bring billions of dollars to the state’s economy, their rapid growth is under scrutiny from all sides of the political spectrum. The Austin Community College Board of Trustees has approved a budget for the 2027 fiscal year that continues free a […] The post Austin Community College conti...

For Austinites experiencing homelessness in the northern half of the city, accessing food, shelter or even a shower can mean taking the bus to downtown, or even South Austin. But a new center opening this summer will bring those services closer to many folks. A group of activists gathered outside the Travis County Administrative building […] The post New homeless navigation center coming to...

Two street murals in Austin were paved over last week at the behest of state leaders who’d threatened to pull federal transportation funds if the city didn’t act. How much will it cost? And what street art remains? High prices for beef aren’t being driven by the New World Screwworm — at least, not yet. The […] The post Austin paves over street murals including ‘B...

School’s out for the summer, but when Austin ISD students return in the fall, they’ll be navigating some big changes in how they get to school. KUT’s education reporter Greta Díaz González Vázquez will help get us up to speed. It’s been one year since deadly floods tore through the Texas Hill Country. Residents of […] The post Sandy Creek residents remember lives lost...

A year after catastrophic flooding in Texas, the Sandy Creek neighborhood in northwest Travis County is still deep in recovery mode. We’ll tell you about a nonprofit that’s lending a hand. How Central Texans are mobilizing to help after Venezuela was rocked by devastating earthquakes. This week in Texas Music History: 1985 Austin punk music festival gets grungy […] The post After...

The podcast “After The Flood” is marking one year since deadly flooding ravaged parts of Central Texas and the Hill Country. This area is often called Flash Flood Alley because of how frequently it’s affected by fast, accumulating waters. Today we’ll hear about another deadly flood that happened almost 50 summers ago. Also, evidence-tampering charges […] The post Austin’s Lawn Chair Br...

The Austin school district is postponing most of its school boundary realignment changes for an additional year. It’s not the first time the district has tried realigning attendance zones, and it’s not the first time the plan has been pushed back. As we approach one year since deadly floods ravaged the Texas Hill Country, the […] The post Austin ISD postpones districtwide boundar...

After the firing of KUT and KUTX General Manager Debbie Hiott by UT Austin leadership, listeners and financial supporters of the stations have wondered about the organization’s relationship with the university and whether that relationship should continue going forward. How is the tight battle for the U.S. Senate seat in Texas affecting races down the […] The post What is KUT’s r...

Mosquito season is hitting peak activity — and if it seems like this year’s batch is particularly bad, you might be on to something. We’ll hear from people keeping tabs on mosquito populations in our area, plus the do’s and don’ts of prevention. Touch Girl Apple Blossom, the KUTX Artist of the Month for June, […] The post How to protect yourself during a rough mosquit...

A special guest episode from our friends at The Texas Newsroom: In the early morning hours of July 4, 2025, floodwaters tore through the Texas Hill Country. At least 130 people died, many of them children. For the last 12 months, reporters from The Texas Newsroom have been talking to people about what happened that […] The post Special episode: “After the Flood” podcast appeared...

The Austin city council approved a plan last month to build new natural gas power generators. One thing that’s still unknown: The price of this new project. It’s estimated to cost more than $1 billion, but the vote approving the plan took place in executive session — behind closed doors. The KUT Newsroom wanted to […] The post How many Austin city council votes happen in secret?...

Some hospitals are still denying miscarriage care despite a state law that’s supposed to prevent that. What an Austin-area woman having a miscarriage went through when she tried to get care. Austin voters will decide this fall if they want an outside auditor to check the city’s books. But some city officials say that could be problematic. […] The post What you need to k...

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 […] The post A Central Texas city eyes desalination to help with water woes appeared first on KUT &am...

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 post New podcast explores after...

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 […] The post Water sampl...

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 post Juneteenth in Austin: Black History Bike Ride Docu...

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 […] The post Capital Factory fo...

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 […] The post Austin ISD improves STAAR...

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 […] The post What next after UT Austin fi...

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 […] The post Floodgates opened amid heavy rain in Austin area a...

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 […] The post Round Rock girls flag football team...

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 […] The post How to protect your pets from New...

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 […] The post Local food influencer gives peek at new d...

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 […] The post Judge to decide whether Camp Mystic lawsuits can b...