KUT News

In this edition of This Is Just To Say, poet and novelist Carrie Fountain talks with poet Ada Limón about her heartbreaking poem Before, and about the types of poems that give her shivers.

When thinking about how we present ourselves, say at a job interview, we might think that the more good stuff we tell our prospective employer the better. However, that's not really the case. Our best assets can be overshadowed by the average of all we present. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about The Presenter's Paradox, and how we can put our best...

What causes cities to grow and prosper – or not? Why does one side defeat another in war? Those are complex situations with many contributing factors. One factor that history doesn’t often point out is the weather. Yes - storms, hurricanes, fog, and the like – and how those can change the course of events. Dr. Joel Myers has spent some time looking into that. He’s the Founder, President, and Chair...

Austin ISD delays decision to rename schools named after Confederate figures. Plus, the Cold War origins of Austin's emergency alert system. And a new downtown restaurant specializes in high dollar "modern Mexican" cuisine. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend! Subscribe at http://weekend.kut.org

There are lots of topics on the minds these days of those in higher education: the new tax law; immigration; affordability; the cost of education; and how all of those impact teaching and learning. Educators are also thinking about how people discuss those topics. In this episode of KUT's podcast "Higher Ed," KUT's Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss - civi...

The StoryCorps mobile booth is in Austin this month, and we’re bringing you some of the stories that are being recorded there. Colonel Dan Johnston recently sat down with his son Mike and shared some memories of his time in Vietnam and of finding peace and healing decades later.

A new downtown restaurant specializing in "modern Mexican" is luring customers with its fine dining take on a cuisine with close ties to Texas. Is a place that could easily run $100 a person worth the cash? We asked Austin American-Statesman restaurant critic Matthew Odam. Read the review: http://www.mystatesman.com/entertainment/dining/atx-cocina-puts-slick-and-sometimes-sloppy-polish-mexican-cui...

President Donald Trump's first year in office can be - and has been - evaluated on many scores. But perhaps one of the most revealing ways to examine his first year in the White House is through his favorite means of communication: his Tweets. Some have called Trump's time in office so far the “year of tweeting dangerously.” BBC News US political reporter Anthony Zurcher delved into Trump’s tweets...

In an exchange with a reporter over the recent government shutdown, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he has "consistently opposed shutdowns." Is that true? We asked Gardner Selby of PolitiFact Texas. Read the fact-check here: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/jan/22/ted-cruz/ted-cruz-says-hes-opposed-shutdowns-he-hasnt-alway/

Husband and wife Justin and Rachel Clemens sat down together in the StoryCorps mobile booth recently, and remembered the birth of their son Baylor.

Growing up in Atlanta, Ga. during the crack epidemic, Williams lived in a home with nine other people. There was her granddaddy, who owned the house; her mother and her boyfriend, her sister and three brothers, and her two uncles.

In this edition of This Is Just To Say, poet and novelist Carrie Fountain talks with Palestinian-American poet Naomi Shihab Nye. Nye reads her poem Burning the Old Year, and they continue to explore the idea of what we take with us and what we leave behind as we enter 2018 through W.S. Merwin's To the Mistakes.

Why a warming arctic could be responsible for cold spells in Texas. Plus, the story behind the upper and lower decks of I-35. And why people are developing a community of tiny homes just outside the Austin city limits. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend! Subscribe at http://weekend.kut.org

The StoryCorps mobile booth is in Austin this month, and we’re bringing you some of the stories that are being recorded there. Tu Russo was born in Saigon, Vietnam, in 1964, during the Vietnam War. Her father worked in the justice system there, and when Saigon fell in 1975, like many government employees, he was sent to jail, where he would remain for many years. In 1979, Tu, her sisters, and her...

We know what it means to "like" something. But does that word carry extra meaning in education and learning? What does it mean when students say they "like" a class or fear a teacher doesn't "like" them? In this episode of KUT's podcast "Higher Ed," KUT's Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger explore perceptions and realities of "likes" in education.

UT’s Landmarks public art program is set to unveil a large scale new mural by artist José Parla. The work, titled 'Amsted America,' is 4000 square feet and is located at UT’s Robert B. Rowling Hall. Artist José Parla and Landmarks director Andree Bober talk about the work.

Last month on All Things Considered NPR's Kelly McEvers and Pop Culture Happy Hour's Linda Holmes and Glen Weldon talked about this era of TV and movies, many of which are catering to Gen X nostalgia. Weldon asserted that, "...the strongest nostalgia you feel is for the stuff that you chose. So in your teens and 20s, you make a decision. You make your first cultural choices. You say, this is mine....

President Trump issued a statement Wednesday claiming Texas civil rights leader Barbara Jordan would support his "America First" immigration policies. Immigration policy expert Ruth Wasem, professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, says that's too narrow a reading of Jordan's views on immigration.

Burglars stole 7,841 guns from federally licensed gun dealers last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The ATF says that's the highest number ever. Texas Standard investigative reporter Alain Stephens reported on an increase in gun store burglaries in the Houston-area immediately after Hurricane Harvey, but he says this goes beyond that. ATF statistics:...

In urging people to take their keys with them when they leave their cars, Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody claimed in a post on Twitter, "Almost half of all vehicles stolen in Texas each year had keys left inside." Is that true? We asked Gardner Selby of PolitiFact Texas. You can read the fact-check here: http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2018/jan/12/robert-chody/nearly-half-texas-v...

The StoryCorps mobile booth is in Austin this month, and we’re bringing you some of the stories that are being recorded there. Joe Shaffer, 85, recently sat down with his grandson, Jerry Smith. To Jerry, his grandparents are known as Ayee and BB. Ayee shared some memories and some advice.

During the less than thirteen years of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s leadership of the Civil Rights Movement, from December 5, 1955 until April 4, 1968, African Americans achieved more progress toward racial equality than the previous 350 years had produced.

Austin's EMS workers seek higher pay. Plus, how an East Austin school is convincing parents forced out by higher property tax to keep their kids enrolled. And who cleans up the Christmas decorations from trees on Loop 360? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend! Subscribe at http://weekend.kut.org

We give for many reasons, and most of the time it feels pretty good to help other people. But when you're on the receiving end of generosity feelings can be mixed. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of giving and receiving.

The StoryCorps mobile booth is in Austin this month, and we’re bringing you some of the stories that are being recorded there. Luis Cepeda recently sat down with his wife, Alejandra Lima, and they talked about the time when, as an undocumented immigrant, Luis spent eight months in an ICE detention center.