KUT Austin
Building confidence through roller derby.
- Title
- Building confidence through roller derby.
- Runtime
- 4:31
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- What started with a pair of roller skates at age 13 became a second family. Texas Junior Roller Derby (TXJRD) captain, “Gator”, reflects on how roller derby shaped her confidence, leadership, and sense of belonging.
- Title
- ATXplained Live - Donn's Johns
- Runtime
- 16:26
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- When it comes to public bathrooms, most of us probably try to get in and out as quickly as possible. But what if a restroom was not just a place to hang out, but an actual destination? We got a question about one particular bathroom in Austin with a reputation: Donn’s Depot. KUT’s Stephanie Federico explored the universe of notable bathrooms at ATXplained Live on May 21, 2026.
- Title
- ATXplained Live - Felon of Koi
- Runtime
- 15:05
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- President George W. Bush once said “I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.” This story puts that idea to the test. KUT’s Mose Buchele investigates the mysterious disappearance of a bunch of koi fish from the Zilker Botanical Gardens at ATXplained Live on May 21, 2026.
- Title
- ATXplained Live - A Son of Austin
- Runtime
- 8:36
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- There are thousands of airports in the United States. Some are just named after the city they’re in. Some are named for people with instantly recognizable names — John F. Kennedy, George H.W. Bush and Louis Armstrong, for example. Austin’s airport namesake? Well, not exactly a household name. So who was “Bergstrom?” KUT’s Luz Moreno-Lozano went searching at ATXplained Live on May 21, 2026.
- Title
- ATXplained Live - Meatier Belts
- Runtime
- 15:54
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- There was a time in America that most people didn’t know about a popular Tex-Mex dish that we all just take for granted now: fajitas. We got a question about how they were put on the culinary map. KUT’s Matt Largey dug in at ATXplained Live on May 21, 2026.
- Title
- ATXplained Live - Chair Leaders
- Runtime
- 17:19
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- It’s America’s 250th birthday this year. This 4th of July, people will be celebrating with cookouts, fireworks and — of course — parades. One neighborhood in Austin has an unusual Independence Day tradition that began many years ago. The husband of one participant can’t seem to get a straight answer about how it began exactly. And he wonders: is it a cult? KUT’s Olivia Aldridge investigates at ATXplained Live on May 21, 2026.
- Title
- ATXplained Live - The Birthday Girl
- Runtime
- 13:30
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- We all have memories that are so vague we might wonder if they even really happened. A picture or a smell triggers something deep in our brains that brings a flash of that moment back, but the details are sketchy. One ATXplained question-asker has a memory like that: that she appeared on a local kids’ TV show in Austin decades ago. The Texas Standard’s Sean Saldana tried to confirm her suspicions for ATXplained Live on May 21, 2026.
- Title
- ATXplained Live - Woode Wood
- Runtime
- 3:39
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- For years, a bearded man played his guitar and harmonica at the same spot along the Hike and Bike Trail near Zilker Park. Someone asked ATXplained what his story is. We answered at our May 21, 2026 ATXplained Live show and then Woode surprised the audience with a performance.
- Title
- ATXplained - Woode Wood
- Runtime
- 5:58
- Date posted
- 3 months ago
- Description
- For years, a bearded man played his guitar and harmonica at the same spot along the Hike and Bike Trail near Zilker Park. Someone asked ATXplained what his story is. We answered at our May 21, 2026 ATXplained Live show.
- Title
- Bald eagle sighting in Austin
- Runtime
- 0:18
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- A bald eagle was spotted on March 7 and 8 by Lake Pflugerville. The American symbol has made a comeback in recent decades after being threatened with extinction due to pesticides. The Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of the pesticide DDT in the U.S. in 1972, "the first step on the road to recovery for the bald eagle," according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Video: Henry H. @henrybho
Produced by Victoria Brooks
- Title
- Unpopular Austin Opinion
- Runtime
- 1:19
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- Everyone in Austin hates traffic and loves Barton Springs... or do they? Here are the newsroom's un popular opinions about our city.
What's your Austin hot take
Video produced by Victoria Brooks
Patricia Kim (@limpatricia97)
Deborah Cannon (@dycannon)
Sean Saldana (@ladybirdsean)
Wells Dunbar (@wellsdunbar)
Corrie MacLaggan
Kristen Cabrera
Jerry Quijano (@jquijano
- Title
- It’s coral snake season in Texas
- Runtime
- 0:38
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- Snake season is here in Austin.
One kind you may come across is the coral snake, known in Texas for its red, yellow and black bands.
The coral snake shown in the first video was spotted in the Austin area in 2023.
While the venomous snake is known as one of Texas' most feared creatures, they prefer to stay away from humans and should be left alone.
Words and video produced by Victoria Brooks
Video: 1. Courtesy of Zoe N., Video 2. Government Canyon State Natural Area, Video 3: Courtesy of Zoe N., Video 4: Guadalupe River State Park, Video 5: Lake Livingston State Park
- Title
- This is My Thing - Snorkeling
- Runtime
- 1:52
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- Susan Hanson spends her free time traversing the underwater landscape of the San Marcos River. Donned with a trash bag, camera and snorkel she looks for good moments to photograph and garbage left by river goers. In this episode of This is My Thing Hanson discussed how this become her passion.
- Title
- How traffic stops turn into ice busts in Austin
- Runtime
- 1:30
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Videos of an immigration operation in Austin show how quickly and quietly people are taken into federal custody when state police partner with ICE.
- Title
- 15 minutes from start to finish: How traffic stops turn into ICE busts in Austin
- Runtime
- 26:44
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Dashcam and bodycam recordings of an immigration enforcement operation in East Austin in 2025 show how quickly and quietly people can be taken into federal custody when state police partner with ICE.
These videos, obtained from the Texas Department of Public Safety through a public information request, show the tactics and communication used in joint operations and reveal Texas DPS agents wearing identity concealing masks in violation of state police policy.
- Title
- This is My Thing - Breast cancer survivors find community in dragon boat racing.
- Runtime
- 2:09
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Beth Rowan, with Paddles with a Purpose, discusses dragon boat racing and how it helps build community with breast cancer survivors in this episode of This is My Thing.
- Title
- ATXplained Live - Tree Body Problem
- Runtime
- 11:41
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Ten years ago, a man found himself staring at the naked butt cheeks of a life-sized humanoid doll dangling from a tree in the Barton Creek Greenbelt in Austin, Texas. It remains there to this day. He and his wife now wonder: Who is responsible for this? And what does it mean? Reported by Katy McAfee. Illustrations by Michael Minasi.
- Title
- ATXplained Live - Sacred Springs
- Runtime
- 11:56
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Taking a swim in Barton Springs can be a spiritual experience. But one person wondered whether the springs were actually considered sacred by the indigenous people who lived here before European settlers showed up. Reported by Elizabeth McQueen.
- Title
- ATXplained Live - Invisible Theater
- Runtime
- 10:56
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- On the corner of South First St. and Barton Springs Rd. in Austin, Texas, most nights you can find a man dancing, rapping, waving and just generally having a great time. Someone asked us who he is and what he’s doing out there. So we went to meet Broderick James. Reported by Matt Largey. Photos and video by Michael Minasi.
- Title
- ATXplained Live - Elk Noir
- Runtime
- 11:46
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Early one morning on a highway in Austin, Darren Smith came face-to-face with an enormous creature. But when he told his friends and family, no one believed him. We set out to prove him right: there are wild elk in Austin. Reported by Olivia Aldridge. Animation by Michael Minasi.
- Title
- ATXplained Live - Steak Out
- Runtime
- 11:14
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Tacos and barbecue are probably the first foods that come to mind when you think of Austin. But there was once a staple that you could find at nearly every restaurant — even high school cafeterias. One man wondered why no one eats chicken fried steak anymore. Reported by Ben Philpott.
- Title
- ATXplained Live - Flop Jocks
- Runtime
- 24:07
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- For 25 years, Austin has been home to movie-riffing tradition that picked up where the old Mystery Science Theater 3000 TV show left off. It’s gone by several names, but remains as popular as ever. ATXplained received a question about the current iteration: Master Pancake Theater. This is the origin story. Reported by Matt Largey. Special guests John Erler and Scott Chester.
- Title
- See What We’ve Done Together So Far
- Runtime
- 1:18
- Date posted
- 10 months ago
- Description
- We’ve been hard at work this year informing, connecting, and strengthening Central Texas — through trusted local and national news, the Austin music you love, and stories that bring our community together. And we’re just getting started.
- Title
- This Is My Thing - Found Art
- Runtime
- 2:09
- Date posted
- 11 months ago
- Description
- Artist Theresa Bond discusses her work and how she developed a project that has her leaving banners around town with drawings and messages for people to find.
- Title
- Birds invade tire store parking lot
- Runtime
- 2:11
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Every year thousands of Purple Martins descend into the parking lot at a Discount Tire shop near the Round Rock crossing shopping center, just outside of Austin, to roost. The Travis Audubon Society holds viewing parties on Friday and Saturday nights to help educate people about the birds as they observe the spectacle.
- Title
- This is My Thing - Encaustic Painting
- Runtime
- 2:49
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Encaustic painter Carol Stanley Aaron explains the process of using wax to help create her works during this episode of KUT's This is My Thing podcast.
To hear the radio piece and find out more about Carol Stanley Aaron visit the KUT This is My Thing site https://www.kut.org/this-is-my-thing
- Title
- No Kings Protest - Austin, Texas
- Runtime
- 2:49
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Thousands of people protested at the Texas Capitol on June 14, 2025, as part of the nationwide “No Kings Day”, which took place on President Trump’s 79th birthday and the Military’s 250th anniversary parade in Washington D.C.
- Title
- This is My Thing - Underwater Torpedo League
- Runtime
- 2:55
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Lesley Murray discusses holding her breath while wrestling for goals underwater as a member of an underwater torpedo league.
- Title
- ATXplained - Opening Act
- Runtime
- 20:01
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Nicole Stewart remembers a time in Austin when you would go to a concert and a guy would get up on stage and read a poem before the band played. She saw him a bunch of times. And then he disappeared. Now, she wants to know who he was and what happened to him. KUT's Greta Díaz González Vázquez went looking in this story from our ATXplained Live event at Bass Concert Hall on April 29, 2025.
- Title
- ATXplained - First Lady of the Deep End
- Runtime
- 14:02
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- A KUT listener asked a question about her family for our ATXplained series. She wanted to know if her grandmother, Binnie Seymour, was Austin's first female lifeguard, as Binnie had told her. The question sent KUT's Audrey McGlinchy on a journey through newspaper archives, a teenage love story and what it means to break barriers when no one's watching. McGlinchy produced this story for the April 2025 ATXplained Live event.
- Title
- ATXplained Live - Austin Movies
- Runtime
- 11:56
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Whether you prefer Robert Rodriguez films to those of Richard Linklater, or you'd rather watch Whip It over a rerun of Friday Night Lights, there's plenty to choose from when picking something to watch with an Austin connection. KUT's Jerry Quijano and Laura Rice presented this story at KUT's ATXplained Live in October 2024.
- Title
- ATXplained - What Lies Beneath
- Runtime
- 17:17
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Austin’s recent growth means new buildings going up all over the place. Sometimes in parts of town with a history of dangerous pollution. A while ago, a listener reached out to ATXplained about just such a place. And she had a pretty simple question. Is it safe to be here?
This piece was performed at ATXplained Live in April of 2024
- Title
- ATXplained - Who Changes the Moontower Light Bulbs
- Runtime
- 3:17
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- KUT listener Justin Clemens was curious about who changes the light bulbs in the towers, so he reached out to KUT’s ATXplained project.
Multimedia producer Michael Minasi spoke with professor and researcher Bruce Hunt at the University of Texas at Austin to find out more about the origins of the towers, and then went straight to the source of electricity in Austin – Austin Energy – to speak to the man in charge of the linemen that continue to scale the 150-foot towers today.
- Title
- This is My Thing - Permanent Jewelry
- Runtime
- 1:37
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- After retiring from a career with the Austin Fire Department Lyzz Donelson found a new passion - permanent jewelry.
- Title
- This is My Thing - Cake Club
- Runtime
- 2:14
- Date posted
- 1 year ago
- Description
- Kim Vidrine and her friends find community and sweets through a monthly meeting of their Cake Club.
- Title
- r/Austin AMA on Austin's light-rail plans
- Runtime
- 2:06:03
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Hi, I'm Nathan Bernier, the transportation reporter at KUT News, Austin's NPR station. I've been closely following the city's light-rail plans for years. Now, a massive 16,000-page document has dropped, revealing more details than ever about the plan for a 9.8-mile system. (You can read my not-16,000 page story on the plan here: https://www.kut.org/transportation/2025-01-10/austin-tx-light-rail-maps-station-locations )
The project faces serious challenges including lawsuits and legislation from Texas lawmakers that could bring the $7.1 billion plan to a screeching halt.
This livestream is part of an AMA here on r/Austin. You can ask your questions on the Austin subreddit here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/1ic5rl8/what_austin_lightrail_questions_do_you_have_kuts/
- Title
- Here's what you helped us accomplish in 2024. We couldn't have done it without your support!
- Runtime
- 1:48
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- KUT News, KUTX 98.9 and "Texas Standard" have kept Central Texans informed, inspired and engaged this year -- thanks to donor support. We've reported thousands of local and statewide news stories, celebrated Austin musicians and connected people through events, music and conversations. Thanks for your support in 2024!
- Title
- Ceiling collapses at University of Texas at Austin building
- Runtime
- 0:56
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- The ceiling above a patio area at the Norman Hackerman Building collapsed on the UT Austin campus on Sunday, Nov. 24. No one was injured in the collapse.
- Title
- Walkthrough of I-35 expansion in North Austin
- Runtime
- 1:03:16
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Join KUT's Nathan Bernier for a detailed look at the I-35 Capital Express North project, a highway expansion already under construction between U.S. 290 East and SH 45 North.
READ OUR ULTIMATE GUIDE HERE: https://www.kut.org/transportation/2024-12-04/your-ultimate-guide-to-the-i-35-expansion-through-north-austin
You can download TxDOT's schematic here: https://app.grovecms.org/cms/content/edit.jsp?id=00000193-64ad-d7f3-abf7-f7bd1a080001&typeId=8195a523-335e-3fbb-a4c1-12dbad30b87e
You can download the 100% plans here (six PDFs zipped into a single file totaling 1.8 GB): https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/s1ae7qr9m19oswqw2jafa/I-35-Capital-Express-North-100-Designs.zip?rlkey=hetfl0o6omoc6r4y0x6ksrgaa&st=xt4lmgz1&dl=0
- Title
- This is My Thing - Barbershop Quartet
- Runtime
- 3:11
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Chuck Loesch performs with his barbershop quartet, Comida Deluxe.in the KUT studios.
- Title
- This is My Thing - Bike Polo
- Runtime
- 1:44
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- David Morley discusses how to play bike polo and his love for the unusual sport.
- Title
- This is My Thing - Nail Art
- Runtime
- 1:42
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Nail artist Kim Reist discusses her craft and why she loves to create art on nails.
- Title
- ATXplained - Is the Driskill hotel haunted?
- Runtime
- 9:27
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Ghost stories are everywhere in Austin — from the Paramount Theatre to the Texas Capitol. But the Driskill Hotel on Sixth Street might be the undisputed champion of supernatural destinations in Austin. KUT’s Ben Philpott enlisted the help of some paranormal experts to investigate.
This story premiered at KUT's ATXplained Live at the Bass Concert Hall on Oct. 23, 2024.
- Title
- Austin City Council District 7 candidate Edwin Bautista answers 3 questions about major issues
- Runtime
- 4:22
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Twelve out of 17 candidates for Austin City Council sat down for video interviews where they answered three pressing questions from Austin voters. Not sure what district you live in? Find it here: https://www.austintexas.gov/page/city-council-district-map
- Title
- Austin City Council District 10 candidate Ashika Ganguly answers 3 questions about major issues
- Runtime
- 6:22
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Twelve out of 17 candidates for Austin City Council sat down for video interviews where they answered three pressing questions from Austin voters. Not sure what district you live in? Find it here: https://www.austintexas.gov/page/city-council-district-map
- Title
- Austin City Council District 6 candidate Krista Laine answers 3 questions about major issues
- Runtime
- 2:14
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Twelve out of 17 candidates for Austin City Council sat down for video interviews where they answered three pressing questions from Austin voters. Not sure what district you live in? Find it here: https://www.austintexas.gov/page/city-council-district-map
- Title
- Austin City Council District 7 candidate Todd Shaw answers 3 questions about major issues
- Runtime
- 5:15
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Twelve out of 17 candidates for Austin City Council sat down for video interviews where they answered three pressing questions from Austin voters. Not sure what district you live in? Find it here: https://www.austintexas.gov/page/city-council-district-map
- Title
- Austin City Council District 7 candidate Pierre Nguyễn answers 3 questions about major issues
- Runtime
- 4:43
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Twelve out of 17 candidates for Austin City Council sat down for video interviews where they answered three pressing questions from Austin voters. Not sure what district you live in? Find it here: https://www.austintexas.gov/page/city-council-district-map
- Title
- Austin City Council District 7 candidate Adam Powell answers 3 questions about major issues
- Runtime
- 3:29
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Twelve out of 17 candidates for Austin City Council sat down for video interviews where they answered three pressing questions from Austin voters. Not sure what district you live in? Find it here: https://www.austintexas.gov/page/city-council-district-map
- Title
- Austin City Council District 6 candidate Mackenzie Kelly answers 3 questions about major issues
- Runtime
- 3:25
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Twelve out of 17 candidates for Austin City Council sat down for video interviews where they answered three pressing questions from Austin voters. Not sure what district you live in? Find it here: https://www.austintexas.gov/page/city-council-district-map
