KUT-FM (Austin, TX)

Electric power lines bigger than any now standing in Texas are one step closer to being built, after the Public Utility Commission of Texas unanimously approved a key permit for one such project on Friday. The approval of the Certificate of Convenience and Necessity for the North Texas transmission project came despite impassioned opposition from rural landowners along the proposed route.

It’s time to test your knowledge about the city we call home. Join KUT News at Hole in the Wall for an Austin-themed trivia night brought to you by our ATXplained crew. The night will feature six trivia rounds – including visual and audio rounds – hosted by trivia veteran Taylor Wallace of KUTX 98.9. Each team will be limited to a maximum of six members. Compete for prizes, including a pair of tickets to see ATXplained Live at the Bass Concert Hall, Dec. 9.

Meet some of the people behind KUT Public Media at our next meetup. We’ll be at Batch Craft Beer and Kolaches on Manor between 8:30-10:30 a.m., Friday, June 26, 2026. We’d want to connect with you, hear what matters most in your community and chat about local news, music and storytelling in Austin. Grab a coffee – and some station swag – on your way to work or the trail. KUT Public Media Meetup 8:30–10:30 a.m., Friday, Sept. 25 Batch Craft Beer and Kolaches 3220 Manor Rd. No RSVP required.

When was the last time you took in a play by William Shakespeare? Was it a shoestring high school production of Romeo & Juliet? Did you give up on The Bard after Julius Caesar in 10th grade English? Well, there's a community of Austinites who want to bring Shakespeare back into the city's consciousness. Last weekend, three local theater companies came together for a Bard-themed smackdown called the Great Austin Shake Off.

Dozens of protesters gathered near Riverside Drive and South Congress Avenue to protest the software, data integration and artificial intelligence firm Palantir. The protesters gathered on Thursday outside 8VC, a venture capital firm based in Austin whose co-founder has ties to Palantir. The group chanted “No ICE, no war, no Palantir,” blocking lanes of South Congress, holding up banners and baby-sized shoes, representing the children taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Travis County is joining a federal lawsuit aimed at blocking the Trump Administration’s new rules for ballot-by-mail voting. The lawsuit challenges an executive order President Trump signed in March, which requires the U.S. Postal Service to only deliver mail-in or absentee ballots to people enrolled on a “state-specific list” of eligible voters.

Austin has taken its first steps toward regulating certain data centers within city limits. The Austin City Council on Thursday initiated a months-long process that tasks staff with creating new rules and requirements for large-scale facilities, including location, size and environmental considerations. Joi Harden, Austin’s zoning officer, said the city’s existing rules allow for traditional data centers, those that use up to 20 megawatts of electricity.

HUTTO, Texas — When Alek Micklethwait received his electricity bill in May, he was stunned. It was $545, more than double what his family had been paying during cooler weather, since moving into a 1,600-square-foot home in Central Texas last September. It must be a mistake, he thought. But it wasn’t.

Governor Greg Abbott has issued what he’s called a “pause” on new data center approvals, until state regulators can conduct a "comprehensive audit” of their energy and water usage. “I have pressed pause on any new data center being able to join the operations in the state of Texas,” he said Sunday on ABC News’ This Week.

At the Texas Republican Party convention in Houston this summer, Gov. Greg Abbott gave thousands of party faithful a simple assignment. “Our job is to keep Texas, Texas this election,” said Abbott. The crowd roared, and the implication was clear: Keeping Texas what it is today meant keeping the state Republican. Texas has been a Republican stronghold for decades and hasn’t elected a Democrat to statewide office since 1994.