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The facility has been under construction for years now — at least twice as long as expected. Parts of it have reopened, but the whole thing was supposed to be done a year ago. So what’s the hold up?

We all have vague memories of childhood, that are so faded we can’t even tell if they’re real. This is a story about one such memory.

At Austin City Hall, a sign points to each of Austin’s international sister cities. The sister cities program dates back almost 60 years. Our question asker knows a lot about this, but she wants more people to know.

Landmarks are everywhere for those with eyes to see.

John Erler from Master Pancake Theater joins us to riff on the story about him as it’s performed live. There’s also video of this story. It helps — especially during the snake part.

A fan of the movie-riffing show at the Alamo Drafthouse wanted to know more about how they got their start. Don’t miss the bonus episode after this one — a recording of the ATXplained Live where this story gets riffed on live!

The summer air is supposed to filled with magical, twinkling insects. But you might have noticed — depending on where you live in Austin — that there don’t seem to be as many of them lately. KUT’s Chelsey Zhu went on a bug hunt.

Austin’s weirdest Independence Day parade has been going for decades. Now the husband of one participant wants answers: how did it begin and why do dozens of women (and a few men) do march like this every year? Watch this story at our May 21, 2026 ATXplained Live at Bass Concert Hall — including a […]

Thousands of animals are picked up from the road around Austin every year. But where do these animals go when they die?

The springs that feed Barton Springs were formed millions of years ago. So what have human relationships with Austin’s “Crown Jewel” been like in that time?

Darren Smith swore the dark, antlered figure he saw in the early morning hours was an elk. No one believed him. This story was originally part of KUT’s ATXplained Live on Oct. 29, 2025. Tickets for our next show on May 21 are available here.

The story starts with a mysterious, long-nippled figure lurking among the tree tops, but it gets weirder from there.

We’re back with a new season of ATXplained. Lots of great stories coming your way this year. We’ll start with one from our last ATXplained Live. It’s about a guy who’s whole thing is to stand out.

We go in search of a poet who was a fixture in Austin more than a decade ago — but suddenly dropped off the map.

We’re not talking about politics. Is the capitol building itself literally radioactive?