KRVX

Gun Control Testimony of Gabby Giffords and Wayne LaPierre of the NRA... Father of Newtown victim gets heckled... Immigration proposals in Congress... Marco Rubio on Rush Limbaugh show... Potential hiccup with gay rights in the Immigration bill... Obama appointees (Hagel, Kerry)... Bad Jobs numbers for 4th quarter of 2012... Obama popularity... Hillary/Obama Interview

Since it was our last show of the semester, this episode served as the senior show. This was Matt's last show and he and Joey welcomed the former host of In The Know, Iz, back on for his last appearance as well.  The show had a bittersweet feel because of this.

We started the evening discussing the big news out of Washington.  President Barack Obama has become the first sitting president to support same-sex marriage.  Previously the president had not backed same-sex marriage, but after growing political pressure and personal experiences, the president changed his mind.  We noted that while he will win votes by making this decision, he also risks losing many more.  It's hard to say how big an impact this will have on the general elections, but in a close race, the impact may only need to be small.

Next, Matt gave us his last on-air forecast for KVRX.  There's a lot of rain in the forecast the next few days especially for Thursday night.  By Saturday, Austin could see over 5 inches of rain!  Austin will be under a flash flood watch from 6pm Thursday night until 12pm Friday and that watch could be extended.

We then discussed the new video that was released by Cap Metro showing a camera angle from inside the bus that ran into the UT student participating in Foam Sword Friday on The Drag.  The video clearly shows that the light was still yellow when the bus drove through, proving the citation the bus driver was written for running a red light should be overturned.  Though this proves the bus driver can't be completely blamed for this incident, he should have been more cautious with so many people nearby.  We all hoped this incident would not cause Foam Sword Friday to be canceled in the future.

Next we discussed UT's financial situation.  Last Thursday, the UT Board of Regents approved funding for a medical school at UT Austin, a move that has been a long time in the making.  We all agreed this would only increase the university's prestige.  The Board of Regents also announced a tuition freeze for the next two years, preventing tuition from going up for in-state students.  The school's president was disappointed by this news, saying it will only put a greater strain on an already tight budget.  We all agreed that a tuition freeze was good news for students and might put pressure on the Texas Legislature to provide more state funds for higher education.  We also saw this as an opportunity for the university to get rid of some of its less important administrative departments and staff.

We then got an update on UT soccer player Kylie Doniak, who was struck by a suspected drunk driver in early February.  She has been recovering back home in California and was able to walk without a cane for the first time today.  While she may never make a full recovery, her doctors and family members are impressed with the progress she has made so far and are confident she will be able to live a relatively normal life.  Great news after such a tragic event.

The show ended with Matt and Izzy reflecting on their time with In The Know.  They both thought it had given them great work experience and they had a lot of fun along the way too.  They'll both miss hosting the show, but have greater things to look forward to because of their time at KVRX.  Joey will be taking over the show in the fall and both Izzy and Matt are confident he'll do a great job. 

It was a great semester for In The Know.  Thanks for tuning in everybody!

NOTE: In The Know will not be airing during the summer months.  Our first episode of the fall 2012 semester is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, August 29 at 8pm.

Joey and Matt were in the booth tonight and were joined by Jake Hong from TSTV's The Current.  We started the show discussing Newt Gingrich dropping out of the race for the White House.  None of us were very surprised by this news.  Gingrich endorsed Romney, but we noted this doesn't mean much after all the dirt Gingrich has dug up on Romney the last few months.  Ron Paul is the only candidate left opposing Romney for the GOP nomination, but it seems Paul is campaigning more for his message at this point than himself.

Next we looked at a new study by a UT economics professor that examined how school starting age and family background affect people later in life.  The study found that while family size and parents' education do not have a major affect, family income and birth order do.  In general, the youngest child tends to earn less money than their siblings as an adult.  The study also found that the age a student starts school does not have as big an impact as once thought.  While the adult IQs of students who started school at a younger age tend to be slightly higher, after age 30 there is no difference in the amount of income they make compared to students who started at a later date.

Next we stuck with local news and discussed the possibility of a new area code coming to Austin; 737.  The number combinations for the 512 area code is expected to run out by late 2013, so the city has proposed creating a new area code to avoid repeating numbers.  Current phones would keep the 512 area code, but all new phones could be issued with the 737 area code beginning summer 2013.  Just another sign of how fast the city is growing!

We ended the show discussing a new alert issued by Austin's Better Business Bureau about a popular car dealership in Austin.  Capitol Kia has been accused by dozens of customers for using "bait and switch" tactics in its advertising.  A BBB investigator confirmed this after seeing an advertisement for a base model car, but arriving at the dealership and being told they were no longer available.  The salesman then tried to sell the investigator a more expensive car.  This form of false advertising is greatly frowned upon by the BBB, prompting them to issue the alert.  We all agreed that it's stuff like this that makes car buying such an unpleasant experience sometimes.