Texas Standard

August 8, 2025

Charley Crockett talks new album and recent success

Texas’ redistricting fight is has spread past state lines. New federal legislation aims to ban mid-decade congressional redistricting, and the brawl looks likely to impact upcoming elections and the 2028 presidential race.San Antonio is planning a massive sports and entertainment district, including a new arena for the Spurs, a convention center expansion and more – […]

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August 7, 2025

State parks are getting bigger and better

While the Texas House remains stalled due to a quorum break, the Senate continues its work, advancing a key education bill that could eliminate STAAR testing statewide.Texas is seeing a boom in data centers driven by AI and crypto – but the growth comes with major energy and water demands.Thanks to a $1 billion voter-approved […]

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August 6, 2025

Muleshoe Refuge expansion plan scrapped

Texas Democrats are facing legal threats and potential action from the FBI for fleeing the state during the special session.Concerns about artificial intelligence are coming to a head with the most recent round of college graduates. How it’s disrupting the job market.A proposed expansion for the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge in the Panhandle had been […]

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August 5, 2025

A century of redistricting fights in Texas

The high-stakes battle over redistricting continues. Why Democratic Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins took the risk and left the state.Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to remove Democratic lawmakers from their seats for leaving during a special session, but can he legally do that?The history of partisan gerrymandering in the Lone Star State.Why Texas has become a professional […]

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August 4, 2025

Texas Democrats flee state, break quorum over redistricting

More than 50 Democratic lawmakers have left the state so the Texas House would not have a quorum, trying to derail a redistricting plan that could add five more congressional seats for Republicans in the midterms. Harvest season is arriving in South Texas, but many cotton farmers are still reeling from drought, inflation, and weakened […]

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August 1, 2025

Kerr County emergency officials were sleeping when flood hit July 4

Why weren’t Hill Country communities alerted as a deadly wall of water roared down the Guadalupe on the weekend of July 4th? In their first public testimony on the floods, top emergency officials in Kerr County said they were away or asleep. Voting the old-fashioned way? A return to hand-marked ballots in Collin County is […]

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July 31, 2025

Food banks struggle to meet rising demand

What we’re now learning about what happened – and what didn’t – before the Hill Country floods. Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy has the details. Plus: Flood survivors are asking lawmakers meeting in special session right now to tap the state’s $24 billion rainy day fund to help them meet their immediate needs. Even without a […]

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July 30, 2025

Why ‘Don’t California My Texas’ isn’t the whole story

Are Democratic lawmakers on the verge of a walkout to stop Republicans from redistricting during the special session? We’ll have the latest. We’re also tracking possible federal funding cuts to legal aid organizations that could leave thousands of Texans who can’t afford a lawyer without the help they need. Going beyond armed security guards, some […]

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