A new term begins for the U.S. Supreme Court, with growing political pressure on the court. We’ll have a preview of what’s ahead and what it could mean for Texans.
As the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, the U.S. State Department is urging American citizens in Lebanon to stay informed about available assistance.
The one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel falls between two of Judaism’s holiest days. As fighting intensifies between Israelis, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran with growing numbers of civilians killed, a rabbi in Austin is trying to manage concerns and divides he’s encountered.
Presidio County seeks ownership of international bridge
A massive dockworkers strike has ended – but the settlement reached is only a tentative deal, and it leaves one of the most contentious issues still unsettled.
Presidio County wants to gain control of an international crossing that’s currently in the hands of the state. But the process might be more complex than it seems.
A new documentary, “We’re Here,” examines the aftermath of the Smokehouse Creek Fire that scorched millions of acres in the Panhandle earlier this year.
And: Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is coming alive with its annual Fortlandia exhibit. The Standard’s Patrick M. Davis and takes us behind the scenes.
The religious backdrop surrounding debate over migrant aid
Looking for zingers in last night’s vice-presidential debate? You might come up short. What does it add up to just five weeks out from Election Day?
We’ll talk with a Texas-based political expert about what may be the last real faceoff between Republicans and Democrats before the presidential election.
A rocket attack on Israel and vows of retaliation against Iran. UT-Austin’s Jeremi Suri on a new chapter in a widening Mideast conflict.
Also, in our series on the nexus between politics and religion, how some in the Texas GOP, who often cite their own faith to push policies, have come after faith-based groups helping migrants.
Remembering songwriter, actor and outlaw legend Kris Kristofferson
Though it’s not clear how many Texans don’t yet know who they’ll vote for, there are plenty of questions about who will get to vote at all. A closer look at challenges to voting rolls across Texas.
New lawsuits suggest the 2021 winter blackouts may have had a man-made cause: market manipulation.
Fort Martin Scott, a 19th century military fort, is the Texas Historical Commission’s newest historic site.
And: Remembering the legacy of Kris Kristofferson, a singer-songwriter and actor born in Brownsville who passed away over the weekend.
A special broadcast live from the State Fair of Texas
Today we’re bringing you a special broadcast from the opening day of the State Fair of Texas in Dallas:
The fair’s storied history dates back to 1886. Karl Chiao, executive director of the Dallas Historical Society, shares more about its history, and the fair’s Karissa Condoianis talks about its future.
Big Tex is a cowboy icon – but did you know he started out as Santa Claus? The midway’s Rusty Fitzgerald shares the story of this Texas giant.
Bryan Berg, who holds four Guinness World Records for card stacking, joins us ahead of his performance at the fair.
Thousands of kids across Texas participate in the Youth Livestock Competitions at the fair. KERA’s Penelope Rivera reports on what drives their passion.
And: We’ll hear about running bumper cars and the family behind a 75-year-old food vendor.
A North Texas city has paused all new development
Princeton, a Dallas suburb, has quadrupled in population since 2010. Recently, city leaders paused all new residential development to let infrastructure catch up.
The latest in our series on the intersection of religion and politics: students from two schools in Abilene with a diversity of perspectives and a strong desire to bridge the political divide.
A standoff is brewing between Southwest Airlines and the San Antonio International Airport over terminal expansion plans.
Also: exploring Houston’s role in the renewable energy transition – the focus of a new podcast premiering today.
Abilene Christian University gets green light for nuclear reactor research
In Texas’ 2024 elections, long shot candidates are facing uphill battles in heavily gerrymandered districts. Why these candidates are running.
Why federal regulators are giving researchers the green light to build a nuclear reactor at Abilene Christian University.
The state is paying more for mental health services. But private psychiatric hospitals say they’re not getting a fair share when it comes to funding.
A new book by Texas historian H.W. Brands explores a divided America before World War II – and what we can learn now.
And: the changing role of the church in the lives of Black voters and what it might mean for this presidential election.
Researchers relocate coral to Texas coast in conservation project
The Matterhorn Express pipeline, a 580-mile project set to go online soon, will transport natural gas from a terminal in West Texas to Katy, near Houston. We’ll hear what it could add up to for Texas and for energy prices more broadly.
A proposed liquified natural gas terminal in the Rio Grande Valley is stirring debate among local Indigenous tribes.
In Corpus Christi, researchers are pitching in for “Operation Coral Rescue,” an attempt to save endangered reefs from the ravages of warmer oceans.
Voting in Texas means having the right ID. Need to update that driver’s license? Many Texans might be surprised it’s not quite as easy as it sounds.
Proposed school curriculum with Bible stories nears vote
A possible government shutdown looming with an Oct. 1 deadline. With the backdrop of elections, how might this story unfold? UT-Austin political science professor Sean Theriault talks about a perennial issue of government funding and where its headed.
Bible stories in the classroom? The Texas Education Agency is getting a lot of feedback and blowback over a new curriculum.
Mando Rayo of the Tacos of Texas podcast introduces us to a James Beard award winner in the Rio Grande Valley named the best chef in Texas.
This Hispanic Heritage Month, a look at some of the artists shaping the sounds of Texas.
Also, the week in politics, Typewriter Rodeo and more.
Hindu voters in Texas weigh in as political ties grow stronger
New questions about Attorney General Ken Paxton and his properties not disclosed in financial statements. Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy of The Texas Newsroom with more on what she has found looking into the property disclosures of the state’s top lawyer.
State lawmakers hear testimony about the investigation into what caused the largest wildfire in Texas history earlier this year.
Also, the rising political power of the growing Hindu community in Texas in our series on the intersection of religion and politics, plus the Houston Texans are surprising the doubters, and much more.
Can you trust polls saying Texas could turn blue?
As immigration returns to center stage in American politics, a curious reversal in messaging in one of the state’s most closely watched races.
It’s happened before: polls show a statewide race tightening up, hopes rising among Texas Democrats, only to be dashed on Election Day. Do you trust polls that suggest Texas turning blue? A guide for optimists and pessimists.
The latest on a lawsuit brought by inmates and their supporters over intense heat in Texas prisons.
And the dedication of a new national historic site to help explain an era when Texas created separate schools for Hispanic children.
New student data system has Texas school worried
Texas’ Supreme Court Justices weigh a misconduct case against a top aide to Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The state’s education agency updates how it gathers data on Texas 12 hundred plus school districts…but now many of those districts worried they’ll pay a steep price.
With wind a bigger part of the energy mix in Texas, concerns about what happens to those gargantuan wind blades once they wear out. A lab in Colorado may have a solution.
In time for elections, the debut of a satire challenging stereotypes and the Latino vote…
The week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more.
Palestine fights Union Pacific’s move to leave town despite 1872 contract
Defense attorneys for the Walmart mass shooter, who’s already sentenced to life in prison, are asking for the court to take the death penalty off the table or drop the charges altogether due to alleged prosecutorial misconduct.
As we move closer to Election Day, The Texas Newsroom is exploring the role of religion in politics.
And: The city of Palestine, once a booming railroad town, is in a legal battle with Union Pacific to enforce an 1872 contract that promised the railroad company would stay “forever.”
Clinic teams up with barbershops to boost health care access for Black men
As Tropical Storm Francine forms, we’re keeping an eye on nasty weather in the Gulf and will have the latest on the impact to Texas energy as peak hurricane season arrives.
On the political front, cross-party endorsements are raising eyebrows. Political expert Daron Shaw of the University of Texas at Austin weighs in on the significance.
With higher rates of diabetes and heart disease among Black men, there’s an effort in Austin to get them connected with health care, by way of the barbershop.
Also: Grammy winner and Texas raconteur Ray Benson joins us ahead of headlining a new event series at the Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio.
Alamo Trust battles to keep Ferris wheel out of historic neighborhood
Rick Perry, the longest-serving governor in Texas history, is returning to the Capitol as an adviser for House Speaker Dade Phelan. What it means for Texas politics.
Five years after a mass shooting in Odessa, a new sculpture rises in hopes of helping the city heal.
Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the State Fair of Texas and the city of Dallas over a gun ban at the fair.
A fast-spreading disease is threatening grape harvests and vineyards across the state.
And: The Alamo Trust is working to block the construction of a proposed Ferris wheel near the historic site.
Ken Paxton sues Bexar County over plan to mail out registration forms to unregistered voters
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Bexar County over a plan to reach out to unregistered voters with applications.
After two years of missing its recruitment goals, a new Army college partnership is helping recruits in San Antonio get their GEDs.
Amazon is trying to save its Echo program with a major artificial intelligence upgrade for Alexa. Tech expert Omar Gallaga with the how and what’s at stake.
And: A conversation with author Alejandro Puyana, a Venezuela native now living in Austin, on his debut novel “Freedom is a Feast.”
How to prepare for the fall/winter gardening season in Texas
What effect is Texas’ booming population having on how the state’s moving politically? Some signs as we approach November.
A Texas company faces federal allegations of a price-fixing conspiracy pushing up rents across the U.S.
Want to grow a veggie garden this fall? An expert shares tips for choosing plants, protecting from freezes & more.
Two astronauts are stranded in space until next year, way beyond initial plans for their mission. A former astronaut weighs in on what’s happened and what comes next.
And: Remembering groundbreaking DJ Steve Crosno, who helped make El Paso’s music culture the rich scene it is today.
On Labor Day, a look at the ways our work is changing
Millions of Texans are marking Labor Day across the Lone Star State. This hour, we’re looking at some of the ways our work is changing:
– Artificial intelligence leading to a rethink of so-called busy work.
– How high tech is affecting labor unionization.
– The gig economy, and the hidden dangers of breaking out on your own.
– There’s one job on a few cattle farms – and many sheep farms – that is increasingly being done by dogs: herding.
Plus much more on a special Labor Day edition of the Texas Standard.
Texas athlete Ryan Medrano heads to his first Paralympic Games in Paris
Election Day is fast approaching, and controversies in Texas over who’s eligible to cast a ballot are picking up steam. The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey has an update on Republican-led efforts to purge voter rolls and growing concerns about what could be a recipe for confusion come November.
As Texas public schools see enrollment numbers drop along with their budgets, an idea being tried by some districts in West Texas is garnering lots of attention – and apparently lots of money.
Texas is again well represented in Paris: We’re talking with El Paso fitness trainer Ryan Medrano, who’s running in the Paralympic Games this weekend.
Plus: the week in politics with The Texas Tribune and poetry from the Typewriter Rodeo.
Boerne Little League reflects on historic World Series run
Mexico has halted diplomatic ties with the U.S. Embassy over criticism of the outgoing president’s plans to overhaul the country’s judicial system. What does it mean for relations with our biggest trading partner?
Two towns within the city of Arlington are trying to distance themselves from their reputations as “speed traps.”
CDC researchers are trying to get the word out about a disease that affects many who many not even realize they suffer from the condition: heart valve disease.
And: Despite heavy rain, thousands in Boerne turned out to celebrate the Little League team that could. We’ll hear from a player and the team’s manager following their historic World Series run.