Cliches notwithstanding, not every old person is wise and kind, nor is every young one thoughtless or callow. Personality and brains, or lack of them, often stick around throughout one’s life. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: February 16, 2018
Texas educators carry the dual burden of comforting students after yet another school shooting, and coming up with prevention plans. We’ll hear from some of them. Also, sales are flat or even falling in the motorcycle industry. We’ll break down why. And the Houston Astrodome will live on. After years of back and forth a real plan for it’s future, a look at the optimism and skepticism. Also, a new building on the University of Texas campus opens up to the public this weekend. We’ll take you inside what’s not a classroom or an athletic facility but a one-of-it’s-kind art masterpiece. The story behind it. And it’s Friday! That means the Typewriter Rodeo and a wrap up of the big stories this week in Texas Politics. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 15, 2018
Harris County’s bail system treats the rich differently from the poor. An appeals court affirms that ruling. We’ll have the latest on what’s next and what it could mean for taxpayers. Also, a Texas lawmaker is leading an effort to roll back some requirements aimed at helping the disabled. We’ll explain. Plus, two native Texans are part of a suit that wants the feds to drop marijuana as a schedule 1 drug. What a ruling could mean. And we’ll explore technology as it’s being used in groundbreaking ways at the Olympics. Plus, LBJ did not like his presidential portrait. We’ll tell you why and what he did about it. Those stories and a whole lot more on todays Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 14, 2018
Nine Democrats are on the primary ballot for Texas Governor. We’ll introduce you to a handful of those hoping to replace Greg Abbott. Plus a new study reveals that Texans are some of the worst in the country when it comes to voter turnout. We’ll try to answer why. Also, the flu season isn’t over yet but Texas schools hope the worst of it is gone. We’ll check in with a superintendent who shut down his district because of the flu. And the official shape of February must be the heart: unraveling the mysteries this organ still presents to doctors. Plus understanding the all-female species of fish named for the Amazon that lives only on the Texas/Mexico border. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 13, 2018
President Trump has set some ideas in motion: a budget proposal and an infrastructure plan. We’ll break down what it could all mean for Texas. Also tne issue leaders across Texas are trying to sort out – just how and where they’re supposed to get money needed to fulfill their end of an infrastructure bargain. We’ll get some perspective from the Gulf Coast. Plus, more women on the ballot all across the state this year. But not all of them get to take advantage of funds designed to support female candidates, we’ll explain. And could space tourism and private manufacturing soon take over the International Space Station? All of that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 12, 2018
A group of Texas voters are challenging how the state elects judges to its highest courts. We’ll explore why they say the system hurts Latino candidates. Also, it seems the battle for control of the Alamo is far from over. We’ll explore some criticism of how the restoration of the mission is being handled. And Texas dairy production is on the rise. One major reason is a shift in where in the state the cows are living. Plus the stewards of a Gulf of Mexico marine sanctuary are trying to expand its protected area. What that would mean for the fishing and off-shore drilling industries. And we’ll break down a study that found Houston isn’t doing enough to make apartment living safe in the city. All that and more on today’s Texas Standard:
Olympics
The 2018 Winter Olympics are officially underway in South Korea. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: February 9, 2018
A budget deal reached, but it took a while to get there and it’s STILL not a long-term fix. We’ll look at how Texas lawmakers voted. Also, suing the federal government: It’s not something that went out of fashion for Texas when Obama left office. Why the state continues to file lawsuits even with a Republican in the White House. And, tequila! A shortage could be on the horizon for the liquor that goes so well with Tex Mex. We’ll look at what’s going on in the industry that’s causing some crisis. And Texans may not be natural snow bunnies, but a few have still jumped to the highest levels of winter sports competition. We’ll tell you who to keep an eye out for in the Olympic action. Those stories plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune, today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 8, 2018
The Texas primaries are just around the corner. We’ll follow the money to find out which big organizations are funding candidates so far. Also the numbers are devastating and they seem to be growing. What’s behind an uptick in child abuse deaths in Texas? And a central Texas university is mired in debate about racism involving the student body president. We’ll have the story. Plus as the state’s first medical cannabis oil dispensary opens we’ll talk with a doctor about why even those eligible for a CBD oil prescription might have a hard time getting one. And a new book about an odyssey in the Texas Hill Country is getting a lot of praise and complimentary comparisons. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 7, 2018
The Texas Governor reveals a plan to address issues surrounding sexual assault and harassment. We’ll have reaction from female lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Also, it’s no secret construction is big business in Texas, and more women are getting involved to reap the benefits. But they also face challenges. We’ll have the story. And a self-cloning crustacean proves fascinating for pet owners and hobbyists but could cause some woes for environmentalists. A look at why. Plus Texas Standard commentator WF Strong gets a little lovey dovey in an unexpected way ahead of Valentine’s day. And we’ll crunch the numbers in a fact-check of a statement by the Texas Luetenant Governor. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 6, 2018
ISIS: mostly defeated. But is the Taliban gaining ground? Military engagements may be changing overseas but the message to troops here in the US: deploy or get out. We’ll take a closer look at the situation. And a new TV series is retelling the story of the FBI siege on the Branch Davidian compound outside of Waco. Why it wasn’t filmed in Texas. Plus… What’s the deal with that proposed Dallas to Houston bullet train? We’ll check in on that and on the state of the state’s private space industry. And pinning down the shakeup that is Texas High School UIL realignment. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Survival Of The Weirdest (For My Cats, And Yours)
The feline mind is a mystery, even to those to choose to have cats around. But you have to admit – it’s never dull. That is the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: February 2, 2018
Have you seen maps of political districts that just look like they were drawn to achieve some certain result? We’ll explain how math could identify and prevent gerrymandering. Plus Mexican-American Studies are slowly gaining traction in school districts across Texas. We’ll look at why it’s been delayed at the state level and how some school districts are forging ahead on their own. And we’ll take you inside the business and passion of raising and breeding Texas Longhorns. Plus it’s Friday, that means the Typewriter rodeo and a wrap of the biggest political stories of the week. Today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 1, 2018
It could be more penny-pinching ahead for Texas lawmakers and the state budget. We’ll get the economic outlook from the Texas controller. Plus one year after President Trump announced an executive order restricting travel from some Muslim-majority countries. Now Texas immigrants from those countries still face uncertainty. We’ll have the story. And taking the pulse of US-Mexico relations as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson heads south of the border. Also kids these days are exposed to a lot of technology from a very young age. What we should consider when it comes to childcare tech. Plus remembering the Space Shuttle Columbia and its crew 15 years after it disintegrated in the skies over east Texas. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 31, 2018
How was President Trump’s first State of the Union? You might not be surprised that it depends on who you ask. We’ll have a Texas perspective. Also the Texas Rangers are getting involved in an investigation into a US Gymnastics team facility outside of Huntsville, we’ll have the latest. And Houston consistently sits towards the top of lists of worst traffic cities in the US. A look at how Space City’s highways came about and how they re-shaped communities. Plus, what happens when local lawmakers disagree with a Texas mandate? We’ll explore. We’ll also head to Waco to visit a new Arts facility, and we’ll take the red pencil to a recent claim by a man hoping to be the state’s next governor. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 30, 2018
He hasn’t said anything yet, but everyone has something to say about President Trump’s first State of the Union. We’ll get some insight. Plus, if dreamers become citizens there will be many fees involved. Could that pay for a border wall? We’ll check the math. Also, unpacking some headlines that caught our attention: are millennials really stowing away as much as $100,000 dollars in savings? And what do we mean when we say a “potentially hazardous asteroid” is headed in the general direction of earth? And what restoration experts have found as they give the cannons from the Alamo a facelift. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
The Flu
A poem for everyone who is under blankets on the couch.
Texas Standard: January 26, 2018
The pot is sweetened: a proposed path to citizenship for 1.8 million. But is the overall flavor of the deal too terrible for many lawmakers? We’ll explore. Plus, the hub of Harris County’s criminal justice system has been closed because of Hurricane Harvey flooding, and could be for years to come. And in Marfa a secretive company opens up to school kids. And in Montreal NAFTA negotiations that could have big effects on Texas. All that plus the Typewriter Rodeo and a wrap of the week in Texas politics, today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Ice Scrapers
The weather in Texas set record lows this week. School districts and city offices shut down because of — what’s that? Is that ice? Why is there ice sticking on my windshield? That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
How Long Until Spring?
It’s mid-January, it’s cold, and it’s the time of year when we begin to ask the question: how long until spring? That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.