Texas Standard
David Brown, Angela Kocherga & Laura Rice
February 5, 2026
School voucher applications open across Texas
The application window opens for Texas education savings accounts, often called school vouchers. But demand may outstrip available funds. We’ll talk with two reporters for the Houston Chronicle closely following the application process, hear about the application experience of one Texas mom, and learn more about what’s included, what isn’t, and what happens if there’s […]
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February 4, 2026
Starlink poised to expand broadband footprint in Texas
The partial government shutdown is over. Did you know we were in one? Well, now another could be on the way as negotiations over ICE’s budget persists on Capitol Hill.Texas school boards are considering a new state law that allows time to be set aside during the day for prayer and reading the Bible.Texas has […]
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February 3, 2026
Analysis finds extreme heat inside Texas prisons
Texas state prisons that don’t have a/c get so hot in summer with temperatures that violate state standards for other lockups.Also, well-known former Texas Police Chief Art Acevedo questions tactics used by immigration agents in Minneapolis. We’ll hear from him about his concerns over fallout for other law enforcement.And we’ll check in to see how […]
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February 2, 2026
Democrat makes surprise win in solid-red Texas district
In a little-watched race, Taylor Rehmet’s surprise win for Democrats in Texas may be a potential warning shot for Republicans in a midterm election year. Is this a one-off, or is the GOP in trouble in the Lone Star State?Also, Texas environmental regulators greenlight what looks like the largest fossil-fueled power plant project in the […]
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January 30, 2026
Austin’s Banana Phone turns public roasting into performance art
With national attention focused on the tactics of immigration enforcement, a concern is growing among Texas Republicans about the political fallout.We’re still months away for an important midterm election. But this weekend, voters in one part of Texas will be picking their representative to Congress. Andrew Schneider of Houston Public Media brings us the backstory […]
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January 29, 2026
Protesters, DPS troopers clash outside Dilley ICE detention facility
Protesters outside the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley called for the release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father who were taken into ICE custody in Minnesota.Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a massive military buildup as President Trump warns Iran to abandon its nuclear program – or else. But […]
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January 28, 2026
Possible government shutdown looms after ICE shooting
The second death of a person in Minnesota at the hands of ICE agents has fueled an outcry from some for another government shutdown.Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers aren’t just in Minnesota, of course. They’re also showing up in small-town Texas. A look at their impact on Elgin.We’ll hear from journalists José Ralat and Rodrigo […]
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January 27, 2026
Gun rights debate resurfaces after Minneapolis shooting
Pressure builds inside the Texas detention center in Dilley housing parents and children. What’s behind a protest that erupted there over the weekend?Second Amendment advocates speak out after licensed gun owner Alex Pretti is killed by Border Patrol agents in Minnesota.A look at how weight loss drugs are transforming obesity and diabetes care in San […]
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About
Texas Standard is grounded in the best traditions of American journalism: fact-based, independent, and politically neutral reporting. The program is a one-hour daily news magazine that airs weekdays on more than 30 public radio stations across the Lone Star State. Visit texasstandard.org/listen to find it on a radio station near you. Or listen anytime to this podcast. Texas Standard is produced in the state capital in collaboration with KUT Austin, KERA North Texas, Houston Public Media, and Texas Public Radio San Antonio, as well as news organizations across Texas, Mexico, and the United States.
David Brown
David Brown is host of the daily statewide public radio news hour, Texas Standard. He is former anchor of the Peabody award-winning public radio business program Marketplace, and a veteran public radio journalist for more than three decades. Brown has covered national and international affairs for NPR and PRI’s Monitor Radio from bases in Atlanta, Boston, London, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. He has received numerous Murrow awards, National Headliner Awards, AP Broadcast honors and two Grand Prizes from the International Radio Festivals. Brown earned his Ph.D. in Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin, his Juris Doctor from Washington and Lee University School of Law, and is an active member of the California and U.S. Supreme Court Bars.
Angela Kocherga
Angela Kocherga is KTEP news director and also reports in the field on border issues including migration, the border security buildup, binational health, the trade. Her recent work earned a national and several regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. She is a 2019 recipient of the Maria Moors Cabot prize awarded by Columbia University for courageous reporting in Latin America in recognition of her body of work on the border and across Mexico. Emmy winning multimedia journalist Angela Kocherga is news director with KTEP and Borderzine.
Laura Rice
Though Laura’s official title with Texas Standard is Managing Producer, she actually wears many hats. Listeners will sometimes hear Laura on-air as an occasional host or reporter. More often, her work is behind-the-scenes. She helps make editorial decisions about what’s on the program and gives a second set of ears to the audio that makes it over the airwaves. Laura is passionate about working with the next generation of journalists through Texas Standard’s internship program. She also loves leading special projects for the team — including the National Edward R. Murrow Award-winning documentary “Out Of The Blue: 50 Years After The UT Tower Shooting.” Before joining the Texas Standard team, Laura worked just a few cubicles over in the local KUT Newsroom where she served as the station’s Morning Edition producer and fill-in host. Laura found radio after a start in television news. She worked as an anchor, reporter, and producer at stations in Austin, Amarillo, and Toledo, Ohio. She graduated from journalism school at the University of Missouri-Columbia and earned an MA from the University of Texas at Austin’s department of Radio-Television-Film.
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