search

    

March 18, 2024

Capturing the upcoming eclipse via tintype photograph

Texas Standard

By: David Brown

A controversial Texas law that gives police the power to arrest people suspected of crossing the border illegally is on hold until this afternoon. Will the U.S. Supreme Court extend the stay?
Harris County is spending millions to outsource jail inmates, sending many out of state. Who’s watching their safety?
A developer in Liberty County is facing a lawsuit by the Texas attorney general arguing deceptive sales practices are targeting Latino residents.
What’s the best song about a place in Texas? Find out how you can vote in our Texas Standard Music Madness tournament bracket.
And: A tintype of a solar eclipse in Texas was captured almost a century and a half ago. In a few weeks, there will be another attempt to capture an eclipse the old-fashioned way.

March 15, 2024

The state welcomed 475,000 new Texans in a year

Texas Standard

By: David Brown

Large parts of North Texas are cleaning up after severe storms swept the region, but weather dangers continue.
As sea levels rise, cities along the Texas Gulf Coast are sinking. A new report is raising red flags.
Boom times in Texas continue, with new census figures showing the Lone Star State growing faster than any other.
Should Texas’ senior senator, John Cornyn, be worried about a political challenge from AG Ken Paxton? Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas Morning News explains.
Plus: The week in politics with the Texas Tribune and more.

March 14, 2024

Questions over how to remember an East Texas manhunt

Texas Standard

By: David Brown

SpaceX successfully conducted a test launch of its massive Starship rocket from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica this morning. We’ll hear from Gaige Davila of Texas Public Radio live from Brownsville.
The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly yesterday to ban TikTok, citing security concerns related to the Chinese-owned platform’s control of Americans’ data. The Standard’s Shelly Brisbin has been following the story, including where Texans in Congress stand.
And: Why a courthouse renovation is East Texas is dividing a community.

March 13, 2024

Will third time be the charm for SpaceX’s Starship launch from Boca Chica?

Texas Standard

By: David Brown

The University of Texas at Austin is among other colleges in the country that are bringing back a standardized test requirement for applicants.
A city report has exonerated the Uvalde Police Department for its response to the Robb Elementary School shooting. Despite the report, Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez announced his resignation.
SpaceX plans a new try at launching its Starship super heavy rocket on Thursday from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
And the discovery of an artifact that one SMU professor believes could be a link to Coronado’s fabled expedition.

March 12, 2024

Texas Extra: SXSW 2024 Films with Texas ties (and more!)

Texas Standard

By: Laura Rice

The South by Southwest Conference and Festivals is/are underway Austin. It’s a time when some Austinites flock with the crowds to downtown — and others escape the city altogether. If you are not among the hundreds of thousands of attendees, have no fear. The Texas Standard will have some highlights. This is much extended version of an interview with freelance journalist and filmmaker Karen Bernstein. It features more examples of the films at SXSW and clips from the filmmakers themselves.

March 12, 2024

How big events like the pandemic lockdowns can warp our sense of time

Texas Standard

By: David Brown

Attorney General Ken Paxton’s effort to get business records from Annunciation House, a group that helps migrants, is blocked by an El Paso judge.
As firefighters move closer to containing the blazes that have consumed large parts of the Panhandle in recent weeks, many locals are looking more closely at the causes and asking hard questions about why more wasn’t done to prevent those fires.
As politicians bicker over federal funding, members of the military and their families struggle with worries and fears amid a near-constant threat of a government shutdown.
And: Anyone else feeling a post-COVID time warp? What the science says about perceptions of time.

March 11, 2024

The Rio Grande is getting saltier. What’s that mean for agriculture?

Texas Standard

By: David Brown

The U.S. Supreme Court will weigh in on SB4, the controversial Texas law that allows state and local police to arrest and prosecute migrants who enter the state, after delaying implementation of the law last week.
A lack of medical insurance and access to treatment is making life in rural Texas tougher than many might imagine.
Energy insider Matt Smith has the latest on rising gas prices as many Texans hit the road for Spring Break.
The Rio Grande, the body of water that outlines the border between Texas and Mexico, is becoming saltier – affecting people, farmland and livestock on both sides of the border.
And: Amid a statewide teacher shortage, one Central Texas school district is trying to turn things around by creating its own pipeline of new recruits.

March 9, 2024

Texas Extra: Look closer at that quarter featuring Jovita Idár (Extended)

Texas Standard

By: Laura Rice

Most of us don’t spend a ton of time thinking about change. In fact, for some — it may have even been a while since you’ve handled, say, a quarter. But an interview we had on Texas Standard this week will definitely make you look twice next time you do. This is an extended version of our conversation with CoinWeek’s Charles Morgan.