Stories from Texas

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March 23, 2022

The Pessimistic Farmer

By: W.F. Strong

One in 7 working Texans has an agriculture-related job. That’s a lot of people who depend at least in part on unpredictable markets and mother nature to make a living. So it’s no surprise some of those folks might look towards the future with a bit of uncertainty. At least that’s the sentiment behind the latest contribution from Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong.


Episodes

July 2, 2025

Creative smuggling when Texas was a republic

If there’s one thing the Texans of the early republic never lacked, it was imagination – especially when it came to dodging tariffs and taxes. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong explains.

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May 21, 2025

The Comanche Moon

Back in frontier times, it was the most deeply feared moon in Texas and northern Mexico.

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April 23, 2025

New York aids Texas Revolution

This bit of history really does seem too strange to be true. It involves the family of John Wilkes Booth, the son of Abraham Lincoln, and Sam Houston.

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April 2, 2025

Whistling while you work

Growing up in Texas, WF Strong found that whistling played a important role in his life. But there are many ways to whistle. He explores a few of them.

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March 12, 2025

The 100th meridian

If you examine any good map of Texas, you’ll notice a natural division of East and West Texas that runs from the eastern side of the Panhandle down to Abilene and San Angelo and on past Uvalde to Carrizo Springs and Laredo. To the west side of that line is arid and to the east […]

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January 29, 2025

John Steinbeck (and Charley) on Texas

Steinbeck’s comments about Texas and Texans go well beyond his “Texas is a state of mind” quote. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong explores.

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December 31, 2024

Do you have a favorite W.F. Strong story? Here are our top 10

Texas Standard is celebrating its 10th birthday by looking back on 10 years of covering Texas. One way we’re going to do that is with top 10 lists. We started by counting down our top 10 Stories from Texas from commentator W.F. Strong.

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December 19, 2024

Fronters and backers

Some of the most frustrating hours of our lives might be spent in a vehicle. After some hard times on the road, nothing can feel better than the perfect parking spot at the place you need to be. But how will you pull in? Texas Standard commentator WF Strong has some thoughts.

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