Adoption

Children at Risk’s annual ranking of Texas schools is out

Texas officials say they’re reassigning workers to deal with an ongoing problem of providing care for foster kids without placement.

The 2022-2023 school ratings report from Houston-based nonprofit Children at Risk sheds light on progress and problems that districts are facing statewide.

Former Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo, who also had a short stint in Houston, will soon take on a new position overseeing Austin’s police department.

And a giraffe in a park in Juárez, who made headlines last year, is getting a new home.

Adoptees fight to gain access to their original birth certificates in Texas

The impeachment trial of Texas’ attorney general is set to begin on the floor of the Senate tomorrow, but supporters in Ken Paxton’s home county, Collin, are standing firmly behind him.

Meanwhile, almost half of Texans think Paxton should be removed from office, according to a new poll from the Texas Policy Project.

Lots of folks from other states are moving to Texas – but numbers suggest Texans are, by and large, staying put.

And there’s a push to change Texas law so that adoptees can access their original birth certificates.

‘Be My Eyes’ app uses AI to help people with disabilities

So-called smaller bills have a big impact on lives of everyday Texans. We’ll find where some of them stand in the Legislature.

A new book investigates why the state of Texas separated six Black children from their birth parents. The kids died when their adoptive parents drove off a cliff. We’ll have interview with the author.

Why the catalytic converter remains a popular car part for thieves and how to protect your vehicle.

And how AI translates into more independence for Texans with disabilities.

Texas Standard: February 16, 2022

As many watch for the next moves in Ukraine, Europeans are turning to Texas for more of their energy; it could come with strings attached. Also, six Texas congressional races to watch. And, an auction for wild horses…why some see it as a betrayal. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 11, 2022

Kids sleeping in state office buildings, motels and other unlicensed facilities. A panel of experts on needed changes to foster care. We’ll have more on the recommendations of an expert panel examining trouble in Texas’ foster care system. Also, a lack of Democrats on the primary ballot is raising eyebrows and questions even in one of Texas more conservative cities. Plus, you protect your social security number so why aren’t many Texas county clerks doing the same? And Texas used car buyers fasten your seatbelts, crazy prices may be headed for a bump in the road. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 16, 2021

Texas’ 35 billion infrastructure dollars: Governor Abbott is warning state agencies think twice before taking the money. Why? We’ll explore. Also, as Texans wrap up holiday gathering plans, health care workers report a rise in COVID-19 cases. We’re checking in with Amarillo where the hospitalization rate is rising fast. And our go to Tech expert Omar Gallaga with a smart home gift guide. Plus a Texas TV journalist on more than half a century behind the scenes, or reporting live from the scene, finally telling his own story. Our conversation with Neal Spelce about his new memoir and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 28, 2021

Hundreds of kids in Texas’ Child Protective system sleeping on office floors. Will a new panel find a way to fix the problem? We’ll explore. Other stories we’re tracking: an effort by a state lawmaker and candidate for Attorney General to inventory books about race and sexuality in Texas schools. And Texas jails pushed to the brink by the pandemic. Also, an effort to build a better house with a 3D printer, Texas could be home to the biggest development of its kind. And a seasonal ritual comes to Williamson county, a firsthand view from its inaugural fair and rodeo. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

The Best Therapy

How many times have begun a sentence with “it’s been a tough year” — or year and a half…? For some folks, the saving grace has been an animal friend — or a few of them. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Texas Standard: May 10, 2021

Politics as unusual? Republicans not exactly in lockstep as the legislative session races to a conclusion, we’ll hear why and the potential implications. Plus a foster care system so dangerous is was once ruled unconstitutional. A new report finds young Texans still dying from abuse and neglect. Also why quinoa could become Texas’ next big cash crop. And turning hemp into another kind of green…the Texas Rangers asking questions. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 26, 2020

It’s Thanksgiving Day and we’re re-broadcasting a special show for you. Overlooked No More: How Asian Texans shape the state. Today we’ll talk about How the Asian American community has changed since 1870, the first time the U.S. census counted people from China to today. Also, we’ll meet a group called the “Pershing Chinese” – a story of Chinese immigration through Mexico. Then we’ll travel to the border where a vibrant Filipino community settled. And is it time to re-evaluate the holidays we officially recognize in Texas? All of those stories and more on today’s special edition of the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 21, 2020

More foster kids sleeping in state offices? Efforts to deal with a crisis in the states child welfare system still failing hundreds of young Texans. Also, concerns about a growing mental health crisis on the border. We’ll hear the latest. And disorder in the court? A special panel now asking whether judges in Texas should still run for election in partisan races, or if it’s better to follow the federal system of appointment. Plus real brisket, fake news? Texas Monthly’s barbecue editor on Texans with a beef about a unique branch of journalism. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 6, 2019

The system that’s normally entangled in scandal has a couple of highlights to report. We’ll talk about Texas foster care. Also, what happens when the University Interscholastic League tweaks its guidelines? We look at three major implications. And what Texas is willing to do when it comes to vaping and e-cigarettes, we’ll tell you more. Plus, it looks like the stuff of action films: buried walls that come out to shield a building from floods! That’s happening in Houston. And a new LGBTQ task force, the week in politics, and poetry for the soul. All of that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 18, 2019

An indefinite stay. What’s next for death row inmate Rodney Reed, who had been set to be executed on November 20th? We’ll have the latest. Also, once sleepy counties on the edges of our biggest cities starting to boom: the changing face of the Texas suburbs. And a hold up at the police station? Why some say law enforcement agencies are preventing vulnerable immigrants from getting special visa designed to get them out of harm’s way. Also, a large Catholic diocese wants to provide foster care services without penalties for LGBT discrimination. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 9, 2019

A new court ruling on the so-called “broken” Texas foster care system and efforts to fix it. We’ll take a look at where things stand now. Plus, the U.S. withdrew from the Iran Nuclear Deal, and Iran is now violating it. Where that leaves allies and what’s next. And poking holes in the “Texas Miracle”: a new picture of how the state’s recession resistance didn’t benefit the whole state. Plus, drag racing returns to a Texas border town reviving a cultural past time and just something fun to do. We’ll take you to the track. And we’ll check in on the latest drama over the citizenship question on the U.S. census. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 27, 2019

It’s a day to remember: those who gave their lives in service of the nation. But it’s also the end of the 86th legislative session. We will look at the state’s budget and what’s in it. Plus, a bill in Congress that stalled and it has money for Harvey recovery, what’s next? And how could 5G interfere with predicting the next Harvey? We’ll explore. And we’ll take a look at how restorative justice could restore more than individual lives and revive neighborhoods. And the little computer program that could… COBOL has been dismissed but is still going strong. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 13, 2019

The biggest college admissions scandal ever? With a Texas coach one of 50 charged over corruption in college admissions, what’s fair versus what’s legal? Why the federal probe of wealthy parents securing spots at elite colleges and universities for their own kids may or may not bring reforms in higher ed. Also, were pilots warnings about the safety of the Boeing 737 Max ignored by authorities? The Dallas Morning News makes some stunning discoveries. We’ll talk to one of their investigators. Plus why a new album by Houston’s own Solange matters way beyond the music itself. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 22, 2018

Early voting gets underway across the Lone Star State and more Texans are registered than ever. But are they actually voting? We’ll check in on how early voting is going as Texans begin casting ballots in the much anticipated midterms. Plus a primer on early voting should you plan to cast a ballot. Plus a Texas filmmaker revisits Molly and Ann: what two of the most famous and politically restless Texans could teach us about how to do politics today. And what impact could the Khashoggi affair have on Texas energy? All that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 10, 2018

As a Category 4 hurricane bears down on the Florida panhandle, parts of Texas Hill Country try to recover from flash flooding. Also, after family separations at the border, a new concern grows: an AP investigation finds deported parents in danger of losing kids to U.S. adoption. Plus, do student athletes have a fundamental right to be protected from concussions? We’ll hear of a closely watched civil rights lawsuit filed by parents of an injured player. And a claim from the campaign trail: is marijuana really legal in most states? We run it by Politifact. All that and more, today on the Texas Standard.

Texas Standard: July 3, 2018

Worried about a second American civil war? If it’s war we’re worried about, we may be facing the wrong direction. As Russia hosts the World Cup, no one seems to be paying attention to what the Kremlin is doing this moment in Syria: a bombing campaign and a fight that could eclipse the battle for Aleppo. Why few seem to care, and is that not Vladmir Putin’s calculus? Also, great expectations among Texans as they consider the promises of Mexico’s president elect. And the scourge of diabetes among hispanics in Texas, we’ll have details. And remembering the long forgotten trains that ferried orphans to America’s west. All that and much more on today’s Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 1, 2018

A Foster care system so dangerous to kids, its been ruled unconstitutional. Should the Feds be permitted to order a fix for Texas? We’ll have the latest. Also, after parkland everyone seems to have an opinion on whether there should be tighter controls on guns. But some Texans with a personal stake in the matter say they don’t have a seat at the table, and they’re demanding a hearing. We’ll hear why. Also, Sprint and T-Mobile want to get married. If anyone has reasons why these two should not be wed, it might be Texas-based AT&T who’s fighting its own anti-trust battle at the moment. We’ll hear why that might matter to you. Plus a surprise endorsement in the Governor’s race and so much more today on the Texas Standard: