Arizona

School vouchers, proposed in Texas, are mostly used by the wealthy in Arizona

As early voting gets underway in Texas, here’s what you need to know as you prepare to cast your ballot.
The biggest contest on the ballot, after the presidency, is the U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and his Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred. We’ll be profiling them both on the Standard, starting today with Cruz.
A major shift in energy use in China could have major ripple effects for Texas.
Supporters of school vouchers in Texas believe they give parents and students more academic choices and opportunities, while detractors say they will take money from public education and essentially subsidize private schools. We’re taking a look at an Arizona program that entitles each student to around $8,000 each school year.

Karima Santi: “Arizona”

Short attention spans and TikTok sensations. That’s one of the biggest pairings in modern media today. So you can’t really blame younger creators for taking the quantity-over-quality approach and just cranking out singles, essentially playing a numbers game for potential traction. But let’s be honest. You’d rather hear something from a patient perfectionist than an enthusiastic opportunist, right?

That brings us to Karima Santi. Santi’s spent her life developing into a prolific songwriter, but found herself at the tail end of her twenties with only one single on streaming to prove it, a revelation that she wasn’t getting any younger, and a desire to take action instead of wondering, “what if”. Ever since, this Nigerian-Austinite’s honed in on a relationship with stalwart producer Chris “Frenchie” Smith to further flesh out Santi’s very best and package them together as a cohesive formal introduction.

And that takes the form of Karima Santi’s debut EP, Queen of Regret, out September 13th. A six-song reckoning with the problematic perfectionism that’s prevented so many from hearing Santi’s talent, Queen of Regret is a measured acceptance of human flaw, intrinsic to the type of vulnerable indie rock Santi’s always excelled at. So while physically visiting the state itself doesn’t sound all that appealing in the midst of another summer heatwave, the EP’s latest lead single “Arizona” transports you to Queen‘s immense emotional landscape and earns its place among other great women indie rock compositions with location-based song titles, like Mitski’s “Valentine, Texas” and Maggie Rogers’ “Alaska”.

Texas Standard: August 23, 2017

President Trump says he doesn’t think NAFTA can be saved and he’s calling for a shutdown of the federal government if that’s what it takes to fund the border wall, we’ll explore. Also we’ll apply a Texas filter to the president’s remarks in Phoenix, Arizona. Plus, why a federal judge has stopped Houston from banning large encampments of people experiencing homelessness. And how giant retailers like Walmart and Target are trying to compete with Amazon. Also-
Houston to Dallas in 30 minutes? Hyperloop technology might make it possible. We’ll hear from Texans competing this weekend to make it a reality. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 26, 2017

Taking the 10th: once a favorite of the Tea Party movement, now embraced by supporters of sanctuary cities? We’ll explore. Also once dubbed the death penalty capitol, Texas also leads the nation in exonerations. What that means for the future of capitol punishment. And a so-called good samaritan with a gun intervenes in a San Antonio Mall robbery. With more than a million Texans licensed to carry, what are the rules of engagement? And what’s in your wallet? With the rise of the smartphone, the Statesman’s digital guru asks, what’s a wallet? Plus the Battle of Dime Box, Texas…our expert says its the pits. Check your watches, its Texas Standard time: