art

Big Bend seeks artists to capture park’s rugged beauty

Last night’s chill has many Texans asking how the state’s power grid is looking for the winter. How much has changed since the freeze and blackouts of February 2021? Mose Buchele of KUT News has been keeping tabs.
The Texas legislative session hasn’t even started, yet more than one representative claims to be the de facto speaker-elect of the House. The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey joins us with the latest.
Calling all creatives: Big Bend National Park is accepting applications for its artist-in-residence program.
And: What’s in your mug? Mando Rayo, host of the Tacos of Texas podcast, has winter tips for cozy sips.

This Is My Thing: Glass Blowing!

Jean Nelson fell in love with the idea of glass blowing at age 10, but it was almost 40 years before she finally got to pursue the art form. Now it’s her passion.

This Is My Thing: Nail Art!

Kim Reist found a creative spark when she started experimenting with the world of fingernail art during the Covid lockdown.

East Texas has a long history of labor disputes you may not know about

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has suspended his bid for the White House and appeared with former President Donald Trump to offer his endorsement. What does it mean for the race moving forward?

Where does the economy really stand, and what do the presidential candidates’ promises add up to in substance? A top Texas economist does the math.

The University of Texas at San Antonio and UT Health San Antonio are set to merge by 2025, with the potential to become a national and international powerhouse.

And: An East Texas reporter has spent the weeks leading up to Labor Day looking back at the biggest historical labor disputes in the region. Michael Garcia of KETK in Tyler shares what he’s learned.

Biden administration bets on Texas Instruments in the chip manufacturing race

Another August day, another forecast for record-setting heat – and plenty of questions about whether the power grid can manage the strain. So far, so good, to the surprise of many who’ve been bracing for calls to conserve electricity. What different about the energy mix this go-round?
Texas Instruments recently received a $1.6 billion Department of Commerce grant for new chip-building facilities.
In the least populated county in Texas, where truly every vote counts, a judge has overturned an election. We’ll hear about a shakeup in Loving County.
Plus: A new pin on our growing Texas Museum Map, this time in the border town of Eagle Pass.

Central Texas top stories for August 21, 2024.

Austin Pets Alive is expanding its efforts to move animals from under-resourced shelters in Texas to out-of-state foster and adoptive homes. Manor ISD’s school board decided this week to ask voters to approve a new tax rate in November. An Austin ISD trustee who represents voters across the entire district, Noelita Lugo, is not running for reelection in November. The City of Austin has put out a help-wanted sign for artists.

Remembering the London School explosion, a tragedy that changed safety forever

Two women file federal complaints after they say Texas hospitals refused to perform medically necessary abortions to terminate ectopic pregnancies.
In East Texas, a tiny museum is dedicated to preserving the history of the 1937 London School explosion, the deadliest school disaster in U.S. history and the reason natural gas has an added odor.
Are state Republicans passing laws they know are unconstitutional – and is this a political strategy?
People and places in North Texas pay homage to Mexican Painter Frida Kahlo.
And: All across the state, honeybees make a big comeback thanks to new beekeepers – so much so that a statewide bee specialist is now on the job.

Texas Extra: How do we define a museum?

Texas Standard kicked off a new project in August: The Texas Museum Map. To begin, we decided to get answers to some challenging questions about museums. This Texas Extra is an extended version of that interview with Kenneth Hafertepe, a fellow with the Texas State Historical Association and chair of the Department of Museum Studies at Baylor.

After devastating tornadoes, Sanderson residents begin to rebuild and recover

The Texas Medical Board has offered guidance to doctors on the emergency medical exception to the state’s abortion ban.
How the small town of Sanderson in West Texas is recovering after a pair of tornadoes.
Shipments of avocados and mangoes from the Mexican state of Michoacán to the U.S. are suspended after two U.S. Department of Agriculture workers in the region were detained by local protesters and later removed from the area, leaving inspections of produce on hold. What will it mean for prices?
Reading, writing and roasting: Texas A&M is hoping to school the next generation of coffee experts by offering a Coffee Processing and Quality Certificate.
And: what Texas architecture of the mid century tells us about the Lone Star State and its complicated aspirations – we’re talking to the author and photographer behind “Home, Heat, Money, God: Texas and Modern Architecture.”

This Is My Thing: Flag Football!

Richard Samuel has had two great loves in his life: art and football. He played football as a kid, in college, and then professionally in Europe before getting a job as a coach. All the while, he pursued art as a hobby. Then one day he realized that he should flip it — he opened a gallery and became a full-time, professional artist. Now flag football is his most-loved hobby. Host Michael Lee talks to him about all that and more on the first episode of ‘This Is My Thing.’

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

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.

Remembering political trailblazer Eddie Bernice Johnson

The death of a giant in Texas politics: reaction to the passing of longtime political trailblazer Eddie Bernice Johnson.

A new year brings a new mayor in Houston. What John Whitmire plans to do to address the most pressing issues facing the city.

What 2024 heralds for one of the busiest thruways in Texas: the north-south corridor of Interstate 35.

An economist with the Dallas Fed shares red flags for Texas employment.

The San Antonio-Havana connection: A new cross-cultural art exchange between the two cities.

Also: Longhorn Nation recovers from a semifinal loss to Washington in the College Football Playoff.

The state 2D artist draws on his El Paso heritage

There haven’t been any votes yet, but we kind of already know what the Texas delegation to the U.S. House will look like in 2024.

The Israel-Gaza war is challenging what it means to have free speech at colleges across the country. A visit to a San Antonio campus highlights why.

Gov. Greg Abbott is set to sign into law a measure that makes illegal border crossing a state crime. What you need to know.

It’s tamale time for many folks across Texas. We’ll explore the base ingredient, masa, with our go-to taco journalist.

And a conversation with this year’s state 2D artist, Gaspar Enriquez, about how he depicts El Paso and what it means to be Chicano.

Why is Texas’ Railroad Commission wading into school textbook policy?

New Texas schoolbooks are raising concerns about the long-term implications for attitudes about climate change.

The state-appointed board now running Houston’s independent school district is dealing with more than what’s happening in the classroom, but also struggling to regain trust.

Apple weighs in on a push to give consumers the right to repair their gadgets. What that means for a growing “right to repair” consumer movement.

Plus, plans to build a major energy plant on the Texas coast on hold after a court rules Texas regulators should have applied stricter emissions standards.

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Deborah Roberts

Join us on the latest episode of Black Austin Matters as we have the privilege of hearing from renowned artist, Deborah Roberts. Embark on a captivating journey through her inspiring life, from her artistic training to her unwavering dedication to protecting black children through her art. Gain insight into her experiences growing up in Austin and witness the fulfillment of her dreams. Don’t miss this enlightening conversation that will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact.

A Texas program pushes drivers to pay old tickets – and over 600,000 have lost their licenses

A federal courtroom was filled with anger and tears as relatives of the victims of the 2019 mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart faced the gunman ahead of his sentencing. Julián Aguilar of the Texas Newsroom shares more.

A program aimed at helping Texans pay off old tickets has left hundreds of thousands without driver’s licenses and tangled in red tape.

Amid a stalemate between House and Senate Republicans over property taxes, House Democrats weigh in with a plan.

A new study has found air pollution from U.S. oil and gas production is responsible for $77 billion in health impacts every year, with Texas among the states with the highest proportion of health damages.

Houston is celebrating 50 years of hip-hop with an exhibit and film screenings at the Houston Museum of African American Culture.

And the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.