Ballot

Coral samples in Galveston could be key to keeping the species alive

On the eve of early voting, Alexandra Samuels of Texas Monthly and Mark Jones of the Baker Institute at Rice University share a closer look at some of the big contests Texas voters will see on their primary ballots.

We’ll hear about what happened when reporters for the Houston Chronicle began mapping where tickets are being issued to people experiencing homelessness there.

Amid mounting threats from climate change, scientists at Moody Gardens in Galveston are caring for 150 coral fragments from five species to keep them alive.

Anyone up for barbecue – for breakfast? BBQ journalist Daniel Vaughn has some prime tips.

What we know about the mass shooting at an Allen outlet mall

Another Texas community is reeling after a mass shooting that killed eight people, this time at an outlet mall in Allen, outside of Dallas.

Following local elections across the state, we’ll have reports on some closely watched propositions in San Antonio, El Paso and Austin.

Fort Hood in Central Texas is formally set to be renamed Fort Cavazos for the nation’s first Hispanic four-star general. Hispanic and Latino civil rights groups are applauding the move but looking for more substantive change.

And the the University of Texas at Austin is getting a new school of civic leadership – but some questions are being raised by some students and faculty.

The questions on local ballots across Texas this May election

Early voting is underway statewide for the May 6 elections. What’s at stake? A roundtable of reporters survey the landscape.

New emissions rules from the EPA could mean some big changes coming to Texas coal plants.

Changes to a bill restricting purchases of property by citizens of China, North Korea, Russia and Iran aren’t good enough, says Texas State Rep. Gene Wu. He says it’s discrimination.

And an axe murder in a North Texas suburb in the 1980s is now the focus of a new HBO Max series. We’ll talk to the director of “Love & Death”.

NASA mission sounds like a reality show, but it’s gathering data for a Mars journey

One of the state’s biggest counties is looking for a new top election official amid friction over the difficulty of running non-partisan elections. With early voting underway in races statewide, why the resignation of the top elections official in Tarrant County has special resonance.

A closer look at claims of Republican voter suppression in Harris County: how does the narrative square with the data?

In parts of rural Texas, growing opposition to solar and wind farms, where Texas has taken a lead.

And a virtual mission to Mars, in a hangar south of Houston? Four people, one year, and little contact with the outside world.

Texas Standard: November 03, 2022

With early voting numbers coming in lower than expected, leaders of both parties are looking for answers. Also a focus on one of the most consequential contests on the ballot when it comes to climate concerns, though with a name like The Railroad Commission, many may not realize it. And a new book documenting the challenges of undocumented motherhood. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 17, 2022

Helping Ukraine and avoiding war with Russia. An expert in Texas talks about the delicate balance. Also, after World War Two Nazi Scientists made their home in West Texas. And their children were enrolled in public schools. A new book explores this little known chapter of history. Plus closing the gap for Latino students seeking higher education in the state. And just how many mail in ballots were rejected during the primary? We have the number. Also tech at SXSW: Crypto Coin, NFTs and streaming Lizzo. All that and more on today’s Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 7, 2022

A Texas official takes on listener questions about new vote-by-mail rules. Also, the energy implications of last week’s winter storm and the lingering psychological impacts of the winter storm of 2021. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 1, 2021

The Texas Senate passes what supporters call election reforms and what many democrats say amounts to institutionalized voter suppression. Limits to early voting hours, a ban on drive through voting, and more part of Senate Bill 7. Against this backdrop, the Texas court of criminal appeals set to reconsider a high profile vote fraud case, we’ll explore both coming up. Also in South Texas, a county once one of the world Coronavirus hotspots, a remarkable success story on vaccinations. We’ll talk with the health authority of Hidalgo County. Plus not one but two Newberry Honors for a Texas writer of children’s books. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 22, 2020

Across the Lone Star State, Texans expected to be tuning in tonight for political fireworks show, but what about policies? We’ll set the stage for a final debate. Plus, Texans looking for unemployment benefits will soon have to once again prove they’re looking for work, but what constitutes a work search in the eyes of Texas officials? We’ll take a closer look. And in Collin county, it’s the academy versus free speech as a professors’ tweet roils a college campus. And a freeze frame on a music scene almost forgotten from 40 years back. Plus, fake news for real? A warning about a rising force in local news that has experts advising don’t believe everything you read. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 14, 2020

A spike in COVID-19 cases in El Paso prompts the governor to send a surge of medical teams and equipment, we’ll have the latest. Plus, with early voting now officially underway, an overview of how to cast a ballot in Texas. And a claim that property crime is going up amid a cutback in the police department’s budget in the Texas capitol city. Politifact checks it out. Also tens of thousands of layoffs and furloughs: Texas based airlines send Washington an SOS and warn of greater turbulence ahead. And one of this year’s cover stories: the changing face of the American magazine. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 7, 2020

A democratic presidential campaign raising the stakes big time in Texas. We’ll follow the money and what its telling us. Also, imagine dropping your absentee ballot in the mail, and a few days after the election finding something unexpected in your mailbox: your unopened ballot. Concerns grow in Dallas county over problems coping with mail in ballots during an election season likely to include many of them. Also as the stakes heat up in the Texas race for U.S. Senate. Politifact check weighs in on a claim by the incumbent. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 21, 2020

A sweeping stay at home order in Hidalgo county to stop the spread of COVID-19. But Governor Abbott says there’s no enforcement mechanism. In the Rio Grande Valley, doctors say resources are so limited they’re at the point of making difficult treatment choices. We’ll talk to the health authority in Starr county. Also, a state prison inmate surrounded by fellow inmates testing positive for COVID-19 is approved for parole but dies before his release. As his daughter grieves, she’s also demanding changes to the system. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 22, 2020

Potter County in the Texas Panhandle is seeing more than its share of Coronavirus cases, at least population-wise. We’ll get a look on the ground. Also, what’s voting going to look like in Texas come November? Turns out folks have very strong opinions about this. We’ll hear from some. And we’ll hear again from our go-to doctor for questions about the Coronavirus. One question for today? The risk of sending kids back to childcare. We’ll explore. And if your thumb has become a little greener during this pandemic, you’re not alone not now, and not historically. Those stories and more on today’s Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 15, 2019

A show of resilience in El Paso: for the first time doors re open at the site of the August mass shooting at a WalMart, we’ll have the latest. Also, the Supreme Court hands a rare victory to plaintiffs trying to hold gunmakers liable in mass shooting cases. And how to make democracy better? Smarter ballots. We’ll hear one professor’s big idea. Plus the week that was in Texas politics from the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 7, 2019

Election day draws near, perhaps nearer than most Texans think. We’ll take a closer look at what Texas voters are being asked to decide this November. Also, it’s a Texas border more dangerous than the one that gets the lion’s share of attention. How a boom in the Permian has made for perilous times along the line with New Mexico. And missing notes rediscovered: a long forgotten manuscript recounting the story of how the blues came to Texas, revived after decades in limbo. Also the effort to clamp down on the dangerous storage of firearms. All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:

Running For Office

It seems every week a new candidate is announcing plans to seek office in 2020. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Texas Standard: March 7, 2019

Alarming figures from the border show an 11 year high in the number of migrant families apprehended. But do the numbers add up? Just a few weeks ago, we were hearing that the claim of a border emergency was overblown, but now mainstream news outlets report what sounds like, at the very least, a crisis overwhelming customs and border patrol. We’ll try to get a better sense of what’s happening. Also, a first of its kind effort in Texas to be prepared for wildfire season. And a top doctor warns of a looming crisis in Texas health care. All of those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 7, 2017

Shots fired: a year after a deadly shootout at an otherwise peaceful march in Dallas, how much has healed and where are the scars? We’ll explore. Also many thought the black death the stuff of history books, but the plague is back, and its in west Texas. A CDC researcher tells us why. And back to the future? A Texas city decides the best way to secure elections: a return to the paper ballot. And researchers battle an unexpected problem for solar power, you might think of it as burnout. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 30, 2015

The Texas Governor may not be able to stop Syrian refugees, but he’s warning groups that help with resettlement that he’ll sue…the story today on the Texas Standard. Plus the other presidential race: to get candidates names onto state ballots. Also-love for Sale? Not this time, says the attorney general, shutting down three dating sites. We’ll hear why. Also you might think of them as the original Washington power couple—hint: they came from you know where. Plus what could be this years Cinderella story in college hoops. All of that and more on todays Texas Standard: