Programs aimed at helping millions of low-income students earn college degrees is potentially on the chopping block. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Silas Allen joins us with a look.
A series of bills aimed at preventing a repeat of the July 4th flooding tragedy in Texas’ Hill Country has passed, but some are asking if they go far enough. Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom has been looking into that question.
He was known as the Sundance Kid and an icon of cinema. We’ll hear more about the late Robert Redford and his Texas connections.
And a UT researcher tells us about a new discovery involving black holes – and how it could help settle questions about the structure of the universe.
Black Hole
A Texas firm tackles space junk
After national headlines and a pledge from California to offset Texas’ redistricting plans, the walkout by Texas House Democrats is over. Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom has the latest on the Dems’ return to Austin and what comes next.
Old satellites, tools, even food wrappers: Space debris is piling up. Now, a Texas company’s recycling initiative has NASA’s attention.
A new fight is emerging over the sale in Texas of kratom, an herbal supplement with opioid-like effects often found for sale at convenience stores.
And: A UT Austin-led team has discovered the oldest, most distant black hole yet – 13.3 billion years old.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
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Texas Standard: May 16, 2022
Early voting starts today in the primary runoff elections. What you need to know about what’s on the ballot, and voting by mail. Also, one of the highest-profile races on the Republican ballot is for Attorney General. Incumbent Ken Paxton was considered vulnerable, but will current Land Commissioner George P. Bush be able to defeat him? And language in Texas’ recent abortion legislation has some doctors and pharmacists concerned about providing care for miscarriages. We’ll take a look at why. Also take a closer look at the Texas electric grid and why hot temperatures have so far been a challenge. Plus a conversation with a Texas researcher involved in that new photo of a black hole. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
The Mysteries Of Space
Do you ever see a headline about a new discovery in space? It seems so exciting — so extraordinary — but is your mind even capable of really understanding? That’s the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: December 5, 2018
National day of mourning. We’ll remember a president but also ask: how much pomp and circumstance is appropriate? We’ll take a look. Also, Texas voters re-elected Attorney General Ken Paxton last month. So what’s the latest with the criminal accusations against him? We’ll check in. And for most of us black holes in the universe are a mystery. Even for the experts there’s a lot that they don’t know. But they’re getting closer to answers. Plus fiddle music is part of the fabric of Texas culture, but what kind of fiddle music comes to mind for you? It may be different than your neighbor’s. And a fact-check flagged by Facebook. Did it show up in your newsfeed? All that and then some today on the Texas Standard: