Defense attorneys for the Walmart mass shooter, who’s already sentenced to life in prison, are asking for the court to take the death penalty off the table or drop the charges altogether due to alleged prosecutorial misconduct.
As we move closer to Election Day, The Texas Newsroom is exploring the role of religion in politics.
And: The city of Palestine, once a booming railroad town, is in a legal battle with Union Pacific to enforce an 1872 contract that promised the railroad company would stay “forever.”
Books
‘The Stadium’ reconsiders the role of our modern arenas
The Democratic National Convention kicked off with an emotional evening and Texans among the featured speakers.
A jury found that the parents of the accused gunman in the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting were not responsible for his actions.
Highway lanes are shrinking in Austin. It’s part of national trend – but what does it mean for safety?
Why an effort to ban books in a Rio Grande Valley high school library failed.
Also: A new book from historian Frank Guridy delves into why sports stadiums are more than places to cheer on your favorite team.
Folks cut off from a public Texas waterway take their case to court
At the Republican National Convention, speakers including Sen. Ted Cruz make claims about immigration and crime they hope will resonate at the polls in November. The Texas Newsroom’s Julián Aguilar has details.
Some in Congress want to create a new military branch, one without a physical domain, to specialize in cyber warfare.
The Standard’s Michael Marks has the latest on a battle for access to a beloved fishing spot in East Texas.
And: The New York Times Book Review has released its list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century – including works by several Texas authors.
Celebrating summer with Willie Nelson, new book releases, aguas frescas & more
With lots of food and fireworks, Texans turn out to mark the Fourth of July – and we’re celebrating with a special program dedicated to summer in the Lone Star State:
Julia Green, the manager at Front Street Books in Alpine, shares her recommendations on new book releases to add to your summer reading list.
Top tips from the barbecue editor at Texas Monthly on how to smoke short ribs in your own backyard.
The backstory of Willie Nelson’s famous Fourth of July picnic.
Mando Rayo, taco journalist and host of the Tacos of Texas podcast, has some suggestions for beating the heat with aguas frescas.
Plus: top songs of the season with a Texas connection.
Counting Cattle With the Fathers
Longtime listeners may know — Texas Standard is fast approaching a milestone birthday. We’re turning 10 next March. With us almost from the beginning have been signature segments including the Typewriter Rodeo and Stories From Texas — these bi-weekly commentaries from WF Strong. He says he has a goal beyond entertainment.
Justice Department report on Uvalde shooting finds ‘critical failures’ in police response
After a review of thousands of videos and other evidence, the Justice Department has released its report on the Uvalde school shooting, finding “critical failures” by law enforcement before, during and after the attack.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals strikes down much of a new Texas law that sought to restrict which books are available in school libraries.
Texas may soon be a hub for hydrogen fueling. The Standard’s Shelly Brisbin has more.
CinéWilde, which bills itself as the state’s only monthly LGBTQ film series, turns 10.
And: Remembering award-winning science fiction author Howard Waldrop.
A look ahead to the new year in Texas, from politics to entertainment
Two experts weigh in on the Texas political landscape and the stakes as we head into a major general election year amid growing rifts among Texas Republicans. Could the new year mark a tipping point for Texas Democrats?
Tech expert Omar Gallaga and the Standard’s own Shelly Brisbin look at what’s buzzing on the technology front.
Plus: coming attractions at the theater and some of the most anticipated book releases of 2024.
Little Free Libraries
You can find Little Free Libraries in front yards, parks, and near community buildings. There are few rules and much to be discovered. That was the inspiration of this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Legislature takes up ban on vaccine mandates at private businesses
Years after peak COVID, Texas lawmakers are taking steps to ban vaccine mandates by private businesses.
Amid a nursing shortage in Texas and beyond, the journey of a new nurse trying to make a difference.
An award-winning novel set near the border takes the western genre to a whole new place. We’ll talk with ‘Valley of Shadows’ author Rudy Ruiz.
Also: As a new NBA season approaches, there are big expectations building for the San Antonio Spurs’ 19-year old Victor Wembanyama.
After a pandemic boost, what’s the next chapter for independent booksellers?
Fort Worth ISD temporarily closed its school libraries as the district worked to comply with a new state law over adult content.
Texas is one of only 10 states that hasn’t expanded Medicaid. Why?
The pandemic boost for books, and its aftermath: the Standard’s Sean Saldaña on the next chapter for independent booksellers.
The most dangerous jails in Texas may not be the lockups that get the most attention. Eric Dexheimer of the Houston Chronicle shares more.
And the Texan trying to redefine travel TV, and what travel looks like in the real world, too.
Booksellers sue Texas over law that will restrict school library books
On Capitol Hill, a former military officer-turned-whistleblower shares out-of-this world claims about UFOs and what he says the government’s hiding.
Following sex discrimination lawsuits over Texas’ border security crackdown, the state has started placing migrant women in state prisons as well.
The Austin school district is considering nearly doubling the size of its police department to comply with a new state law that takes effect in September.
A lawsuit by booksellers and publishers targets new book restrictions for Texas school libraries.
New research on Alzheimer’s finds Texas a hot spot, with border counties hit harder than the rest of the state.
And a women’s soccer champion from Georgetown weighs in on the women’s World Cup.
The 50th anniversary of ‘The Time It Never Rained’
It’s been 50 years since the publication of Elmer Kelton’s now classic Texas novel, “The Time it Never Rained.” Kelton wrote 50 books and said this was his favorite — he called it his signature work. It won him both the Spur Award and the Western Heritage Award.
Many Texas literary critics consider “The Time it Never Rained” one of the top ten best novels ever written by a Texan about Texas — that includes our commentator WF Strong.
Why thousands of dead fish washed up along the Gulf Coast
Who implements a new law that bans “sexually explicit” material in Texas public school libraries – and how? We’ll talk with the president of the Texas Library Association about what’s being described by proponents as a child protection move, and by critics as the latest attempt to censor and ban books for young people with limited access.
The annual meeting of the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., Southern Baptists, debates women pastors and how to address abuse allegations.
Plus, what’s behind the tens of thousands of dead fish washing up on Texas Gulf Coast beaches.
What’s in San Antonio’s ‘justice charter’?
Yes and no signs proliferate in San Antonio over Prop A. What’s behind the city’s so-called justice charter?
In Kyle, a corrections officer indicted in the shooting death of a person awaiting trial, and a family’s struggle to find answers.
Taking the STAAR tests online. Should there still be a paper option?
A push for more transitional housing for Muslim’s recently released from incarceration.
The story of a world premiere in Dallas for one of the most downloaded poets in the U.S.
And the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.
The ‘forever chemicals’ used in fracking in Texas
Calls for justice in Ciudad Juárez after dozen of migrants die in a fire at a detention facility. New details emerge about what happened just across the border from El Paso on Monday night.
Texas school districts banned hundreds of books last year. Now, the Legislature is looking to create standards that could pull even more books off the shelves.
Research increasingly shows that “forever chemicals” are making their way into our environment – especially in Texas, where they’re used in oil and gas extraction.
Plus an update from commentator W.F. Strong and a climate referendum in El Paso.
Is prosecuting librarians the next front in Texas’ book wars?
You’ve heard about library book bans in Texas, but behind the scenes there is a campaign underway to prosecute librarians for putting certain books on the shelves of school and public libraries.
After four decades, Texas politician Ben Barnes comes clean about his role, and that of former Texas Gov. John Connally, to delay the release of 52 American hostages held in Iran in order to ensure the election of Ronald Regan. Peter Baker of the New York Times joins us.
Also Texas gets a new professional sports franchise – not football or basketball, but Major League Cricket.
Five prescriptions for fixing Texas’ affordability crisis
With Texans across the state struggling to find affordable housing, we’ll hear from a team of experts who have some solutions.
The Texas Council on Family Violence has a list of legislative priorities for protecting survivors.
Saving wild African penguins: How people in North Texas are helping with a survival guide.
The original Angry Birds – the one you could buy and download for a small, one-time fee – is history. Our tech expert explains.
Texas Republican says banning college polling places is about safety. Students don’t buy it.
The Supreme Court hears oral arguments in two challenges to student loan forgiveness. With Texas having the second highest number of student loans in the nation, a University of Houston legal scholar offers analysis and what comes next.
There’s a push in the Texas Legislature to ban polling places on college campuses – but some students see it as voter suppression.
Once upon a time in the not-so-distant past there was a planned mega-merger in the publishing biz. Today: the postscript.
Fans turn out in Frisco as U.S. wins SheBelieves Cup
On the one-year anniversary of Russia’s war with Ukraine, Valerie Hudson, international affairs expert at Texas A&M, shares a Texas perspective on where the conflict stands today.
Author and commentator David Frum on concerns about moves being made by Mexico’s president that could turn back the clock on democratic change there – and the implications for Texas and beyond.
The Texas Standard’s Sarah Asch reports from the SheBelieves Cup soccer tournament in Frisco, where the U.S. Women’s National Team
took home the title.
Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.
Texas Standard: November 25, 2022
Had your fill yet? No need to loosen the belt…we’re serving up something different today. As many Texans dash about in search of gift-giving deals on this Friday, we’ve made out a list of some of our favorite books this past year. From tales of trailblazing women clearing the way for the final frontier of space to an examination of re-wilding as a way to get back to a balance with nature and make cities more livable. A memoir from a music superstar and the hidden histories of gay power in high places. Just a few of the reading selections we’ve been perusing today on the Texas Standard: