Do you really have to ride horses regularly to wear cowboy boots? Do you have to be mending fences or herding cattle to love a good cowboy hat? This Typewriter Rodeo poem questions the meaning of “real” cowboy.
boots
Texas Standard: August 31, 2021
The end draws near for the second special legislative session: what’s left to be done? Quite a bit, actually. From a 13th check for school retirees to funding for a border wall and more, what’s left on the agenda as lawmakers try to wrap up a contentious second legislative session. Also, new laws set to take effect September first, including what some see as a surprise: new protections for Texas employees claiming sexual harassment in the workplace. And as the last plane carrying Americans departs from Afghanistan, Afghans in Texas struggle to get their families to the U.S. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 3, 2021
Mayoral contests in San Antonio and Fort Worth, a public camping ban in Austin and much more on the May first ballot. We’ll have more on some closely watched ballot propositions including voter approval of an ordinance in Lubbock that would ban abortions in that city. A move that’s almost certain to face a legal challenge. Plus, the great American road trip: running on fumes by the summer? Why some fear there could be gasoline shortages at the pumps. And at one of Texas’ top vacation destinations, detour signs as firefighters battle flames in Big Bend. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 8, 2021
As federal officials add new detention centers for young migrants, the states of Texas and Louisiana sue over changes to immigration policy. We’ll have details. Also, the nation’s top homeland security official returns to Texas today as the numbers of migrants swell along the southern border. Richard Pineda of UT El Paso on how the politics of immigration may be blurring the picture of what’s really happening. And those boots are made for talking, the fashion editor of Vogue magazine on a Texas accent in haute couture. And what’s the real capitol of Texas? You sure? A Houston Chronicle writer makes the case it’s not Austin. Those stories and so much more coming up today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 25, 2021
Once again, Texas in the spotlight as the nations attention turns to immigration and the thousands of undocumented minors coming across the southern border. Where to house them for how long and under what conditions? We’ll hear the latest from Dallas where a convention center has been converted into makeshift housing. Also, voter fraud prosecutions in Texas and a pattern of targeting people of color at disproportionate rates. And a major gulf coast energy project being shelved after much fanfare. All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 3, 2021
New executive orders on asylum seekers and family separation policies at the border get a lukewarm reception from advocates for change. President Biden orders an official review of the remain in Mexico policies. Some are asking why not just change the policy? Also COVID-19 and the double squeeze on nonprofits. More demand for their services, but less money to provide those services… We’ll explore. And the governor’s call for legislation to further restrict abortion access in Texas. Are republican lawmakers hoping for a fight in the high court? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 10, 2020
The start of the next Texas legislative session is looming… but what will it look like during this pandemic? Today on the Texas Standard.
We’ll examine questions over how Texas lawmakers will vote and what access the public will have to hearings. Plus, Texas nursing homes will be among the first places in the state to get access to the COVID-19 vaccine. We’ll look at how that rollout will happen. And, how a Texas town dependent on tourism is faring in this time of limited travel. That plus some options for safely connecting with Santa this holiday season. And why the keepsake could be more meaningful.
Texas Standard: September 24, 2020
Republicans versus Republican? Some members of the GOP file suit against the governor over early voting in Texas, 2 and a half weeks away. We’ll hear what the lawsuit says about republicans confidence in the Texas general election. Also, do you trust the numbers? Texas teachers concerned about the spread of COVID-19 are crowd scouring Coronavirus information. We’ll hear why. And war of the worlds: Microsoft takes on Texas in a high stakes battle for gaming supremacy, the texan biking the 3 thousand mile perimeter of the Lone Star State and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 25, 2020
As COVID-19 cases spike the governor hints at new local restrictions and millions of Texas parents and students remain in limbo for the fall, we’ll have the latest. Also, new visa restrictions the president says is designed to help American citizens looking for jobs during the COVID-19 economic downturn. Texas could take a major hit: we’ll hear how and why. And as demands grow for police reform, tech companies stepping in to help people monitor interactions with police. Also the beginning of the end for college admissions testing? All those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 4, 2020
A Texas police chief’s tactic for defusing tensions between demonstrators and police: join the march. As demonstrators continue protests over police tactics, Houston’s police chief talks why he’s joining demonstrators in the streets, and what he’s hearing from protesters. Also whether curfews are working to curb violence in San Antonio. Plus, despite a need for more contact tracing to combat COVID-19, why Texas is declining to use a smartphone solution. And listener questions on COVID-19 and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 14, 2020
How to make up for lost time: reopen school for a full year? Texas educators struggle with what to do in the fall and thereafter, we’ll have the latest. Plus, a new phase in the battle against the spread of the Coronavirus as businesses try to reopen. We’ll hear more on the state of testing in the state of Texas. And Dr. Fred Campbell of UT Health San Antonio takes up more of your COVID-19 questions. Also, who’s in charge, where? The back and forth over seemingly contradictory safety orders from state and local officials. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 30, 2020
60 state lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans, call on the Governor to explain a lack of transparency concerning apparent hotspots statewide. The letter to Governor Abbott cites Coronavirus outbreaks at long term care facilities for the elderly and the lack of information on what’s being done to protect residents and staffers. We’ll talk to the representative who drafted the letter. Also, a federal class action lawsuit that claims thousands are being denied relief checks because they’re married to immigrants without social security numbers. And Dr. Fred Campbell of UT Health San Antonio takes on more listener questions about COVID-19 and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 9, 2020
It’s too early to know how deep or wide, but we’re almost certainly in a recession. New jobless claims today underscore the gut punch to the economy. The Comptroller Glenn Hegar recalculates the impact of COVID-19 and its impact on our bottom line. Also, tech expert Omar Gallaga on getting and keeping your internet access during a time of heavy use. And speaking of: hot tip for movie streaming. An almost forgotten Texas film that inspired a certain festival called Sundance. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 19, 2020
Some states say cases of Coronavirus reaching a tipping point. What do emergency officials see for the next 72 hours in the Lone Star State? Our conversation with the chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Also, real life goes online across much of the Lone Star Star, how well is teleconferencing keeping us connected?
And schools in rural Texas struggling to put together next steps in places without lots of internet access. Plus love in the time of Coronavirus. All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 5, 2020
More than two million Texans showed up to vote, but some of them had to wait for hours to cast a ballot. Voter suppression or mismanagement? We’ll explore. Plus now primary results are in, how useful were the polls leading up to the election? We’ll hear from one of the pollster at the University of Texas. Also, the growing number of Democrats who say Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders needs to pick a woman as a running mate, we’ll explore. And Coronavirus fears harming business from Houston’s Chinatown to Austin’s SXSW. And what’s it like to be a U.S. soldier deployed to the U.S. border with Mexico? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 20, 2020
Did Mike’s appearance move the needle in Texas? If so, which direction? We’ll asses the debate as we barrel toward Super Tuesday. Other stories we’re tracking: how reactions to the coronavirus have created what doctors are calling an infodemic thanks to social media. Omar Gallaga on viral takes about a medical crisis. Plus, Amarillo by morning? Not if by that you mean a break in a big time labor deadlock there. Plus- why some flights out of Brownsville have asylum attorneys alarmed. Those stories and a lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 6, 2020
The impeachment drama is over… Or is it really? And where does it leave us? We’ll take a look at the implications of the Senate vote for Texas. Plus, a pair of markers erected in Rio Grande City. What they say about an historic workers strike that left a deep impression on the Texas landscape. Plus- how a robot could help save the Gulf of Mexico from the rapidly reproducing Lionfish. And our go-to tech guy on the return of “gaming” the low-tech way. Plus why lots of Texans won’t stop talking about a certain halftime show. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 23, 2020
Got your attention yet? We’ll take a look at just how closely Texans are tracking the impeachment story and whether it’ll move the political needle in the Lone Star State. Among the other stories we’re following, the state of solitary confinement in Texas, where more than 1300 prisoners have been held for 6 years or more. We’ll take a closer look. Also a new fight over phone encryption and consumer privacy. Plus, the rediscovery of a Texas baseball team whose story was nearly lost with the end of the era of sports segregation. All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 9, 2020
De-escalation between the U.S. and Iran? As president Trump calls for more NATO involvement in the Mideast, we’ll have a Texas take on what that might mean. A former ambassador to Iraq and past dean of the Bush school at Texas A&M weighs in on finding a way past military conflict between the US and Iran. Also a tale of two cities: what if anything Austin and Houston could learn from each other when it comes to zoning. And new consumer tech: the hottest of the hot and the nottest of the not. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 16, 2019
The Tale of the Tape: what the secret recording of a meeting at the Capitol means for a once highly celebrated Speaker of the Texas House. We’ll take a look at the fallout. Other stories we’re tracking, what last night’s presidential debate means for the two Texans who were, at last check, still in the running. Plus, luxury brand Louis Vuitton is putting down roots in a Texas farm town. Pourquoi? President Trump plans to stop by this week, and we’ll take a closer look. And why Texas has a thing for Halloween…or as our commentator notes, maybe it’s the other way around. All of that and so much more on the National News Show of Texas: