Facing a challenge from fellow Republicans, Dade Phelan says he’s dropping his bid for re-election as Texas House speaker.
Texas has some of the most expensive insurance in the nation, forcing homeowners to pay more for less coverage.
Desert bighorn sheep return to the Franklin Mountains of El Paso, a major milestone in restoring the species.
While the area around the UT Austin Tower buzzes with activity, a quieter sanctuary to the north – the Turtle Pond – offers a break from the hustle. The Texas Standard’s Laura Rice takes us to this peaceful pocket and explores how it’s evolving amid campus changes.
Broadband
Looking ahead to the eclipse day weather forecast
A Texas public health expert explains what bird flu means after a case of the illness was found in a worker on a dairy farm.
The effort to expand high-speed broadband in North Texas slows down as a company doing the work pulls out.
Could clouds obscure eclipse day in Texas? We’ll take a look at the latest forecast for next Monday.
Exploring Texas parks that are off the beaten path … and away from crowds.
Plus, one of the fiercest wildcats in the world is only eight inches tall. A Texas-based wildlife center is working to save the black-footed cat.
64,000 Texans stand to benefit from Biden student loan forgiveness
More people in Texas are set to benefit from student debt forgiveness than in any other state.
The Houston Police Department has released a comprehensive report on its investigation into the 2021 Travis Scott Astroworld festival tragedy.
Texas’ major cities are on track to lose lots of jobs to AI, and soon – San Antonio tops the list; Austin and Dallas are not far behind.
Also, billions of dollars have been announced for rural broadband, but apparently there’s a disconnect when it comes to funding the buildout.
New law will allow chaplains in Texas public schools
The Supreme Court just struck down two race-based university admissions programs. What does it mean for Texas?
Even though Texas lawmakers knew federal money was on the way for expanding high-speed Internet access across the state, they decided to also implement their own program. A look at why.
A new podcast takes a deep dive into the decisions that have made Austin such an expensive place to live – and one where people of color were systematically pushed out.
And a new Texas law set to go into effect will allow public schools to have volunteer chaplains or even to hire them as part of the staff. We’ll hear the argument against the law.
Ideas for combatting the trucking shortage
Five men are handed over in Mexico along with a letter purportedly from the Gulf Cartel apologizing for the “senseless crime” of violently kidnapping four Americans, leaving two of them and one Mexican dead. U.S. officials say the apology seems authentic, though perhaps not sincere.
What’s being done to combat the nation’s shortage of truck drivers.
A sneak peek at the start of SXSW Film as the festival kicks off in Austin.
And the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.
A giant tourism investment is coming to North Texas
A big announcement that could add up to a major boost for tourism and the economy of North Texas. Underscoring the explosion of population and business growth in the Lone Star State, the announcement of plans to build a Universal Theme Park in Frisco is generating excitement in some quarters and concerns in others. We’ll hear all about it. Also after supply chain disruptions and worse, why Laredo could be at the center of a shift in how U.S. companies do business. And talk of a federal ban on gas stoves ignites a political firestorm, and fresh concerns about the safety of a common appliance. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Looming freeze has Texans eyeing power grid
Oh the weather outside is gonna get frightful, how low could temperatures go? And what should Texans do now to be prepared? All of the state expected to be affected by plummeting temperatures. We’ll check in with the Dallas Fort Worth office of the national weather service for the latest. Also a standoff between the U.S. and Mexico over corn. Most of Mexico’s corn comes from the U.S., but Mexico’s president is considering a ban, one that could have major ripple effects for both countries. Also, the latest on a newspaper strike in Fort Worth. And Michael Marks with the story of one very expensive Longhorn. All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 17, 2021
A primary care doctor in rural Texas sounds an alarm amid an ongoing pandemic: where are all the other doctors? We’ll explore. Also, after outrageous and false claims about the Sandy Hook school massacre, a decision in a defamation case brought by parents against Texas provocateur Alex Jones. We’ll have details. Plus billions coming to Texas to boost infrastructure, including broadband. How could it change Texas? One expert says it could be as big as rural electrification. We’ll hear the how and why. And an exhibit that aims to correct the historical record when it comes to cowboy legend. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 8, 2021
More than 40-thousand Texas immigrants have Temporary Protected Status. A unanimous Supreme Court ruling affects some of them, we’ll have details. Also, in the first legislative session since mass shootings in El Paso and Odessa. We look at what lawmakers did on the issue of guns. And houses across Texas are flying off the real estate market sometimes more than $100k above asking. What’s the perspective from real estate agents? And what’s the Internet infrastructure look like to serve Texans moving further from the city centers? Plus, a new book challenges the myth behind one of Texas’ most prominent symbols. The argument that we should forget the Alamo. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 13, 2021
The ouster of a high ranking member of the GOP and calls among Republicans for a breakaway party. Wyoming Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney pushed out of her leadership post over her vocal opposition to President Trump. Texas’ role and why the effort could backfire. Also an energy artery that stretches from Houston up across the eastern seaboard hacked, leading to gasoline lines and hoarding in some places. How it happened, and what it means for Texas. And how the pandemic’s devastation in India is affecting many in the Lone Star State. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 9, 2021
Allegations of abuse at a migrant detention center for unaccompanied minors in San Antonio. What’s known and what’s not. Other stories we’re tracking, a booster shot for efforts to get more Texans vaccinated against COVID-19 by putting the clinic on wheels. We’ll hear the how and why. Plus a bill to bring broadband to rural Texas, as well as urban areas that can’t get connected. What the proposal does and doesn’t do, when it comes to an increasingly critical piece of the infrastructure puzzle. And how waste is suddenly affecting a way of life in south Texas. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 15, 2021
As the temperatures fall, along with precipitation, millions of Texans stranded or worse by winter weather. Coming up, conversations with reporters from across Texas on how Texans are weathering conditions that have brought large parts of the state to a standstill. Also, missing out on the vaccine but getting something else instead: scammed. A report from Houston. Plus a major disconnect with rural Texas: concerns that a lack of broadband is leaving some Texas towns far behind. And new efforts to reunite families separated by U.S. immigration policies. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 2, 2021
It was billed as a State of the State address. But a closer reading might reveal the not-to-subtle start of a new campaign season in Texas. We’ll break down governor Greg Abbott’s 5 emergency items. Also the latest on bottlenecks in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the Lone Star State. And rural Texas, disconnected? A state lawmaker warns funding cuts could cut off internet and phone service for many sparsely populated parts of Texas. Plus a new opening for transmigrantes and how that could create new opportunities and new dangers at the border. Those stories and more today on the Texas standard:
Texas Standard: May 23, 2019
A border detention facility in McAllen shutdown, this in the wake of the death of a detained 16 year old migrant. We’ll have the latest. Also, the U.S. is blacklisting Huawei, the China-based phone maker. And the effects of that decision is hitting home harder than you might think. Plus a new investigation shows police in Texas accused of serious crimes and possible jail time using their badges as bargaining chips. Plus one of Texas’ biggest counties trying to make it easier for voters to do their thing…but will it work? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 12, 2018
Texas violated federal law by denying countless kids access to special education services. The governor orders a plan to fix in 7 days, we’ll have details. Also, a tractor trailer truck with a dozen immigrants in the back, police in San Antonio charge the driver with human smuggling. Now the Lt. Governor asking if San Antonio police broke the law, we’ll hear why. And file under Big Gulp: what this week’s immigration raids on 7-11 stores tell us about the future of enforcement. And do smartphone makers have a duty to limit kids screen time? All that plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more, today on the Texas Standard: