The Department of Education launched a renewed version of the FAFSA financial aid form at the end of last year, and the late rollout has caused major issues for applicants and colleges.
Cattle in the Panhandle got sick last week, their milk suddenly turning thick and discolored, after coming down with avian flu.
Many Texans hold jobs in the agricultural sector. But there’s one job on a few cattle farms –and whole lot of sheep farms – that’s literally gone to the dogs. The Standard’s Sarah Asch has the story.
As Bitcoin mining operations grow in Texas, a new wave of attention aimed at crypto turns a spotlight on Austin’s so-called “bitcoin underground.”
college
Will third time be the charm for SpaceX’s Starship launch from Boca Chica?
The University of Texas at Austin is among other colleges in the country that are bringing back a standardized test requirement for applicants.
A city report has exonerated the Uvalde Police Department for its response to the Robb Elementary School shooting. Despite the report, Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez announced his resignation.
SpaceX plans a new try at launching its Starship super heavy rocket on Thursday from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
And the discovery of an artifact that one SMU professor believes could be a link to Coronado’s fabled expedition.
The state’s only sugar mill is closing. What’s next for sugar cane farmers?
New laws – one from Texas – to regulate platforms like Facebook and TikTok are getting Supreme Court scrutiny today, with potentially profound implications.
Years of drought have devastated sugar growers in South Texas – so much so that the state’s only sugar mill is closing.
Austin’s I-35, the spine of the region’s roadway grid, is about to undergo the largest expansion since the highway opened in 1962. Nathan Bernier joins with a drill down into what it means.
And: We’ll learn about a device that can help blind and low-vision people experience the eclipse.
Remembering political trailblazer Eddie Bernice Johnson
The death of a giant in Texas politics: reaction to the passing of longtime political trailblazer Eddie Bernice Johnson.
A new year brings a new mayor in Houston. What John Whitmire plans to do to address the most pressing issues facing the city.
What 2024 heralds for one of the busiest thruways in Texas: the north-south corridor of Interstate 35.
An economist with the Dallas Fed shares red flags for Texas employment.
The San Antonio-Havana connection: A new cross-cultural art exchange between the two cities.
Also: Longhorn Nation recovers from a semifinal loss to Washington in the College Football Playoff.
New proposals would let ranchers kill two birds. But is one really a predator?
New laws on arresting migrants who cross the border into Texas illegally are just one of many changes related to border security from this year’s legislative sessions. Julián Aguilar of The Texas Newsroom takes a closer look at what passed, what didn’t, and what it means.
How do Texas voters think lawmakers did dealing with top-line issues in 2023? Jim Henson of the Texas Politics Project shares the findings of a new poll.
A Texas perspective of the struggle over campus free speech.
Democratic lawmakers in Congress are pitching a plan to stop hedge funds from buying rental homes.
And the Standard’s Michael Marks dives in on Texas ranchers’ ongoing fight against predatory birds.
Auto workers’ strike hits Arlington plant
A plan to boost payments to retired teachers will be up to Texas voters next month. We’ll have the backstory and details on Proposition 9.
Five thousand union workers walked off the job at the Arlington General Motors plant, which builds some of GM’s most profitable vehicles.
College football pay to play? Not OK, says the NCAA. Yet an investigation of recruitment shows how officials look the other way – and it’s happening a lot in Texas.
And just in time for Halloween, something wicked is coming to Garland: A celebration of Texas’ role in the horror film genre.
Ken Paxton whistleblower says his fight is not over
He was one of the whistleblowers against Attorney General Ken Paxton, and he says his fight is not over.
What appears to be a 180° turn by the Biden Administration as it waves environmental laws and resumes construction work on a border wall in South Texas.
Hundreds of thousands of Texans dropped from Medicaid rolls post-‘peak COVID’ – some wrongly so, whistleblowers say – due to errors at the state health department.
What could be an epic football battle this weekend: the Red River Rivalry. Are the Longhorns back, for real?
Also, the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune.
Which major city in Texas has the worst weather?
Ken Paxton’s impeachment and Senate trial was the biggest political story in Texas in decades. History will no doubt recall what transpired over the previous two weeks at the Capitol, but how much do most Texans know that anything happened at all?
A state-imposed superintendent for Houston schools rolls out what he calls the New Education System – and it’s getting a lot of pushback.
Remembering Latina scientist Elma Gonzalez.
And with frequent hurricanes in Southeast Texas, and twisters up north … which big city has the worst weather in Texas, and why?
TxDOT wants to bury a highway. The Dallas City Council wants to get rid of it.
Tenure is on the agenda in the Texas Senate this week, as lawmakers weigh a bill that would end the practice for the new faculty at public colleges and universities.
The Texas Department of Transportation wants to bury Interstate 345, a 1.4-mile stretch of highway that connects Dallas to its Deep Ellum neighborhood. But the Dallas City Council wants to get rid of it.
A Hill Country destination looks beyond tourism: The city of Kerrville gets busy on a plan to attract industry.
Pro sports teams shunned gambling on games, but now, Texas’ 11 top franchises are teaming up to legalize sports betting in the Lone Star State.
Texas Standard: October 11, 2022
As protests have grown over the school boards’ handling of the aftermath of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary, the Uvalde school superintendent announces his retirement. We’ll have more on Monday night’s school board session. Also: are national democrats conceding republican gains in south Texas come November? The cancellation of campaign ads in the Rio Grande Valley raising questions. And the annual college rankings: a go to for students and parents. But how useful a tool in the real world? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 19, 2022
With shelters full and an infrastructure near breaking point, hundreds of migrants released on the streets of El Paso without services. So what now? As Governor Abbott presses forward with a program to bus migrants to democratically controlled cities out of state, New York’s mayor threatens legal action, as critics call Abbott’s busing program a political stunt. We’ll take a closer look. Also Texas’ richest resident announces plans for a new startup: a lithium refining plant. Why that could be critical for the next evolution in transportation. And the road ahead for rural Texas: a report warns it’s especially treacherous. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 29, 2022
A booster rollout: ready for launch? As a long awaited Omicron vaccine gets ready for release, are Texans ready for another round of shots? We’ll explore. Other stories we’re covering: families of victims of the Uvalde shooting gather at the capitol to tell their stories and demand action. And military rules on weight leading to eating disorders and some say the services are do too little to address that issue. Also, the business of college football changing as never before with some players getting paid de facto salaries at bigger schools and altering the calculus for recruitment. Those stories and much more coming up today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 26, 2022
A Texas gun restriction for 18 to 20 year olds ruled unconstitutional. This, just 3 months after a young gunman’s deadly attack on a school in Uvalde. A judge in Fort Worth rules that Texas can’t ban 18 to 20 year olds from carrying handguns. We’ll hear more about what’s behind the decision and what comes next. Also beyond debt forgiveness: what can be done to bring down the cost of higher ed in the first place? And amid a water shortage in the Valley, one community moving to reclaim water for the future. Also a teacher shortage today, a crisis for the future? Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 10, 2022
There’s more fallout from the FBI’s raid at the home of former president Donald Trump. What are Texas republicans saying? We’ll explore. Plus having a baby in west Texas is getting more dangerous. We’ll take a look at maternal care west of the Pecos. All that plus our weekly fact check, the latest headlines, and Tom Landry. Today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 11, 2022
What happened to more than a billion dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds for Texas? Officials want to know whether the money was misspent. Were COVID-19 relief funds used to defray the costs of the governor’s border crackdown? That story plus, how nominally non-partisan school board elections in Texas became a magnet for big money donations, and what that could mean for what’s taught in public school classrooms. Also higher ed in Texas prisons: a new report outlines big gender disparities in opportunity. And the work of the code inspector, and why it often isn’t working to help many apartment renters. Plus a Politifact check on SB8 and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 4, 2022
The Biden administration is set to end a Trump era policy aimed at keeping migrants out of the US due to pandemic concerns. Also, what’s the difference between Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke? According to a new survey of potential Texas voters: about 2 points; the research director of the Texas Lyceum Poll on the Governor Abbott’s slim lead. And Richard Linklater on his new film celebrating growing up in Texas during the space age. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 1, 2022
The release of oil from the nation’s strategic reserves; an effort to lower gas prices but also turn up the heat on Texas oil and gas producers? Also, what’s believed to be a first of its kind conference for Texas’ nine historically Black colleges and universities set for Austin. And, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune. All this and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 04, 2022
What more should the US do to put the squeeze on Russia? Former Texas Congressman and ex-CIA officer, Will Hurd, on whether we should impose a no-fly zone. Also, a bipartisan push for Texas pension funds to divest from Russia. And, we’ll meet the Jeopardy player from Texas who brought home the college championship prize. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard.
Texas Standard: February 1, 2022
This year’s first test of the state’s power grid; what to do to prepare for wintry weather on the way. Also, the Texas politician who apparently has his eyes on a 2024 presidential bid…if Donald Trump isn’t running, that is. Plus, what to look for in the upcoming primaries. These stories and more, today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 4, 2022
As Texas students return to a post holiday footing some are finding it’s not ‘back to the classroom’ just yet. The latest pandemic spike punching holes in back to school plans. We’ll talk with a panel of education reporters with the latest from across Texas. Also, beef prices skyrocketing, but that money’s not making it back to Texas cattle ranchers. Now the Biden Administration’s stepping in: what Texas rancher’s have to say about the Feds’ new plan. And a new Texas law takes effect trying to put renters on an even footing with homebuyers when it comes to knowing if you live in a floodplain. All those stories and more today on the Texas Standard.