We’ll bring you the latest on tropical storm Nicholas. Also, a carefully crafted letter from Bell county officials to their community. We’ll listen to their heart-wrenching message. And sometimes it’s hard to understand what the FCC does, but this time it’s straightforward. It’s setting aside money for people who need better internet access. We’ll also learn about a boot camp. Not the kind where you drop down and give me 50, but a boot camp that gets soldiers ready for college. And Cricket, the sport, is investing big time in North Texas. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
COVID-19
Texas Standard: September 13, 2021
Making good on a threat: Texas is suing over school mask mandates. We’ll take a look at what we know about a lawsuit against six Texas school districts. Also tropical storm Nicholas is headed towards the Texas Gulf Coast. We’ll discuss what the state and coastal cities are doing now and the implications as oil production is still offline from Hurricane Ida in Louisiana. And twenty years ago today… a disaster along the South Texas Coast. Remembering the Queen Isabella Causeway Collapse. Plus the Republican Party and Texas are practically synonymous in current politics but things have changed over the decades. A look back today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 10, 2021
The US attorney general says the Texas abortion law is one “all Americans should fear” in announcing a legal challenge to new abortion restrictions in Texas. We’ll hear about the justice departments plans. Plus officials hesitant to issue sweeping vaccine mandates out of fears of being sued may have it all wrong. So says a Texas scholar, we’ll hear why. And veterans, Gen-Z and 9/11… how different groups of Texans are reflecting on the attacks of 20 years ago. Plus the week in politics and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 9, 2021
The U.S. Supreme Court intervenes to stay a Texas execution over the role of spiritual advisors in the execution chamber. We’ll have details. Also, do laws restricting abortion access lead to cycles of poverty? A groundbreaking long term study says yes, amid a national conversation over Texas’ new abortion law. And Freedom calling? Or more like spam? The story behind a smartphone marketed to conservatives who want to make a break from big tech. And looking back 100 years after a Texas flood disaster that led to housing discrimination, environmental racism, and demands for change. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 8, 2021
The date’s been set: September 20th. And so has the agenda, if the Governor has his way. What’s in store for a third special session? We’ll have details. Also, new lawsuits take aim at Texas’ new election laws. And as the U.S. goes, so goes Mexico? Quite the contrary, as Mexico’s Supreme Court, in a dramatic step, decriminalizes abortion. A victory for an increasingly strong women’s rights movement there. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 7, 2021
The U.S. Justice Department pledging to explore ways to challenge Texas’ abortion law. But many questions as to how. We’ll take a closer look. Also, more than 57.000 Texans killed by COVID-19 so far. With new variants popping up, is this a pandemic or endemic? A Texas virus expert on whether and how the fight against COVID-19 should change. And engineering expertise and hard work. Once the recipe for success in the energy industry, now Texas energy companies say there’s a skills gap with more high tech hires needed for cleaner energy jobs. Also how new voting laws could backfire against the GOP. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 6, 2021
Texas 2nd special session of the year is over. And a new opinion poll suggests the result is not a necessarily good look for Governor Abbott. If critics were correct that the Governor’s legislative agenda was an effort to win over Texans prior to his reelection campaign, it hasn’t quite worked out as a net positive for him, if a new opinion poll is correct. What’s behind Governor Abbott’s highest ever disapproval numbers? Also, the Pentagon says a Texan was among the last U.S. service members to die in Afghanistan We’ll hear from the widow of another soldier killed in the attack on Kabul airport. Plus a call for a rethink of the American military and more today on the Texas Standard:
The Best Therapy
How many times have begun a sentence with “it’s been a tough year” — or year and a half…? For some folks, the saving grace has been an animal friend — or a few of them. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: September 3, 2021
An early end to the special session at the capitol but the work far from over. Next up redrawing the political maps of Texas. As lawmakers gavel out a second special session, where do we stand and what comes next? A closer look with the editor of the quorum report. Also the search for a new permanent home for the battleship Texas as a piece of history battles the ravages of time. And 10 years after the most destructive fire in Texas history. What happened and what’s happened since. Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 2, 2021
The supreme court breaks its silence, refusing to block Texas’ new abortion law, which is one of the most restrictive measures in the nation. We’ll have the latest. Other stories we’re tracking: a legal challenge to Texas redistricting as two state senators members claim maps can’t be drawn in a special session, asking a judge to draw them instead. Plus memory and 20 years after 9-11. Also how Facebook hopes to take virtual office meetings to the next level… and how Texas may preserve its lead in wind energy by training a new generation to manage the growing number of turbines. All those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 1, 2021
A new abortion law takes effect in Texas. Not only does it effectively prohibit abortions after five or six weeks, it deputizes private citizens to enforce it. We’ll hear about the implications. Also a look at some of the less well known provisions taking effect as Texas law today ranging from homelessness to the Star Spangled Banner. Plus Boca Chica we have a problem… friction between SpaceX and the folks who live near the south Texas launch site. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
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: August 30, 2021
A U.S. Supreme court decision ends eviction bans, sending renters and relief groups in Texas scrambling for answers. We’ll have the latest. Also, 650 new laws set to take effect in Texas this week, and one’s been getting a lot of national attention. It would effectively ban abortions after about 6 weeks, and deputize ordinary citizens to enforce the new rule. We’ll have more. Plus SpaceX, the Cybertruck… now Elon Musk wants to enter another market in Texas: the electricity market. What this might mean for consumers and for the electric marketplace, already taking tons of heat for its shortcomings. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:
The COVID Coaster
The so-called “waves” of the COVID-19 pandemic look similar to the ride of a roller coaster — but it’s not a ride anyone is enjoying. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: August 27, 2021
It was the story of the summer in Texas Politics. Now proposals at the center of a legislative walkout appear set to become law. The Texas House, where a quorum was broken over Democratic opposition to a voting bill, has just passed its version of that voting bill. Was the walkout all for nought? We’ll hear more. Also at a healthcare hub in west Texas, ER wait-times climb to 20 hours. We’ll have the latest as we continue to track the spread of the Delta COVID variant. And 100 miles in a hundred degrees. What would you call it? How the hotter than Hell bicycle race is rolling into its 40th year. Plus the week in politics and more when today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 26, 2021
Quorum restored and the special session back in action, Texas lawmakers take steps on border security including funding for a wall. Though Donald Trump’s border wall plans may have fizzled, Governor Abbott’s pressing forward with his own call for a Texas version. Bob Garrett of the Dallas Morning News with more. Also as classes return online, students encountering some system errors. We’ll hear about the challenges. And a podcast about racial tensions in a Texas suburb as a microcosm of America. The story behind the series Southlake and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 25, 2021
One of the first moves of the Biden administration was ending the so-called remain in Mexico program. But the Supreme Court says the program must remain in place for now. We’ll hear more. Also, tens of thousands of Afghans set to arrive in the U.S. Many of them to be resettled in Texas. We’ll hear how the process works. And what’s behind the sudden rise of Regeneron? Why the Covid-fighting therapy is getting new attention. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 24, 2021
They walked out over a voting bill. Now, as Texas House Democrats return and the session resumes, what comes next? Republicans say Senate Bill One is needed voting reform. Democrats say it further disenfranchises against marginalized Texans. But right now, that bill appears to be on the fast track again, we’ll have the latest. Also 650 plus new laws coming to Texas in September, including one that allows anyone who legally owns a gun in Texas to carry openly without a permit. We’ll take a closer look at what this change means for Texas, fake COVID-19 vaccination cards, plus COVID-19 questions from listeners and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 23, 2021
As more Texas students return to school more are finding confusion and chaos over mask orders. So where do we stand? We’ll have more on the confusion. Also, the start of an in depth look at some of the new laws set to take effect in Texas next month. Today, a look at restrictions aimed at curbing the teaching of critical race theory. And the return of a quorum in the Texas House. With the stalemate broken in the second special session, what comes next? Also a new program at Texas A&M to encourage farming sustainability with the help of bugs. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 20, 2021
Some jaws drop at the capitol as a handful of Texas Democrats end the walkout and return a quorum to the lower chamber. Also, 70% vaccination rates, room in ICU units, and more. Is there something El Paso’s doing that the rest of the state could learn from? And claims and questions about cloth masks amid the spread of the Delta variant: what makes a safe mask? Plus a civil rights complaint that Port Arthur residents hope will clear the air. Those stories and much more when the Texas Standard gets underway right after this: