Dallas

Eric and Katrina Brooks owners of Black Pearl Books


In this episode of Black Austin Matters, hosts Lisa and Rich converse with Eric and Katrina Brooks, the owners of Black Pearl Books. Together, they reflect on their meeting at Clark Atlanta University, emphasize the significance of black representation in literature, stress the value of reading, and share their efforts to combat book bans.

Reflections from three Holocaust survivors in Texas

President Trump’s long-promised deportation raids get underway in Texas and in other parts of the country. Today, what we know about the weekend operations and what we’re learning.

On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Texas Standard’s Sarah Asch brings us the voices and memories of survivors living in Texas.

And: The Texas Senate has unveiled a bill to create a school voucher plan. The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey gets us caught up on the plan ahead of a public hearing on Tuesday.

State targets Allstate data collection practices

We’ll have the latest on a dramatic drop in thermometers statewide and what that could mean for large parts of Texas next week. Also: How some are hoping to protect people experiencing homelessness from the worst of the big freeze.

The incoming Trump administration has vowed to make immigration enforcement a top priority, possibly including mass workplace raids. What this could mean for Texas workers and businesses.

And: After suing General Motors in August over alleged illegal driver data sales, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has now filed a similar lawsuit against Allstate, accusing the insurer of tracking drivers without their knowledge.

The best of The Texas Newsroom

We’re taking a look back at some of our favorite stories of the year from our public radio reporting partners across the state, including:

A Dallas ISD program that’s getting more Black and Latino men into classrooms.

Mobile health clinics rolling out to provide vital medical services as the state loses rural hospitals.

And: A visit to the traditional Mexican rodeo in San Antonio.

After its buyout, has Whataburger lost its spice?

There’s a fight to lead the Texas House of Representatives, and two names top the list. Yesterday we heard about Justin Burrows; today we’re taking a closer look at his challenger, David Cook, who the support of the House GOP caucus.

How one Central Texas school district is trying to do something about chronic absenteeism.

And: Whataburger has long been celebrated as a Texas fast food icon, but after its sale to a Chicago-based company, many claim it just isn’t what it used to be. Omar Gallaga explains.

PBS special explores untold Latino history

With immigration a major issue in presidential politics, the Fifth Circuit takes up Texas’ challenge to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
North Texas car dealerships accused of racially discriminatory practices are now suing the Federal Trade Commission, saying their interference is unconstitutional.
A new study finds Black and Latino consumers are twice as likely to be prone to digital scams or cyber attacks.
And: The PBS special “American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos” sheds light on the evolving story of Latinos in media, academia and beyond.

Alamo Trust battles to keep Ferris wheel out of historic neighborhood

Rick Perry, the longest-serving governor in Texas history, is returning to the Capitol as an adviser for House Speaker Dade Phelan. What it means for Texas politics.
Five years after a mass shooting in Odessa, a new sculpture rises in hopes of helping the city heal.
Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the State Fair of Texas and the city of Dallas over a gun ban at the fair.
A fast-spreading disease is threatening grape harvests and vineyards across the state.
And: The Alamo Trust is working to block the construction of a proposed Ferris wheel near the historic site.

Setbacks stall two big energy projects in the Rio Grande Valley

A Houston housing program designed to increase affordability isn’t helping the lowest earners. Is it a failure – or is it more complicated than that?
Two liquified natural gas projects set to be built in the port of Brownsville are on hold after a court ruling. What that means for the plans long-term.
The safe return of two astronauts aboard the International Space Station remains a top priority for NASA.
We’ll introduce you to a pair of Dallasites working to preserve Black histories in a changing neighborhood, the Tenth Street district.
And: What to do when you need a physical copy of something and just don’t have a printer.

What’s next after Biden exits presidential race?

President Biden’s decision yesterday to drop his campaign for re-election and to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee follows weeks of mounting pressure from members of his own party. But it was a Texan who was the first Democrat on Capitol Hill to call for Biden to step aside. We’ll talk with U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett.

What can we expect between now and Election Day? A UT Austin professor takes a look at the logistics of Biden stepping down and what it means for next month’s Democratic National Convention.

Some historical perspective: The last time an incumbent president announced he wouldn’t run for reelection was Texas’ Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1968.

Plus: Remembering the legacy of longtime Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who has died at 74.

Inside San Antonio College’s hands-on mortuary science program

We’re taking a look at the remaining Supreme Court decisions this term, on gun rights, abortion, freedom of speech online, and homelessness, just to name a few.
Texas Democrats and Republicans build bipartisan consensus to tackle the state’s affordable housing crisis.
A petition drive in the Valley aims to change the McAllen city charter, to give voters more power in shaping policy.
San Antonio has a new funeral home, the only one in the country operating on a college campus.
And: saving the Texas tortoise and horned lizard – how a rancher and her dog are helping scientists find the elusive critters.

Are unlicensed teachers affecting student performance in Texas?

After the worst-ever wildfire disaster for Texas agriculture, there’s now an effort to help ranchers who lost large numbers of pregnant cows.
A year after the mall shooting in Allen, what the data reveals about gun violence there more broadly.
A new report documents how unlicensed teachers are becoming fixtures in many Texas schools.
Organizers of the Texas Eclipse Festival in Burnet County are now offering partial refunds to attendees because the event ended a day early.
Also, just how smart is artificial intelligence getting? Commentator W.F. Strong tried a little experiment.

The latest on the bird flu outbreak among dairy cows

Storms continue to wreak havoc with flooding in some places north of Houston, the worst they’ve seen since Hurricane Harvey.

A preview of a big election tomorrow to fill a seat that hasn’t been vacant since the early 80’s.

Efforts to curb property taxes. How well’s that actually going?

The United Methodist Church does a 180 on LGBTQ clergy. We’ll talk with the Bishop of the Rio Texas Conference.

A big night for Dallas sports fans on more than one front. We’ll hear why and what’s at stake.

Do’s and don’ts for Cinco de Mayo.

Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.

Austin to be hit as Tesla announces 14,000 layoffs

Are protest organizers responsible if a participant breaks the law? A court decision could have a chilling effect.
A new report on maternal health shows Black Texans are much more likely to die after giving birth than their white counterparts.
What layoffs at Tesla mean for jobs in Texas and the EV car market.
The Houston Dash celebrates a decade of women’s pro soccer. How the team and the league have grown over the years.
And: We’ll talk to comedian Jeff Hiller, who’s returning to his home state of Texas for the Moontower Comedy Festival.

The move away from fossil fuels may exacerbate water scarcity in South Texas

Corpus Christi at the intersection of a clash between dueling demands – one for water, another for energy alternatives.
Dallas City Council votes to expand historical preservation efforts, with a specific outreach to communities of color.
If you’re looking for an apartment in Texas, do you know what you’ll really be paying each month? A warning to renters about the rise of so-called junk fees.
A Houston print shop, long popular with musicians, now the center of a labor dispute. Raul Alonzo with that, plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more.

From small startups to fossil fuel giants, Texans are rethinking the future of energy

What’s the connection between credit card fees and Texas? It’s a question at the heart of a case that could affect consumers nationwide.
In Texas’ energy mix, gas and oil are giving way to more and more alternate sources: think wind, solar and small-scale nuclear – and many of the projects are run by veterans of the fossil fuel industry.
Corpus Christi is making plans to deal with a lack of drinking water, but some locals are pushing back against one potential solution.
Also: North Texas is making plans to host World Cup games, but they’re racing against the clock.

Texas frackers are going electric – but can the grid handle it?

With a push from Texas Republicans, the U.S. House moves a step closer toward a vote to impeach the head of Homeland Security.

Amid a shortage of teachers statewide, a move in Dallas to get more men of color in the classroom.

In the Texas oilfields, how a push for greener drilling has some worried about the effects on the power grid.

A browser update for the ages? Why new features in Google Chrome have one tech writer warning of the end of the human internet.

And Temu takeover? Why U.S. giants like Amazon and Walmart are rethinking their strategies as a China-based retailer turns up the heat.

A national lab didn’t detect disease in Texas deer, but the state had already euthanized them

Missing mail and massive delays in postal delivery in the Houston area are sparking action from U.S. Rep. Al Green. We’ll hear what he plans to do about it.

A controversial law allowing Texas police to arrest people suspected of crossing the border illegally takes effect soon – but some rural sheriffs in the Big Bend region say they’re not eager to enforce it.

And: An entire herd of white-tailed deer at the Kerr Wildlife Management Area was euthanized amid concerns about the spread of a contagious disease. But the affected deer may not have had the disease after all, according to new test results.

Thousands of vulnerable Texans stand to lose food and health benefits

A plan to provide aid to Ukraine and Israel is on the ropes due to disagreements over border security. What comes next? Brandon Rottinghaus of the University of Houston has more.


Thousands of vulnerable Texans stand to lose food and health benefits from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also known as WIC.


An obscure element of the school financial system is leaving some districts with more money than they need.


And we’ll talk to Tyler Campbell, the son of NFL Hall of Famer and Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell, who’s sharing his story in a new book.

State stops effort to reclaim Fairfield Lake State Park

Expensive homes owned by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have not been disclosed to the state as required by law. Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy of the Texas Newsroom has more.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will no longer try to use eminent domain to reclaim Fairfield Lake State Park, ending a months-long struggle between the state and a Dallas developer.

The digital divide has for decades been a concern. Why many in Texas worry things are getting worse.

And: Remember expectations of a blue wave? How are Democrats’ chances for political success in Texas shaping up for 2024?

60 years after JFK assassination, revisiting the stories of two witnesses in Dallas

It’s been a political season in Texas like few others in recent memory. After a legislative session and four special sessions, where do we stand?

November 22, 1963: It was on this date 60 years ago that a sunny Friday in Dallas turned into one of the darkest days in the history of the United States. We’ll hear firsthand accounts from two who were there in John F. Kennedy’s presidential motorcade when shots rang out in Dealey Plaza, and the world held its breath.