DART

New student data system has Texas school worried

Texas’ Supreme Court Justices weigh a misconduct case against a top aide to Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The state’s education agency updates how it gathers data on Texas 12 hundred plus school districts…but now many of those districts worried they’ll pay a steep price.

With wind a bigger part of the energy mix in Texas, concerns about what happens to those gargantuan wind blades once they wear out. A lab in Colorado may have a solution.

In time for elections, the debut of a satire challenging stereotypes and the Latino vote…

The week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more.

Record number of employees leave Houston ISD after state takeover

New ratings suggest big improvements for Houston schools, but not everyone is excited about the changes: In the wake of the state’s takeover, a huge number of teachers and staffers have been leaving.
An Abilene family’s experience with a fentanyl overdose has sparked a citywide call to action. KACU’s Alexis Jones reports.
As rent falls in some places, many people are finding an ever greater portion of their paychecks going to cover housing.
Amid concerns about shark attacks this summer, a new report shows a rapidly growing population of baby bull sharks along the Texas Gulf coast.

Bitcoin miners came to rural Texas – and brought disruption with them

Critics say that Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against five Texas cities over marijuana enforcement is all politics – but what does the law say?

In rural Texas, neighbors of bitcoin miners say the noise is causing migraines, sleepless nights and the flight of wildlife.

Texas freelance journalist Tamir Kalifa has won a top national prize for coverage of the shooting in Uvalde. We’ll meet him and hear how he approaches his reporting.

And: How Tex-Mex has become the MVP of the Super Bowl.

Tracing the foodways of Black Seminoles

The Supreme Court finally has its own ethics code for justices following a series of scandals – including a Texas billionaire showering gifts on Justice Clarence Thomas. Will this new code of conduct make a difference?

Bison once ruled the Great Plains of North America before being hunted almost to extinction. We’ll hear about how Indigenous people in Texas are supporting their slow rebound.

For descendants of Black Seminoles – a group whose members included former slaves and the Seminole native people – finding foodways through Texas and Mexico takes care and intention.

And: Colleges can no longer use race as a determining factor in admissions, thanks to a Supreme Court decision earlier this year. What’s the upshot? It may surprise you.

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A look back at the stories that shaped Texas in 2022

New laws that took effect, decisions from the courts that made history, the fight for social justice and more; it’s 2022 in review. With the Texas Legislature set to reconvene in just days, it’s worth looking back at how much Texas changed over the past 12 months, and what those changes may tell us about what’s to come in the new year. We’ll turn a spotlight on politics and a campaign season that didn’t turn out as expected, the economy, technology and much more as we reconsider the year that was across miles and miles of the Texas, today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 28, 2022

In Florida, as flood warnings go out ahead of hurricane landfall, echoes of Texas’ Hurricane Harvey. The managing editor of space city weather with a live update on Hurricane Ian and parallels to a catastrophic storms in Houston. Also after relatively upbeat reports on Texas’ economy, is the Dallas fed changing its tune? Plus an update on the trial of the mass shooter accused in the attack on an El Paso Walmart. And non-profits taking a new tack to encourage Texas farmers to use less water. Plus a Politifact check of a claim about democrats objecting to presidential election outcomes. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 27, 2022

One small crash for a rocket, how much of a leap for humankind? Why the dart asteroid mission matters. Other stories we’re tracking, fresh threats from Russia to use nuclear weapons as it creates a pretext for the permanent annexation of parts of eastern Ukraine. A Baylor professor and former advisor to the Ukrainian government talks about what comes next. Also the Texas workforce commission says it overpaid many unemployment recipients. But critics say their tactics to get the money back are heavy handed and in many cases, target the wrong people. Also brand Beto and the gubernatorial race: Dan Solomon of Texas Monthly with a closer look and more today on the Texas Standard: