Today marks the start of early voting across Texas, but for what? Never fear, we’ll have real world explanations of what’s up for grabs at the polls. Grab a pencil and a small piece of paper and play along as we decide how we’re gonna cast our ballots in the constitutional contests now officially underway. Also, Texas may be one of the top states for executions, but it also leads in exonerations. The price the state is paying for wrongful convictions. And the most powerful super computer at any university in the US is in Texas is about to become one of the nation’s fastest too. So why are they planning for its replacement already? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard :
energy
Wind
Alternative energy sources were the inspiration of this poem. Along with what you might call alternative alternative energy sources.
Texas Standard: October 16, 2017
Once the bete noire of Texas Republicans, the EPA is in regulatory rollback mode. What does this mean for Texans? We’ll explore. Also, sometimes what regulations won’t do, economics will: as folks living near two coal fired power plants are discovering. The small town of Rockdale reckons with its future. And while another, in far west Texas, continues to transform into something few locals would have ever expected: Marfa, reconsidered. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 6, 2017
They are the best numbers in more than 15 years but the worst in 20. The new job reports take a hit from hurricanes, we’ll have the latest. Plus, more legal concerns for Ken Paxton? A Texas prosecutor says she’s investigating whether bribery charges are warranted. We’ll have details plus reaction from the attorney general. And Denton couldn’t keep it’s fracking ban in place, but Scotland’s giving it a go. Lessons from the fracking conversation they’re having across the pond. Also: Galveston oh Galveston, the man who immortalized the Texas island city in song returns to where it all began, a lifelong partnership with Glen Campbell. Plus the week in politics and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 25, 2017
Could Ted Cruz sink the latest republican attempt at Obamacare repeal? Yes. Will he? That’s now the question, we’ll explore. Also, what really happened that caused fires to break out at a chemical plant during Harvey. We’ll hear what environmental regulators are looking into one month later. Plus Pulitzer Prize winning reporter and native Houstonian David Farenthold sent shock waves thru campaign 2016 with his stories on Donald Trump. And what impact has the Trump era had on Texas politics? What Farenthold says might surprise you. Our conversation coming up. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 11, 2017
Hurricane directly affected roughly one in three in Texas, but for kids in the state’s troubled foster care system, special concerns, we’ll have the story. Also- Houston and its environs are especially car dependent. So what happens to what may be half a million cars flooded by Harvey? We’ll find out. Plus the gasoline shortages are disappearing. How long till prices return to pre harvey levels? and why one fossil fuel was spared by the hurricane. And a new survey reveals what many have long suspected about where the big bucks go in high school salaries. We’ll explore who gets em and why. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 1, 2017
As cleanup crews converge on Houston, just a bit to the east its still very much rescue mode. From the heart of the Golden Triangle, this is the Texas Standard.
82,000 homes damaged across Texas.
Harvey’s gone but it left Beaumont and Orange virtual islands…and emergencies in both cities as a military task force turns a big part of its resources to east Texas.
Water water everywhere? Not a drop to drink where we are. Nothing from the tap. Bottled water long gone…
Another growing shortage: gasoline. Rescuers say they’re running low, travelers stalled along backed up roads are running out. But the problem’s not one of supply.
Texas Standard: August 28, 2017
The official forecast was spot on: an unprecedented event and beyond anything experienced. How Texas is weathering Harvey. It started out with staggering winds making landfall north of Corpus Christi, the view from near Rockport described as apocalyptic. No longer a hurricane, Harvey unleashed its fury further north, plunging the third largest metropolitan area into a flood of historic dimensions. We’ll have the latest today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 24, 2017
Of the 19 items on the governor’s agenda 17 are already headed to the Texas senate for a full vote. The House: that’s another story, we’ll have details. Also, how did it happen? The deaths of at least 9 locked in the back of a tractor trailer in San Antonio this weekend raise concerns about the persistence of human trafficking in Texas. And government by and for the donors? Why watchdogs are worried this special session is becoming a spigot for campaign contributions. And the appeal of California vs. the lure of Texas: the migration patterns are clear, but what might this mean in political terms? Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 12, 2017
As the US focuses on the tale of the emails, another big story may be getting buried. Will this week go down in history as the end of ISIS? We’ll explore. Also one of the most powerful players in the business world is buying up Texas companies: a multibillion dollar offer for Oncor, his latest move. Why’s the oracle of Omaha playing Texas hold em? We’ll explore. And we’ve all heard the arguments over immigration: a new report tries to settle the score when it comes to the costs, and benefits. Those stories and a lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 6, 2017
The US Russian divide used to be described as a cold war. Today, more evidence its become something more like a hostage crisis, we’ll have the story. Also a year ago this week: tragedy in downtown Dallas. 5 officers shot dead at an otherwise peaceful protest. What its like to be a cop in the Big D, one year later. And Raising eyebrows in the Texas oil industry, Volvo’s surprise announcement to go all electric: just how imminent is the death of the internal combustion engine? Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 19, 2017
What looks like the first major storm of the hurricane season building up off the coast of the lone star state. We’ll have an eye on the sky. Also as professional storm watchers keep an eye on the gulf, a coastal Texas city struggles with keeping its head about water during normal downpours. In need of a hero, Galveston turns to the sand sucker. Plus, artificial caps on kids getting special education services. An investigative story sparked outrage and calls for reform, but how’s that goin? And after years as the top settlement state for refugee families, barriers often remain. How volunteers are trying to remove language as one of them. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 13, 2017
Spectacle versus substance, episode 2: the attorney general speaks. But after Comey, what are Texans expecting to hear? We’ll explore. Also the governor signs off on a budget, but not all of it. 120 million in cuts by veto pen…we’ll find out what’s left and what isn’t. Plus when a law enforcement officer gets suited up for work, a new report says in some big Texas cities, a major piece of police equipment is getting left behind. We’ll explain. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 7, 2017
Pink dome deja vu: Governor Abbott calls Texas lawmakers back to the city he loves to rail against. We’ll explore going in to legislative overtime. Also, after signing a bill banning texting and driving, governor Abbott pledges to go an extra mile, and some local governments won’t like it. Plus the return of the bathroom bill and a thousand dollar raise for Texas teachers? We’ll set the stage for the just announced special session. And 12 thousand new jobs in just six months. Why surprising new numbers in Texas oil and gas may not add up to what you think it does. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 5, 2017
After another terrorist attack in Britain, middle eastern nations take dramatic steps to cut off Qatar. How closely are the two connected? We’ll explore. Also last year, he tried to distance himself from Donald trump. This weekend, he was elected head of the Texas GOP. His message may raise eyebrows among democrats. We’ll meet him. Plus file under unfinished business: lawmakers leave austin without renewing state aid for some 300 school districts across Texas. What happens in the fall? We’ll talk to a superintendent caught in the crunch. And as the Golden State Warriors take another game in the finals, a question: what’s a coach worth anyway? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 30, 2017
Out with a scuffle: the final hours of the regular Texas legislative session marked with protests and threats. We’ll break it down. Also in legislative news we’ll take a look back at the session and evaluate how lawmakers did when it came to measures affecting children. Plus, is Texas still running the type of open, transparent government leaders used to pride themselves on? And after a two-year slump in crude prices, oil fields are picking back up. What a recent decision by OPEC will do to the oil industry. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 18, 2017
Special prosecutor. While the country is abuzz over an investigation in Washington a case involving a lawmaker in Texas is also moving forward, we’ll explore. Plus there are still almost two weeks left in the Texas Legislative Session but talks of the double-S word: “Special Session”, are looking serious. We’ll tell you why. And one big issue before lawmakers has been changes to the Texas Foster Care System. Where those proposals stand now, it’s part of our ongoing exploration of the system’s challenges. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 20, 2017
The flood most of Texas forgot. A city almost wiped off the map where are they now? We’ll return to Deweyville and check in. Also we’ve been warned there’d be less money and cutbacks in the state budget. But what if a lack of money really wasn’t the problem? The executive editor of the Texas tribune says its not…he’ll explain. Also the Texas governor leading a push for a new Constitutional Convention. But listeners wonder if it’s for real and what it would mean. We’ll look for answers. And what did they say was the hardest part? The waiting game becomes the latest big oil play. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard
Texas Standard: March 6, 2017
Mr. Obama told his successor it would be the most urgent problem he would confront. Hint: it doesn’t involve wiretaps. Should the Trump administration take out North Korea’s weapons capability, and if so how? In the wake of a new wave of rocket launches, UT’s Jeremy Suri joins us to consider the options. Also winter wildfires in the panhandle…what west Texans need to do now to stay on top of a critical situation. Plus remember the Alamo? Remember what they were planning to do with it? As the bottom line for a massive restoration project grows, so does a question: how to pay for it. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 27, 2017
Feeling the pinch? Texas lawmakers blame lower oil and gas revenue. But for the real explanation, you may have to drill deeper, we’ll explore. Plus homeschoolers and public school advocates form an unlikely partnership: the target? Stopping the latest effort on school choice. We’ll hear why. And sweat dirt and drilling equipment: the stuff fortunes have been built on since spindle top. But new wildcatters are getting their hands dirty without getting their hands dirty. We’ll explain. And as states ease up on marijuana, a new directive from the feds to crack down on recreational use of pot. What happens next? All that and more today on the Texas Standard: