A frigid Friday and ongoing warnings in much of North and Central Texas to stay off the roads. In the run up, this week’s winter storm was characterized by many as the first real test of the power grid following last years rolling blackouts. But was it? And do traumatized Texans feel more assured? We’ll explore. Also a butterfly sanctuary in South Texas closes its doors indefinitely following death threats and more from partisan conspiracy theorists. Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and more today on the Texas Standard:
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Texas Standard: January 31, 2022
On this final day to register to vote in the primary, a new survey offers a sneak peek on who’s ahead in what races and why. A pandemic, a statewide power outage, a walkout at the capitol over voting restrictions. In 2022, how much is set to change in Texas politics? A new poll by the University of Houston Hobby School suggests less than some might imagine. We’ll hear more. Also, in a decision celebrated by environmentalists, rights to drill for oil in the gulf wiped out by a federal judge. We’ll hear about what could be long term ripple effects. And a growing problem for Texas pitmasters: where’s the wood? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard :
Texas Standard: January 5, 2022
As COVID-19 cases bring hospital ICU’s to capacity statewide, FEMA now saying help is on the way. But will it be enough? Today, our conversation with Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley on the challenges they face during this latest spike in cases. Also, Governor Abbott announces another lawsuit against the Biden Administration, this time over vaccination mandates for Texas National Guard troops. Plus a new years cold snap, a plunge in energy production, and a huge release of pollutants. What an incident last weekend tells us about Texas’ energy industry and readiness for the next freeze. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 3, 2022
With schools statewide returning to classes and Omicron cases rising, many Texans are asking: now what? Some answers from a doctor today on the Texas Standard.
Other stories we’re tracking- the US Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments this week over Biden Administration vaccination mandates. We’ll have the latest. Also, the 5th Circuit is set to hear arguments in another challenge to SB8- the state’s new abortion restrictions.
Earthquakes spark an order from state officials affecting fracking in the Midland area.
And, you’ve seen the bumper sticker “Don’t California my Texas”? Why some in South Texas are now saying don’t “Austin-ify our Brownsville”. Those stories and more.
Texas Standard: December 27, 2021
As COVID-19 cases soar in Texas, we look at where Texas stands in the pandemic fight and what more we can do in the holiday season. Texas health experts weigh in on what’s happening with the rapid spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. Also what 2021 tells us about 2022 when it comes to Texas’ role as the world’s energy capitol. And inflation putting a pinch on many households. How much is this like the crisis of the 70’s? Perhaps less than one might think. Economist Ray Perryman weighs in. Plus the modern-day revival of an underground comics classic, one with a distinctly Texas accent. The freak Brothers backstory and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 24, 2021
In the aftermath of a historic winter storm and deadly rolling blackouts came recriminations – but are we any more ready for this winter? Before the Texas power crisis of last February there were warnings about the power grid. After the storm came the promises for change, to fix the problems and to be better prepared for the next time. What did state leaders do to make sure something like the February blackout never happens again? And what role did deregulation play in the failure of the Texas power grid? From the podcast The Disconnect – answers to those questions and much more on a special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 23, 2021
It was an event that left an indelible mark on Texans – what exactly happened as a winter storm and blackouts rolled across the Lone State State? There had been warnings for years that Texas’ power grid was vulnerable. Yet on a mid-February morning in 2021, the lights went out for millions of Texans – leading to shortages of food, water, heat – and hundreds of deaths. A step-by-step look at how a grim chapter in Texas history unfolded earlier this year – leading to questions we’re still grappling with today. From the podcast The Disconnect, the 2021 Texas power crisis as it unfolded, on this special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 22, 2021
After the storm and deadly rolling blackouts – a major question remains: why was Texas’ power grid so vulnerable? In February, a winter storm brought the energy capital of the world to its knees, leading to millions of Texans without power, a death toll well into the triple digits – and many questions such as how the power grid could have succumbed so suddenly, without apparent warning. There’s a history that’s unique to Texas’ power grid – one that involves football, subterfuge, and a whole lot of lobbyists. From the podcast The Disconnect, the story of the Texas power grid – on a special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 21, 2021
Millions of Texans lost power, hundreds died – months later, the question lingers: how did this happen? They call Texas the energy capital of the world, which makes it all the more a mystery. As a winter freeze gripped the state in February, a text message sent statewide in the middle of the night was the first hint most Texans had that extended blackouts were coming – an event that would bring the Lone Star State to its knees. From the podcast The Disconnect – an attempt to reconnect the dots behind one of the worst power-related disasters in Texas history, on a special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 14, 2021
All politics is local, the saying goes…but hyperpartisan, too? How the TX landscape is changing for local and school board races. Republicans in Potter County, home to Amarillo say they’ll conduct their own primary without the help of election officials and they’re urging other Texas counties to do the same. We’ll have the latest. Plus Texans sparked a lithium battery revolution, now another Texas breakthrough that could lead to something more sustainable and stable. And a critically acclaimed Texas trio hits it big, inspired by the sounds of Houston. Our conversation with the members of Khruangbin and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 6, 2021
Twas the month before an election year and all thru the House and Senate and beyond, concerns rising among Democrats in Texas. Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune reporting on a push for change at the top of the Texas Democratic Party. Also a growing list of unanswered questions one month after the deadly tragedy at the Houston’s Astroworld festival. We’ll hear about findings by the Houston Chronicle. Plus representative Donna Howard on where we stand with reproductive rights in Texas in the wake of last week’s oral arguments in a major abortion case. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 3, 2021
The Trump era policy for asylum seekers to resume after talks between the Biden administration and officials in Mexico. The so-called remain in Mexico program is coming back, despite promises of change. We’ll hear why. Also the push to preserve the history of a formally segregated school in West Texas. And El Paso’s ban on planting Mulberry trees. Now that the existing ones are dying off, what will take their place? Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune, and remembering the Texan getting tons of attention right now for his role in keeping the fab four together. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 22, 2021
After earnest promises to fix the grid after last winters statewide blackouts, is Texas better prepared for the next winter storm? A new report offers answers, we’ll explore. Also Dallas and Houston among the top destinations in the U.S. for holiday travelers who are hitting the road this week despite a spike in gasoline prices. But but there may be some good news on the horizon. We’ll have the latest. Plus if you’re planning on taking the plane, how concerned are you about air rage? We’ll meet a scholar who says buckle up, there may be more turbulence in the passenger section. And a Thanksgiving feast stuffed into a single bag of candy corn? All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 8, 2021
The Biden Administration vaccine mandates put on hold by the 5th circuit. What comes next in the fight against COVID-19? Steven Vladeck of UT Law breaks apart the significance and impact of the decision blocking federal vaccine mandates and what comes next. Also SPR, OPEC, COP26 and RBOB… decoding efforts to deal with climate change and the effect on energy markets. And an historic reopening today at the border. Plus an investigative report reveals poison in the air in parts of Texas at dangerous levels…levels not usually captured by official data. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 3, 2021
Eight constitutional amendments, all 8 approved by voters. And local ballot measures, too. Any way to tease out political change in Texas? We’ll explore. Other stories we’re tracking: wind turbines set to join oil rigs in along the Texas coast? We’ll have more on big plans for renewable power generation in the Gulf of Mexico. Also more people, less water. How North Texas is planning for the future and why some residents are not going with the flow. And Texas has been home to many icons, including some iconic words. Commentator W.F. Strong on a certain noun with Texas ties that’s gone global. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 25, 2021
Two cases challenging Texas’ near total ban on abortions get put on the fast track by the U.S. Supreme Court. What happens next? Not since Bush v Gore has the U.S. Supreme Court moved with such speed as has in two challenges to Texas’s new abortion law, known as SB8. But for now, it remains in force in Texas. We’ll hear what the SCOTUS move means for the future of abortion in Texas and the rest of the nation. Also a plan to link Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio by Amtrak. One with friends in very high places, including 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And the art of ladders and border barriers. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 22, 2021
The Texas Attorney General, already under a cloud of legal charges, loses an appeal in a whistleblower case against him. The latest today on the Texas Standard.
Eight months after a deadly winter storm, new weatherization orders for the state’s power generators. Is it enough?
Also a Texas ban on Delta 8. And no, we’re not talking about a COVID variant, here.
A new Netflix series that’s rare in a number of ways- not least of which, greater Latin-x representation behind the scenes. Our conversation with animator Jorge Gutierrez and the inspiration behind the new series Maya and the Three.
Plus, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more.
Texas Standard: October 14, 2021
It is a legislative season that at times has seemed like it might never end. Today Bob Garrett of the Dallas Morning News and Taylor Goldenstein of the Houston Chronicle get us up to speed on what the lege has left to finish, and what’s been done up to this point. Also the launch of a lawsuit over public beach closures near the SpaceX facility. And a military plane crash brings home the dangers of housing developments near bases, quite literally. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 11, 2021
The 5th circuit court of appeals lifts a lower court stay on Texas new abortion law. What comes next? Doctors who performed abortions in the state during a court-ordered stay on the new Texas abortion law could be subject to lawsuits. We’ll have the latest. Also could the Woodlands become Texas’ newest city? Why the developer opposes an upcoming vote to incorporate. And what this coming winter spells for energy demand in Texas. We’ll hear a forecast. Plus, pregnancy during a pandemic: new insights from a Texas study. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 27, 2021
A full forensic audit of the November vote in Harris, Dallas, Tarrant and Collin counties… but why? And why these four counties? The election audit was announced hours after a letter to the Governor from former President Trump. We’ll have the latest. Also, allegations of graft against Houston’s mayor results in the sacking of the person overseeing affordable housing. And call them signs of leadership: the former aide to Ann Richards finds a novel way to remind Texans of the former Governor’s legacy. The backstory on the Ann Banners. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard: