Election day is just around the corner. We’ll start the show with what you need to know here in Texas to make sure your vote is in on time. And we’re watching some U.S. House races that could be up for grabs. There’s been a lot of attention on historically red seats going blue, but at least one Democratic incumbent also appears vulnerable. And we’ll also turn our sights away from election talk for an update on something else with long-term effects on the state: coastal flooding and how a new policy change could impact how we prevent it. And we’ll fact-check a claim about Texas taxes and business regulations. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Flood
Texas Standard: August 26, 2020
Residents of the northern part of the Texas gulf coast prepare for the worst as Hurricane Laura approaches, gathering speed. Overnight, hurricane Laura intensified 70 percent, approaching category 4 as it neared the coastal border of Louisiana and Texas. Many cities have been evacuated, we’ll be checking in with the mayor pro-tem of Galveston, who says residents there are bracing from a storm similar to Hurricane Ike. Also a major beef between Harvard and Texas A&M as the two institutions engage in a public food fight over the safety of eating meat. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 24, 2020
Storm clouds gathering along the Texas coast as a tropical depression bears down on the Lone Star State. We’ll have more on the weather situation and what south Texas should be prepared for this weekend. Also as schools scramble to assemble reopening plans, high school football teams prepare to return to the field. We’ll have the latest. Plus, a cyber truck factory cruises into Texas, the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 29, 2020
Tho COVID-19 seems to be receding in larger Texas cities but a rise of cases in smaller cities has those on the front lines getting hit especially hard. We’ll hear more on a Coronavirus outbreak among first responders in Abilene. Meanwhile in the biggest county in Texas, certain neighborhoods finding themselves most at risk. We’ll hear what they have in common and what’s being done. Also its not your imagination: why fire ants do seem to be getting nastier. And the Texas actor who’s found a role as home state cheerleader during this crisis. Matthew McConaughey and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 15, 2020
National trends suggest people of color disproportionately affected by COVID-19. But in Texas, a data gap is leaving health officials empty handed. African American leaders call for the state to address concerns about a lack of data that could be the difference between life and death in some Texas communities. Harris County Commissioner and former State Senator Rodney Ellis joins us. Also, a much anticipated forecast ahead of hurricane season. And it’s only a game, or is it? How many Texans are spending their downtime online and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 21, 2019
House speaker Dennis Bonnen could be leaving sooner than anyone expected, so says Texas tribune co-founder Ross Ramsey. We’ll have details. Other stories we’re following: a backlog at a major DPS crime lab. The problem: worker turnover. Also, money going up in smoke? What to do about a surplus of natural gas. And is Texas more southern or western? Scholar H.W. Brands invites readers to rethink what they know of the latter, in his epic history of the American west. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 23, 2019
Imelda now blamed for five deaths in Texas after one of the strongest tropical storms in U.S. history draws comparisons to Harvey. We’ll have a firsthand view of the impact of flooding in Southeast Texas. Also, a deal with El Salvador designed to make would be asylum seekers think twice about coming to the U.S. And the trial of a Dallas Police Officer accused in the shooting death of a man in his own apartment. Plus, a quarrel over quarries. Who can stop them from moving in next door? Those stories and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 20, 2019
At least two dead, nearly 4 feet of rain and some parts of southeast Texas calling it worse than Hurricane Harvey. Our own Michael Marks joins us with the latest on tropical storm Imelda’s toll in Texas. Also, you’ve heard the phrase ‘it takes a village’, but to go to Mars? Why SpaceX is offering to buy an entire south Texas community. And Houston says Howdy Modi as the Indian Prime Minister makes Texas a centerpiece of his U.S. visit. Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 16, 2019
Not another presidential tweet or campaign jab, but a change in the federal register that could lead to a profound change at the southern border. The new rules could effectively stop asylum claims at the border with Mexico, and it is certain to get a challenge in court. We’ll take a closer look. Also, teachers were promised pay raises. But who gets what, and why? Some disappointed by the calculus are promising political payback. And a slowdown in oil country, layoffs coming? Quite the opposite. Those stories and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 11, 2019
The latest disturbance in the Gulf seems to be on track to hit Louisiana. But the next one could head this way. We’ll take a look at how Houston’s prepared since Harvey. Plus, a new school being built in the Texas Hill Country is billed as the most water efficient in the state. How it’s doing that and whether the model can be replicated. And strife in the tech industry. We’ll take a look at how planned Amazon protests are just one example of a potential shake-up. Also, we’ll look at teen curfews. Why some cities are reconsidering laws that punish minors for being out late or on a school day. All of that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 29, 2019
If another Harvey sized storm hit the Texas coast, could the state’s economy weather the hit ? A warning to Texas officials about the need to do something to protect the Galveston bay before the next so called 500 year storm event, we’ll take a look. Also a plan to get teachers to transfer to low performing schools, how’s it going? Plus how is it that a small texas town of 400 people is bankrolling projects statewide? We’ll explore. And has Texas government debt really risen 40 percent in 5 years? Politifact checks the numbers and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 9, 2019
A showdown between congress and the executive branch over the Mueller report. Many calling it a constitutional crisis. But is it, really? In the fight over control of the Mueller report, it may come down to the courts to decide whether the executive branch can justifiably assert executive privilege and stop congress from getting an unredacted copy. We’ll explore what’s at stake for the separation of powers. Also, a new report spots a growing trend: the upwardly mobile mexican migrant, we’ll take a look. And the budget premium smartphone: an oxymoron? Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 3, 2019
Just two weeks after the petrochemical disaster in Deer Park, another chemical fire at a plant outside of Houston: this one deadly. We’ll have the latest. Plus: 9 dead, 20 injured, nearly 200 arrested and 4 years later, all cases dismissed yesterday without a single conviction. What happened after the Waco biker shootout? And what are the lessons? Plus, a warning about a quarter of Texas’ dams, we’ll take a look. And they call it the Rio Grande Valley, but where are the mountains? Our commentator W.F. Strong on an etymological mystery and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 7, 2018
Over a 10 year period, 90 deaths, 32 hundred incidents of abuse and neglect statewide: Alarming findings about the safety of Texas day care centers in a year long investigation by the Austin American Statesman: one that has led to a legal battle with state officials. We’ll hear from the investigative team behind the report. Also, healing harmonicas? What a Texas researcher discovered to help people with COPD. And the week that was in Texas politics and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 6, 2018
Snow to the north, flooding to the south, storms close in on the Lone Star State, with dangerous implications. We’ll hear the latest on weather warnings statewide. Also a man in a jail cell in Odessa may be one of the most prolific serial killers in history. Why did it take so long for authorities to catch him? Plus, why Texas appears to have become ground zero for a cryptocurrency crackdown. And challenging assumptions: one of the most comprehensive profiles of Latinos: ever. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 29, 2018
An historic new era set to begin in Mexico on Saturday. What does Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador mean for Texas? We’ll explore. Also, it’s been more than a year after Hurricane Harvey. Whatever happened to those long promised fixes to the floodplain maps? We’ll take a look. And in the first Texas city to shift to 100 percent renewable energy, plans to redesign the neighborhoods of the future. Also, the big news this holiday season may not be buying the latest smartphone, but what we’re buying with those smartphones. Our go-to digital guru Omar Gallaga has got your number. All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 16, 2018
More than just a me too moment: the Texas House holds hearing on how to crack down on sexual harassment at the capitol, we’ll have the story. Also, the face of Texas politics is changing, and both political parties would like to win over the fastest growing ethnic demographic in Texas. Why California might be able to Texas a thing or two about how to get them. And as the Fed considers another interest rate hike, should you buy or rent your next home? Why hurricane Harvey’s made the calculation more complicated for some. Plus the week in politics and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 6, 2016
We’re checking in with polling places from one end of the Lone Star State to the other as Texans cast their ballots on decision day 2018. How are the lines looking at the polls? If you’re not in line, you’re about to find out as we touch base reporters statewide for the latest. Also, who actually counts all those ballots and without a paper trail, what then? We’ll explore how the sausage gets made on election night. And in other news, the famous Texan who’s remixing black feminism. You’ve heard of Beyoncé? You’ll wanna hear this. Plus the rare bird returning to the Texas gulf coast. All of that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 10, 2018
As a Category 4 hurricane bears down on the Florida panhandle, parts of Texas Hill Country try to recover from flash flooding. Also, after family separations at the border, a new concern grows: an AP investigation finds deported parents in danger of losing kids to U.S. adoption. Plus, do student athletes have a fundamental right to be protected from concussions? We’ll hear of a closely watched civil rights lawsuit filed by parents of an injured player. And a claim from the campaign trail: is marijuana really legal in most states? We run it by Politifact. All that and more, today on the Texas Standard.
Texas Standard: September 26, 2018
The Texas Attorney General is now getting involved in a court fight over whether Texas school children should be required to say the pledge of allegiance, we’ll explore the implications. Also, should toothless inmates in Texas be provided dentures? Right now, many are not. We’ll take a look at the policy some say needs to change. And something that may be in your garage or shed right now could be contributing to the decline in the bee population. We’ll take a look. Plus, speaking of bees, we’ll get the goods on honey. What is it exactly? We’ll hear from our insect expert. Plus, tracking especially high rates of asthma in Dallas. All that and more today on the Texas Standard: