Zero hour in one of the most contentious confirmation battles in American history as the Senate moves on the Kavanaugh nomination. Plus, one school official calls it the thermonuclear option: mass closing of schools under consideration in Dallas. Also, communication breakdown: a quarter century after the dot-com revolution, rural Texas is still waiting for reliable internet. And with the Red River showdown set for Saturday, we remember a game of gridiron chicanery the Longhorns might sooner forget. Plus, the week in Texas politics and a whole lot more… today on the Texas Standard.
Football
Texas Standard: September 17, 2018
Less than a month do go before the deadline for registering to vote in the midterms, do you know if you’re registered? We’ll have a Texas primer. Also, a border patrol officer has been arrested and charged with the murders of 4 women. The victims all worked as prostitutes. We’ll tell you what authorities are saying. And with Florence and before that Harvey, the greatest threat: flooding. Has our current hurricane rating system left us twisting in the wind? Plus Texas beat USC this weekend, but once upon a time, USC pushed Texas across the line to desegregate the gridiron. We’ll hear how and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 4, 2018
Chaos as the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings kick off on capitol hill. But as the focus falls on the high court, another judicial transformation underway? We’ll take a look. Also, it’s long been called the sleeping giant in Texas politics: the latino vote. Texas Democrats are trying wake that giant and do something that’s been difficult in the past: get them to the polls in bigger numbers. We’ll explore. And labor groups scoring victories in a push for paid leave, but are they wasting time and money? Plus chasing Lightin’ in Houston: a 1959 recording of bluesman Lightnin’ Hopkins back in print. We’ll explore his hold on Texas and American music, plus a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 31, 2018
Down to the wire: Canada racing to do what Mexico did: strike a deal with the U.S. and save NAFTA. If they can’t, what will it mean for Texas? We’ll take a look. Also, politics watchers nationwide are enthralled by the Senate race in Texas. One of the most serious challenges from the Democrats in decades and hispanics may hold the key. Question is: will they turn out to vote? But more than that, how will they vote? Republicans rethinking their strategy. Also, business is booming in construction across Texas, just one problem: where are the workers? Those stories and a whole lot more on todays Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 27, 2018
After fears yesterday of a broader downturn following Facebook’s steep stock drop, a stunning new number on the state of the economy. 4.1%: that’s how fast the economy grew in the second quarter. We’ll look at what the numbers add up to in this time of tariffs and talk of trade wars. Also, Nicaragua reported to be in a state of siege, the people at the mercy of paramilitaries. We’ll take a look at what’s happening there and could it mean a new wave of asylum seekers. Plus, the hype around 5G: why all eyes are on Houston for what could be a disrupter for the cable industry. Plus the week that was in Texas politics and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 1, 2018
Governor Abbots plan to fight gun violence includes a proposal from a Texas Democrat. Could a Red Flag Law stop a school shooter? We’ll explore. And gimme a T for Texas, T for tariffs too. How new White House duties on imports could help or hurt matters in our own backyard. Plus, hello hurricane season! Are we better prepared than we were this time last year? Three Harvey survivors look back on their experiences and lessons learned from last years storm. Also the story of the Abilene High football team that went all the way to state and on to Hollywood. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 27, 2018
Can the Governor force a disgraced ex Congressman to compensate taxpayers for the costs of a special election to replace him? We’ll explore your questions. Also, the National Rifle Association is coming to Dallas for its national convention next week. A writer for the Dallas Morning News says its coming full circle in a sense, since two texans turned it into the group it is today. We’ll hear how and why. Plus, an idea to get more future teachers to turn their sights to rural Texas. And an unlikely pick from an unlikely place: football’s Cinderella story from San Antonio. Also, the man convicted of murder who’s helping the wrongly accused get of jail. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 5, 2018
Botched executions: that’s the claim from the attorneys of the latest man put to death in Texas. We’ll examine the details. Also it’s incredibly delicate work: manufacturing and maintaining the country’s nuclear weapons. Why a new contract could be putting that work at an Amarillo plant at risk. And Mexico’s state owned petroleum company is mired in challenges. We’ll look at why and how it’s affecting the country’s relationship with the US. Plus, in Houston an effort to preserve a bit of Latino history, and a new book preserves the history of Big Spring. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 1, 2017
The last man standing from the class of ’84 says goodbye to congress. Is this a start to a sea change in Texas Politics? We’ll have the latest. Also, a bill to authorize the army and navy to take over law enforcement south of the border. An essential step to stop the cartels or a militarization of security in Mexico? We’ll explore. The children’s health insurance program set to shut down for the first time in Texas, why letters may be going out at the first of next week. Plus the week in politics and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 24, 2017
As Washington prepares to declare an opioid emergency, an Amarillo lawmaker is tapped to take on the issue for Texas. We’ll hear his plan on how to fix the crisis. Also, the recriminations between President Trump and gold star families, front and center in the news: but which is the sideshow? That controversy, or the actual events that led the the attack on American forces in Niger? We’ll explore. And Texans may love high school football, but most don’t remember where some of the best games were played, or who played them. The Thursday night lights finally gets some recognition, we’ll meet the man telling the story. And what we might learn this week about what happened in Dallas on that most fateful November day in ’63. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Football and Brain Injury
It can be said that ignorance is bliss, and when it came to football that was the case for our own Dr. Bob Duke. A lifelong football fan, Duke was thrown into a dilemma by a recent study done by researchers at Boston University that revealed that, “chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive, degenerative brain disease found in people with a history of repeated head trauma, may be more common among football players than previously thought.”
Knowing this, the question then became, how can a man who has dedicated his life to studying and teaching about the brain support a spectacle that is so damaging to the brain?
On this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke discuss what it means for Bob to be a fan of football knowing what we now know.
Texas Standard: September 26, 2017
Travis County’s Sheriff does a 180 after a ruling on Senate Bill 4. All ICE Detainers will be honored, but it’s not so simple. The status quo ante, the way things were before SB4. Is that what the court wants Texas to return to? We’ll try to sort out an opinion that’s left considerable confusion over the short term implementation of Texas’ so-called sanctuary cities bill. Also, remember the Texas Miracle? A piece in the New York times asks the question, Texas, you still feelin miraculous? And harvey sparks global interest in the concept of sponge cities. Like the suburbs, only extra absorbent. All that and a whole lot more on the national news show of Texas, 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: August 14, 2017
This time Charlottesville, next time College Station? The warning from white nationalists and the pushback from students, we’ll have the latest. Also, while you were sleeping or trying to avoid the blazing heat: the Texas legislature mopping up last minute business as the special session enters its closing hours. We’ll take a look at what’s passed and what hasn’t. Plus: ready-fire-aim: a gun adopted by scores of police departments raises concerns in Dallas and Houston, concerned about accidental discharges. And what’s a small town to do when there aren’t enough kids for the football team? Six man football struggles with a stigma. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 13, 2017
With the senate’s latest bid to repeal and replace Obamacare, but what about Cost? Today 4 big ideas to fix health care. We’ll have the prescription. Plus, the best kind of policy, many believe, is policy driven by academic studies. But a new investigative report shows a secret program at Google:
paying big money to scholars for research that would help the company get favorable regulations, we’ll explore. Also 5 years after A&M left the Big 12, what’s the score for college football in Texas. Plus the smokier the barbecue the better, huh? Texas Monthly’s barbecue editor says don’t be so sure. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 6, 2017
Her arrest and death made national headlines, but will the Sandra Bland act win the support of Texas lawmakers? We’ll explore. Also with talk of a wall and America first, what started out as boycotts in Mexico may be a new nationalism in the making. Our conversation with a longtime student of Mexican culture and politics. Plus a glut of oil rewriting the rules in the energy capitol: 20 years from now, what’s the future of the energy biz? 5 takeaways from a new prediction. And one and done: straight ticket voting in Texas and the push to pull the plug on an old system. Plus: credit where credit is due. A coaching feat for the ages. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 2, 2017
America First: the rallying cry for the new administration ,and a focus of protests. But are we ready for what might happen beyond our borders? Plus: make new friends and meet new people. What was once the promise of the global coffee house has devolved into name calling and much worse. Is there a way to fix our online conversations? Also a chat with the first openly transgender mayor of Texas. And are you ready for some football? What about on a shorter field? with no kickoffs? And other rule changes? With concussion concerns on the rise, now comes a hail Mary to keep kids in the game. All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
The Weird Connection Between Tony Romo and Tony Roma’s
When Tony Romo joined the Dallas Cowboys back in 2003, some people confused his name with that of Tony Roma’s, the restaurant chain. They thought maybe Tony Romo was related to the Tony Roma family, perhaps heir to the baby back ribs fortune, even though there was an important one letter of difference at the end of the names. Everybody knows by now that there is no relationship between Tony Romo and Tony Roma’s, but there is quite a deep connection between the Dallas Cowboys and Tony Roma’s that few people know about.
Back in 1976, the Dallas Cowboys played the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl X in Miami, a game the Cowboys lost by four points. After the game, Clint Murchison, Jr., owner and founder of the Dallas Cowboys, went to dine at the only Tony Roma’s restaurant in existence at the time. It was in North Miami. He was so impressed with the ribs and the cole slaw, that in legendary Texas style, he said to himself, “I like this restaurant. I think I’ll buy it and move it to Texas.”
These quick draw decisions were not unusual for Murchison. He was once forced to spend a good deal of time with bankers in New York City and soon found himself frustrated that he couldn’t get a decent bowl of chili or good smoked brisket. So, he did the only rational thing a rich Texan could do. He opened his own restaurant there in Manhattan. He called it The Dallas Cowboy. It served classic Texas chili and smoked brisket. Problem solved.
Back to Tony Roma’s. Clint Murchison couldn’t buy the original Tony Roma’s because Tony wouldn’t sell it. But Clint did buy the franchise rights. Within just a few years, there were Tony Roma’s in Manhattan (giving Murchison a second place to get food he liked when he was stranded in New York), Hollywood, Dallas – and the headquarters soon moved to Dallas (well, Plano to be exact) where it remained until just last year.
It could be said that Clint Murchison, Jr. started two great franchises in his life – the Dallas Cowboys and Tony Roma’s. The Dallas Cowboys are today the most valuable team in the NFL. In fact, at $4 billion, Forbes says the Cowboys are the most valuable sports franchise in the world. Worth more than New England or Green Bay. Worth more than the New York Yankees. Worth more even than Manchester United or Real Madrid.
Jerry Jones must be given his due for creating a good deal of that value, but Murchison did build the Cowboys into a marquee name in the NFL before he sold the team. As for Tony Roma’s, it is privately owned so I don’t know its value, but I do know the restaurants have gross sales of over $300 million a year. That’s a lot of ribs, y’all. And now they’ve added lamb ribs to their newest menu.
Just as the Cowboys are known worldwide, Tony Roma’s is, too; 150 restaurants in 30 countries on six continents. You can eat at Tony Roma’s in Madrid, in Tokyo, in Bangkok, Lima, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, where there are eight to choose from, or at locations right here in Texas. Yes, Clint Murchison, Jr. gave us the sacred tradition of watching the gladiators of the gridiron on Sunday afternoons and he gave us the food to watch ‘em with, too. Now, that’s a mighty fine accomplishment. A mighty fine man.
Tony Romo may have no official relationship with Tony Roma’s. But I think he should buy a franchise so we can say I’m going to Tony Romo’s Tony Roma’s. That would be hard to say three times real fast, which I’m sure you’re gonna try as soon as you’re done reading, which is now.
Texas Standard: December 7, 2016
Not since 1787 has the US had a constitutional convention. Now, what was once considered the unthinkable looks possible. The story today on the Texas Standard
The problems of prognostication. Politics: you’re not alone. We’ll look at forecasting through an unlikely lens.
Also a new Texas rule to require burial of fetal remains–for those seeking an abortion, what this means as a practical matter.
They’re calling it the flooding capitol of the nation. It’s also set to become the third largest city in the US. As development continues, can a flood czar help? Or is it too late?
Texas Standard: November 8, 2016
After long lines for early voting how goes it on Election day? We’ll check in with reporter. Plus there are some election stories unfolding today you won’t be seeing in mainstream media coverage. Coming up, the promises made to politicians decades ago over election day reporting…and how that affects what we’re learning about the results and why. Also, doctors? Vets? The milkman? Who makes house calls anymore? To an increasing extent in Texas the answer is teachers. Plus top stories of 2016 anyone? We’ll explore the news that got lost in the noise of an unusually ugly campaign season. All that and more today on the Texas Standard: