Galveston

Coral samples in Galveston could be key to keeping the species alive

On the eve of early voting, Alexandra Samuels of Texas Monthly and Mark Jones of the Baker Institute at Rice University share a closer look at some of the big contests Texas voters will see on their primary ballots.

We’ll hear about what happened when reporters for the Houston Chronicle began mapping where tickets are being issued to people experiencing homelessness there.

Amid mounting threats from climate change, scientists at Moody Gardens in Galveston are caring for 150 coral fragments from five species to keep them alive.

Anyone up for barbecue – for breakfast? BBQ journalist Daniel Vaughn has some prime tips.

What’s behind the massive oil spill in the Gulf?

An oil spill in the Gulf is considered to be among the worst in U.S. history. After two weeks, why is it getting so little attention?

We’ll hear about an unintended impediment to the growth of electric vehicle manufacturing in the U.S.

After a political fight over a school voucher-like program, salary bumps for Texas teachers are off the table. Why some teachers say they’re OK with that.

Also: What’s behind Mark Cuban’s sale of the Dallas Mavericks, and what could it mean?

Public school teachers in Texas are protesting vouchers. They’ve enlisted plumbers to help.

A federal judge strikes down a redistricting map in Galveston County, saying it violated the rights of Black and Latino voters, and gives the county until Oct. 20 to fix its maps.

Public school teachers plan to travel to Austin to fight a plan to use taxpayer money to pay for private tuition. Who’ll teach the students when the teachers are gone? You might be surprised.

As Texas’ population swells, so does empty office space. We’ll dig into what that signals.

And: We continue our month of Tracking Texas Cryptids with the spooky story of La Lechuza.

Could Texas connect to other electric grids?

A Texas redistricting challenge is being described as an important test of the Voting Rights Act.

Federal regulators are considering a rule that would force Texas to connect to other electric grids.

With Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial set to begin in the state Senate soon, attorneys for the suspended attorney general have asked for the case to be dismissed, citing the “prior-term doctrine.”

Understanding the new “right to farm” protections going into effect next month – and why they should matter to city dwellers, too.

Also, remembering Texas saxophonist Arnett Cobb.

The bipartisan appeal of psychedelic research into treating veteran PTSD

With a big election season looming, Texas withdraws from a national tool designed to prevent voter fraud.

Texas wants to regulate carbon storage on its own. Now two Texas congressmen are pushing to prevent that.

Inflation cooling, good news for many Texas workers but potentially a double edged sword.

With many teachers leaving the profession, a small Texas district sets up its own pipeline for getting new teachers into classrooms.

And a Texas Republican part of a bipartisan attempt to loosen drug restrictions?

DPS whistleblower says troops at border have ‘inhumane’ policies toward migrants

A new report says Texas troopers were told to push back migrants and deny water amid soaring temperatures.

How a redistricting case from Alabama could have ripple effects on Texas’ Galveston County and beyond.

A Sriracha shortage is putting the squeeze on people who love the red sauce, and some Texas restaurants are getting inventive.

How the writers’ and actors’ strikes in Hollywood could play out close to home.

And a reconsideration of the baseball team that won it all in 2017 but was accused of stealing signs: A talk with the author of “Astros and Asterisks.”

Teaching ancient Greek and Roman texts in the Jim Crow era

As Title 42 comes to an end, El Paso declares a state of emergency due to the influx of migrants.

The week ahead at the Texas Legislature, and two bills affecting transgender youth in Texas; one relating to medical treatment, the other, sports competition.

An investigation of a chemical fire in Deer Park outside of Houston, and what it says about warning signs and preparation for potential disasters.

Researchers revisit an educational debate from the Jim Crow era, and the contributions of the Black Texans at the center of it.

NASA’s new head scientist on the future of space exploration

Two lawsuits in Texas, one in Galveston and one in Amarillo, have potential impacts on a post-Roe v. Wade world. SMU legal scholar Seema Mohapatra on the implications for people seeking abortions in Texas and beyond.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn says he plans to block a Biden administration proposal that would allow thousands of migrants to live in the U.S. while their asylum cases are being considered.

We talk to Dr. Nicola Fox, who has been named NASA’s new head of science – a dream gig that comes with a $7.8 billion budget and responsibility for more than 100 missions.

And a new book, “The People’s Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine,” claims a hospital in Houston could serve as a model for improving health care access nationwide.

A deep dive on big plans at the Texas State Aquarium

The Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi will soon take on a new role: the largest coastal wildlife rescue facility in the state, and one of the largest in the country.

Should taxpayers cover the multimillion-dollar settlement in a whistleblower case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton? Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of The Texas Newsroom joins us with the latest.

Black and Hispanic Texans say they don’t trust the quality of their water, according to a new survey.

More book bans in Texas? How a strategy used by abortion opponents may be used to take on librarians.

And the feds are cracking down on a financial maneuver that could implicate questions of freedom of speech.

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: April 28, 2022

Governor’s Abbott’s border security mission known as Operation Lone Star, what has it accomplished? We’ll do a check of the claims being made. Other stories were tracking, federal scrutiny on Galveston county after a redistricting plan eliminating the county’s only majority-minority district. Also, is Twitter ‘Texas-bound’ after its purchase by Elon Musk? We’ll ask tech expert Omar Gallaga. And its Green Ghost, not Gringo…So says an unlikely feature film star, better known in Texas as a car salesman than a big screen superhero. The story of Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone plus a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 12, 2021

No Texan may be compelled to get vaccinated against COVID-19, so says the Governor in a sweeping new order. We’ll have more on the Texas governor’s executive order on vaccinations, a direct challenge to President Biden’s push for employer mandates. Also, how random are Texas jury pools? Investigators are looking into the process in Brazoria country where its alleged that potential jurors were vetted by geography and race. Plus population growth brings new homes to the Hill Country, and something considerably less bucolic, too: new quarries and environmental concerns. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: June 3, 2021

Lawmakers promised fixes to prevent a recurrence of the statewide power outages of last winter. How much really got done? We’ll explore what really was accomplished amid politician’s promises to prevent more statewide blackouts and to fix the Texas power grid. Also, a look at some of the more closely watches bills that didn’t make it thru the legislation in the regular session. And Galveston oh Galveston: the city took a big hit when the cruise ships stopped coming to port due to COVID-19. Now, plans for their return. And the start of hurricane season. A forecast for Texas and much today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 10, 2021

Politics as unusual? Republicans not exactly in lockstep as the legislative session races to a conclusion, we’ll hear why and the potential implications. Plus a foster care system so dangerous is was once ruled unconstitutional. A new report finds young Texans still dying from abuse and neglect. Also why quinoa could become Texas’ next big cash crop. And turning hemp into another kind of green…the Texas Rangers asking questions. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 16, 2021

Emergency efforts at restoring power continue across Texas as millions try to make do without electricity during an historic winter storm. The whole state of Texas affected by power outages, but not equally. Questions mount over the state’s electricity grid management, as much of Texas hunkers down for a second round of frozen precipitation and low digit temperatures. We’ll have the latest. Also, understanding the latest controversy over the national anthem at sports events. And voices of hope, faith and endurance in danger of being lost to history, an effort to rescue priceless Black gospel recordings. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 8, 2021

As the White House prepares for new directives in border enforcement, Texas democratic lawmakers push for immigrant rights changes.Coming up, our conversation with Texas representative Mary Gonzales on how democrats in the Texas legislature plan to press colleagues over immigration rights. Also in a part of Texas that’s long complained of air pollution and a lack of official response, communities are banding together to get things done. We’ll have a report from Houston. And oil demand still down, so way are gasoline prices on the rise? Plus a new Juneteenth mural that promises to be more than just a work of art. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 13, 2021

The Texas legislature has gaveled into session with a new house speaker and big news on the budget front. We’ll hear more on what’s happening at the Texas capitol. Plus from the nations capitol, a conversation with a U.S. congressman from the Rio Grande Valley on the realities ahead on the presidential impeachment front. And with the muting of the president on social media…a new conversation about the future of big tech and free speech. Also, the completion of an historic sculpture in Galveston more than a hundred years in the making. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

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: November 18, 2019

An indefinite stay. What’s next for death row inmate Rodney Reed, who had been set to be executed on November 20th? We’ll have the latest. Also, once sleepy counties on the edges of our biggest cities starting to boom: the changing face of the Texas suburbs. And a hold up at the police station? Why some say law enforcement agencies are preventing vulnerable immigrants from getting special visa designed to get them out of harm’s way. Also, a large Catholic diocese wants to provide foster care services without penalties for LGBT discrimination. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 31, 2019

Does the state have a duty to provide mobile voting centers? Texas democrats claim a new law unconstitutionally disenfranchises young voters, we’ll have details. Also, did Exxon Mobil have one set of numbers about climate change for investors, and a secret set for itself? Texan Rex Tillerson takes the stand in a closely watch trial involving one of the Lone Star State’s biggest companies. Plus, Twitter banning political ads? Tech expert Omar Gallaga on why and what it adds up to. And why you might see tarantulas crossing Texas roadways, and not just tonight, mind you. All of that and then some today on the Texas Standard: