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An Indigenous perspective on the solar eclipse from a traditional healer

In a long-running securities fraud case against Ken Paxton, a deal has been reached that will let the attorney general avoid trial or an admission of guilt.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in what could be the most important case on reproductive rights since the Dobbs decision, this time on access to medication abortion.
Autonomous vehicles are getting a lot of bad press. Could smart roads pave the way to self-driving cars and trucks? A smart highway in Texas may put that to the test.
Marika Alvarado, who describes herself as a “direct descendant of generations of Medicine Women: traditional native healers of body, midwives and plant medicine,” shares her Indigenous perspective on the solar eclipse.
And: A UT San Antonio professor has dubbed the upcoming eclipse “the most profitable 22 minutes in Texas history.” Bulent Temel joins the show with more.

New music exhibit features iconic items owned by Willie Nelson, Taylor Swift and more

A new law making it a state crime for migrants to enter Texas without authorization faces a major test in a federal courtroom. We’ll hear the latest.

In Houston ISD, the biggest school district in the state, officials appointed by the state are getting pushback over plans to expand school reforms.

A Texas presidential museum turns a spotlight on Taylor Swift’s guitar, Willie Nelson’s boots and hundreds of other artifacts to help tell the story of American music.

Plus: The week in politics with The Texas Tribune.

Texas frackers are going electric – but can the grid handle it?

With a push from Texas Republicans, the U.S. House moves a step closer toward a vote to impeach the head of Homeland Security.

Amid a shortage of teachers statewide, a move in Dallas to get more men of color in the classroom.

In the Texas oilfields, how a push for greener drilling has some worried about the effects on the power grid.

A browser update for the ages? Why new features in Google Chrome have one tech writer warning of the end of the human internet.

And Temu takeover? Why U.S. giants like Amazon and Walmart are rethinking their strategies as a China-based retailer turns up the heat.

Drilling down on the state takeover of Houston schools

Today, the Standard debuts “The Drill Down,” a new segment highlighting enterprise journalism from our partners across Texas. Today we’ll hear from Dominic Anthony Walsh of Houston Public Media on where things stand more than six months into the state’s takeover of the Houston Independent School District.

Democrats challenging Ted Cruz for his seat in the U.S. Senate debate for what may be the only time before the primaries. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of The Texas Newsroom shares more.

And: A 90-year-old program designed to help blind or visually impaired people find jobs is losing participants, with many leaving because they can’t make a living.

Tired of the same Christmas carols? This Texas composer has some rearrangements

A Texas judge grants a Dallas-area woman her request for an abortion, despite the state’s strict ban. It is thought to be one of the first attempts to seek a court-approved abortion since the U.S Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe vs. Wade. Olivia Aldridge of KUT in Austin shares more.

Aid for Ukraine and Israel is blocked for now over border security concerns, and Texas’ two U.S. senators were very much a part of that process. A Texas Tech political science professor breaks it down.

As Texas cities try to rein in traffic, San Antonio revives a plan to be more bicycle-friendly.

And: North Texas-based music writer and conductor Taylor Davis is discovering something new in the Christmas carols we’ve heard for decades on end.

Why is Texas’ Railroad Commission wading into school textbook policy?

New Texas schoolbooks are raising concerns about the long-term implications for attitudes about climate change.

The state-appointed board now running Houston’s independent school district is dealing with more than what’s happening in the classroom, but also struggling to regain trust.

Apple weighs in on a push to give consumers the right to repair their gadgets. What that means for a growing “right to repair” consumer movement.

Plus, plans to build a major energy plant on the Texas coast on hold after a court rules Texas regulators should have applied stricter emissions standards.

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Suburban school districts revolt against ‘recapture’ funding

What does Ron DeSantis really want from Texas? Jeremy Wallace of the Houston Chronicle weighs in on the GOP presidential candidate’s curious Texas tour.

Two North Texas school districts, Keller and Carroll, take steps to challenge one of the lynchpins of state education funding: revenue recapture.

What the auto strike means for the evolution to electric vehicles.

Fantastic Fest, a terrifying film festival that’s the biggest of its kind in the world, is back for its 18th year in Austin.

And we’ll meet the youngest reporter to cover Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial.

Challenged on the right, progressive Corpus Christi DA seeks higher office

Gov. Greg Abbott has been ordered to remove a controversial buoy barrier from the middle of the Rio Grande.

Among the new laws now taking effect in Texas are new penalties aimed at cracking down on illegal voting. But just how much of a departure from the past is it? The Standard’s Sean Saldana has more.

Facing a trial to force his removal, Mark Gonzalez, a progressive DA in Nueces County, has resigned and announced a challenge to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

And we’ll hear from Pedro Martín, the author and illustrator of “Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir,” a graphic novel about a road trip to Mexico already being called an instant classic.

Unraveling the ‘Iron Pipeline’ of gun smuggling from Texas to Mexico

Following the state’s takeover of Houston schools, a plan to eliminate libraries and use the space for kids who misbehave in class.

Watch that water bill: Not only is use up, some municipalities are raising rates to try to drive down demand.

A three-part series explores how the Texas Attorney General’s Office became an incubator for conservative legal strategies that are reshaping Texas and the nation. Eleanor Klibanoff of the Texas Tribune joins with more.

A new focus on trying to cut down the flow of arms from Texas into Mexico.

And we’ll talk to Sethward, the Texan who’s become a viral sensation for losing on “America’s Got Talent.”

Uvalde mariachi team’s win was a bright spot in a year of darkness

Why couldn’t Republicans who control the Legislature see eye to eye?

There’s a cost to Texas taxpayers that comes with the Legislature going into overtime. Professor Mark Jones of Rice University helps us crunch the numbers.

The Texas Education Agency is expected to take over the Houston Independent School District on Thursday. We’ll take a look at what state-appointed managers face once they start getting settled in.

How did a fight over state incentives to attract business in Texas turn out – and did business boosters get what they wanted?

Plus, the young mariachi band that gave Uvalde something to cheer for.

This West Texas town has been under a boil-water notice for nearly 5 years

State lawmakers heard hours of testimony on a bill that would restrict gender-affirming care for minors. Senate Bill 14 wouldn’t just end access to gender-affirming care for young Texans, it would also revoke the medical license of any doctor who provides it.

How Texas’ first family of oil and gas both regulates and profits from the energy industry.

And in far West Texas, the community of Toyah is dealing with a boil-water notice that seems like it will never end.

How to testify at the Texas Legislature

After the Texas Education Agency’s announcement that it will take over the Houston Independent School district, we’re taking a look at what previous state takeovers could signal for this one.

“Stand up and be heard” – that’s what we’re often told to do when the Legislature’s in session. But how does one do that, exactly? We’ll hear a step-by-step primer.

Our go-to tech expert Omar Gallaga shares some key takeaways from the tech side of South by Southwest.

Plus, the creators of “The Lady Bird Diaries” join us to talk about the new film.

Breaking down the saga at the Dallas Zoo

School vouchers, now styled as school choice, are back before state lawmakers. They have been rejected in the past, but will this year be different? Senate Bill 8 would provide Texas parents with an education account, taxpayer money that could be used to send students to private school. And the bill has special features designed to win over traditionally reluctant rural Republicans.

The Houston Independent School district braces for the implications of a state takeover.

Jamie Landers of the Dallas Morning News has put together a fuller picture of what happened with a string of crimes at the Dallas Zoo.

And seven Texas teams are spicing up March Madness on the men’s side.

The fight over preserving El Paso’s Castner Range

A San Antonio doctor says hospitals are facing a crisis as COVID-19, RSV and flu cases mount before in this holiday season. In Bexar county the wait for hospital beds on the rise, and some health experts are sounding an alarm as families gather for the holidays. We’ll hear the latest. Also a big OPEC meeting, a European ban on Russian oil and the ripple effects for Texas oil producers and consumers. And in a decades long effort to open up El Paso’s Castner Mountains what could be a tipping point for a regions that’s been losing a lot of natural land to developers. Those stories, the talk of Texas and and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 23, 2022

With record numbers of detentions at the border, where do we stand with immigration enforcement? We’ll have the head of Customs and Border protection today. Also with fewer than 50 days until statewide elections, today the second interview in our look at the Agriculture Commissioner’s race. Yesterday it was the democratic challenger. Today, our conversation with incumbent republican Sid Miller. Also details of a new survey of Texans on gun regulations and, in the wake of Uvalde, the psychological impact on parents, teachers and students. Plus concerns about a shortage of certified teachers in the classroom, the week that was in Texas politics and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 28, 2022

It’s being called Ukraine’s Alamo; a moment that has underscored the country’s spirit of resistance and has inspired more sanctions against Russia and demonstrations across the west. Also, the latest on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and why energy has been largely left off the table amid rising sanctions. Plus, with Texas primary elections tomorrow, the once mostly-obscure county officials who now find themselves in the spotlight. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 16, 2021

South Texas switcheroo: for the first time in a decade, a Texas lawmaker changes parties. A harbinger of other political changes? We’ll have more on representative Ryan Guillen’s decision to leave the democratic party, and what if anything it says about a changing political climate in a region where democrats have long been dominant. Also, Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas Morning News counts down the 5 things to look for as we approach primary season 2022. And community colleges in demand to help train workers. But where’s the money coming from? And a program to help formerly incarcerated women find jobs in technology. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 8, 2019

It’s been a long time coming, but now that a state takeover of Houston ISD is happening… We’ll look at questions that remain about how it will unfold. Vetting migrants has always been a talking point for President Trump. Now a new facility is giving border agents access to classified information they haven’t had before. Plus Texas voters passed a measure supporting tax money for parks. We’ll look at how that money will be spent. And remembering a Puerto Rican astrologer who crossed borders of all sorts. Also, have you ever felt a song is about you? Taking that to the next level. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 27, 2019

When it comes to health care, now what? An unexpected move by the Justice Department to side with Texas in fighting the Affordable Care Act, we’ll have the latest. Also, days after that fire was extinguished at a chemical plant near Houston, losses and lawsuits are starting to mount. And greyhound racing is legal in Texas. But some wonder for how much longer, after a complaint about a wave of injuries to dogs and questions about oversight. Plus the team at Politifact double check a claim about Texas child care workers. Do only 11% meet quality standards? All that and more when today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 6, 2019

The State of the State and the State of the Union: after speeches by Governor Abbott and President Trump, what happens next? Governor Abbott issues what he calls emergency items for Texas lawmakers and President Trump calls for unity but presses for a hard line on the border, we’ll take a closer look. Also a maquiladora walkout ends with a surprise victory for labor, and a democrat seeking the White House says paychecks aren’t keeping up with inflation: a Politifact check and more today on the Texas Standard: