Juarez

Pushback in Mexico against SpaceX expansion

The latest on the dismissal of a Texas A&M professor and the removal of two top administrators after political pressure over what was being taught in a children’s literature class – an incident that has led to concern about academic freedom.
The impact of SpaceX launches in South Texas is felt across the border in Mexico, where some officials are even weighing legal action against the company.
Tech expert Omar Gallaga on how Facebook is bringing back one of its earliest features, the “poke,” to appeal to Gen Z.
The use of facial recognition technology in Juárez is raising red flags.

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What you need to know about upcoming spring elections

Get ready to cast your ballots. Local elections are scheduled in Texas for May 4, with early voting beginning on Monday. Katya Ehresman, voting rights coordinator at Common Cause Texas, gives us the lowdown.
What a trial run of a four-day workweek in the UK tells us about how well such a shift might work.
Don Louis, a Texan who once hoped to score big in the NFL, has moved the goalposts – now aiming for the country music charts.
Plus: The week in politics with the Texas Tribune.

The latest on Senate Bill 4, which puts immigration enforcement in the state’s hands

The on-again, off-again hold on Texas’ controversial SB 4 immigration law is now back on, hours after the Supreme Court’s temporary green light. Stephen Vladeck of UT Law joins with the latest.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a Texas case that has its roots in small-town petty politics. But it could have implications for the future of free speech and what’s known as qualified immunity.
Plus: revelations from an investigation into what really happened the night of a fire that killed 40 people at a migrant detention center in Juárez almost one year ago.

Children at Risk’s annual ranking of Texas schools is out

Texas officials say they’re reassigning workers to deal with an ongoing problem of providing care for foster kids without placement.

The 2022-2023 school ratings report from Houston-based nonprofit Children at Risk sheds light on progress and problems that districts are facing statewide.

Former Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo, who also had a short stint in Houston, will soon take on a new position overseeing Austin’s police department.

And a giraffe in a park in Juárez, who made headlines last year, is getting a new home.

San Antonio ISD could close as many as 17 schools

San Antonio ISD could close nearly one-fifth of its schools as it deals with aging buildings and falling enrollment. But it’s not just San Antonio – this reflects a larger challenge facing many school districts across Texas.

A mystery at the Tarrant County Appraisal District has led to an office shake-up that may leave some taxpayers holding the bag.

What’s happening to the Texas economy? The Standard’s Sean Saldana’s been getting some clues from the Dallas Fed’s new Beige Book entry.

And: What’s to become of Benito, a giraffe in a Juárez park at the center of a controversy?

Taylor Swift fans in Texas are ready for the Eras Tour

For the first time in three years, Medicaid recipients have had to re-apply for the benefit as a major safety net installed during the pandemic disappears – and millions of Texans may lose health coverage.

Taylor Swift is coming to town, and the excitement is off the charts for the superstar’s Texas swing, starting this weekend in Arlington.

Also take a deep dive into deep fakes.

The ‘forever chemicals’ used in fracking in Texas

Calls for justice in Ciudad Juárez after dozen of migrants die in a fire at a detention facility. New details emerge about what happened just across the border from El Paso on Monday night.

Texas school districts banned hundreds of books last year. Now, the Legislature is looking to create standards that could pull even more books off the shelves.

Research increasingly shows that “forever chemicals” are making their way into our environment – especially in Texas, where they’re used in oil and gas extraction.

Plus an update from commentator W.F. Strong and a climate referendum in El Paso.

Dozens of migrants killed in Juárez fire

A deadly fire burned through a migrant processing facility in Ciudad Juárez, just across the border from El Paso – we’ll hear the latest on the catastrophe that claimed the lives of dozens of people.

Green energy firms are scrambling to snap up federal dollars, but first they need to know what “made in America” really means.

And after the pandemic caused a “she-cession,” the Dallas Fed reports that women entrepreneurs are bouncing back.

Unpacking the Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown

Millions of dollars in tax incentives for renewable energy are now in limbo with a decision from the Texas Supreme Court. A flood of applications for millions of dollars in tax breaks overwhelmed the system before a New Years deadline. We look at what happens to all those unprocessed applications now that the state Supreme Court has said it won’t force the state to process them. Also how many voters in Harris country were prevented from casting a ballot due to problems at the polls? A new report that leaves many critical questions unanswered. And why warning signs were ignored before the chaos of Southwest Airline’s big holiday meltdown. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 5, 2021

Supporters call it constitutional carry, some law enforcement officials call it dangerous policy. As the Texas senate appears poised to pass a rule allowing Texans to carry handguns without a permit, Austin’s top police official weighs in on why he’s opposing such a change. Also, if you’re a renter should you be told you’re living in a flood zone? A proposed state law may make that mandatory. And the race to get more Texans vaccinated reaches a tipping point, and some wonder whether herd immunity is still do-able. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 17, 2021

Large numbers of migrant children unaccompanied and undocumented being housed in shelters. So what happens next? Coming up democratic congressman Henry Cuellar on how the Biden Administration is facing pressure from both sides of the aisle over what to do about large numbers of minors crossing the border and being held in detention in overcrowded facilities. Also as violent crime rates go up in Texas’ biggest city, questions loom over the causes. And who’s in charge? The governor demands and gets the resignation of the last remaining public utilities commissioner in the wake of the winter outages. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: June 16, 2020

Bexar County officials among others asking the Governor for authority to require face masks as the numbers of COVID-19 cases continue to rise, we’ll have details. Also, the impact in Texas from yesterday’s landmark decision protecting the rights of gay and transgender workers. We’ll hear from the head of the State house LGBTQ caucus. And almost three years after Harvey, the Houstonians caught in the middle of a fight over relief funds. And the push to rename Fort Hood for a Texas veteran and Medal of Honor recipient who fought with the United States, not against it. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 1, 2020

The governor issues new orders on social distancing. Just don’t call em shelter in place. We’ll take a closer look at the packaging of a statewide pandemic response. And religious gathers now considered essential in the Lone Star State. Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune with more on the Governor’s latest guidelines. Also rapid turnaround deportations. How the Coronavirus crisis has changed the rules at the U.S. Mexico border. And stay at home-schooling tips from homeschooling veterans. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 26, 2019

A Texas led rebuke for President Trump? Congressman Joaquin Castro tells us how he’s pushing back against the border emergency declaration. Also, military defectors in Venezuela raise the stakes for strongman Nicolas Maduro after days of violence over aid supplies, we’ll have the latest. And Texas Governor Greg Abbott raising millions and millions of dollars, for what exactly? We’ll take a look. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 17, 2017

Remember those secretly recorded planned parenthood videos? Though debunked, they’re back. And the stakes are high for Texas. Also, seldom does Texas willingly go the way of California or Hawaii…but when it comes to cigarettes, change may be in the air. We’ll hear why. And what did they know and when did they know it: how research by a Texas oil company decades ago came to be at the center of a multi-state fight over climate change. Also, as major metropolitical areas across the US keep turning blue, why is Texas’ third most populous county bucking the trend? Plus a conversation with musician Terry Allen and more…turn it up, its Texas Standard time:

Texas Standard: July 21, 2016

Texas laws are getting tossed out in court. First, the Supreme Court rejected the state’s abortion restrictions, now the 5th Circuit says no to voter ID rules, we’ll explore. Plus is requiring photo ID at the polls another undue burden? We’ll talk about what you should put in your wallet before heading out to vote November 2nd. Plus, what happens when Barbecue gets TOO hot? Also, Ergonomic technology, and earning dollars to spend Pesos in Juarez. Those stories and much more coming up today on the Texas Standard: