murder

Southlake teen Sam Watson sets speed climbing records ahead of Paris Olympics

Kamala Harris consolidates Democratic support, shattering fundraising records. How does this change things for Texas Republicans?

After the death of veteran Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who takes her place for the remainder of her term and on the ballot for her open seat?

Sam Watson, an 18-year-old from Southlake, holds the three fastest times ever in speed climbing and will be competing at the Paris Olympics.

The Rio Grande Valley faces an unprecedented water crisis as drought intensifies.

And: a new push to change how Texas imposes the death penalty.

Lisa Forbes, pt. 2 (Ep. 41, 2022)

On this week’s In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. concludes a conversation with Lisa Forbes, author of I Can Take It Form Here: A Memoir of Trauma, Prison and Self-Empowerment, which details her journey through through the criminal justice system and post-prison life as a restored citizen.

Lisa Forbes, pt.1 (Ep 40, 2022)

On this week’s In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. speaks with Lisa Forbes, author of I Can Take It Form Here: A Memoir of Trauma, Prison and Self-Empowerment, which details her journey through through the criminal justice system and post-prison life as a restored citizen.

Texas Standard: March 10, 2022

A murder in Lubbock turns a spotlight on violence faced by Trans Texans. We’ll have the latest. Also, a Trump administration directive ordering rapid deportations, still imposed by the Biden Administration. But court orders are chipping away at it. How much longer will Title 42 be sustained? Possible changes coming to border enforcement. And progressives in Texas making serious headway? A deeper dig into details from the recent Texas primaries. Also the push to open up Texas to online gambling, and the pushback from some in health care. And the in-person return of one of Texas biggest international events. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 6, 2020

A police shooting in a small north Texas town over the weekend now. A 22 year old police officer charged with the murder of Jonathan Price. We’ll have more. Also, another sort of Supreme Court battle, this one happening at the polls in Texas. We’ll explore. And it wasn’t so much the wind, but the rain–a researcher sounding the alarm over hurricanes that stall, a new normal? Plus the case of the missing students, during a pandemic. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 13, 2020

Seemingly endless rows of cars lined up waiting for food in San Antonio: we’ll check out the strain on efforts to feed the hungry in other parts of Texas. Plus, is a tool used to recover memories lost to trauma acceptable for use in police work? An investigative report by the Dallas Morning News raises questions about the use of hypnosis in criminal cases in Texas. Also, life in the federal lockup. Now under lockdown amid growing concerns for the prison population and for staff. And how a pandemic affects a political push to flip the Texas house. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 7, 2019

Women and children killed in northern Mexico. Questions remain about whether they were targeted and what happens next. That massacre in Mexico an example of the violence asylum-seekers from the country say they need to get away from. We’ll have a report. Plus, the state’s most populous county had big delays in election results. A dispute over who and what is to blame. And something you do everyday could be contributing to the population decline of monarch butterflies. We’ll explain. All those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 20, 2019

How much does Texas stand to lose if president Trump’s emergency declaration holds? The Pentagon does the numbers. Projects at Fort Bliss, Fort Hood and Joint Base San Antonio all on the chopping block if money is diverted to a border wall. We’ll have details. Also, what could be the next hot ticket for career builders: as the Texas University launches a masters degree in dementia studies. And when it comes to fortune 500 companies, does a texas city really hold the top spot in the nation? A Politifact check and more today on the Texas Standard:

This Song: Allison Moorer

Allison Moorer just released a new book and record, both titled “Blood.” Both works explore the legacy of her childhood in an abusive, addicted household and examine the impact that her parent’s murder suicide had on her life. In this episode, Moorer describes how “Every Breath You Take” by the Police gave her a window into an entire other world of music, and helped her define herself apart from her family.

Check out Allison Moorer’s tour dates

Buy Blood

Listen to Songs from this episode of This Song

Texas Standard: September 18, 2018

Official summons is what the envelope says. Would you open it? An election year fundraising letter triggers outrage and questions of legality: we’ll explore. Also our era of political coarseness and division, how will historians see us tomorrow? Pulitzer prize winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin tells us how history may be able to help us get thru our times today. Also a breakthrough curriculum for latino/latina studies. And electric scooters swarm the streets of Texas big cities, some see them a public nuisance, but could they signal better times for Texas bicyclists? We’ll take a look. And the tale of the last town crier in America and so much more on today’s Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 29, 2018

A Texas police officer convicted of murder in the shooting death of a black teenager leaving a party in a Dallas suburb. Is this a turning point? Police across the Lone Star State have embraced body cameras for greater transparency, but its rare for footage to be decisive in a case alleging unwarranted use of police power. Yesterday’s murder verdict was an exception. We’ll hear why and what it could mean going forward. And a noisy goodbye from the person overseeing federal efforts to curb abuses and excesses in student loans. He claims the Trump administration is unraveling protections for students. Plus the case for taking Wednesday’s off on this hump day edition of the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: June 8, 2018

Never before has help been more readily available and yet suicide numbers continue rise. What’s going on? We’ll explore. Also, the disappearance of 43 Mexican college students in 2014 is considered an international scandal. Now a court has ordered a new impartial investigation and a truth commission to get to the bottom of it. It’s a move some are calling historic, we’ll hear why. Also, remember the lore of lopping off a rattlers head to kill it? That wasn’t enough for a Texas man, who barely survived getting bitten by the snakehead. What you’re really supposed to do in the event of a snake encounter. Plus actor musician Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael stop by the studios, the week in Texas politics and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 24, 2018

Can schools identify violent students before they commit mass murder? After Santa Fe, the mental health of students in the spotlight. Governor Abbott’s roundtables on gun violence after the Santa Fe High School massacre getting national attention. Now the governor is calling on mental health screening programs to identify would-be mass murderers, we’ll have more. And a clean water shortage in hurricane ravaged Puerto Rico: how Texas is coming to the rescue. And the end of an era at the University of Texas El Paso: our conversation with the outgoing president, once named one of the 50 world’s greatest leaders. And epic low turnout at the polls: what does this tell us about Texas politics? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 21, 2018

A Texas GOP lawmaker says the governor should call a special session on gun violence. Has Santa Fe become a turning point in Texas? Governor Abbot has long opposed gun control, but after Friday’s massacre at Santa Fe high school south of Houston, the governor now he says he wants to lead a discussion on how to stop school shootings. Will gun control be on the table? Two Texas lawmakers, one a Democrat and the other a Republican weigh in. Also, veterans going hungry at unusually high rates. What’s being done and what isn’t. And comedian Mo Amer on being proudly Texan, proudly Muslim, and sharing a first class plane trip with Eric Trump. Those stories and 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: March 28, 2018

A controversial change already facing a legal challenge: how might Texas be affected by a new citizenship question in the next US census? We’ll explore. Also, five months after a massacre in Sutherland Springs, church officials announce new plans to rebuild, we’ll hear the latest. And what if you could compare the earnings potential of one college degree against another? Despite a federal ban on collecting such data, Texas’ flagship university is doing the numbers, we’ll explore the implications. And it was James Dean’s final film, and a larger than life commentary on Texas as a microcosm of America. The editor of Kirkus Review calls a new book the definitive account of the movie ‘Giant’. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 20, 2018

86 cents of every dollar donated to state-level campaigns in Texas went to Republicans. We’ll do the numbers. And it’s here: early voting is underway for the Texas primaries. We’ll explore the rules behind where you can cast a ballot and why. And a city on the Texas coast is making plans to become the first new cruise ship port-of-call in about half a century. We’ll talk with the mayor leading the effort. Plus, a big U-S company is changing the way they do healthcare and it’s turning some heads. It may surprise you which company it is. And we’ll also hear from the filmmakers behind a new movie about an event that thrust one Texas city into the national spotlight a few decades ago. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 22, 2018

A surprise in Texas election year politics: one of the state’s biggest unions turns its back on the democrat hoping to unseat Ted Cruz, we’ll have the latest. Also, he’s supposed to be second in command in the Lone Star state and yet some believe when it comes to power, the number two is number 1. A pre-primary primmer on the powers on the Lt. Governor. And prices of Texas crude, hitting new levels not seen since the market fallout of 2014. Time to sell the gas-guzzler? Plus after losing most of his family to a shooter, a father asks the state for clemency for the convicted killer…his own son. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 30, 2017

A one way ticket back to Texas for Rex Tillerson? A new report details plans for a major cabinet shakeup by year’s end, we’ll have the latest. Also, she was a 25 year old school teacher, a former beauty queen, found dead in April of 1960. Her case: never solved. More than a half century later, a media circus descends on McAllen as opening arguments get underway in the murder trial against a former priest, the last person to see her alive. Also, a case of failure to launch? Why’s progress been so slow at the much ballyhooed SpaceX Texas launch site? And what’s in a name? A whole lot more than most, if the name is maverick. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 11, 2016

The Supreme Court sides with Ken Paxton- what does the ruling really mean efforts to get Texas to clean the air? We’ll explore. Also a journalist is killed in Mexico. The government suggests it’s her own fault. The blame game and the ongoing drug war. And the new American divide luxury cities—versus Texas…we’ll explain. Also how does the saying go? With friends like these who needs…Facebook? Our digital savant explores who his real friends are. And the lingering culture of Johnny football—what’s really going on at Texas A&M?
All that and more today on the Texas Standard: