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Texas Standard: July 21, 2017

If its true you get what you pay for, what exactly are we paying those who make our laws? We’re answering your questions today on the Texas Standard.

The price of local policing is about to go up-way up- as the Department of Public Safety comes out with a price menu for its lab services. We’ll hear what’s behind what may be a big squeeze for local police.

An oil spill in the heart of Texas draws a spotlight to the miles and miles of combustibles under our boots. We’ll explore.

College Station, Texas: ground zero for the Game of Thrones? Why the author picked A&M to be a Citadel for his manuscripts…

Also, the Editor in Chief of the Texas Tribune on the week in politics and then some.

Texas Standard: July 20, 2017

An historic selection to head the police force of one Texas’ biggest cities. The changing face of law enforcement- today on the Texas Standard

You’re getting a raise! Now that’s something you’d expect Texas teachers to get behind, right? So why are so many holding their noses over the governor’s plan?

South of the border they’ve been bracing for change under President Donald Trump, but not always in the way you might think. The Mexicans welcoming the shakeup of NAFTA.

The John Birch Society once defined the hard right in America…now they’re back, putting down roots in Texas.

And a teaching tool or just toys? Educators ask questions about augmented books.

Texas Standard: July 19, 2017

Heard in the Texas Capitol—what if…you know…maybe …some lawmakers wanted to leave town? Here we go…

One day in and what could go wrong? Early special session action sparks memories of a lawmaker exodus to Oklahoma…and other unusual outcomes. We’ll breakout the pink dome wayback machine.

You know that student loan? Can the bank prove you owe it? A closely watched case that could take millions of people in debt off the hook.

The new statewide ban on texting while driving. Does it really override local laws? .. We’re handsfree and wireless all hour long.

Texas Standard: July 18, 2017

Governor Abbott says city politicians are trying to California our Texas. Hurting the Texas brand. But CEOs say there’s something far worse. The story today on the Standard.

Happy first day of the special session. Coming up, what to expect and today’s listener question: Why can’t the lege work faster?

The Texas housing boom of 2017 —look closer: who’s really buying all those houses? And why does it matter?

Are police cruisers making Texas cops sick? A nationwide investigation with its epicenter, the Texas capitol city.

And Lyle Lovett remembers a master craftsman.

Texas Standard: July 17, 2017

Dennis Quaid or Eva Longoria for Senate? Tommy Lee Jones for governor? Texas democrats looking for star power. The real story today on the Standard.

As the governor announces his reelection plans, who’s on the bench to top the ticket for the other party?

Texas tops in cattle—but tops in something else you won’t hear about–number one in agricultural land getting lapped up by foreign buyers. We’ll hear who’s buying and why.

Solar panels used to be promoted by energy companies as a smart way to save money. Now some of those same power companies want to charge you extra for using those panels.

Plus, discovering Robocop’s Texas accent and a whole lot more.

Texas Standard: June 23, 2017

California bans official travel to Texas–over a law they say permits discrimination in adoption services. The impact and possible pushback today on the standard.

After cutting off Planned Parenthood, the state launched a healthy Texas women program. One year later, what’s the prognosis?

Also, an old phenomenon gets renewed attention: why do so many women in the workplace seem to get cut off mid-sentence? Why the issue’s bigger than just hurt feelings…

Our homestate addiction to Tex-Mex reconsidered. Fighting back against the grackles, plus the week in politics and much more…it’s the national news show of Texas on this Friday.

Texas Standard: April 28, 2017

Berkeley, Auburn—what about Texas colleges and universities? Should unpopular even offensive speech be protected on campus? The proposal today on the Texas Standard

How do you fix a broken political map? Here’s a hint, it’ll take more than tape. What’s at stake as a court takes up minority voting power in Texas.

Are the democrats on Capitol Hill really looking for a government shutdown? a rejoinder to the other side of the aisle from a prominent Texas congressman.

Where’s our flying cars? In two years, Uber promises they’ll be all over Dallas.

And buckle up for what basketball fans are calling the I-10 series.

All that plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more.

Texas Standard: April 27, 2017

After a long night at the capitol, looks like a statewide ban on so-called sanctuary cities is all but a done deal. What happens next? That’s today on the Texas Standard.

There’s more than a government shutdown to worry about: a prominent Texas lawmaker says what really on the line in the budget impasse: military readiness.

Are people who cross illegally into the US really criminals? In Del Rio, at least, the answer is an overwhelming yes. We’ll hear why the Attorney General wants to make it a model for the rest of the country, and meet the judge at the center of it all.

After streaming a live murder and several acts of criminal violence…can Facebook save face?

Plus, a finding that upends decades of science about how we wound up in North America.

Texas Standard: April 26, 2017

If a picture’s worth a thousand words, what’s the value of a word? How the future for thousands could turn on a single definition: the story today on the Texas Standard.

Texas lawmakers begin what could be a marathon debate over forcing Texas towns and cities to enforce federal immigration laws. We’ll have the latest.

When you wish upon a staar—dreams of fewer standardized tests for Texas school kids may soon come true. We’ll get the backstory.

Victim or a villain? A business owner accused of harboring workers illegally finds himself at the center of growing debate across Texas.

And El Paso–said to be the safest city in the country. Is that a fact?

Texas Standard: April 25, 2017

Feeling the sting: Texas officials worry about the return of a major health threat, and why those most at risk aren’t paying attention…The story today on the Texas Standard.

If you build it they will—sue? NPR’s John Burnett tells us how a 40 year old treaty could be a brick wall for the wall…

People used to worry about high school dropout rates–these days it’s more and more middle schoolers. What’s being done to reverse a troubling trend in Texas.

Want a cut in your property taxes? The Dallas Morning News watchdog says don’t wait for politicians, join the protest. We’ll hear about his plan–and the pushback.

Plus, think of it as Formula One with a distinctly Texan accent: later this hour we’re off to the lawnmower races.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines, the Texas Standard is on the air.

Texas Standard: April 24, 2017

A possible government shutdown, the fate of the border wall, what could make the week busier? How about renegotiating NAFTA? The story today on the Texas Standard.

It’s not just Donald Trump who’s ready for a NAFTA redo: we’ll talk with the Mexican Economic Minister who says he think’s it needs a revamp, too…and soon.

Also, when a bill becomes law and you don’t like it, blame it on the author…unless, the author didn’t really write it. Who did? We’ll lift the curtain on the ghost writers lurking near the Texas capitol.

And a Texas Democrat warns of massive voter fraud —this time, he says, warnings need to be taken seriously.

Those stories and a whole lot more.

Texas Standard: April 21, 2017

Police shootings caught on smartphones grab the headlines…but what about other deaths in custody? The results of a new investigation today on the Texas Standard.

The State of Texas wants its drugs back. The FDA says: not gonna happen. A looming showdown over a deadly cocktail.

State law that says kids need to ‘click it’ en route to school—so why are the buckles missing on most Texas school buses? We’ve got the backstory, fasten your seatbelts.

An American auto factory seized in oil-rich Venezuela. For Texas companies there: get out now, or does it pay to stay?

Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more.

Texas Standard: April 20, 2017

Texas is number 1- for reports of improper teacher student relationships- and the numbers continue to rise. Why and what can be done today on the Texas Standard.

An alternative to the much debated senate bathroom bill does not require people to use the bathroom that matches the gender on their birth certificate. We’ll hear why that’s not a “fix’ for many bathroom bill opponents.

A power plant that diverts carbon before it gets into the air. Sounds great–but how’s that working out?

We love our smartphones and such, but is there such a thing as too much tech?

And the only Spanish speaking mosque in the US…and what it says about America’s most diverse city. You bet it’s in Texas.

Texas Standard: April 11, 2017

A federal judge declares the Texas Voter ID law discriminatory. We’ll explore what this means as a practical matter, and what happens next. Also as Texas celebrates a raft of Pulitzer nods, one of the worlds oldest news organizations launches a new salvo in the war against fake news. We’ll hear all about it. And you’ve heard of one armed bandits, but in south Texas police worry about 8-liners holding up an entire local economy. Plus salad days for storage containers: as grocers look for ways to market veggies fresher than farm grown. For real? All that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Never Read The Comments!

It’s never been easier to share opinions – political or trivial – with the public. Sometimes those opinions inspire productive, civil conversations, and other times…well, it’s just safer to adhere to the motto of the internet.

Texas Standard: January 9, 2017

From El Paso to Brownsville: a barrier promising to reshape our landscape and our future.
Today a focus on the wall–a special edition of the Texas Standard.

It was a staple of his presidential campaign. And there are signs, even before his inaguration, work is already underway on Donald Trump’s wall.

But how does the campaign rhetoric square with the reality on the ground… Who’ll build it and at what cost? How will change our communities, our way of life, and how we see each other. On both sides of a new great divide?

Today we’re live from Brownsville, our starting point for “the wall”.

Fake News

Did you hear the latest? Did you see that Tweet? They’re talking about it on cable news. We’re all getting a free car tomorrow!

Oh wait, maybe not.

Texas Standard: December 16, 2016

A federal warning for pregnant women: do not travel to Brownsville. But what if you live there? What the new Zika warning means for a mother to be..today on the Standard.

Repeal and replace Obamacare. What’s that gonna mean for coverage? We’ll take it up today with the powerful Texas lawmaker who’s setting the stage right now with a rare recess conference on Capitol Hill.

Also, as holiday fliers prepare to deal with screaming babies on board, the one thing worse–and ways to cope.

Plus, could it happen this Christmas? A legendary honkytonk awaits the return of Gary Floater. But don’t hold your breath. Or maybe you should. All that and more…today on the Texas Standard.

Texas Standard: December 15, 2016

Don’t drink the water. Don’t even bother boiling it. Corpus Christi closes schools and lines form for bottled H2O in a fresh scare over safety. Details today on the Standard.

What’s afta NAFTA? With a promise from the President-elect to pull out of the trade deal, Congressman Will Hurd gets an earful from Texans living along the border. And we’ll hear from the Congressman.

And the energy capital of the US is…Denver? Colorado snags BP operations from Houston. What the move means for Texas.

Plus the best Texas book from 2016? The editor of Kirkus Reviews says nothing else comes close. We’ll hear his pick –and why. Plus a whole lot more all coming up today on the Texas Standard.

KUT Weekend – December 9, 2016

REPOSTING CORRECTED AUDIO: Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miler says he should not be held responsible for posting fake news to his Facebook page. A month before the state legislative session, some of the issues facing lawmakers. At an East Austin bar, Wednesday nights signal a new rhythm for local music. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!

Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org