A former Texas oil exec is being punished for allegedly raising the price of oil. Is it the tip of the iceberg or water under the bridge?
In spring elections across larger Texas counties, voters got a more direct say in who runs the obscure agencies that oversee the property appraisal process – agencies that determine how much you pay in property taxes.
The promise of solar panels seems bright, but some companies are getting some heat for misrepresentation. What you need to know.
New Mexico has a booming recreational marijuana industry thanks in part to some Texans making the trip. Will laws change on this side of the border?
Plus the most beautiful spot in Texas? Some point to a place out west that’s a bit off the beaten path.
Omar Gallaga
Is Tesla running out of power?
Twisters up north, flooding to the east, wildfire dangers out in the far west and a forecast that won’t let up… yet. Boat rescues reported in central east Texas and many road closures as riverbanks swell from the rain. Meteorologist Eric Berger with the latest and what to expect.
On the heels of layoffs in April, the state’s wealthiest resident moves to make deeper cuts at the nation’s top EV maker. A tipping point for Tesla?
An update on what Travis County officials describe as the worst outbreak of opioid overdoses in years.
Plus, a preview of a new podcast exploring the state’s takeover of the Texas’ biggest school district.
They’re worked like dogs – but for these canines, farm rustling is the life
The Department of Education launched a renewed version of the FAFSA financial aid form at the end of last year, and the late rollout has caused major issues for applicants and colleges.
Cattle in the Panhandle got sick last week, their milk suddenly turning thick and discolored, after coming down with avian flu.
Many Texans hold jobs in the agricultural sector. But there’s one job on a few cattle farms –and whole lot of sheep farms – that’s literally gone to the dogs. The Standard’s Sarah Asch has the story.
As Bitcoin mining operations grow in Texas, a new wave of attention aimed at crypto turns a spotlight on Austin’s so-called “bitcoin underground.”
Is high school football on the decline in Texas?
A conversation with state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a self-described progressive Democrat who’s running to challenge Ted Cruz for his U.S. Senate seat.
Three years after the big freeze that plunged most of Texas into darkness, a new bill aims to connect the state to neighboring electric grids. Mose Buchele of KUT in Austin has more.
A big change for the Texas STAAR tests: student essays graded by computer. How does that work, and how fair is it?
And: Is football still king in Texas? A Washington Post analysis looks at the sport’s rise and fall across the country.
Dr. Phil is back, and he’s broadcasting from the Metroplex
With a trial date fast approaching will securities fraud charges against Ken Paxton ever reach a jury? After years of delays, lawyers for the attorney general now say he’s been denied the right to a speedy trial, and that his prosecution is unconstitutional.
Amid a border security standoff between the Biden administration and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, many residents of Eagle Pass say they feel caught in the middle.
Also: Phil McGraw, aka Dr. Phil, plans to use Dallas as a launchpad for a new TV network.
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.
Milk or meat? For modern cattle ranchers, the answer may be both
Texas is moving quickly toward primary day – but where are the debates? Why there’s been a decline in an election institution.
What the families of Uvalde victims are expecting as a grand jury examines law enforcement’s response to the Robb Elementary shooting.
Why Collin County seems to be playing an outsized role in Texas politics right now.
On Texas ranches, you’ve got dairy cows and bovine raised for beef. But the distinctions may be blurring. We’ll hear about a different sort of “cattle crossing.”
And concerns about the bestselling video game “Palworld,” which looks like “Pokémon” but plays like something much more grim.
The state 2D artist draws on his El Paso heritage
There haven’t been any votes yet, but we kind of already know what the Texas delegation to the U.S. House will look like in 2024.
The Israel-Gaza war is challenging what it means to have free speech at colleges across the country. A visit to a San Antonio campus highlights why.
Gov. Greg Abbott is set to sign into law a measure that makes illegal border crossing a state crime. What you need to know.
It’s tamale time for many folks across Texas. We’ll explore the base ingredient, masa, with our go-to taco journalist.
And a conversation with this year’s state 2D artist, Gaspar Enriquez, about how he depicts El Paso and what it means to be Chicano.
Celebrating a century of Texas state parks
Dozens of Texas school districts have sued to stop changes in the A-F grading system used to evaluate schools.
The manager of the state’s power grid is out with a new forecast for winter. How prepared is Texas for another statewide freeze like 2021?
Israel, Hamas and disinformation on social media: Tech expert Omar Gallaga joins us with more.
New numbers in the race for mayor of Texas’ biggest city.
And a new book written by longtime Texas conservationist George Bristol, “Texas State Parks: The First 100 Years,” tells the story of how the state’s parks began.
As Texas leads the nation in ‘family annihilation’ cases, what can be done?
Ken Paxton, the impeached attorney general, is headed for a Houston courtroom today on his 2015 securities fraud charges.
An update on wildfires across the state as firefighters brace for another tough day of heat and wind. We’ll hear where the fire threat is greatest and what to do to prepare.
Since 2020, Texas has emerged as the epicenter of “family annihilation” cases, in which someone kills at least two kinds of family members.
A new documentary traces the careers of two of Texas’ most famous musical siblings: Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
And commentator WF Strong on what “Lonesome Dove “got right and wrong.
Booksellers sue Texas over law that will restrict school library books
On Capitol Hill, a former military officer-turned-whistleblower shares out-of-this world claims about UFOs and what he says the government’s hiding.
Following sex discrimination lawsuits over Texas’ border security crackdown, the state has started placing migrant women in state prisons as well.
The Austin school district is considering nearly doubling the size of its police department to comply with a new state law that takes effect in September.
A lawsuit by booksellers and publishers targets new book restrictions for Texas school libraries.
New research on Alzheimer’s finds Texas a hot spot, with border counties hit harder than the rest of the state.
And a women’s soccer champion from Georgetown weighs in on the women’s World Cup.
What did the Legislature accomplish for rural Texans?
The U.S. House approved a measure lifting the debt ceiling, but we’re not out of the woods quite yet.
As state lawmakers continue to tangle with the governor’s priorities, what actually was accomplished in the regular legislative session? A roundtable of Texas reporters looks at changes for rural Texans.
A federal district judge will hear arguments today on the future of DACA in a case brought by the attorney general of
Texas, who’s now been impeached and suspended. How much does that change things, if at all?
Also, they’re not just a time suck but a money pit, too: What can be done to cut the cost of meetings?
What are the weirdest laws in Texas?
At the Capitol, an intraparty rivalry between Republicans explodes into the open. The dueling charges between Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dade Phelan are so personal and serious, some longtime Capitol watchers are characterizing the battle as among the most significant in Texas political history. Lauren McGaughey of the Dallas Morning news will have details.
After a scandal at a Bastrop foster care facility, Texas lawmakers pass two new bills to crack down on abuses.
We’ll have more on a vigil last night in Uvalde marking the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary.
The Texas Legislature will finish its session having made lots of new laws. But there are plenty of old laws on the books that seem pretty weird by today’s standards.
And debt collectors get a new high-tech tool.
Singer-songwriter Robert Ellis returns with new sound and perspective
Texas is on the brink of becoming the latest state to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott asks the governors of other states to provide police and military forces to help secure Texas’ border with Mexico, as the numbers of reported unauthorized entries plummet.
Tech expert Omar Gallaga tells us about congressional hearings on regulating artificial intelligence.
And the musician formerly known as the Texas Piano Man sheds his fancy white suit and hat: Robert Ellis tells us how fatherhood and Fort Worth factor into his new release, “Yesterday’s News.”
Title 42 expires as border braces for migrants’ mass arrival
The end of an era, and the start of what could be a dramatic new chapter in the history of border and immigration policy. Title 42 ends at the stroke of midnight, and predictions of a period of chaos at the border are coming from President Biden on down. We’ll talk to someone on the front lines of providing shelter and food to migrants crossing into the U.S.
What rights does a fetus have in a post-Dobbs America? How the end of Roe v. Wade has states testing the limits of fetal personhood.
Nueces County charges ahead with plans for a new Tesla lithium refinery despite concerns about some of Elon Musk’s other big Texas projects.
Texas Standard: August 25, 2022
Are billions in school debt owed by Texans about to be written off the books? We’ll look at what President Biden’s announcement adds up to for Texans. Other stories we’re tracking: buying out of flood prone property: what it could mean for a region ravaged by Hurricane Harvey 5 years ago. Also after this weeks rains in North Texas, how the struggle’s just beginning for some families. And as housing prices skyrocket across Texas and many parts of the nation, military allowances not keeping up. And is the University of Texas about to pass Harvard as the country’s wealthiest university?Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 11, 2022
Multiple sources tell The Texas Tribune Governor Greg Abbott is exerting unprecedented control over who will lead the state’s power grid. Locked in a potentially tight reelection race and facing criticism over the grid’s 2021 collapse, we hear how the governor has put a stranglehold on the search for the operator’s CEO search. Plus the Biden Administration announced earlier this week it’s ending the controversial “Remain in Mexico,” program. What it means for migrants awaiting asylum hearings. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 28, 2022
18 billion in pandemic aid for Texas schools, a huge amount of money. So why has less than a third been spent? We’ll explore. Also with back to school just around the corner, many districts struggling to find and retain teachers. Will promises of a four day workweek do the trick? We’ll hear what educators and parents make of that approach. And five years after Hurricane Harvey, what researchers are finding out about a less obvious impact: the exposure to chemicals. Plus thousands of miles of new roads in Texas displacing hundreds of homes and businesses, but repeated findings of no environmental impact. A red flag? Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 5, 2022
With the Supreme Court now widely expected to overturn Roe vs. Wade, new numbers of where Texans stand on the issue of Abortion. From abortion to border security, the state’s population growth and the economy, Texans weigh in on a range of issues that could have a profound effect at the polls come November. Jim Henson with the results of a new survey by the Texas Politics Project. Also, Texas’ attempt to treat gender-affirming care as “Child Abuse”. A new report examines the underlying scientific claims being made by officials leading the push. Plus, say cheese, Texas: why a place better known for its beef is challenging dominant states in the dairy business. All this and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 14, 2022
A crack in the governor’s crackdown on inspections of commercial border traffic. But the supply chain likely to remain tangled. We’ll have details. Also three top staffers for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo indicted in a contract award scandal. Why and what it might mean for a politician considered to be a rising star among Texas democrats. And a Texas university told it cannot charge out of state students more for tuition than undocumented students. What the decision could mean for colleges and universities statewide. Plus a case 75 years ago that shook the separate but equal status quo in Texas and beyond. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard: