Texas Standard’s Typewriter Rodeo operates by request — this poem came from a suggestion by a listener identified as @earthweaver, who asked for some verses celebrating NPR.
poetry
Exploring the difficulties of rural reproductive care in West Texas
Texas leads the nation in executions again, and Harris County sentences more people to die than any other county in the U.S. A new report examines dozens of death penalty cases there.
A new podcast from Marfa Public Radio looks at the challenge of accessing reproductive care in the Big Bend region.
The season started out with great expectations, but now the San Antonio Spurs have lost a record 18 games in a row. What’s gone wrong, and can it be fixed?
Plus, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune’s Ayan Mittra.
Little Free Libraries
You can find Little Free Libraries in front yards, parks, and near community buildings. There are few rules and much to be discovered. That was the inspiration of this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
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.
Rare ‘Cattle Tyrant’ spotting dominates birders’ attention
Traumatic injuries are the leading cause of death in the U.S. for people under 45, and the odds of survival may depend on what part of the state you’re in. Lauren Caruba of the Dallas Morning News joins us to talk about a new investigation.
The Texas Standard’s Sean Saldaña has the latest on what some may see as contradictory signals in new employment numbers in Texas.
Are Texas roads considerably less congested? Why a new state-mandated report may raise some eyebrows.
And why the visit of a Cattle Tyrant to Corpus Christi drew excited fans from far and wide. The Standard’s Raul Alonzo explains.
Hospice
We’ll all have unavoidable goodbyes on Earth. The details may be different but those left living will undoubtedly face big and complex and changing feelings. This Typewriter Rodeo poem offers one experience as an example.
How to Go For a Walk
It’s one way to enjoy your neighborhood and maybe work up a little sweat. But do you need a little motivation to go for a walk? This Typewriter Rodeo poem says you can’t do it wrong.
Is this the end of efforts to keep Fairfield Lake State Park public?
For the first time in modern memory, the Texas House is set to take up a school voucher-like plan.
How do you put a price tag on a state park? We’ll hear more about the challenges facing Texas Parks and Wildlife as it tries to reclaim parkland purchased by developers.
In a dramatic U-turn this week, China’s president appears to be trying to warm up to the U.S. Some clues as to why might be found in a new report from the Dallas Federal Reserve.
Also: What some forecasters are calling a “super El Niño” is coming soon to Texas.
Celebrating the Positive
Sometimes the outlook is bleak — or even downright awful. Even in the worst case scenario, some find hope in identifying the good. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
How Texas lowering requirements to become a teacher in the 2000s impacted the profession
As the first week of a fourth special session draws to a close, the Senate passes a voucher-like plan for education.
A teacher shortage and what a new study tells us about the implications of past plans to bring in and retain teachers in Texas classrooms.
The independent market monitor for the Texas power grid steps down after blowing the whistle on what she claims were artificially inflated energy prices.
Texas, once a red-hot housing market, has lost a lot of sizzle, yet many still struggle to get a house of their own. We’ll take a closer look at what’s happening.
Plus, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and poetry with the Typewriter Rodeo.
Emmitt Smith’s latest move is fighting opioid overdoses
Texas governor Greg Abbott’s prediction a school voucher bill would pass now looks unlikely as the latest special session winds down.
Legendary running back and three-time Super Bowl champ Emmitt Smith teams up with NARCAN to reduce opioid deaths.
How Texans cross into neighboring New Mexico for abortions. We’ll have a special report.
A Texas town’s long-lost photos go on display. What residents hope to learn about their past.
And how a notorious monster has helped generations of parents get children to behave – especially at bedtime. Kristin Cabrera explains the Cucuy.
The Ozark Howler
Texas Standard has been Tracking Texas Cryptids. Some are known for their distinctive appearance. Others are known for their unique sounds. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Neighborhood Halloween
Some blocks are trick-or-treat duds — no porch lights on, no one ready with the Halloween candy, no one home? Other blocks, are like the one that inspired this Typewriter Rodeo poem. (And maybe, there’s even the full-sized candy bar house!)
The Jackalope
The Texas Standard team is Tracking Texas Cryptids this spooky season. There’s La Lechuza, the Hairy Man of Round Rock — and the Jackalope? One of these is a bit more adorable than abominable. That was the inspiration of this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
The science on why it’s fun to be scared
Recriminations over donations and demands for a high-level resignation: What’s behind the latest political fight between Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan?
The Senate green-lights a voucher-like plan to provide public money for private school tuition. Matthew Watkins of the Texas Tribune joins us with more on the week in politics.
How to safely view Saturday’s annular eclipse over Texas.
Ken Burns returns with a new PBS series on the American Buffalo.
And: On Friday the 13th in this spookiest month, why so many folks love to get scared.
The Beast of Bear Creek
This spooky season, Texas Standard is Tracking Texas Cryptids. The Typewriter Rodeo team is also in on the hunt. The target of this poem is said to live in Kimble County.
Ken Paxton whistleblower says his fight is not over
He was one of the whistleblowers against Attorney General Ken Paxton, and he says his fight is not over.
What appears to be a 180° turn by the Biden Administration as it waves environmental laws and resumes construction work on a border wall in South Texas.
Hundreds of thousands of Texans dropped from Medicaid rolls post-‘peak COVID’ – some wrongly so, whistleblowers say – due to errors at the state health department.
What could be an epic football battle this weekend: the Red River Rivalry. Are the Longhorns back, for real?
Also, the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune.
Music Festivals
With temperatures (finally) cooling down, music festival season is ramping up across Texas. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Why homeschooling is on the rise across the ideological spectrum
Sean Theriault of UT-Austin with a look at why government shutdowns have become so common, and what needs to happen to avoid another come Sunday.
The summer of 2023 was the second hottest on record in Texas. But for renters, air conditioning isn’t legally required — at least not everywhere in the state.
Over the past couple of years, there’s been a shift in the way that many Texans school their kids, with more folks opting for homeschooling – for reasons that span the political spectrum, or lie completely outside it.
Writer Andrew Leland on losing his vision and the struggle to understand the changes, as told in his new memoir, “The Country of the Blind.”
Why the Barbie Movie is Causing so Many Break-Ups: Some Theories
The Barbie film was one of the summer’s runaway hits. Some may be still feeling ripple effects from it. That inspired this Typewriter Rodeo poem.