A blessing for Balmorhea? Not exactly…but it is an unlikely partnership and a potential model for fracking in Texas. We’ll explore. Also it’s hard enough to say who and who isn’t a real Texan…but what makes an American? We’ll explore an underlying question in our election season of discontent. Also honor flights for American heroes…but why so few women warriors on board? That’s changing with a takeoff from Texas. And remember San Angeles the fictional megalopolis from film? According to a demographers writing for Forbes: fasten your seat belts, Texas America’s next megalopolis is in the making as we speak…all that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
politics
Texas Standard: October 7, 2016
It’s being described as the biggest ever voter fraud investigation in Texas. And in what may be the unlikeliest of counties, we’ll explore. Also paddling against the stream: as a majority of states turn away from corporal punishment in public schools, why new research in Texas could lead to a rethink here as well. Plus why industrial development in Southwest Texas is setting off a political dustup over dust. Also Texas teams up with an unlikely ally to target modern day slavery, allegedly online. Plus our weekly round of the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more, today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 30, 2016
A Texas Democrat has a plan for next years ninth grade curriculum: a class on how to behave when stopped by police, we’ll explore. Also peace by plebiscite: what an historic vote this weekend could mean for Columbia and for Texas. Also disappearing dance halls: why communities are trying to get the few remaining back on their feet. And the untold story of an onboard emergency moments before man first landed on the moon. Today, we’ll remember the man at mission control who made a crucial call that changed history. Plus the week in politics and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Why Does It Take So Long to Get Anything Built in Austin?
Austin residents are no strangers to orange cones dotting the highways or construction cranes in the sky. But one KUT listener wondered: Why does it take so long to get anything built around here?
Texas Standard: September 27, 2016
There appears to be a consensus winner, but did the needle move? Voices seldom heard on the morning after an historic debate. Plus, if you could ask any question this election season, what would it be? More than a thousand public radio listeners have weighed in, and today, we’ll hear the top five which public radio stations across Texas will try to answer in the run up to election day. Plus the making of a power couple, the Clintons were hardly the first. And with costs on the rise and students loans in the news, is higher ed still considered the value investment it once was? The envelope please: results of a new survey are in. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 26, 2016
With a key moment in American politics hours away- why what voters see in the debate might not be what the press sees. The story today on the Texas Standard.
After refusing to endorse the Republican nominee at the convention Ted Cruz jumps on to the Trump train. But does Cruz think Trump’s fit to be president? That’s another question. We’ll hear how he answered it.
Also, we’ve heard about drowning in student debt, what does that mean in real life? A case study from North Texas…
And Rhett Miller of the Old 97’s offers a humble alternative to the Texas state song. Lawmakers are you listening? All those stories and much more.
Texas Standard: September 23, 2016
Signals from space telegraph warnings for Texas about the source of those earthquakes we’ve been worried about. We’ll explore. Also when doctors can’t offer infants life saving technology because its too expensive: what then? A Doctor at Rice has been working on solutions, and she’s just been awarded a MacArthur genius grant for her efforts: we’ll meet her. And when in Rome, do as the Romans. When in college do you dare go with the Greek system? Hazing rituals back in the spotlight. Plus: it’s a beloved symbol in the Lone Star State, and yet its getting bulldozed out of Texas, almost literally. Can anyone save the Houston Toad? Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 20, 2016
First there was the arrest. Then the jailhouse death. Global outrage over the incident. Now comes the Sandra Bland Act. What it could mean, today on the Texas Standard.
As the nation focuses its attention on threats from abroad, law enforcement launches a multipronged crackdown on a made in Texas terror group with entirely different goals. And one of the leaders talks to NPR’s John Burnett. We’ll hear the backstory.
Also, the controversy over fracking moves offshore as environmentalists spar with industry over what’s happening in the Gulf of Mexico.
And Texas athletes taking a knee for Kapernick: how the NFL player’s protest is spreading among highschoolers.
Texas Standard: September 19, 2016
After nixing the Obama administration’s transgender bathroom directive, the battleground shifts to doctors and hospitals. Today on the Texas Standard.
Car 54 where are you? Perhaps by the side of the road. Why Houston police crusiers are struggling to stay in the fight.
But what happens when the road itself stalls out? The story of a big gamble on a superfast superhighway, and why it hasn’t paid off as promised.
Also, some say it’s the devil in disguise, as telemarketing in Texas embraces the “pay for pray” model.
Plus, tomorrow’s news today. Our waltz across Texas for the top stories for the week ahead.
Texas Standard: September 16, 2016
A temporary ceasefire… it sounds like good news for Syria… but not everyone’s happy with the deal. We’ll explain on today’s Texas Standard.
How much do we really need to know about the health of the people running for the nation’s highest office? And how much do they have to tell us?
A start up before there were start ups. A look at how one early computer company took Houston- and the world by storm.
Ok, we get it… Pluto isn’t a planet… but wait… some scientists say that it is? We’ll have the details.
And… it’s Friday on the Texas Standard… that means Typewriter Rodeo and wrapping up another eventful week in Texas politics.
Texas Standard: September 9, 2016
Texas is a hotbed for human trafficking but there may be something that makes it unique: the cantina connection. We’ll explore. Also more questions than answers in the aftermath of a school shooting in west Texas. What we know and what it means for life in a normally tranquil small desert town. And lessons from the disaster that struck the coast of Texas this time 8 years ago. Also, swapping woodwinds and strings from picket signs: a celebrated symphony goes on strike and high schools soon may blow the whistle on Friday night kickoffs. Plus the week in Texas politics and we’re just getting started. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Bias and Behavior
It’s no secret that this political season is a display of some interesting human behavior, and we’ve had a lot of listener questions about how biases form, the psychological impact of heated rhetoric, and what is going on “under the surface” of the American public?
In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about how psychology can inform our discussions and debates as we try to swim through the murky waters of the modern American political campaign 2016.
Texas Standard: September 2, 2016
He became a national figure after the deadly attack on police in July, but now the Dallas Police Chief is stepping down. Our conversation with the city’s mayor, we’ll explore. Also It’s been hard to track shootings involving police, but it’s recently gotten a little easier in Texas, we’ll explain. Plus Labor Day boaters beware: a marine menace could try to put a damper on your holiday fun. And relatively small pieces of hardware could cause big problems on offshore oil rigs, and the issue could extend on land. And embracing the data. Why some say we should let go of privacy concerns and enjoy all the tracking technology does.
Texas Standard: August 26, 2016
How much is too much? A Texas teacher’s note to parents sparks a national conversation over homework. We’re hittin’ the books today on the Texas Standard.
You’ve heard about the opioid problem nationwide, now hear this: the drug linked to the death of Prince is causing a crisis in Houston. We’ll learn why.
Also, is the bag ban in several Texas cities about to get sacked? A court case in Laredo may have set a statewide precedent.
And more than just Friday Night Lights: why the start of the season could rekindle a sense of community.
Texas Standard: August 25, 2016
$20 million and change— a record setting fine for the administrators of the annual Texas standardized school tests. The stakes today on the Texas Standard.
The attack on the university in Kabul: dozens of American Universities around the world, what’s in a name? And why that matters.
Also, if Northeast Texas were a separate state it would rank near the bottom in annual mortality rates. What’s killing people in Northeast Texas? We’ll explore.
Plus the Black Lives Matter movement, when and where did it start? A powerful case for Houston this week in 1917.
Those stories and much more, We’re just getting started, no matter where you are, it’s Texas Standard time.
Texas Standard: August 23, 2016
Lynch mobs are thriving in Texas, only these days they’re online, and kids are often the victims. Now a push for a law to stop them. Today on the Texas Standard.
What’s less likely than this: Donald Trump stumping for votes in the solidly democratic capitol of the reddest of states? We’ll hear what really behind his Texas swing.
Also, the feds say they want to close private prisons, now Texas is talking prison closings too…but not for the same reasons. We’ll have the back story.
And the politics of science: in a debate over what’s causing earthquakes in north Texas, the EPA shakes things up.
Texas Standard: August 22, 2016
File under impeccable timing: on the first day of school for many across Texas, a ruling to stop a controversial bathroom policy- details today on the Texas Standard.
The decision by a federal court in Texas affects schools nationwide, temporarily putting the brakes on an Obama Adminsitration order to accomodate transgender students. We’ll explore the implications.
Also, a stay of execution for a Texas death row inmate convicted of murder who never actually killed anyone.
Plus: life in south Texas, under the all seeing eye. The border between security and 24/7 government surveillance.
Best of “Higher Ed:” Liberal Arts, Democracy, and the Media
What happens when you mix liberal arts and democracy and throw in a little media coverage? You get a fascinating discussion about the intersection of those three institutions. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss how learning habits developed while studying the liberal arts can help us navigate our democracy – especially when political discussions are sometimes more contentious than civil. Ed and Jennifer talk politics in this episode – or more specifically, they talk about talking about politics. They also hash out the solution to the latest math puzzler about truth-tellers and liars. How can you tell them apart? Listen on for the key questions to ask.
This episode was recorded on August 5, 2015 and was originally released on September 20, 2015.
Texas Standard: August 18, 2016
The Aleppo boy in the ambulance – could a haunting photo mark a tipping point in what’s been called a forever war? The case today on the Texas Standard.
The feds are phasing out private prisons. How did we get there in the first place? Would you believe Texas led the way?
Also the dwindling population at the nation’s biggest military base raises new opportunities- for civilian homehunters looking for the ultimate in gated communities.
Mental health behind the badge: how the stuff they don’t tell you at the academy can hurt, and what’s being done to help.
It started with a game between New York and San Francisco. This weekend, Texas hosts the world series of gay softball.
Plus the week in politics, and much more to share— the Texas Standard is back on the air.
Texas Standard: August 12, 2016
Curious what a Trump presidency might do for the Texas economy? We’ve got answers, An economist who worked for Rick Perry says, that wall he’d build? Texas would pay for it. Also it’s been more than six years since Obamacare went into effect. We’ll look at the law’s legacy in Texas. Plus, if you want a taste of whitetail deer in Texas, you need to know where to look. And we’ve got the the week on politics, and Pete’s Dragon, in Dallas. All that and much more on today’s Texas Standard: