politics

An Earth Day appreciation for the Texas Hill Country

What’s behind a bill that would remove Texans from voter rolls if they miss two federal elections? We’ll hear from a UT Law voting rights expert on what’s behind the push for a law that proponents say is designed to clean up messy voting registration lists, and what opponents see as voter suppression.

After five decades studying the Hill Country, biologist David Hillis has authored a new book on the area’s immense biodiversity.

Could Texas become the next comedy hub? We’ll hear from “Saturday Night Live” cast member and native Texan Devon Walker, who’s performing at the Moontower Comedy Festival in Austin.

Plus, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.

How two Uvalde survivors are rebuilding their lives

Almost a year after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, two injured fourth graders are still trying to recover. Edgar Sandoval of the New York Times talks with us about his profile of two children injured in the shooting – and the months since.

Yesterday’s half-hour grounding of Southwest Airlines departures was blamed on technical issues. Why the FAA and other investigators want a closer look.

Why some lawmakers are pushing to keep Texas crypto miners from cashing in on a tool to help the power grid survive during times of peak demand.

Expanded telehealth is coming to an end

A Texas couple chose midwife care over a hospital, and now their baby is in foster care. Why this story is sounding alarm bells for many across the state.

Changes are coming to telehealth with the end of a federal pandemic order – and some patients will have to return to in-person medical care.

A bill in the Texas Legislature could lead to fines for some Texans who report pollution concerns.

Texas is home to millions of bats. But according to a new report out this week, more than half of North America’s bats are in peril if action isn’t taken to protect them.

TxDOT wants to bury a highway. The Dallas City Council wants to get rid of it.

Tenure is on the agenda in the Texas Senate this week, as lawmakers weigh a bill that would end the practice for the new faculty at public colleges and universities.

The Texas Department of Transportation wants to bury Interstate 345, a 1.4-mile stretch of highway that connects Dallas to its Deep Ellum neighborhood. But the Dallas City Council wants to get rid of it.

A Hill Country destination looks beyond tourism: The city of Kerrville gets busy on a plan to attract industry.

Pro sports teams shunned gambling on games, but now, Texas’ 11 top franchises are teaming up to legalize sports betting in the Lone Star State.

What’s in San Antonio’s ‘justice charter’?

Yes and no signs proliferate in San Antonio over Prop A. What’s behind the city’s so-called justice charter?

In Kyle, a corrections officer indicted in the shooting death of a person awaiting trial, and a family’s struggle to find answers.

Taking the STAAR tests online. Should there still be a paper option?

A push for more transitional housing for Muslim’s recently released from incarceration.

The story of a world premiere in Dallas for one of the most downloaded poets in the U.S.

And the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.

What a banking slowdown in Texas means for the economy

The relationship between U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow is under scrutiny after a ProPublica investigation reporting that Thomas accepted lavish vacations and more from the GOP donor.

The Texas House has passed a sweeping budget that reveals a lot about support for some key issues including school vouchers, gun-related crimes and more.

And the Texas Standard’s Sean Saldana with what a new survey of bankers tells us about the state of Texas’ economy.

Will Texas ban the death penalty for people with severe mental illness?

Thirty million people now call Texas home, but new numbers tell a story of uneven growth across the Lone Star State. Which areas are gaining and which are slipping as the Texas population continues to grow?

The Texas Standard’s Sean Saldana has details on a push to outlaw the death penalty for those with severe mental illness

The rising cost of living in Texas is hitting tacos, too. But what’s with a $5 difference just five blocks away? Likely more than meets the mouth, says taco journalist Mando Rayo.

Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and the Typewriter Rodeo.

What’s in the Texas House budget

The opioid fentanyl has become a scourge for many communities. But where is it coming from? New court filings shed light on the fentanyl supply chain. We’ll tell you where it comes from, and how it’s being smuggled into Texas.

The Texas economy just keeps growing. How does this keep happening, and when will it ever stop?

What if Shakespeare was from the Valley? We kind of have an answer. We’ll hear from the professors who compiled pieces from writer’s who’ve reimagined some of the playwright’s works by setting them along the border.

Plus the latest on the Legislature, the Typewriter Rodeo, and breaking news from across the state.

This West Texas town has been under a boil-water notice for nearly 5 years

State lawmakers heard hours of testimony on a bill that would restrict gender-affirming care for minors. Senate Bill 14 wouldn’t just end access to gender-affirming care for young Texans, it would also revoke the medical license of any doctor who provides it.

How Texas’ first family of oil and gas both regulates and profits from the energy industry.

And in far West Texas, the community of Toyah is dealing with a boil-water notice that seems like it will never end.

Ideas for combatting the trucking shortage

Five men are handed over in Mexico along with a letter purportedly from the Gulf Cartel apologizing for the “senseless crime” of violently kidnapping four Americans, leaving two of them and one Mexican dead. U.S. officials say the apology seems authentic, though perhaps not sincere.

What’s being done to combat the nation’s shortage of truck drivers.

A sneak peek at the start of SXSW Film as the festival kicks off in Austin.

And the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.

Texas outlawed red-light cameras years ago – but this town still has them

As a deadline approaches for bills to be filed in the Texas Legislature, proposals on guns and secession are making headlines. There is rare bipartisan support building around a proposal that proponents say would boost the effectiveness of background checks for buying a firearm, a move prompted by the school shooting in Uvalde.

When it comes to property tax relief, are Texas Republicans a house divided? There is a possible battle looming between the Texas House and Senate.

And the last red-light cameras still giving out tickets in Texas – and the push to switch them off for good.

Do plans for a Texas business court work?

This week at the Texas Legislature: Laws aimed at making it easier to have a baby in Texas.

Under the big dome in Austin, a hearing on a proposal to ban Chinese non-citizens from buying land in Texas.

The state Republican Party censures one of its own, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, after a vote supporting a new gun law.

Is a two-tier court system coming to Texas? We’ll have more on a push for businesses to have their own legal system.

And: A gift to a major Texas museum is aimed at diversity for public art and and greater visibility for Latino artists.

What Texans think lawmakers should prioritize this legislative session

Texans say the border should be the top priority for the state Legislature this session, according to a new poll. We’ll dig into the results.

Questions about how the Center for Law and Human Behavior at the University of Texas at El Paso selected two Border Patrol agents for fellowships.

Taco expert Mando Rayo talks about his favorite traditional mom-and-pop eateries across the Lone Star State.

Piano music fills the air as El Paso hosts the Borderland Chopin festival spotlighting the beloved composer.

Five prescriptions for fixing Texas’ affordability crisis

With Texans across the state struggling to find affordable housing, we’ll hear from a team of experts who have some solutions.

The Texas Council on Family Violence has a list of legislative priorities for protecting survivors.

Saving wild African penguins: How people in North Texas are helping with a survival guide.

The original Angry Birds – the one you could buy and download for a small, one-time fee – is history. Our tech expert explains.

Texas Republican says banning college polling places is about safety. Students don’t buy it.

The Supreme Court hears oral arguments in two challenges to student loan forgiveness. With Texas having the second highest number of student loans in the nation, a University of Houston legal scholar offers analysis and what comes next.

There’s a push in the Texas Legislature to ban polling places on college campuses – but some students see it as voter suppression.

Once upon a time in the not-so-distant past there was a planned mega-merger in the publishing biz. Today: the postscript.

Fans turn out in Frisco as U.S. wins SheBelieves Cup

On the one-year anniversary of Russia’s war with Ukraine, Valerie Hudson, international affairs expert at Texas A&M, shares a Texas perspective on where the conflict stands today.

Author and commentator David Frum on concerns about moves being made by Mexico’s president that could turn back the clock on democratic change there – and the implications for Texas and beyond.

The Texas Standard’s Sarah Asch reports from the SheBelieves Cup soccer tournament in Frisco, where the U.S. Women’s National Team
took home the title.

Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.

Lawmaker Gene Wu using Reddit to explain Texas Legislature

The clash between city leaders and state lawmakers is set to reach a new level at the Capitol. How state lawmakers are trying to crack down on policies by local prosecutors not to pursue certain cases.

A Texas researcher is pursuing a key to fight aging with the help of small monkeys.

We talk with Rep. Gene Wu, whose videos about how Texas politics actually works have blown up on social media.

In West Texas, concerns about growing tourism and the environmental impact spawn a plan to expand Big Bend National Park by purchasing adjacent land and giving it to the park.

Plus the legacy of San Antonio businessman B.J “Red” McCombs.

Unpacking Gov. Greg Abbott’s State of the State address

We’ll break down Gov. Greg Abbott’s biennial state of the state address, which highlighted schools, border security and property tax relief among emergency items for lawmakers.
How people in Texas with ties to Turkey and Syria are rallying for relief following last week’s devastating earthquakes.
Tough times for the economy and a lack of funding have some Texas school districts considering shuttering schools to make ends meet.
And in San Benito, a grand new home opens this weekend for celebrating the story of Texas conjunto music.

Famed San Antonio artist Jesse Treviño dies at 76

We have a preview of tonight’s State of the State Address, Gov. Greg Abbott’s chance to lay out his agenda for lawmakers.
The governor’s address comes amid calls to do more on gun violence, and just a day after another shooting in El Paso. Julián Aguilar of the Texas Newsroom joins us with the latest on the shooting at Cielo Vista Mall, very close to the Walmart where 23 people were killed in a 2019 mass shooting.
How concerns about restraints in Texas special education programs are getting the attention of state lawmakers.
And remembering Jesse Treviño, a beloved San Antonio artist who died this week.

Soy de Tejas art exhibit highlights Latino artists in the Lone Star State

Black lawmakers in the Texas Legislature are pushing colleagues for changes to key Texas laws. Texas State Representative Ron Reynolds, chair of the Black Caucus, joins us to discuss top priorities in the 88th session on issues ranging from criminal justice reform and environmental justice to voting rights.

The Standard’s Kristen Cabrera on an effort in San Antonio to bridge the gap between public art exhibitions and marginalized communities.

And no Texas teams in the Super Bowl, but there are some big reasons for Texas football fans to get excited for Sunday’s big game.