As the Texas Senate votes to force power generators to better prepare for weather extremes, new insights on what Texans actually want. A new University of Houston hobby school survey on the impact of the February freeze and power outages, and how Texans want the system to change. Also more on an 8 billion dollar plan being pitched to Texas lawmakers that promises a 7 day power backup in the event of future emergencies. And as vaccines are rolled out in Texas prisons, a new report card on how well lockups and juvenile facilities in Texas have tracked the spread of COVID-19. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
power
Texas Standard: March 5, 2021
We pretend to be a fly on the wall at the hearings where the failings of the state’s electric grid are being argued, we’ll have details. Also, did you know there’s money available for renters who are struggling? We tell you how to apply and hopefully how to get it. Plus, the good the bad and the ugly on vaccine distribution. And I bet you thought you knew everything there is to know about Selena Quintanilla. But as they say there’s always more to the story. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 4, 2021
The president calls it Neanderthal Thinking. But in places like Lubbock, Governor Abbott’s rollback of restrictions getting more mixed reviews. We’ll have more on the Governor’s lifting of COVID-19 restrictions effective next Wednesday. But what changes at school? Texas educators and parents asking questions. Also a shot in the arm for Texas teachers, we’ll hear more. Plus a new report on how failures in the state’s mental health system are leading to a cycle of misery for many. And an investigation in Dallas claims big banks are profiting from low-income apartments and illegal red-lining. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 1, 2021
As March rolls in, the effects of the February winter storm continue to ripple across rural Texas. We’ll have a conversation with local officials. Also, a new month, the rent is due, and the home is still a wreck broken pipes, to water damage and worse. Any of this sound familiar? What are your rights? We’ll get answers from an expert. Also a new COVID-19 vaccine gets federal approval. What it means for Texans waiting to get the shot. And the state’s biggest university temporarily waves the SAT and ACT requirement. The shape of longer-term things to come in higher ed? And Texas researchers connect the dots on dinosaur extinction. All those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 22, 2021
Stop right there: an order from the public utility commission to put the brakes on outrageous power bills after the winter storm. As lawmakers step in to get answers to ongoing questions about who and what’s to blame for the meltdown in utilities statewide, another long term ripple effect looms: the impact to Texas’s reputation. We’ll hear more. Also hurricanes, pandemic, then a winter storm… what compounding natural disasters can do to mental health in Texas, and what to look out for, yourself. Plus with the power back on for most, many Texans still dealing with water issues. We’ll have expert advice on tap and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Winter 2021
Texans have been suffering this week in the prolonged bitter cold, without power and without water. This Typewriter Rodeo poem is recognition of that suffering combined with the hope we continue to help each other through it.
Texas Standard: February 18, 2021
What did ERCOT know and when did they know it? As millions of Texans still struggle with power outages pressure builds for clear answers. Members of Congress among others demanding straightforward explanations for the collapse of the power grid and uneven distribution of so-called rolling blackouts that left many in the dark and cold for days. Compounding matters, sources for safe water drying up in several parts of Texas as supplies are shut off to deal with cracked pipes and treatment issues. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 17, 2021
It was set up to be an electrical island independent from a national power network. Cold comfort for millions of Texans right now. With a winter storm leading to rolling blackouts leaving more than 4 million Texans in the cold, the nonprofit deigned to manage the state’s power grid finds itself getting sudden national notoriety, as angry Texans demand answers. What is ERCOT, and who’s really at the switch behind this current power crisis? As the Lone Star State anticipates a thaw, things heat up between electricity providers and lawmakers now calling for investigations. The latest on the winter storm and its many ripple effects today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 16, 2021
Emergency efforts at restoring power continue across Texas as millions try to make do without electricity during an historic winter storm. The whole state of Texas affected by power outages, but not equally. Questions mount over the state’s electricity grid management, as much of Texas hunkers down for a second round of frozen precipitation and low digit temperatures. We’ll have the latest. Also, understanding the latest controversy over the national anthem at sports events. And voices of hope, faith and endurance in danger of being lost to history, an effort to rescue priceless Black gospel recordings. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 15, 2021
As the temperatures fall, along with precipitation, millions of Texans stranded or worse by winter weather. Coming up, conversations with reporters from across Texas on how Texans are weathering conditions that have brought large parts of the state to a standstill. Also, missing out on the vaccine but getting something else instead: scammed. A report from Houston. Plus a major disconnect with rural Texas: concerns that a lack of broadband is leaving some Texas towns far behind. And new efforts to reunite families separated by U.S. immigration policies. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 10, 2020
The powers that be: how Lone Star State lawmakers are coming down on a resolution to limit the president’s use of the military against Iran, we’ll have details. Also, lots of private property blocking further border wall construction, but the Trump administration has found a way around it, and it’s making conservationists upset. John Burnett previews his upcoming story for NPR. Also, how smart is a smart home if it can’t help you conserve? A house in Junction Texas that may become a new model for the future. Plus the week that was in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 29, 2019
And then there were 10: Houston sets the stage for the third round of Democratic presidential debates. We’ll look at how this time things will be different. Other stories we’re tracking: the path of hurricane Dorian as it bears down on the U.S. mainland, a storm that promised to put the new governor of Puerto Rico to the test. Also a new effort by Texas to test for THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. And the future of the space industry in Texas after another launch this week. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 26, 2019
From guns to lemonade stands, new laws about to take effect. Experts from the Dallas Morning News and the Texas Tribune tell us all about em. Other stories we’re watching, amid record heat, there’s one place in southeast Texas keeping cool without fear of rolling blackouts or skyrocketing electricity prices. We’ll take a look at how they’re doing it. Plus gun control in the aftermath of El Paso: the president first said he’d support tightening gun purchase background checks, then seemed to step back after a call with the head of the NRA. What’s the real story? All of that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 20, 2019
The governor launches a second panel to address immediate safety concerns in the aftermath of the El Paso shooting. What’s different? We’ll take a look. Among the lawmakers assigned to the new Texas safety commission, several from the El Paso area: Democratic representative Mary Gonzales on what she hopes will come out of the newly created Texas Safety Commission. Also, why Dallas is turning to a task force to deal with rising homicide rates. And are national developers driving up college debt? All those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 11, 2019
Political lightning round: capitalist or socialist? High profile Democrats get a grilling in an unlikely venue as SXSW gets political. Democratic luminaries shining bright this weekend at what many think of as a music and film festival. We’ll hear who was making news and what it means for election season 2020. Also, an infectious disease specialist says San Francisco is beating HIV, why not Houston or other southern cities? Plus the $7,000 film: director Robert Rodriguez gets back to his DIY roots with a scrappy new release about a budding filmmaker. All of those stories and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 16, 2018
Round two getting underway tonight in San Antonio: what to expect in the last debate before early voting between Ted Cruz and Beto O’rourke. Also, the policy of family separations at the border was a bust, but now the Washington Post reports it may be making a comeback. We’ll hear the how and why. And Texas is a leader in wind energy, but is the push for wind turbines about to run out of air? We’ll hear why some are worried. Also, what some have called a declaration of a new cold war. Why you might have missed it and why the Chinese certainly did not. All those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 19, 2018
A political upset in Texas: a Democrat friendly district picks a Republican to fill a vacated seat less than two months out from the midterms. On top of last night’s Republican win by Pete Flores over Pete Gallego for a vacated state Senate seat, new numbers suggest that tight contest between Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke might not be so tight after all. We’ll take a closer look. Also, as frustration grows over rising student debt in higher ed: Texas’ top ranked private university announces free tuition room and board, for those who qualify. And the sixth Rolling Stone, Texas’ own in the spotlight. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Negotiation, Power, and Ourselves
Framing negotiations in terms of winning and losing w can set us up for disappointment, not only when it comes to how we negotiate with others but also how we negotiate with ourselves.
In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke off some other options that might help us win no matter what.
Texas Standard: May 9, 2018
The go it alone strategy: as North Korea returns three American hostages, a new test for Trumpian diplomacy, we’ll explore. Also, it’s being touted as an historic deal between inmates and the Texas prison system over air conditioning. What could be a lifesaver nationwide. And more cracked windows and more plane diversions: should there be age limits on commercial aircraft? We’ll explore. Also, Senator Ted Cruz’s Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke says there’s never been a connection between the border and terrorism. A Politifact check on that claim. And losing the plot: officials try to identify who owns a mystery cemetery. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
V&B: Sonny Rollins and The Art of Power (Part I)
Rabbi and Jazz Historian Neil Blumofe in conversation with Rebecca McInroy. Musical guests include Alex Coke, saxophone; Derrick Becker, trumpet; Sean Giddings, piano; Roscoe Beck, bass; Brannen Temple, drums.
How do we respond to uncertainty and a time of anxiety? By steeping ourselves in Rollins’ confidence and steadfastness, we bear witness to the commanding power of presence. Rollins remains a persuasive poet – as a saxophonist, improviser, and as an innovating voice, he possesses a sense of adventure in exploration and intention. He tells a compelling story of the jazz ancestors, inviting us to join with him, and we step resolutely forward together as we determine the next chapters to be written.