PublicRadio

Texas Standard: July 20, 2017

An historic selection to head the police force of one Texas’ biggest cities. The changing face of law enforcement- today on the Texas Standard

You’re getting a raise! Now that’s something you’d expect Texas teachers to get behind, right? So why are so many holding their noses over the governor’s plan?

South of the border they’ve been bracing for change under President Donald Trump, but not always in the way you might think. The Mexicans welcoming the shakeup of NAFTA.

The John Birch Society once defined the hard right in America…now they’re back, putting down roots in Texas.

And a teaching tool or just toys? Educators ask questions about augmented books.

Texas Standard: July 19, 2017

Heard in the Texas Capitol—what if…you know…maybe …some lawmakers wanted to leave town? Here we go…

One day in and what could go wrong? Early special session action sparks memories of a lawmaker exodus to Oklahoma…and other unusual outcomes. We’ll breakout the pink dome wayback machine.

You know that student loan? Can the bank prove you owe it? A closely watched case that could take millions of people in debt off the hook.

The new statewide ban on texting while driving. Does it really override local laws? .. We’re handsfree and wireless all hour long.

Texas Standard: July 18, 2017

Governor Abbott says city politicians are trying to California our Texas. Hurting the Texas brand. But CEOs say there’s something far worse. The story today on the Standard.

Happy first day of the special session. Coming up, what to expect and today’s listener question: Why can’t the lege work faster?

The Texas housing boom of 2017 —look closer: who’s really buying all those houses? And why does it matter?

Are police cruisers making Texas cops sick? A nationwide investigation with its epicenter, the Texas capitol city.

And Lyle Lovett remembers a master craftsman.

Texas Standard: July 17, 2017

Dennis Quaid or Eva Longoria for Senate? Tommy Lee Jones for governor? Texas democrats looking for star power. The real story today on the Standard.

As the governor announces his reelection plans, who’s on the bench to top the ticket for the other party?

Texas tops in cattle—but tops in something else you won’t hear about–number one in agricultural land getting lapped up by foreign buyers. We’ll hear who’s buying and why.

Solar panels used to be promoted by energy companies as a smart way to save money. Now some of those same power companies want to charge you extra for using those panels.

Plus, discovering Robocop’s Texas accent and a whole lot more.

Texas Standard: April 28, 2017

Berkeley, Auburn—what about Texas colleges and universities? Should unpopular even offensive speech be protected on campus? The proposal today on the Texas Standard

How do you fix a broken political map? Here’s a hint, it’ll take more than tape. What’s at stake as a court takes up minority voting power in Texas.

Are the democrats on Capitol Hill really looking for a government shutdown? a rejoinder to the other side of the aisle from a prominent Texas congressman.

Where’s our flying cars? In two years, Uber promises they’ll be all over Dallas.

And buckle up for what basketball fans are calling the I-10 series.

All that plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more.

Texas Standard: January 9, 2017

From El Paso to Brownsville: a barrier promising to reshape our landscape and our future.
Today a focus on the wall–a special edition of the Texas Standard.

It was a staple of his presidential campaign. And there are signs, even before his inaguration, work is already underway on Donald Trump’s wall.

But how does the campaign rhetoric square with the reality on the ground… Who’ll build it and at what cost? How will change our communities, our way of life, and how we see each other. On both sides of a new great divide?

Today we’re live from Brownsville, our starting point for “the wall”.

Texas Standard: December 16, 2016

A federal warning for pregnant women: do not travel to Brownsville. But what if you live there? What the new Zika warning means for a mother to be..today on the Standard.

Repeal and replace Obamacare. What’s that gonna mean for coverage? We’ll take it up today with the powerful Texas lawmaker who’s setting the stage right now with a rare recess conference on Capitol Hill.

Also, as holiday fliers prepare to deal with screaming babies on board, the one thing worse–and ways to cope.

Plus, could it happen this Christmas? A legendary honkytonk awaits the return of Gary Floater. But don’t hold your breath. Or maybe you should. All that and more…today on the Texas Standard.

Texas Standard: December 15, 2016

Don’t drink the water. Don’t even bother boiling it. Corpus Christi closes schools and lines form for bottled H2O in a fresh scare over safety. Details today on the Standard.

What’s afta NAFTA? With a promise from the President-elect to pull out of the trade deal, Congressman Will Hurd gets an earful from Texans living along the border. And we’ll hear from the Congressman.

And the energy capital of the US is…Denver? Colorado snags BP operations from Houston. What the move means for Texas.

Plus the best Texas book from 2016? The editor of Kirkus Reviews says nothing else comes close. We’ll hear his pick –and why. Plus a whole lot more all coming up today on the Texas Standard.

Texas Standard: December 14, 2016

The countdown is on- just 5 days left until a new rule takes effect across Texas, and no one’s quite sure how to implement it. The story today on the Texas Standard

Closing in fast on 500: across the border from what was recently called the safest city in the nation, a new surge in killings could shatter records. We’ll hear the backstory…

Also, a wave of resignations and a serious shortage of police in Dallas. This, only months after reports of an avalanche of applications from would be cadets.

And its official, but as Rick Perry prepares to be grilled for a gig as energy secretary, how do his past statements rate on the Truth-o-Meter? All that and much more today on the Texas Standard.

Texas Standard: December 13, 2016

Commerce, education and…the third one… I can’t…oh yes: Rick Perry has been tapped for energy secretary. Is he ready? The story today on the Standard.

Federal officials come to Texas and get an earful from parents of special ed students. We’ll hear what they heard.

Also, notes of dischord among musicians in Fort Worth have some big city symphonies trying to maintain harmony. We’ll hear how.

From frosted flakes to shoes and home appliances: the new political frontier– is everywhere and everything. How the politics of what we shop for affects the state of our union.

Plus, potential SCOTUS picks and more…turn it up y’all , it’s Texas Standard time.

Texas Standard: December 12, 2016

An oil industry tycoon from Wichita Falls and a hacking scandal involving presidential politics. What do they have in common? The story today on the Texas Standard.

As college students cram for finals, an tumultuous test for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. One that could put the degrees of thousands of students in jeopardy.

Also, what’s the color of liquid gold? The west Texas town of Fort Stockton bets it’ll be crystal clear. We’ll hear why.

And the desiccation of the Alamo: will cooler heads prevail in the coming battle to save it?

Texas Standard: December 9, 2016

Breaking news: three top members of the Texas Veterinary board resign after a scathing state review. A state senator bites back today on the Texas Standard.

What’s the difference between a light drinker and a heavy drinker? It may be the genes. A possible breakthrough reported by a Texas researcher.

For the 30 thousand kids in the state’s troubled foster care system, a new plan to help them stay healthy, we’ll hear how it works.

One of the state’s best known Texas republicans opens up her political warchest to battle for women. The moment that sparked her outrage, and what she’s doing about it.

Plus the week in politics and much more—turn it up, it’s Texas Standard time.

Texas Standard: December 8, 2016

He’s one of the most colorful figures in Texas politics, and published reports say he’s a major source of fake news. His explanation? That’s today on the Texas Standard.

A state of emergency: with child deaths and case mismanagement making headlines, the Governor announces action to protect the most vulnerable kids in foster care. We’ll hear the plan.

A Texas measles epidemic by 2018? A warning from a top pediatrician about the state as a battleground over mandatory childhood vaccinations.

And a stir in education circles over a plan to force schools to share information about a child’s sexual orientation with parents.

Texas Standard: December 7, 2016

Not since 1787 has the US had a constitutional convention. Now, what was once considered the unthinkable looks possible. The story today on the Texas Standard

The problems of prognostication. Politics: you’re not alone. We’ll look at forecasting through an unlikely lens.

Also a new Texas rule to require burial of fetal remains–for those seeking an abortion, what this means as a practical matter.

They’re calling it the flooding capitol of the nation. It’s also set to become the third largest city in the US. As development continues, can a flood czar help? Or is it too late?

Texas Standard: December 6, 2016

How do you get Mexico to pay for a border wall? A Texas congressman has serious ideas. And he just might be tapped to head homeland security. The story today on the Standard.

Are you a marijuana user? Why changes in values and in laws across the nation have led to changes in the background check for firearms.

If a so-called bathroom bill were to pass in Texas what would be the economic impact? A warning from a Texas business group…

Reading writing and wrongdoing—what will it take to stop the epidemic of inappropriate relationships between teachers and students?

And a court orders detention centers to open their doors…now what?

Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard.

Texas Standard: December 5, 2016

After a phone call from Taiwan and a few tweets from the President-elect, a potential global crisis. A goof, or something more: the story today on the Standard

A pension plan meltdown that could leave Dallas bankrupt. But the rest of us are ok…right? The state controller warns, this could hurt all of Texas. He’ll tell us how and why.

Guess who’s making a massive new investment in drilling in the Gulf of Mexico? Here’s a hint: its initials are B and P.

And the bizarre disappearance of 300 rare blind salamanders from a Federal research center in Texas. Some wonder if they’re part of a black market in exotic animal trafficking. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard.

Texas Standard: October 20, 2016

Three keys to last night’s debate: Hombre, Nasty, and I’ll keep you in suspense—unlocking the rhetoric today on the Texas Standard.

If the first wave was Texas shifting from rural to urban, what’s next? Some point to what’s happening in our host city today. We’re in Waco, where the Magnolia effect is impossible to ignore. We’ll explain.

Speaking of transformations: how a destructive greenhouse gas could become a useful source of energy.

Yesterday’s futurists promised us videophones. Though the future is now, our digital savant tells us you ain’t seen nothin’ yet…

We’re just getting started—live and Statewide from Waco, no matter where you are- it’s Texas Standard time…

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.