Republican

State has seen rise in teen births since abortion ban was enacted

After Donald Trump’s win in the New Hampshire primary, what are the implications and ripple effects as Texas’ primary day approaches?

The Republican Party of Denton County has issued a resolution calling for Brent Hagenbuch to drop out of race for District 30 of the Texas Senate. At issue: allegations that Hagenbuch doesn’t live in the district.

A federal appeals court has given a second chance to Mexico’s $10 billion lawsuit against gun manufacturers, one of the biggest potential setbacks for gun manufacturers in recent memory.

A new study from the University of Houston finds a rise in teen birth rates a year after Texas’ six-week abortion ban went into effect.

And: Analysis of the Supreme Court’s ruling on razor wire at the border.

Rare mushroom sparks excitement in Central Texas and beyond

A GOP junket to Eagle Pass was one of the largest congressional visits to the border in recent memory – but what’s the end goal, and what did lawmakers see?

Eleanor Klibanoff of the Texas Tribune has the details on a ruling by the Fifth Circuit over federal authority to require hospitals to provide abortions, and the implications for Texas.

A rare star-shaped fungus found only in Texas and a few other places worldwide is capturing the attention of mushroom enthusiasts.

Also: Understanding a new trend of cold exposure – does it have the health benefits many claim?

Chronic wasting disease ravages Texas Parks and Wildlife facility

A federal judge is considering holding Texas in contempt of court over ongoing problems in the state’s foster care system. Bob Garrett of The Dallas Morning News joins us with the latest.

Chronic wasting disease, for which there is no known cure, has been detected in a Texas deer breeding facility. The Standard’s Michael Marks tells us more.

Amid concrete and skyscrapers, a community garden brings green space to North Austin. Texas Standard intern Breze Reyes reports.

And: What could the fish be telling us? Why a Texas researcher is capturing their sounds.

What new polling says about Texans’ presidential preferences

With the Texas House and Senate in special session, border security is taking center stage – including one measure that sparked a verbal brawl in the state Capitol on Wednesday night.

Tech expert Omar Gallaga tells us why social media companies are de-emphasizing news, and what that means.

Also, a new poll from the Texas Public Policy Project shares clues on where Texans stand on the eve of the 2024 election cycle.

In attempts to ban library books, Texas leads the nation

Texas prisons are under a statewide lockdown as officials search for contraband to stem a rise in prison homicides.

More than 700 new state laws took effect in Texas on Sept. 1 out of the almost 3,000 that were filed – meaning the vast majority didn’t become law. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies tells us more.

Texas had the most book challenges of any state last year, according to the American Library Association.

Outlaw country, born in the 1970s, has long been dominated by men. But female artists have been making noteworthy contributions, especially recently.

Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune.

Adoptees fight to gain access to their original birth certificates in Texas

The impeachment trial of Texas’ attorney general is set to begin on the floor of the Senate tomorrow, but supporters in Ken Paxton’s home county, Collin, are standing firmly behind him.

Meanwhile, almost half of Texans think Paxton should be removed from office, according to a new poll from the Texas Policy Project.

Lots of folks from other states are moving to Texas – but numbers suggest Texans are, by and large, staying put.

And there’s a push to change Texas law so that adoptees can access their original birth certificates.

Railroad Commission approves South Texas coal mine expansion

In the first Republican debate of the new presidential election season, an issue top of mind for Texans – border policy – takes center stage.

The Texas Department of Transportation is giving a final green light to a highway expansion in downtown Austin that would add at least four lanes and get rid of the road’s existing upper decks.

There’s pushback on solar development in rural northeast Texas.

Energy regulators greenlit a 12,000-acre expansion of a South Texas coal mine on Tuesday, despite locals’ environmental concerns.

And with strays being turned away by many animal shelters, a first-time cat owner – the Standard’s Sean Saldaña – reflects on his first month with his new pet.

Why Will Hurd didn’t make the cut for the first Republican presidential debate

The Feds push back in court over Gov. Greg Abbott’s deployment of buoys in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass.

The City of Dallas has received $1.5 million in federal dollars for a major cleanup of contaminated sites. But will it be enough?

Researchers in El Paso are trying to tap another source of potential alternate energy, inspired by the prickly pear cactus.

There are growing concerns about challenges faced by deaf kids in the Texas foster care system.

Plus, San Antonio native Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post shares the latest on tonight’s GOP primary debate – and why former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd of Texas won’t be there.

Why the Rio Grande Valley is a transit desert

It started 5 months ago, and if all goes according to plan, it ends this week. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of the Texas Newsroom joins us with his look ahead at the final days of the Texas legislative session. And what happens to the many proposals that didn’t pass? To understand, a knowledge of zombies might be beneficial.

Why have so many Democrats been lining up with Republicans on key items this session?

And you’ve heard the song “Whiskey River”? Though the song’s a fable, a new book shows how whiskey flows through Texas history more than you might expect.

Breaking down the saga at the Dallas Zoo

School vouchers, now styled as school choice, are back before state lawmakers. They have been rejected in the past, but will this year be different? Senate Bill 8 would provide Texas parents with an education account, taxpayer money that could be used to send students to private school. And the bill has special features designed to win over traditionally reluctant rural Republicans.

The Houston Independent School district braces for the implications of a state takeover.

Jamie Landers of the Dallas Morning News has put together a fuller picture of what happened with a string of crimes at the Dallas Zoo.

And seven Texas teams are spicing up March Madness on the men’s side.

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.

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.

What Texas House committee assignments say about this session

Two prominent names in Texas politics get key assignments on Capitol Hill in a pushback against GOP investigations.

Democrats lose top slots on influential Texas House committees. What could that mean for some hot-button issues before the Texas legislature?

A directive from the governor’s office to state colleges and universities to consider employment on merit alone, calling diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives a rebranded form of employment discrimination.

And DQ’s are a Texas thing, right? We’ll get the full scoop.

What’s happening at the Cutoff in East Texas?

As cities grow, so do tensions between state and local officials over policy direction. A bipartisan coalition of 18 big city mayors team up to press state officials over top priorities. What they’re planning and more in our conversation with the mayor of Fort Worth. Also, how transgender youth and their families are gearing up to fight several new proposals in the GOP led Texas legislature. And an update over public access to a beloved east Texas body of water called The Cutoff. Plus rising grocery prices and the SNAP gap for those needing help to get food on the table. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

El Paso scraps plans for multimillion dollar arena

Another day, another attempt to elect a speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Fights over who should lead lawmakers aren’t limited to D.C. There have been similar surprises in Pennsylvania and Ohio. So could it also happen in Texas? Brandon Rottinghaus of the University of Houston shares his insights. Also Bloomberg with a list of ten lawmakers to watch in 2023: one’s from Texas, and the choice just might surprise you. Plus with a controversy over LGBTQ content in libraries, city leaders in Huntsville decide to put the library in the hands of a private company. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

What this cold snap means for Texans experiencing homelessness

A last minute scramble to keep the Government funded as Texans clamber in advance of dangerously cold weather. We’ll have more on efforts to piece together a 1.7 trillion dollar spending bill; much debate centering on what’s happening at the border. Also as Texans prepare for a blast of Arctic air, we’ll speak with an official in Irving who’s been mobilizing efforts to help folks in the metroplex experiencing homelessness, who are especially vulnerable. Also a crisis among caregivers assisting Texans with disabilities. These stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

There’s a growing push to recycle fracking wastewater in Texas

As temperatures fall, a humanitarian crisis in El Paso deepens as there is a scramble to find shelter for thousands of migrants. Now Texas National Guard troops have been called in to maintain order at the scene. We’ll have the latest on a tenuous situation along the border. Plus, what to do with all the water used in fracking. Recycle it, maybe? We’ll hear why the idea is catching on now. And we’ve got one-on-one interview with a broadway star who’s got south Texas roots. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Almost 1 in 10 Texas hospitals at risk of closing

A new sort of crisis for Texas hospitals as experts warn one in ten statewide could close; one in four in rural Texas. We’ll have more on that story. Also, why the city of Uvalde is suing Uvalde county as investigations into the shooting at Robb Elementary continue. And the usual trajectory: high school then a bachelors degree, but what about both at the same time? A project to take early college in Texas to the next level. And after more than a hundred years in the dark, the return of a landmark beacon to the Texas Gulf Coast. Plus, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune. All this and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 23, 2022

Where are the Texans? With a change in House leadership, the expectation was that Texans, who send more GOP representatives to congress than any other state, would be well represented in leadership posts. Why hasn’t that happened? We’ll have some answers. And we’re digging in to some of Texas’ favorite dishes and poking our head into the kitchens of Mexico. Also Rick Martínez takes us on a road trip where he made some delicious discoveries in the kitchens of Mexico. Plus, the pandemic was tough on Texas eateries, but many of those that managed to survive or get off the ground are among the tastiest places in Texas. We’ll hear a list of best new restaurants. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 04, 2022

It’s the last day to vote early in the midterm elections but Texans haven’t been showing up at the pace they did last time; we’ll look at why. And one of the races on every Texan’s ballot is for state comptroller. So what exactly does the comptroller do and what separates the two top party candidates? Also on the ballot may be a change to your city charter, what’s that mean and what’s at stake? And we’ll meet a 75-year old Texan running his 75th marathon. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard: