A stabbing incident at the flagship campus of the university of Texas: and an unexpected source helping to break the news, we’ll have the backstory. Plus the eyes of Texas are upon Pasadena? Why a local election east of Houston may have implications across the lone star state. Also, if you’re a non citizen putting your life on the line in service to the US, the law puts you on a fast track to citizenship, but now there’s a roadblock. We’ll hear what’s happening and what isn’t. Also: he was a young man building a website in his Texas bedroom who became a billionaire and then one of the most wanted men in all of America. We’ll hear the story of the search for the Dread Pirate Roberts. All of that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
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Texas Standard: March 24, 2017
A vote on health care? Or something else? As republican leaders scramble for votes, what does it mean to be a republican? We’ll explore. Also, 15 percent of UT Austin women have been victims of rape according to the accidentally released details of a landmark study. We’ll hear about the survey and how the numbers got out. And prayer rooms in public schools: does Texas have a problem with that? Why a side of soy sauce might come with that next southwestern dish. James Brown with a dash of Jimi Hendrix? How Black Joe Louis is messing with Texas music is a very good way. Plus the week in politics and a whole lot more. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 17, 2017
It’s called a ‘declaration of taking’. Tho you might call it something else: the first tangle steps toward a border wall. Also a rough landing for US air traffic controllers? Why the FAA may not be in charge of managing the highways of the sky much longer…we’ll explain. And the New York stock exchange. The Chicago Mercantile exchange, the Texas gold depository? A Texas lawmaker polishes up plans to make an official Texas gold repository open for business. Plus saving Texas dance halls, a certain madness seizing Texas, the week that was at the capitol and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 28, 2017
A sudden reversal from the department of justice: Texas didn’t intended to discriminate with Voter ID. Why the 180 and why does it matter? We’ll explore. Also: as immigration detention centers in Texas fill with new arrivals, a lawsuit against a private company running many of those centers: the allegation? Forced labor. The case could involve tens of thousands of current and former detainees. Also, a new technique to eradicate invasive species being tested for the first time on mammals: the effect, daughterless offspring. What could go wrong? We’re just getting started, it’s Texas Standard time:
Texas Standard: February 27, 2017
Feeling the pinch? Texas lawmakers blame lower oil and gas revenue. But for the real explanation, you may have to drill deeper, we’ll explore. Plus homeschoolers and public school advocates form an unlikely partnership: the target? Stopping the latest effort on school choice. We’ll hear why. And sweat dirt and drilling equipment: the stuff fortunes have been built on since spindle top. But new wildcatters are getting their hands dirty without getting their hands dirty. We’ll explain. And as states ease up on marijuana, a new directive from the feds to crack down on recreational use of pot. What happens next? All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 21, 2017
Before the highest court in the land: the case of the killing of a teenager at the border, and the question where do we draw the line? Plus first came the Tea Party, then complaints about RINO’s-republicans in name only. As Trump opponents adopt the tea party strategy, a call for the fall of the Dinos? And new numbers on support for the legalization of cannabis in the lone star state. As attitudes change, why does the resistance refuse to go up in smoke? Plus Texas schools turning down federal food money so they can hang on to aid for academics. But if students are too hungry to work, then what? All that and more on the national news show of Texas:
Texas Standard: January 25, 2017
From sea to shining sea, or something else? The White House order goes out today to build that wall. Also, Governor abbott issues a threat to a central Texas sheriff over her sanctuary city plan: if she doesn’t back down, we’ll remove her from office, we’ll have more. Also, more than 300 thousand in bondage in Texas. The first hard numbers on what’s been called modern day slavery. Plus, something special in the air? Fight attendants at a major Texas based airline say their uniforms are making them sick. And a new focus for space researchers: what’s happening to astronauts’ eyesight? All that and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 23, 2017
Texas billionaire Ross Perot once warned of a giant sucking sound. Today: a stunning vindication? We’ll explore. Plus, what’s called school choice, set to explode as a front page issue this week. As lawmakers make it a top priority, how’s it supposed to work exactly? We’ll have a crash course. Also, what appears to be the first Texas showdown now set over so-called sanctuary cities. And a stunning shift by the Texas supreme court clears the way for a challenge to gay marriage. Why a nation with some of the toughest gun laws in the world may be having a change of heart. Those stories and a whole lot more, turn it up, cause it’s Texas Standard time:
Texas Standard: December 21, 2016
Texas officials fulfill a promise: no more Medicaid money to Planned Parenthood. The implications and what comes next. Plus a multi million dollar emergency infusion for child protective services. The plan: hire new caseworkers and give raises to keep others from leaving. But there’s a hitch, just in time for the holidays. We’ll hear about it. Also she was a full throated communist, cast as a a working class hero and a villain. And then her story was almost lost to history. A revival of interest in the lady called ‘the passionate one from Texas’. And veterans signing on to wage a new kind of war…in cyberspace. All of that and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Higher Ed: What Else Could Be Taught in School?
Most people who get at least a high school education will experience a pretty standard set of courses no matter where they go to school: Math, English, Social Studies, Biology, and the like. But are there things not being taught in schools that should be? What if the traditional academic slate were wiped clean and replaced with a new “road map;” what might that look like? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss some things that could be added to curricula to enhance education – even well beyond school years. Now, don’t expect Ed to make concrete suggestions such as “more Math” or “less History.” Ed actually believes the tweaks are more about process than content and should focus more on learning itself than on any specific subject. Listen on to hear Ed and Jen discuss those tweaks, and to get the latest puzzler… which might sound a little familiar.
This episode was recorded on October 4, 2016.
Texas Standard: October 25, 2016
By all accounts, a record setting first day of early voting. Some motivated by fears of funny business at the ballot box. How well founded? We’ll explore. Also a few things possibly overlooked in the conversation about a Texas based telecom giant taking over Time Warner: such as what if AT&T gets into the journalism business? Plus, a construction boom in north Texas. Workers needed, for sure, but the real shortage some say are managers. What’s being done to deal with the shortage. And at one of the nation’s top centers for drug abuse data, a discovery: when it comes to the drug war, the numbers don’t add up. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 18, 2016
The US promised retaliation against Russian hacking. Is the wired war now underway? We’ll consider the implications of all out cyber warfare. Also The Clinton campaign buys media time in deep red Texas. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they think the state is in play. We’ll take a closer look at the ad, and the strategy. And a matter of choice or false choices? Lawmakers relaunch a long running debate over a voucher-like plan for schools. And after raising expectations of impending expansion, the Big 12 punts –sticking with the 10 teams currently in the conference. So what was that public pageant all about, anyway? Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Your School Librarian
Whether you need to read a book for school or for book club, you can likely find it online as an ebook, audiobook, or have the real book shipped in a matter of hours. But before you head straight to the internet, remember that there’s a magic place you can look first. A place with people who would love to help you find what you need – all without relying on a wifi connection.
Texas Standard: September 13, 2016
Reading writing and, racism? Public outrage today over a textbook which claims to teach Mexican American history. We’ll explore. Plus, sick of traffic? Science to the rescue. Texas A&M has a plan to move cargo off the road so cars can go…could be huge for cities like Houston, we’ll have details. Also a Texas metropolis nipping at the heels of the nation’s top 10 export cities. Any guesses? We were surprised, perhaps you will be too. And officially it calls itself the Live Music Capitol of the World but city leaders worry about an unhealthy exodus of musicians. Too late for a turnaround? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Waiting-For-Autumn Blues
While many Texans firmly believe seasons do not exist in our great state, we all look forward to the few weeks of cool weather in the fall. It’s the perfect time for cardigans, sweaters, and a cup of hot chocolate. The hard part is waiting for the blissful respite from the heat.
Texas Standard: June 7, 2016
The Trump Factor and Latino Voters: does the latest blowup over Mexican ancestry really tilt the balance in Texas? We’ll explore. Also Texas is on track to set another new record for inappropriate relationships between teachers and students. Is the fix a ban on social media? And home again, home again, jiggity jig: more young adults now live with parents than with significant others. Why mom and dad need not be that bummed out. And the many national and state parks in Texas are missing something: african american visitors. New research points to why. Those stories and much more today on the Texas standard:
Commencement
It’s the time of year when graduates take the long walk to pick up their diploma.
Texas Standard: May 18, 2016
The viral video showed a officer slamming a student to the ground. Advocates say it’s past time to make changes to school policing. We’ll explore. Also Texas can do its own background checks… even while accepting federal funding to resettle refugees? We’ll take a closer look. Plus… one part of the state has twice the rate of liver disease… but why? And a record-setting athlete hopes her legs will take her to Rio this summer. The Texas track star with Olympic goals. And do students at UT have less debt than others across the country? A fact-check. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 13, 2016
A long awaited ruling over how Texas pays for its kids to get an education. The ruling: its ugly, but’s its constitutional. We’ll explore. Also the Obama administration ups the ante in the bathroom wars of 2016–issuing a directive to all schools in the US. Texas is plotting a legal pushback. And a de facto Fort Knox for Texas? At the GOP convention in Dallas, companies pitch plans to store billions in Texas bullion. But…why? And a 100 years after the Waco horror, what do modern day Texans know about that ugly chapter of history. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 10, 2016
No need to wait till the next legislative session, the bathroom wars of 2016 are on in Texas. We’ll explore… So the drug kingpin El Chapo gets moved to a lower security prison, just south of the Texas border. Now a Mexican judge gives the green light to extradition. Are you thinking what we are? Also..a shuffle in Saudi Arabia and what it might or might not mean for the price of Texas tea. And in a nation full of choices…why is it just red or blue when it comes to politics? A duopoly revisited and we’re just getting started. Those stories today on the Texas Standard: