State Parks

Our staff favorites of the year

Texas Standard producers have made their lists and checked ‘em twice – or more – selecting some of our most memorable conversations with fascinating Texans over the past 12 months.

This hour, we invite you to sit back and enjoy our staff favorites from the past year, including honky tonk heroines, birders in cemeteries, bears making a comeback and a whole lot more.

State stops effort to reclaim Fairfield Lake State Park

Expensive homes owned by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have not been disclosed to the state as required by law. Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy of the Texas Newsroom has more.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will no longer try to use eminent domain to reclaim Fairfield Lake State Park, ending a months-long struggle between the state and a Dallas developer.

The digital divide has for decades been a concern. Why many in Texas worry things are getting worse.

And: Remember expectations of a blue wave? How are Democrats’ chances for political success in Texas shaping up for 2024?

Texas Standard: January 6, 2022

Texans reflect on the anniversary of an event that many fear has called into question the future of American democracy itself. On the one year anniversary of the capitol insurrection, President Biden warns of the ongoing dangers to our democracy. Today, a conversation with representative Collin Allred of Dallas who was on the floor of the House that day and says the threat, rather than fading into history, remains. Also a reckoning for the role of Texans in that attack of January 6th 2021. Plus the Texas primaries as an acid test for Trump and the Republicans. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 2, 2019

Congresswoman Escobar talks with us a day after touring detention facilities and finding out she was the target of comments on a secret Facebook group. That secret Facebook group reportedly made up of at least some current and former Border Patrol agents. The content, at times disturbing. We’ll have more. Plus, it looks like a deadline to print the U.S. census was missed. Why it matters and what’s next. And have you been to a Texas State Park lately? Many are overcrowded and in disrepair. Why Texans will soon have a chance to fix that. And celebrating the anniversary of a woman’s right to vote with the recognition that the reality of that right was uneven. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 10, 2018

Even before the Democrats have their runoff, a new ad campaign from Governor Abbott suggests he already knows the outcome, we’ll have the latest. Also- the two Democrats in the gubernatorial runoff set a time date and place for their one and only debate, although it won’t be televised. How that might hint at what’s happening behind the scenes. And behind the scenes to win freedom for Americans. Ambassador Ryan Crocker of Texas A&M on what you didn’t see with today’s hostage release. Plus the technology that doing for a night at the movie theatre what Uber did for taxis, we’ll take a look. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

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:

Texas Standard: March 28, 2016

The border surge: some called it a cynical political move. But now even local critics concede they feel safer. We’ll explore. Also from security on the Texas border to terrorism abroad. Officials have been warning of so-called lone wolves. How do attacks in Brussels and Pakistan change the conversation? And a federal judge orders a complete restructuring of the Texas foster care system. Now the man who leads the whole department is stepping down. We’ll hear why, and whether he thinks things can be fixed. And the Christmas twisters- three moths after the storms and the media spotlight. What changed and what hasn’t? All that and much more today on the Texas Standard: