Inauguration ceremonies at the capitol lift the curtain and set the stage as the 88th legislature gets underway in earnest. We’ll have more on the inauguration of the Governor and the Lt. Governor. Also a prison hunger strike and allegations of retaliation. And the constitutional sheriffs movement and why advocates of police reform are concerned a vow to uphold the law is being twisted into something that subverts the law. Also 50 years of BBQ. The barbecue editor of Texas monthly on what’s changed in those decades, and it might be a lot more than you think. Plus, commentator W.F. Strong in celebration of Texas grammar, a Politifact check and more today on the Texas Standard:
Stories From Texas
Why Texas and the U.S. need larger apartments
Is there a Speaker in the House? Texas’ role in the drama over who will lead the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. No state sends more republicans to Congress than Texas, but those republicans are at loggerheads over who to pick as House speaker, and it’s brought Congress to a standstill before the next session’s even underway. Sean Theriault of UT Austin explains what’s happening and why. Also new travel restrictions as a Covid outbreak spreads in China. How concerned should Texans be, and will the restrictions really help? And W.F. Strong looks back on an historic sunken treasure discovery and more today on the Texas Standard:
Corpus Christi designated a World War II Heritage City
A date that will live in infamy, and a new designation for Corpus Christi as a World War II heritage city. We’ll have details. Other stories we’re covering: as the thoughts of many Texans turn to winter preparedness, concerns grow over the power grid and staffing problems for the agency that oversees it. Also a Politifact check of a claim about gun homicides. And remembering a Lubbock-born Texas iconoclast who transformed the creative landscape. Michael Hall of Texas Monthly looks back on the words and music of Jo Carol Pierce who passed away last week. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 11, 2022
A state commission votes to extend the life of a Texas department under federal investigation for civil rights and abuse violations. More on what comes next for the embattled Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Plus this week Texas voters elected the first South Asian and Muslim state legislators. We’ll talk with Salman Bhojani, Representative-elect from District 92 in North Texas. Plus Fort Hood set to be renamed for a four star General from South Texas, the first Hispanic to reach that rank. Also On this Veterans day, the story of Harold Brown, one of the first Black military aviators. Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 26, 2022
Governor Abbott extends a COVID-19 disaster declaration for Texas as a majority of states move the other direction. We’ll have the latest. Other stories we’re tracking: a stay of execution for a Texas death row inmate turns the spotlight on a tactic used by police to extract confessions…not all of them true. Also as election day approaches the nuts and bolts of voting machines: often at the center of disinformation claims. And how bout them…ticket prices? If you want to see the Astros in the world series it’s gonna costa ya, big time. We’ll hear how much. And the barbecue capitol of Texas heats up for an event that’s truly smokin. All that and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 12, 2022
After the shooting at Robb Elementary, Uvalde came together. Now, concerns that Uvalde’s becoming a town divided by tragedy. Coming up, our conversation with the mother of a 10 year old killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary and her concerns that as questions continue to swirl around accountability and gun violence, some in the community just want to move on. Also the biggest grant in the history of the university of North Texas leads to potentially groundbreaking research on Alzheimers. And a Politifact check of claims by a Texas congressman about immigrants from Venezuela. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 24, 2022
Hours away from a new law that amounts to a near total ban on abortions in Texas and a new legal challenge to that law. As Texas’ version of a post Roe vs. Wade trigger law takes effect, reproductive rights groups are suing the state attorney general. We’ll hear about the strategy and the prospects. Also, 5 years after Hurricane Harvey there are ongoing attempts to buyout the homes of people living in land that repeatedly floods. So how’s that working out? We’ll hear the latest. Also actor and comedian Mo Amer on a new Netflix series some say is the first of its kind to really capture the feel of a modern Houston. Plus a Politifact check and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 10, 2022
There’s more fallout from the FBI’s raid at the home of former president Donald Trump. What are Texas republicans saying? We’ll explore. Plus having a baby in west Texas is getting more dangerous. We’ll take a look at maternal care west of the Pecos. All that plus our weekly fact check, the latest headlines, and Tom Landry. Today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 13, 2022
At the hearings on the January 6th insurrection, the spotlight turns to the some potentially key figures from Texas. We’ll have the latest. Other stories we’re tracking: an 85 billion dollar ten year transportation plan for Texas. What it includes and what it leaves out as the state tries to deal with a growing population. And with that growing population, a boom in new home construction. But why so many delays in finishing projects? Plus water levels low on many Texas rivers and questions about whether businesses catering to river recreation will sink or swim. And the Mexican activists fielding calls from Texans seeking abortions. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 29, 2022
As the investigation continues in a migrant smuggling tragedy, border officials in El Paso sound an alarm over migrant deaths due to water. Coming up: a Texas pre-Roe abortion ban blocked by a Harris county judge. We’ll have the latest. Plus a conversation with the eldest daughter of Norma McCorvey, the Texan better known as Jane Roe in the landmark Roe v Wade case. And a first of its kind in Texas, diplomas for newly minted podiatrists. We’ll talk with the inaugural dean of Texas’ first school of podiatry and why its location is so critical. And the GOP platform call for Texas to secede: could Texas do that? A Politifact check and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 15, 2022
Governor Abbott says he was livid, misled by falsehoods in the aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting. But where was he getting his information? What do the governor’s handwritten notes from his first press conference in Uvalde reveal about the source of misinformation over law enforcement’s response? We’ll have more. Also Texas’ so-called dead suspect loophole and why it may prove an obstacle to getting more detailed information about the shooting. And the rise of a movement to get Asian American Pacific Islanders in Texas more politically engaged, particularly in this election year. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 4, 2022
On today’s show we’ll explain the trigger law that would mostly ban abortion in Texas if Roe v. wade is overturned. Plus, have Texans had enough of highways? Some transportation activists are taking it to the streets. And are you familiar with Toadsuck? Don’t be offended, it’s the name of a place. Commentator W.F. Strong will tell you all about it. And we’ve got back to school book bans in San Antonio and of course the latest news from across the Lone Star State today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 6, 2022
After a Texas law that restricted abortion access went into effect, some Texans sought abortions in Oklahoma. But now that state’s legislature has passed a bill that would make performing them a felony. Plus rural Texas is losing population. We’ll tell you about how one town in East Texas is trying to stop that trend. Also news on farmers and ranchers recovering from wildfires and the latest headlines from up and down the Lone Star State. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 23, 2022
Texas two senators press President Biden’s Supreme Court nominee in historic confirmation hearings at the capitol. Todd Gilman of the Dallas Morning News with more on the roles of Senator John Cornyn and Ted Cruz in the confirmation hearings of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Also, does Texas need an independent monitor of the natural gas industry? A conversation with a Texas Senator pushing for this change. Plus a book that is as much a celebration of Texas 250 rivers as it is a warning. And why allegations of sexual abuse against the Boy Scouts are factors in a bankruptcy court settlement. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 9, 2022
Gasoline prices hit new highs and activity stirs in the oil fields. We’ll have more on the impact on Texas of energy sanctions against Russia. Also, why are so many Texas teachers leaving the profession? A task force formed to answer that question, we’ll have details. Plus, has SB8 lead to a dramatic drop in abortions? A researcher says some might be surprised by the answer. Plus after a sit down dinner with Attorney General Ken Paxton, the family of a transgender teen now targeted for investigation. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 29, 2021
Peak air travel meets pandemic spike. With delays, cancellations and hassles for holiday flyers…but wait: there’s more. As bad as the holiday season’s been for air travelers, the turbulence could last a good while for the airline industry in Texas and beyond. We’ll hear more. Also, not so solitary confinement: inmates at one of Texas’ most notorious prisons rig their own radio station to find escape, with the blessings of the warden. Plus long before broadband, the isolated but ingenious rural Texans who found ways to hack the system and stay in touch. Commentator W.F. Strong with that story and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 15, 2021
With the window now closed for names to go on the primary ballot for statewide races in 2022, what are we learning about the state of Texas politics? We’ll take a look. Other stories we’re covering, in a state with more military bases than any other except California: active duty service members reach big deadline for covid vaccinations. Also some state’s call it junk science, but in Texas courts it can be called admissible evidence. We’ll have more on the history of what’s called forensic hypnosis. And many Texans in mourning this week over death of a man who was more than a soaring tenor but a cultural icon as well. Remembering Vicente Fernández and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 1, 2021
Four new laws aimed at improving the lives of almost a million and a half Texas residents who served in the military. We’ll have Details. Other stories we’re following: young authors and librarians weigh in on the Governor’s attempts to purge what he calls pornography from public schools. Also big news for a small city: what the decision to locate a new multi-billion dollar semiconductor facility means for the town of Taylor in Central Texas. Also what’s in the name “Brackenridge” and a Politifact check of a claim that U.S. households are on track to spend 19 billion dollars more on energy by 2030. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 17, 2021
A primary care doctor in rural Texas sounds an alarm amid an ongoing pandemic: where are all the other doctors? We’ll explore. Also, after outrageous and false claims about the Sandy Hook school massacre, a decision in a defamation case brought by parents against Texas provocateur Alex Jones. We’ll have details. Plus billions coming to Texas to boost infrastructure, including broadband. How could it change Texas? One expert says it could be as big as rural electrification. We’ll hear the how and why. And an exhibit that aims to correct the historical record when it comes to cowboy legend. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 8, 2021
The date’s been set: September 20th. And so has the agenda, if the Governor has his way. What’s in store for a third special session? We’ll have details. Also, new lawsuits take aim at Texas’ new election laws. And as the U.S. goes, so goes Mexico? Quite the contrary, as Mexico’s Supreme Court, in a dramatic step, decriminalizes abortion. A victory for an increasingly strong women’s rights movement there. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard: