Record setting heat on tap for much of Texas. Will there be enough electricity to meet demand? And what about the rest of the summer? Coming up, the latest on heat warnings across Texas, and what it portends for the rest of the summer amid anxieties about whether the electrical grid can stand the strain. Also a federal judge moves to hold Texas’ foster care services in contempt as court monitors continue to find deficiencies in a system once declared unconstitutionally unsafe for children. Paul Flahive of Texas Public Radio with the latest. And what’s in a name? Some Mexico distillers say cultural appropriation. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Symphony
Texas Standard: May 19, 2022
20 miles southwest of Abilene evacuation orders are issued as a dangerous heat fire consumes homes, we’ll have the latest. Also, migrants fill shelters in Ciudad Juarez waiting for a major change in U.S. immigration enforcement that could come as soon as Monday. And waves for wheat farmers: how a topsy turvy global market is hitting Texas’ breadbasket. Also tech companies in Texas and beyond, how they’re dealing with the great resignation. And the newly created U.S. Space Force reaches critical velocity…but to do what exactly? Those stories and more when today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 16, 2022
As many watch for the next moves in Ukraine, Europeans are turning to Texas for more of their energy; it could come with strings attached. Also, six Texas congressional races to watch. And, an auction for wild horses…why some see it as a betrayal. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 16, 2021
South Texas switcheroo: for the first time in a decade, a Texas lawmaker changes parties. A harbinger of other political changes? We’ll have more on representative Ryan Guillen’s decision to leave the democratic party, and what if anything it says about a changing political climate in a region where democrats have long been dominant. Also, Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas Morning News counts down the 5 things to look for as we approach primary season 2022. And community colleges in demand to help train workers. But where’s the money coming from? And a program to help formerly incarcerated women find jobs in technology. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 15, 2021
Texans 50 or over, get in line. New rules take effect opening up vaccine eligibility, the trouble? Finding enough doses. Coming up disputes between the feds and state officials over whether Texas is getting enough vaccine doses in its fight against COVID-19. Also, efforts by the republican legislature in Texas to curb the powers of the governor during a pandemic. Now a priority item in the house. We’ll hear why. Also more listener questions about COVID-19 and the vaccine , plus our conversation with Austin mayor Steve Adler, the power of the Black church in Texas politics and so much more today on the Texas Standard :
Texas Standard: December 21, 2020
We have a winner in a hotly contested state senate election. Can it tell us anything about the Texas Republican party? We’ll explore. Also, some health care providers across Texas have now received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Next up should be nursing home patients and staff. We’ll look at how one provider is feeling about it all. And UT-Austin is changing the way it determines who gets into a certain program. How an algorithm can show bias. Also Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit too overturn some election results was a failure, on all but one front. We’ll explain. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 12, 2020
Who’s entitled to cast a mail in ballot? A new lawsuit says the Attorney General’s advice might have broken election laws. We’ll try to sort out the confusion. Plus, is 2020 the year Texas turns blue? A perennial question reemerges with a little more oomph this election season. And oil plummeting rising unemployment, what else? A new report on a hit to the Texas economy few in our major cities are talking about. And the decisions faced by some families on whether to get loved ones out of nursing facilities. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 22, 2020
50 years ago today, what many people mark as the start of the modern environmental movement. What is the state of the Earth today? During a time of global pandemic, a pause to reflect on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Also, testing for Coronavirus ramping up in the most populous counties, whats holding back similar gains elsewhere in Texas? Plus how COVID-19 is keeping em down, way down, on the dairy farm. And a Texas congressman’s claim about a German powder that kills Coronavirus: a Politifact check and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 6, 2019
The Governor promised action, now 8 executive orders aimed at reducing gun violence. But do they go far enough? We’ll take a closer look. Also, money for a border wall? Where’s it coming from? In part, from military projects in Texas. Also a former state musician with a new release: musical, yet this one’s more a treat for the eyes. Plus the week in Texas politics and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 3, 2019
We’re learning more about contact between the Permian Basin shooter and law enforcement before the shooting spree started. We’ll have the latest on the investigation into the second mass shooting in west Texas in a month, and a conversation with the mayor of Odessa. Also, some say we should batten down the hatches for an eventual economic downturn. How do you do that, exactly? Plus: America the gerontocracy? A provocative look at the body politic and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
This Song: GRiZ on Disney’s “Fantasia”
Grant Richard Kwiecinski, who goes by GRiZ, is a producer and multi-instrumentalist who combines electronic music with funk and soul to create a sound that is as uplifting as it is danceable.
Listen as GRiZ describes how seeing Disney’s “Fanstasia”as a child helped him understand that music could take the listener on an emotional journey and how that experience ultimately led to his interest in making music on the computer. Then listen as he explains why he wanted to explore his own complex emotional journey on his latest record “Ride Waves.”
Listen to this episode of This Song
Listen to GRiZ’s new album Ride Waves
Listen to Songs from this episode of This Song
Texas Standard: October 9, 2018
Migrants entering the U.S. illegally can request asylum according to U.S. law, but not according to the President. We’ll explore the emergency order on asylum seekers. Also, a federal court orders Texas to pay back millions after a scandal involved special education, we’ll take a look. And a Texas-sized problem for folks with disability parking privileges. Plus an effort in Dallas to get more women conducting symphonies: are their neighbors listening? We’ll explain. And what a week in Texas politics: we’ll look back with the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 19, 2018
A fourth bomb detonates in in the Texas capitol city leaving two more people injured, a community on lockdown, and a city on edge. We’ll have the latest on the big story making national news out of Texas today, federal agents working feverishly with Austin police to detect some pattern or motive after four bomb attacks, and no suspects. Also, the primary’s over? Not for three candidates once running to replace Beto O’Rourke. They claim they were cheated out of victory by election fraud in El Paso. But how so? And reaching victims of domestic violence in an unconventional way: through the hairdresser? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 15, 2018
With just under two months til primary voters go to the polls in Texas, the US supreme court wants to weigh in on the state’s election maps. We’ll explore what that means. Also, after a bitter legislative session in 2017, an unlikely coalition of republicans and democrats are going after the Lt. Governor, and there are signs that his allies are worried. We’ll hear the backstory. And Gen Xers worried about retirement: how much does it take to retire in Texas? Also, Sex and the single cow? More like single sex cows at the center of new legal battles. And a Texas musician retools a rock classic, and it smells like Teen Sprite. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 14, 2017
An enormous bomb dropped in Afghanistan, tensions high with North Korea, and what about Syria? We’ll check-in on global relations. Also over the years of debate about the federal budget deficit. Texas has built up a huge nest egg. But are we making the most of that money? And it could soon be a little too quiet on the set when it comes to the Texas film and TV industry. Efforts to keep business in the Lone Star State. Plus: what do you think about speed bumps? Is it time to think again? And we’ll introduce you to a figure of Texas history that’s not likely to have an elementary school named in his honor. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 28, 2017
Cities to lose federal dollars for hindering immigration, says the Justice Department. So what does Austin do now? We’ll ask the mayor. Also, want to live in the US? Get in line, or so say those who want stricter enforcement of immigration laws. But where is that line anyway?
We’ll go looking for it. And you’ve heard of the religious right. But now some are pointing to the rise of the religious left. We’ll hear what that means and whether it’s real. And the players know the score, the rhythm is familiar: adagio working up to allegro and a grand finale. You know we’re talking about the Texas legislature, right? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 22, 2016
Detroit, Stockton, Orange County: all on a list of cities and counties that have declared bankruptcy, could a big one from Texas be next? Plus we’ll have the latest on the ambush-style killing of a San Antonio Police Officer. Also, over the top tweets gotcha down? Facebook giving you the frowns? NPR’s All tech Considered tells us why after the election more and more folks say they’re pulling the plug on social media. Plus a world class symphony playing the blues…what a strike and concert cancellations add up to for the arts, and for the citizens at large. And Exxon fires back over global warming with an unprecedented move. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 9, 2016
Texas is a hotbed for human trafficking but there may be something that makes it unique: the cantina connection. We’ll explore. Also more questions than answers in the aftermath of a school shooting in west Texas. What we know and what it means for life in a normally tranquil small desert town. And lessons from the disaster that struck the coast of Texas this time 8 years ago. Also, swapping woodwinds and strings from picket signs: a celebrated symphony goes on strike and high schools soon may blow the whistle on Friday night kickoffs. Plus the week in Texas politics and we’re just getting started. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 18, 2016
The other party held a presidential debate last night and sparks flew, but did it change anything? Clinton and Sanders are neck and neck in Iowa, close in New Hampshire and O’Malley trails both. Why Martin Luther King Day is more important than ever this year. A Houston lawyer asked the Supreme Court to define what it means to be a natural born citizen but did he ask too late to get an answer in time for the election? And what life was really like for Bonnie and Clyde. Those stories and much more on todays Texas Standard: