As early voting gets underway in Texas, here’s what you need to know as you prepare to cast your ballot.
The biggest contest on the ballot, after the presidency, is the U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and his Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred. We’ll be profiling them both on the Standard, starting today with Cruz.
A major shift in energy use in China could have major ripple effects for Texas.
Supporters of school vouchers in Texas believe they give parents and students more academic choices and opportunities, while detractors say they will take money from public education and essentially subsidize private schools. We’re taking a look at an Arizona program that entitles each student to around $8,000 each school year.
Tarrant County
Meet Sugar Gay Isber, the ‘Hit Man’ jewelry designer
A new report says that a year before Hurricane Beryl, the federal government denied a request from CenterPoint Energy for $100 million to reinforce power lines in the Houston area. Could that have prevented the widespread outages of recent days?
Attorney General Ken Paxton is appealing a court decision denying his attempt to shut down an El Paso nonprofit providing temporary shelter to migrants.
Making a movie involves a lot more than actors and directors. We’re talking to Central Texas artist and jewelry maker Sugar Gay Isber, who added her shine to the latest Richard Linklater film, “Hit Man.”
And: pushback over a proposed name change for one of the oldest colleges in the state, Texas A&M Commerce.
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 Texans need to know about the impending government shutdown
In six days, the federal government runs out of money. Can a shutdown be averted? What’s at stake if lawmakers can’t come up with a plan for short-term spending by Oct. 1.
In Fort Worth and Tarrant County, families are falling into homelessness as pandemic relief funding is running out.
Five things to know before federally guaranteed student loan payments resume next month.
A plan to close nearly 20% of San Antonio ISD’s schools is being pushed in the name of equity. Camille Phillips of Texas Public Radio takes a closer look.
Plus, a crisis for Texas Gulf Coast shrimpers.
San Antonio ISD could close as many as 17 schools
San Antonio ISD could close nearly one-fifth of its schools as it deals with aging buildings and falling enrollment. But it’s not just San Antonio – this reflects a larger challenge facing many school districts across Texas.
A mystery at the Tarrant County Appraisal District has led to an office shake-up that may leave some taxpayers holding the bag.
What’s happening to the Texas economy? The Standard’s Sean Saldana’s been getting some clues from the Dallas Fed’s new Beige Book entry.
And: What’s to become of Benito, a giraffe in a Juárez park at the center of a controversy?
Why the film and TV strikes are at an awful time for Texas
A change in leadership in the embattled Texas foster care system is bringing with it some optimism.
Texas doesn’t have enough space in psychiatric hospitals, so some people are staying in jails instead. We’ll explore their legal limbo.
A new investigation from the Dallas Morning News explores the history and impact of excessive use of police force in Dallas.
The film strikes in Hollywood are having more than just ripple effects here in Texas – why the timing was especially bad for the state.
And it’s Friday, so that means the Typewriter Rodeo and a wrap of the week in Texas politics.
How the railroad saved Fort Worth
When we’re speaking of the North Texas metroplex — Dallas always gets first billing. It’s DFW… not FWD.
But Texas Standard Commentator WF Strong says, at one point, the slightly smaller large city was at risk of disappearing altogether.
2024 Senate race comes into focus as Gutierrez announces candidacy
In a second special session, Texas House and Senate leaders reach a deal on property tax relief. What does it add up to?
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez has announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate, making him the second high-profile Democrat – along with Rep. Colin Allred – to challenge Sen. Ted Cruz.
How Texas has become a ground zero for self-driving trucks, with word that driverless semi runs between Dallas and Houston could become a regular thing as soon as next year.
We’ll get the rundown on a legal battle between a group of nuns and a bishop in North Texas.
And a quick cooldown at a Texas ice house.
East Texas county lacks power during summer heat wave
Weekend storms knocked out power to tens of thousands in East Texas, amid dangerously hot temperatures and few options for cooling down. We’ll have the latest.
LGBTQ+ teens in Katy, outside Houston, are creating community in the midst of a culture war.
In San Antonio we’ll meet people who are building new lives after escaping the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Some North Texas neighbors found a solution to their fireworks problem – in church.
Plus, ever seen a ‘robot ump’? More changes ahead to Major League Baseball are already underway at AAA stadiums, including one in Central Texas.
NASA mission sounds like a reality show, but it’s gathering data for a Mars journey
One of the state’s biggest counties is looking for a new top election official amid friction over the difficulty of running non-partisan elections. With early voting underway in races statewide, why the resignation of the top elections official in Tarrant County has special resonance.
A closer look at claims of Republican voter suppression in Harris County: how does the narrative square with the data?
In parts of rural Texas, growing opposition to solar and wind farms, where Texas has taken a lead.
And a virtual mission to Mars, in a hangar south of Houston? Four people, one year, and little contact with the outside world.
Is prosecuting librarians the next front in Texas’ book wars?
You’ve heard about library book bans in Texas, but behind the scenes there is a campaign underway to prosecute librarians for putting certain books on the shelves of school and public libraries.
After four decades, Texas politician Ben Barnes comes clean about his role, and that of former Texas Gov. John Connally, to delay the release of 52 American hostages held in Iran in order to ensure the election of Ronald Regan. Peter Baker of the New York Times joins us.
Also Texas gets a new professional sports franchise – not football or basketball, but Major League Cricket.
Five prescriptions for fixing Texas’ affordability crisis
With Texans across the state struggling to find affordable housing, we’ll hear from a team of experts who have some solutions.
The Texas Council on Family Violence has a list of legislative priorities for protecting survivors.
Saving wild African penguins: How people in North Texas are helping with a survival guide.
The original Angry Birds – the one you could buy and download for a small, one-time fee – is history. Our tech expert explains.
TCU makes history with College Football Playoff selection
After a little more than a year in office, the Texas Secretary of State is stepping down. We’ll look at why, and what it means for Texas. Other stories we’re tracking: how a Texan who may be mulling a presidential run in 2024 could, win or lose, shake up politics in Texas in a big way and why. Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas Morning News explains. Also the murder trial of a former Fort Worth police officer gets underway after lengthy delays. We’ll hear more. And the rise and fall of crypto and its impact on the Texas power grid. Plus, TCU: Cinderella no more as the Horned Frogs land in the college football playoffs. All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 20, 2022
The Texas Secretary of State says inspectors will be sent to Harris county polling sites, citing breaches of election management in 2020. A Harris county official calls the timing of the letter suspicious. We’ll hear more. Also science fiction is now science fact, and big business, too. We’ll look at Texas’ role in the artificial intelligence boom. And after Hurricane Ian the ripple effects reaching the Texas citrus industry. Plus the Texas podcaster preserving some spooky storytelling traditions. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 19, 2021
A Texas judge puts the brakes on a program designed to defer deportations of younger migrants to the U.S. We’ll hear about the implications, short and long term, for the DACA program after a federal judge in Houston rules it unlawful. Also, 5 Texas democratic lawmakers who left the Lone Star State to protest proposals for new voting restrictions have tested positive for COVID-19, and Texas doctors voice concerns about rising numbers of juvenile and adolescent covid cases. We’ll have the latest. Plus Van Horn Texas prepares for its moment in the national spotlight. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 26, 2020
Coronavirus case numbers exploding in El Paso. We’ll look at how the city is trying to treat patients as hospitals reach capacity. Also, just over a week left to Election Day and it’s far from just the Presidential race on the ballot. We’ll highlight one sheriff’s race that’s heating up. Plus, transitioning from oil is something even the oil companies are thinking about. We’ll learn today why hydrogen might be a clean, but not so simple, option. And remembering Jerry Jeff Walker. Texas troubadour, Cosmic Cowboy, and misbehaving musician. Those stories plus a local debate over masks, a spooky anthology and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 9, 2018
For the first time in history a US president will meet with the leader of North Korea. Vindication of a strategy or something else? We’ll explore. Also, an accused pedophile has his conviction thrown out because a judge used electric shock to coerce testimony. What happens to the judge? Nothing, so far. So who’s policing the bench? And a new vision for computing as apple reaches out to visually impaired coders in Texas. Plus fangs for the memories: 60 years of the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.That and the week in politics from the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard: