A natural gas pipeline fire leads to evacuations in the Houston area.
The University of North Texas Health Science Center suddenly suspends its business using unclaimed corpses.
Also, Texas voters approved $5 billion dollars to pay for upgrades and new power plants, but now there are concerns about one of the finalists for funding.
Plus, Texas is not a battleground state but there could still be some surprises at the ballot box. We’ll explain.
And a new book examines the role of motherhood on the border.
texas politics
New student data system has Texas school worried
Texas’ Supreme Court Justices weigh a misconduct case against a top aide to Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The state’s education agency updates how it gathers data on Texas 12 hundred plus school districts…but now many of those districts worried they’ll pay a steep price.
With wind a bigger part of the energy mix in Texas, concerns about what happens to those gargantuan wind blades once they wear out. A lab in Colorado may have a solution.
In time for elections, the debut of a satire challenging stereotypes and the Latino vote…
The week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more.
The move away from fossil fuels may exacerbate water scarcity in South Texas
Corpus Christi at the intersection of a clash between dueling demands – one for water, another for energy alternatives.
Dallas City Council votes to expand historical preservation efforts, with a specific outreach to communities of color.
If you’re looking for an apartment in Texas, do you know what you’ll really be paying each month? A warning to renters about the rise of so-called junk fees.
A Houston print shop, long popular with musicians, now the center of a labor dispute. Raul Alonzo with that, plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more.
The Fallout
So what did state leaders do to make sure something like the February blackout never happens again?
And what role did deregulation play in the failure of the Texas power grid?
Find a full transcript of this episode here.
The Electricity Game
How did we get the power grid we have today? Andrew Weber has the story — and it involves football, subterfuge and a whole lot of lobbyists.
You can find a full transcript of this episode here.
The Energy Island
It was only when the lights went out in Texas that many of us realized — electrically — we are all alone. Claire McInerny brings us that story. Plus, Jimmy Maas tells us how the electricity market in Texas used to work up until about 20 years ago.
Find a full transcript of this episode here.
BONUS: The Big Flop
So Democrats in Texas didn’t get what they were hoping for in the 2020 election. Why not?
Part 4: It’s Hard To Predict The Outcome Of This Election. Here’s Why.
A pandemic. Changes to voting locations. Expectations for huge turnout. All of these factors are wildcards for the 2020 election.
Part 2: What’s Next For The ‘Texas Miracle’?
For years, Texas Republicans have run for office on the state’s business-friendly reputation. But that reputation may also be leading to the GOP’s weakening political power in the state.
Texas Standard: August 21, 2020
The party’s party’s over – now what? After the national convention, how do Texas democrats plan to seize on the momentum? A closer look today – our conversation with the head of the Texas democratic party on next steps in the run up to November. Plus, a Declaration of Independence for women in US politics. Also, a big arrest involving an effort to build a private border wall in South Texas – what’s known and what isn’t. A new batch of listener questions about COVID-19, a look back at the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more when the Texas Standard gets underway.
Texas Standard: March 22, 2019
Safe or unsafe? After assurances that smoke from a petrochemical fire near Houston was not toxic, concerns grow over the environmental implications. From the Gulf Coast west to Katy and beyond, efforts are underway to assess the full impact of the 4-day long fire. Also, the head of homeland security comes to Texas amid reports of overcrowding in detention centers. Texas lawmakers take up medical marijuana plus other top stories from the week that was in Lone Star politics and a whole lot more.
Texas Standard: November 2, 2018
More jobs than workers to fill them? That’s the message today in the new employment numbers. What does it all add up to for Texas? And where’s the party? The tea party, that is. As democrats appear to be turning out in record numbers on this last day of early voting, what happened to the activist movement on the other side of the political ledger? Plus, a year after Sutherland Springs, survivors are in an uphill legal battle against the Air Force. Also, the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more. It’s the Friday edition of the Texas Standard.
Texas Standard: December 16, 2015
Coming up, we explore the North Texas dam holding back 2.5 billion tons of water. A Dallas Morning News investigation dares to look at what would happen if the dam broke. Fishing for the facts at Lewisville Lake Dam.
Plus, the fresh scent of holiday pies…
and toys to help a baby learn to crawl?
All coming up in today’s Texas Standard
Texas Standard: December 14, 2015
Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman tells donors he knows who the GOP challenger will be and he’s not from New York…
Today on the Standard- what hours of family videos discovered online tell us about the real Ted Cruz.
Also, the population of a North Texas town grows by hundreds (of children) and some locals are none too happy. We’ll hear why.
Despite an expansion of marriage rights, the percentage of Texans going to the altar drops…what’s behind the wedding bell blues…those stories and more today on the Texas Standard
Texas Standard: November 20, 2015
An attack in Africa. A former french colony. How does it fit into the events of the past 7 days? A top adviser to the secretary of state weighs in. And making sense of the situation in Mali- Ambassador Kristie Kenney Joins us… Plus: 5 Texas democrats in the house join 47 others bucking their party against the president over the Syrian refugee bill. We’ll hear the backstory. And if you can’t pass the test, you might get a waiver…thousands of Texans got to graduate who might not have otherwise. We’ll discuss the implications. Plus the week in Texas politics and lots more on todays Texas Standard:
The Honorable Ron Kirk, Pt. 2 (Ep. 41, 2015)
The conclusion of a conversation with the Honorable Ron Kirk, former Dallas Mayor and U.S. Trade Ambassador, and Senior of Counsel in the Dallas and Washington, D.C. offices of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher.
Texas Standard: July 13, 2015
An undercover agent tells the Dallas Morning News: This is like Osama bin Laden escaping prison. The breakout and the fallout-today on the Texas standard. 4 people died at a Houston area pesticide plant in November. Now the feds issue charges and promise to send a message to the chemical industry. Crime surges in Texas cities, the reversal of a downward trend? Plus the official play of the lone star state…seen by millions but —not so many Texans.
And how far does a hundred dollars go in Texas? Would you believe further than a hundred dollars?
Texas Standard: July 10, 2015
How hot is too hot for the US Constitution? 150 degrees, perhaps? A new ruling may turn up the heat on Texas prison officials, that’s today on the Texas standard.
A Brownsville judge tells the head of homeland security and four other immigration officials to come to his south Texas courtroom, or face contempt charges. We’ll explore why and what’s at really at stake.
How’s business after the epic biker battle in Waco? You might be surprised- we were. Also, why Texans aren’t giving up on love even as they get older…Those stories, the week in politics, and much more…
KUT Weekend – January 16, 2015
How much money state lawmakers have to spend on Texas over the next two years….an explanation of school vouchers….and how cities and hospitals are trying to get people enrolled in Obamacare. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org
KUT Weekend – November 7, 2014
Battleground Texas founder on why Democrats lost….how private donations affect public school equity…and Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield on the thrill of space travel. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
Subscribe to the podcast at https://weekend.kut.org