texas

A recap of Texas primary election night

The votes are in and counted across Texas. What do they add up to for the upcoming general election and the future of Texas politics?
Despite a crowded field, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred took a big victory in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary to challenge incumbent Ted Cruz in November.
Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, the politician considered by many to be the third most powerful person in state politics, is now in a runoff after retaliation from fellow Republicans.
And: Very low turnout means a handful of eligible Texas voters are picking state politicians.

Supreme Court puts Texas’ immigration enforcement bill on hold

Senate Bill 4, which would allow Texas police to arrest people suspected of crossing the Texas-Mexico border illegally, is currently on hold after a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Texas Newsroom’s Julián Aguilar has the latest.
Why researchers and teachers are raising red flags over the state’s fully online STAAR tests for public school students.
A one-of-its kind 10K – with half its course in the U.S. and the other half in Mexico – drew hundreds of runners to El Paso.
And: The best U.S. coin design of 2023 features Jovita Idar, a journalist and activist from Laredo.

UTEP scientists spot bird not seen in decades

A unanimous decision from the U.S. Supreme Court reverses a challenge to Donald Trump’s eligibility to remain on primary ballots, just ahead of Super Tuesday.

The Texas Newsroom’s Rachel Osier Lindley shares an update on wildfires in the Texas Panhandle, where the biggest blaze in state history is only 15% contained.

We’ll have more on some key races to watch, from Abilene to Dallas County, as Texans prepare to go to the polls tomorrow.

And: The yellow-crested helmetshrike, a bird long feared extinct, was discovered by a team of scientists from the University of Texas at El Paso on an expedition to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Texas Extra: Richard Linklater and Alex Stapleton on ‘God Save Texas’ (Extended)

Last Wednesday, Texas Standard featured an interview with film directors Richard Linklater and Alex Stapleton. They’ve teamed up with fellow director Iliana Sosa and author Lawrence Wright to interpret his book “God Save Texas” for HBO. This is an extended version of that interview.

A special broadcast from the Houston Rodeo

It’s considered by many to be the hub of Texas’ official sport. And no, you don’t need knowledge of football. We’re live from Rodeo Houston.

In a state known for doing things big, there’s no bigger rodeo in Texas than the one we’re at. This hour we’ll be rounding up the stories and sounds of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo which is kicking off this week in Texas’ biggest city – an event that’s seen as something of a centerpiece in the sport of rodeo.

It’s rich in Texas traditions and history and considered an A-list event in the Lone Star State each year. Why its drawing in millions, what accounts for its continued appeal, and what its popularity says about Texas today.

A small Texas town is holding a big Leap Year celebration

One person has died in the Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Panhandle, which is now the largest wildfire in state history at an estimated 1,075,000 acres. We’ll get the latest update on the blaze.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are making simultaneous trips to the Texas-Mexico border today, a few days before Super Tuesday.

There are traditions associated with Leap Day in different cultures – and as it turns out, Texas has some of its own. The Standard’s Sarah Asch dives in.

And: There is a high-stakes global hunt for new places to mine lithium, and some investors have tabbed East Texas as one of the element’s potential hot spots.

The mystery of the Texas box

We’ve all heard the proverb about one man’s trash being another’s treasure. Well, for generations of a family now living in Texas, the treasure in question was an old box found discarded many years earlier. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong has the story.

Ballet folklórico competition comes to North Texas

Former president and presidential candidate Donald Trump wades into Texas politics with downballot endorsements.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton takes aim at a faith-based group in El Paso providing services for migrants.
In Texas farm country, concerns grow over a lack of water.
In the congressional district that includes 800 miles of the state’s border with Mexico, four republicans are challenging the GOP incumbent as polls show high voter interest in border security.
Plus: High schools push for competitive ballet folklórico.

What new data says about the future of Texas agriculture

It’s the first day of early voting in the Texas primary. What you need to know before casting a ballot and why turning out matters.

What exactly does “residency” mean when running for office? The answer might surprise you.

Every five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts a census – tallying things like livestock, tractors, combines and crops – for a dense report packed with clues on where American farming is heading.

And: Remembering Sandy Wood, who helped stargazers navigate the universe for nearly 24 years as the voice of the radio program Stardate.

New music exhibit features iconic items owned by Willie Nelson, Taylor Swift and more

A new law making it a state crime for migrants to enter Texas without authorization faces a major test in a federal courtroom. We’ll hear the latest.

In Houston ISD, the biggest school district in the state, officials appointed by the state are getting pushback over plans to expand school reforms.

A Texas presidential museum turns a spotlight on Taylor Swift’s guitar, Willie Nelson’s boots and hundreds of other artifacts to help tell the story of American music.

Plus: The week in politics with The Texas Tribune.

Bill hopes to connect the Texas grid to the rest of the country

Three years ago, a winter storm plunged Texas into a deep freeze. Everyone who lived here remembers what followed. Millions went without power for days. Hundreds, maybe more, died. Of the many vulnerabilities exposed by that blackout, one caught people’s attention in particular: Texas exists as an energy island. It is relatively cut off from neighboring electric grids. Now, as KUT’s Mose Buchele reports, that could end — if a bill to be filed in Congress becomes law.

How Mexico supplanted China as the nation’s top trade partner

A shooting at one of the most famous megachurches in Texas, Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, leaves one dead and a child in critical condition. We’ll have the latest.

For most of the past few decades, the title of “top trading partner to the U.S.” has belonged to China – but the U.S. Census Bureau reports that last year, the United States’ biggest trading partner was Mexico.

Civil rights groups have filed a federal complaint against Bonham ISD alleging disciplinary discrimination against Black and disabled students.
The latest on a mysterious listeria outbreak.

And Russian propagandists twisting the narrative over border standoff between the Biden administration and Gov. Greg Abbott.

Bitcoin miners came to rural Texas – and brought disruption with them

Critics say that Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against five Texas cities over marijuana enforcement is all politics – but what does the law say?

In rural Texas, neighbors of bitcoin miners say the noise is causing migraines, sleepless nights and the flight of wildlife.

Texas freelance journalist Tamir Kalifa has won a top national prize for coverage of the shooting in Uvalde. We’ll meet him and hear how he approaches his reporting.

And: How Tex-Mex has become the MVP of the Super Bowl.

Why the U.S. Senate’s immigration bill may be ‘dead on arrival’

Supporters say it’s the most significant bill on immigration in a generation, while opponents call it dead on arrival. Liz Goodwin of the Washington Post breaks down the provisions of the Senate’s $118 billion immigration and foreign aid bill: what’s in it and why the prognosis for passage isn’t good.

New insight on how Texas Republicans are leaning and the effect of endorsements as Texans prepare to cast primary ballots.

Houston halts commercial and residential development in a part of the city designated as a cancer cluster.

Also, a new facet in the hunt for Texas blue topaz, and rockhounds aren’t happy.

State has seen rise in teen births since abortion ban was enacted

After Donald Trump’s win in the New Hampshire primary, what are the implications and ripple effects as Texas’ primary day approaches?

The Republican Party of Denton County has issued a resolution calling for Brent Hagenbuch to drop out of race for District 30 of the Texas Senate. At issue: allegations that Hagenbuch doesn’t live in the district.

A federal appeals court has given a second chance to Mexico’s $10 billion lawsuit against gun manufacturers, one of the biggest potential setbacks for gun manufacturers in recent memory.

A new study from the University of Houston finds a rise in teen birth rates a year after Texas’ six-week abortion ban went into effect.

And: Analysis of the Supreme Court’s ruling on razor wire at the border.

How the New Year’s focus on dieting can have a negative impact

The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for much Texas as a massive storm moves across the United States. We have the latest on conditions statewide.

Friends, family and colleagues of the late longtime congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson are gathering in Dallas today to reflect on her legacy.

Made any New Year’s resolutions? The Standard’s Sarah Asch looks into how the body positivity movement has challenged longstanding messages about health and dieting.

A major baby formula recall is sparking concerns among families and politicians.

And remembering legendary Texas journalist Stanley Walker.

What’s ahead for space exploration in 2024

The federal government takes legal action to stop Texas from implementing a new state law aimed at arresting migrants who come into the state illegally. Julián Aguilar of The Texas Newsroom has more.

A new plan to use AI to help explore the effect of burn pits on veterans.
Why 2024 could be the launch pad for a new chapter in space exploration.

How the armadillo, a dormant dog-sized mammal considered a pest by many, won the affection of many a Texan.

Plus: The week in politics with The Texas Tribune.

How a Texan is trying to help answer questions about science in a new podcast aimed at non-scientists curious about the world around us.

Girl Scouts take a deep dive on science – quite literally – with the help of scuba gear.

And our conversation with an astronaut picked for our next return to the moon.