2021 may soon be in the rear view, but the sounds of Texas will linger for a long time. The year that was in Texas music on a special edition of the Texas Standard. Willie remains the king, and Beyoncé the queen… But the sound of Texas is more diverse than ever before with rule breakers, hitmakers, award winners and newly installed hall of famers. From ground breaking sounds in hip hop to the impact of covid on our listening and concert going habits, the return of western swing, and a new spotlight on the Texan who saved the Fab Four. 2021 was quite a year for Texas Music. So turn it up for this special edition of the Texas standard:
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How Ranchers Used Barbed Wire To Make Phone Calls
These days, if you’re out working on a ranch and you need some backup, you just pick up your cell phone. If you’re in a remote area of Texas with bad service — you might also have a walkie talkie handy. But not so long ago, the options were a little less sophisticated. Still, you might be surprised that there were phones around. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong has the story.
Texas Standard: December 24, 2021
In the aftermath of a historic winter storm and deadly rolling blackouts came recriminations – but are we any more ready for this winter? Before the Texas power crisis of last February there were warnings about the power grid. After the storm came the promises for change, to fix the problems and to be better prepared for the next time. 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? From the podcast The Disconnect – answers to those questions and much more on a special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 22, 2021
After the storm and deadly rolling blackouts – a major question remains: why was Texas’ power grid so vulnerable? In February, a winter storm brought the energy capital of the world to its knees, leading to millions of Texans without power, a death toll well into the triple digits – and many questions such as how the power grid could have succumbed so suddenly, without apparent warning. There’s a history that’s unique to Texas’ power grid – one that involves football, subterfuge, and a whole lot of lobbyists. From the podcast The Disconnect, the story of the Texas power grid – on a special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 20, 2021
Since 2010, more than 380 workers have died in the U.S. due to conditions at work. Deaths which experts say were preventable. The problem of heat-related deaths in the workplace is likely to intensify with climate change and workers of color are disproportionately affected. And what’s being done to curb these deaths? We’ll have the findings of a year long investigation by NPR, The Texas and California Newsrooms, Columbia Journalism Investigations and Public Health Watch, on a special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 17, 2021
An historic change coming to the US military in the wake of the 2020 killing of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen. That story and more today on the Texas Standard.
Coming up, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia on the changes coming with the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act, now on the President’s desk. We’ll have the latest.
Also, a battle in the Texas Hill country over efforts to go solar- the pushback coming from a local power provider.
And a new space telescope that can see deep into the universe and into the past. We’ll talk with the Texas professor co-leading an important project. Plus, the week in Texas politics and much more.
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 Ice Fishing
It’s unlikely Texas will see a major freeze this winter like we did last year. At least that’s what forecasters are saying right now.
The extreme cold of last February reminded Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong about a bit of folklore he once heard about a Texas winter.
Texas Standard: December 13, 2021
The Texas secretary of state asks for detailed information on the 2020 presidential election from 4 Texas counties. Why? We’ll have more on whats described as phase two of a controversial audit of voting in Texas in the November 2020 elections. Also the national guard’s involvement in an ongoing border mission, and new concerns about soldier deaths, car crashes and other issues. And Texas grapefruit growers grow concerned over the future of their industry with a lifting of rules on imports. Plus an artist committing the tastes of her Texas community to canvas. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 10, 2021
A Supreme Court decision on Texas’ new abortion law- which says more about legal procedure than reproductive rights. Details today on the Texas Standard.
Almost halfway through the school year and chronic shortages of teachers combined with COVID concerns continue to cause trouble in districts statewide, coming up, how this is playing out at a school in Fort Bend.
$800 million to curb the spread of COVID in the classroom- mostly unspent. We’ll hear why.
And the thousands of multimillion dollar mansions in Texas that pay no taxes because of who’s living there. Those stories and much more.
Texas Standard: December 9, 2021
Survey says: Governor Abbott with a double digit lead against his best-known democratic challenger in the governor’s race. We’ll take a look behind the numbers with the Houston Chronicle’s Jeremy Wallace. Also, allegations of sexual abuse and assault against federal judges and what investigative reporter and author Lise Olson discovered about a code of silence that has protected them. Plus a huge body of water in the desert…though it’s no mirage, you don’t want to swim in it, either. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 7, 2021
The U.S. Justice Department files suit against the State of Texas alleging that the new redistricting maps violate the Voting Rights Act. We’ll have details. Other stories we’re tracking the first case of the newly named Omicron COVID-19 variant discovered in Texas. We’ll look at what we know and what we don’t. Also after years of talking about a massive infrastructure project to defend the Texas coast from hurricanes and flooding, bipartisan momentum finally building in Washington. We’ll hear the latest. Plus turning a spotlight on a highly respected Black artist from Texas, who’s avoided the spotlight for years. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 6, 2021
Twas the month before an election year and all thru the House and Senate and beyond, concerns rising among Democrats in Texas. Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune reporting on a push for change at the top of the Texas Democratic Party. Also a growing list of unanswered questions one month after the deadly tragedy at the Houston’s Astroworld festival. We’ll hear about findings by the Houston Chronicle. Plus representative Donna Howard on where we stand with reproductive rights in Texas in the wake of last week’s oral arguments in a major abortion case. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 2, 2021
Reading between the lines of questioning in one of the most potentially consequential abortion cases since Roe vs. Wade. We’ll have the latest. Other stories we’re tracking: how the Texas Capitol city appears to be on track to become the least affordable city in the country after California. We’ll talk with the New York Times reporter who wrote about those findings. Also small Texas towns, big problems with cybersecurity. Omar Gallaga on what they’re doing to try to manage the threat. And the fruitcake fraud of Corsicana, now the subject of a documentary film, we’ll talk with the director and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
The Most Generous Texan Of Yore?
Most Texans probably know the Brackenridge name. But, depending on where you’re from, you might have a different landmark (and namesake) in mind. In Austin, there was the area’s first public hospital. In Edna, there’s a more than one thousand acre Brackenridge Recreation Complex. But as Commentator WF Strong notes, the Brackenridge who lent his name to a park in San Antonio, George Washington Brackenridge, may have given more to Texas — in financial terms — than anyone else.
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 30, 2021
Where do we stand with Texas’ new abortion restrictions on the eve of oral arguments in one of the biggest challenges to Roe vs. Wade? Two Texas legal scholars specializing in abortion rights talk about the challenge to Texas abortion law now being considered by the high court, and the intersection with a major case set to be heard by the Supreme Court tomorrow. Also, the governor’s silence on issuing a pardon to George Floyd two months after an unanimous recommendation to do so by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Plus Mexico’s unprecedented lawsuit against U.S. gun makers. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 29, 2021
With a big rise in COVID-19 cases in New Mexico and pediatric cases up in El Paso, experts raise red flags for Texas. In time for the holidays, growing warnings about COVID-19 in Texas as the President announces new steps amid the spread of a new variant. We’ll have the latest. Also, with the infrastructure bill, the push for electric vehicles in one of the nation’s top gasoline consuming states, you know the one. Plus a conversation with the mother of a Texas elementary school student pushing for changes in how the stories of Indigenous people and Native Americans are taught. And a college football outlook and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 25, 2021
Amid an ongoing pandemic, partisan divides and more, what’s there to be thankful for? Quite a lot actually. In the run up to this national holiday we asked our producers to reflect on some of the stories we’ve shared with you that they’re thankful for. From a telehealth program tackling opioid addiction to wildlife along the coastal plains, a Texas musical treasure, and life after prison and the redemptive power of family love. There’s much to be thankful for this year, and we’re grateful you can join us for this special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 24, 2021
Since 2010, more than 380 workers have died in the U.S. due to conditions at work. Deaths which experts say were preventable. The problem of heat-related deaths in the workplace is likely to intensify with climate change and workers of color are disproportionately affected. And what’s being done to curb these deaths? We’ll have the findings of a year long investigation by NPR, The Texas and California Newsrooms, Columbia Journalism Investigations and Public Health Watch: