At the hearings on the January 6th insurrection, the spotlight turns to the some potentially key figures from Texas. We’ll have the latest. Other stories we’re tracking: an 85 billion dollar ten year transportation plan for Texas. What it includes and what it leaves out as the state tries to deal with a growing population. And with that growing population, a boom in new home construction. But why so many delays in finishing projects? Plus water levels low on many Texas rivers and questions about whether businesses catering to river recreation will sink or swim. And the Mexican activists fielding calls from Texans seeking abortions. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Transportation
How much should it cost to ride Austin’s light rail?
Austin’s light-rail system is still years away from becoming a reality. The first trains won’t start running until 2029 at the earliest.
But already some people are worried about how much it could cost to ride light rail. They don’t want Capital Metro to up-charge customers like the agency does for those who ride the MetroRail commuter train.
Texas Standard: July 12, 2022
Demands for transparency in the investigation of the mass shooting in Uvalde. The focus: hallway surveillance footage. We’ll have the latest. Also why a big fight may be brewing between Austin and Washington over new air pollution regulations in West Texas. And military annual fitness checks getting swapped out for Fitbits? Plus an immigration lawyer on the front lines to keep families together at the border, reflects on his own migrant past and others directly affected by immigration policy. And new images of events millions of years in the past, the excitement over the space telescope and what the pictures tell us. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 3, 2022
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled” – that’s a quote from Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in an opinion leaked last night. We’ll talk about what happens next on today’s show. Plus the cost increases for Operation Lone Star. As the border security mission drags on, it’s being funded by money meant for state agencies. And an intercontinental railway that will now bypass Texas. We’ll tell you why. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 12, 2022
As evidence mounts of atrocities by Russian forces in Ukraine, the conversation shifts beyond war crimes to allegations of genocide. Ukraine says civilian killings constitute genocide. We’ll have a Texas expert on how and why that term is contentious, and what it could mean for the future. Also closer to home, with population growth in Texas, demand for concrete grows and Black and Hispanic communities in Houston disproportionately affected by concrete batch plants. We’ll have more on analysis by the Houston Chronicle. And federal dollars flowed to Texas landlords who pledged not to evict tenants during the pandemic. But many were evicted anyway. So what happens next? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Why is there no speed limit on the new 183 tollway in East Austin?
You’ll find no signs for now — but that doesn’t mean you can drive as fast as you want.
Trailer: The Austin Transportation Podcast
The Austin Transportation Podcast examines the issues around mobility in the ATX with a focus on how people’s everyday lives are shaped by the decisions of government. Whether you’re sitting on I-35 or MOPAC every day, using alternatives like Capital Metro and scooters, or plodding along a trail, we look at the challenges of getting from here to there in one of the fastest-growing regions of the country. The podcast features produced radio stories, interviews and audio recordings.
Riding A Bike
This Typewriter Rodeo poem came by request from Texas Standard listener Pete Ramirez. His request was for a poem dedicated to “the love and joy of riding a bike.”
Texas Standard: April 8, 2021
As federal officials add new detention centers for young migrants, the states of Texas and Louisiana sue over changes to immigration policy. We’ll have details. Also, the nation’s top homeland security official returns to Texas today as the numbers of migrants swell along the southern border. Richard Pineda of UT El Paso on how the politics of immigration may be blurring the picture of what’s really happening. And those boots are made for talking, the fashion editor of Vogue magazine on a Texas accent in haute couture. And what’s the real capitol of Texas? You sure? A Houston Chronicle writer makes the case it’s not Austin. Those stories and so much more coming up today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: October 10, 2019
A stern warning from the federal judge overseeing reform of Texas’ foster care system: further resistance will be worse than futile. We’ll have the story. Also, the president makes it clear he won’t be cooperating with the house impeachment process. What’s less clear: what this means for what many have predicted to be a transitional election season in Texas politics. We’ll explore. And skyrocketing heat-related injuries in the military. Now there’s an attempt at a radical ‘about face’. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Have Ride-Hailing Services Like Uber And Lyft Reduced Drunk Driving In Austin?
Uber and Lyft said their services would give other transportation options for people who’ve been drinking in Austin.
So — did they?
Texas Standard: July 4, 2019
There’s a long list of Democratic Presidential candidates. Two from Texas, but only one Texan is now among the top 5 candidates. We’ll have the story. Also, in this, the land of the free, how one man found true freedom even as he is behind bars. Plus how can camp create positive memories for children who are homeless? U.T. Dallas may have found a way, we’ll explore. And linguistics and Baseball. Excuse me, what? Don’t worry, we have a Texan Translation for you! And, scoot closer to the radio because we are about to talk scooters: the good, the bad and the ugly. That and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 27, 2019
It’s a day to remember: those who gave their lives in service of the nation. But it’s also the end of the 86th legislative session. We will look at the state’s budget and what’s in it. Plus, a bill in Congress that stalled and it has money for Harvey recovery, what’s next? And how could 5G interfere with predicting the next Harvey? We’ll explore. And we’ll take a look at how restorative justice could restore more than individual lives and revive neighborhoods. And the little computer program that could… COBOL has been dismissed but is still going strong. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 28, 2019
A key provision of the Texas open meetings act struck down by the state’s highest criminal court. We’ll look at what it means for government transparency. Also, the state’s school librarians read the fine print of a bill to hike teacher salaries, and they’re pushing back. We’ll hear from the state’s top librarian. Plus the timeless voice of tejano superstar Selena. Was it one voice, or two? All those stores and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 12, 2019
In the west Texas town of El Paso, a political duel over immigration between a president and a popular Texan who might want to be one. We’ll have analysis of the rallies in El Paso as president Trump launches his re-election campaign, and Beto O’Rourke gauges whether to launch a White House run of his own. Also, a judge taps the brakes on the Texas bullet train. We’ll hear how and what it means for plans to link Houston and Dallas by high speed rail. And what a Dollar Store invasion of rural and poorer communities in Texas might really cost. All of those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Why Is MoPac Traffic So Much Worse In The Afternoon Than In The Morning?
Does it really take longer to get home in the afternoon than to get to work in the morning?
Scooter Culture
We might fancy ourselves as responsible, socially conscious people, but when new technologies such as communal scooters are introduced into our environments all that can easily fly out the window.
In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of scooter culture in Austin.
Texas Standard: September 18, 2018
Official summons is what the envelope says. Would you open it? An election year fundraising letter triggers outrage and questions of legality: we’ll explore. Also our era of political coarseness and division, how will historians see us tomorrow? Pulitzer prize winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin tells us how history may be able to help us get thru our times today. Also a breakthrough curriculum for latino/latina studies. And electric scooters swarm the streets of Texas big cities, some see them a public nuisance, but could they signal better times for Texas bicyclists? We’ll take a look. And the tale of the last town crier in America and so much more on today’s Texas Standard:
Who’s That Distinctly Texan Voice Behind The Crosswalk Signals Around Austin?
You might have heard that twang beckoning you across the street. Meet the real-life person behind the walk signal.
What’s It Called? Hyperloop!
Imagine hurtling across Texas in a high-tech, high-speed vehicle. You cold get so much done, or just get there faster, all the while mocking those who are still stuck in highway traffic. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem,