Central Texas top stories for July 3, 2023. Wrap up of Austin’s nurses’ strike. Record breaking travel numbers for July 4th. New connections to Panama at Austin’s airport.
Travel
Reviewing this session of the Texas Legislature
For the first time in Texas history, the House voted to impeach the state’s highest law enforcement official, setting the stage for a trial in the Senate for Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The drama comes as the Texas Legislature gets set to end its 88th session today. But already, with some of the Gov. Greg Abbott’s top priorities still unfinished, there’s plenty of reason to think we’ll be going into overtime.
Memorial Day travel in Texas is back to pre-pandemic levels – a harbinger of summer?
Also, a big change could be coming for those registering a motor vehicle in Texas.
What Texas House committee assignments say about this session
Two prominent names in Texas politics get key assignments on Capitol Hill in a pushback against GOP investigations.
Democrats lose top slots on influential Texas House committees. What could that mean for some hot-button issues before the Texas legislature?
A directive from the governor’s office to state colleges and universities to consider employment on merit alone, calling diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives a rebranded form of employment discrimination.
And DQ’s are a Texas thing, right? We’ll get the full scoop.
Answering your tree questions in the wake of the ice storm
Insurance claims are about to spike as Texans try to recover from storm damage – a Texas insurance specialist advises how best to move forward with claims: what to do, and what not to do. We’re also answering your questions about trees and ice damage.
We take a look at what winter storms have done to the state’s aviation industry.
The Standard’s own Sean Saldana shares new Texas job numbers and what they tell us about the state of the economy.
And the Texas Tribune’s James Barragán with the week that was in Texas politics.
How a ban on TikTok at UT-Austin affects journalists and other students
The Texas House and Senate release their spending roadmaps for the session, leaving tens of billions on the table unspent. It may be an understatement to say the state is awash in cash. Both chambers are now proposing unprecedented outlays. Bob Garret of the Dallas Morning News joins us to help with the numbers. Also pressure on Texas lawmakers to take more action on gun safety in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde. Also what health experts are learning about Long Covid and chronic fatigue. And Omar Gallaga discovers a de facto treasure trove for PC gamers. And time runs out for TikTok on many Texas campuses. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Unpacking the Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown
Millions of dollars in tax incentives for renewable energy are now in limbo with a decision from the Texas Supreme Court. A flood of applications for millions of dollars in tax breaks overwhelmed the system before a New Years deadline. We look at what happens to all those unprocessed applications now that the state Supreme Court has said it won’t force the state to process them. Also how many voters in Harris country were prevented from casting a ballot due to problems at the polls? A new report that leaves many critical questions unanswered. And why warning signs were ignored before the chaos of Southwest Airline’s big holiday meltdown. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Taquiando y Hablando: The ingredients to making a taco podcast
Producer and host, Mando Rayo talks with story producer and filmmaker Sharon Arteaga on the steps they took to create the Tacos of Texas Podcast, Season Dos, from research to guest interviews and specialized segments to eating ojos, cabritos, all the tortillas, finding vendedoras along the borderlands, decolonizing our maíz, all while listening to taco beats and traveling over 2000 miles without leaving the state of Tejas.
Tardeadas
Move over Sunday brunch! Today we are vibing at a Tardeada in Seguin, Texas. Travel with us as we fill our panzitas with Tacos and our soul with good music y good afternoon vibes at Burnt Bean Co. The Pope of BBQ Ernest Servantes will guide us through a Sunday ritual of some sacred tacos of Texas. We talk tardeada traditions, memorias, and some of our favorite tardeada tunes y comida.
Texas Standard: July 28, 2022
18 billion in pandemic aid for Texas schools, a huge amount of money. So why has less than a third been spent? We’ll explore. Also with back to school just around the corner, many districts struggling to find and retain teachers. Will promises of a four day workweek do the trick? We’ll hear what educators and parents make of that approach. And five years after Hurricane Harvey, what researchers are finding out about a less obvious impact: the exposure to chemicals. Plus thousands of miles of new roads in Texas displacing hundreds of homes and businesses, but repeated findings of no environmental impact. A red flag? Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Leaving (Maybe) on a Jet Plane
It’s summertime and the travel season has returned with intensity. Flights are packed and lines are long — and delays and cancelations are likely for a multitude of reasons. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: May 26, 2022
After the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting, new laws took affect aimed at making schools safer. Why did they fail in Uvalde? We’ll have the latest on the killing of 19 kids and 2 teachers at Robb Elementary and the growing sense of frustration over previous efforts at addressing school shootings in Texas, and what state leaders intend to do, or not do. As those state leaders point to the need for more mental health resources, what’s being done on that front–especially in rural Texas? Plus a Politifact claim about baby formula and politics getting in the way. And COVID-19 case numbers in Texas rising again with the start of summer, we’ll have the latest on todays Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 27, 2022
In Governor Abbott’s Operation Lone Star border security mission: a death among the ranks brings new scrutiny from lawmakers. Republican Representative James White talks with the Standard’s Laura Rice about the death of Texas Army National Guard Specialist Bishop Evans and the future of Operation Lone Star. Also as many families move to Texas, others are deciding they have to leave for the sake of their kids. This after new polices take effect aimed at parents of trans kids. Plus a stay issued in the case of Melissa Lucio, the mother originally set to be executed for the death of her two year old. What happens next? That and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 22, 2022
Ukranian refugees at the southern border being told do not enter as of Monday. A change in policy from the Biden administration. Dallas morning news D.C. bureau chief Todd Gilman with more on U.S. plans to change the policy for Ukrainians feeling the war in their home country. Also, you’ve heard of Iowa’s early role in picking presidential nominees? Maybe not much longer. Texas expected to make a bid to move into the top slot. We’ll look at why and what it means for picking presidential candidates. And the father daughter duo that became an international sensation with a twist on one of Texas’ favorite foods. The story of the travel taco and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 31, 2022
A federal judge calls for an investigation into possible criminal charges of sex trafficking and pornography at a shelter for teens in Bastrop. Robert Garrett of the Dallas Morning News with more on an explosive hearing in a long running suit against the state’s foster care system. Also New Mexico prepares for marijuana tourists from Texas at that state’s laws on recreation pot change at the stroke of midnight. Angela Kocherga with the view from El Paso. And Texas’ role in the personal computer revolution. The unlikely story of the TRS-80, and the man behind it. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Road Trips
Record-high gas prices might mean many are scaling back on travel plans. But the warming weather and (currently) loosened pandemic concerns make a short escape to enjoy the outdoors somewhere in Texas sound awfully appealing. At least that was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: November 22, 2021
After earnest promises to fix the grid after last winters statewide blackouts, is Texas better prepared for the next winter storm? A new report offers answers, we’ll explore. Also Dallas and Houston among the top destinations in the U.S. for holiday travelers who are hitting the road this week despite a spike in gasoline prices. But but there may be some good news on the horizon. We’ll have the latest. Plus if you’re planning on taking the plane, how concerned are you about air rage? We’ll meet a scholar who says buckle up, there may be more turbulence in the passenger section. And a Thanksgiving feast stuffed into a single bag of candy corn? All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: November 8, 2021
The Biden Administration vaccine mandates put on hold by the 5th circuit. What comes next in the fight against COVID-19? Steven Vladeck of UT Law breaks apart the significance and impact of the decision blocking federal vaccine mandates and what comes next. Also SPR, OPEC, COP26 and RBOB… decoding efforts to deal with climate change and the effect on energy markets. And an historic reopening today at the border. Plus an investigative report reveals poison in the air in parts of Texas at dangerous levels…levels not usually captured by official data. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 16, 2021
A plane trip back to Austin for Texas Democrats, courtesy of the House speaker. We’ll have the latest in a huge political stalemate still unfolding. With Texas Democratic House and Senate members in D.C. right now, a maneuver to deny a quorum and stop legislation to further restrict voting in Texas. The political theatre is getting more dramatic with very real political fallout. Also, with Texas growing exponentially the state transportation department wants to spend billions widening highways, but some are wondering if that mindset should be thrown into reverse. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Summer Trips
Fewer pandemic restrictions on travel mean more Texans are hitting the roads or the skies this summer. Whether it’s a trip to see family or to get away from them — this Typewriter Rodeo poem suggests it’s a different way to rediscover ourselves and one another.
Texas Standard: May 11, 2021
Greg Abbott has a challenger in 2022 Gubernatorial race. And no, his name’s not O’Rourke or McConaughey. A former state senator and prominent north Texas businessman running for Governor to the right of Greg Abbott. We’ll talk about Don Huffines’ bid for the top spot in Texas government. Also the latest in our project tracking vaccinations across the Lone Star State, the texan reaching out to the reluctant. And last falls Texas school re-openings blamed for more than 40,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 800 deaths. What are the lessons from the data, and what about this fall? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard: