A bill to allow permitless carry of handguns in Texas has passed the House. A done deal in the Texas Senate too? Not so fast. Although republicans have control of the senate, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick says he does not now have the votes to pass permitless carry. We’ll hear the latest. Also, it was a rare act of bipartisanship to save music and theatre venues hard hit by the pandemic. Now months later, none of the money has been allocated. What’s the holdup and will Texas stages survive? Plus the push to address homelessness in the capitol city amid political controversy over public camping. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Vaccine
Texas Standard: April 19, 2021
A warning of a hotter than average summer sends shudders as lawmakers try to avoid a repeat of winter power outages in Texas. Lawmakers shift gears as they try to come up with a fix for increased power demand and limited supply. Also, the full extent of how COVID-19 affected nursing home residents in Texas has been unknown, until now. A member of the Texas Tribune reporting team on the findings. And have you had to pay out of pocket to get a COVID-19 shot? Some Texans have, although it’s supposed to be free-of-charge. Also a proposal for the national parks: return them to native peoples. Plus making the case for no more borders. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 15, 2021
The governor claims we should be very close to herd immunity. What does the chair of the Texas vaccine allocation panel have to say? About 25 percent of Texans now reported to be vaccinated… far from what public health experts have estimated is needed for herd immunity. We’ll hear more. Also a turning point in what’s been called the eternal war and why some have lingering concerns about plans to get the U.S. out of Afghanistan by 9/11. And in a state that leads the nation in fatal crashes involving large trucks, a bill rolling thru the state house that would make it harder for people to sue trucking companies. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 14, 2021
It is not a recall, but a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Starting today the FDA and the CDC begin evaluating an extremely rare type of blood clot found in six women who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, this after 500 thousand doses of that vaccine were administered in Texas. Also Texas’s attorney general taking the Biden administration to court for the third time. Now: over the end of the Trump Administrations remain in Mexico program. And SpaceX’s potential setback on terra firma south Texas. Those stories and more when today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 13, 2021
Growing concerns among Texas education experts over how to measure the impact of the pandemic on learning. Big questions over what standardized testing tells us about education during the pandemic and just how much may be missing from the data. Also, what will college campuses in Texas look like in the fall? We’ll hear about the picture coming into focus. And planning a move to someplace less crowded? If it’s in Texas, you may want to double check the laws for landowners first. And the undiscovered musician joining the ranks of Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
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: April 7, 2021
The standardized STAAR test is set to go fully online soon statewide. But a glitch in testing this week has many wondering are we ready, or not? We’ll look at details. Other stories we’re tracking: the growing controversy over so-called vaccine passports quickly becoming a new culture war flashpoint. Are mandated certifications of vaccinations ethical? A closer look at some of the underlying considerations. And home prices skyrocketing in Texas cities, but if you’re thinking you can escape this trend by moving to rural Texas…think again. Also, the best chess team in the world? Look no further than the Rio Grande Valley. All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 5, 2021
2 trillion for infrastructure. The big push from the Biden administration. But what might those big plans mean for the Lone Star State? We’ll have details. Plus, going to a concert? Baseball game? Getting on a plane? You may need a passport for that. The push for and the controversy over so-called vaccination passports. Also Dr.Fred Campbell of UT Health San Antonio takes on more of your COVID-19 questions. And new lockdowns in other parts of the world and the ripple effects on Texas and the energy business. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
More & More Vaccinations
The vaccine rollout began with a very small group and has, at this point, expanded in Texas to everyone who is at least 16 years-old. More and more, people know others who have been vaccinated. More and more, the potential for the return to a “more normal” life looks possible. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: April 1, 2021
The Texas Senate passes what supporters call election reforms and what many democrats say amounts to institutionalized voter suppression. Limits to early voting hours, a ban on drive through voting, and more part of Senate Bill 7. Against this backdrop, the Texas court of criminal appeals set to reconsider a high profile vote fraud case, we’ll explore both coming up. Also in South Texas, a county once one of the world Coronavirus hotspots, a remarkable success story on vaccinations. We’ll talk with the health authority of Hidalgo County. Plus not one but two Newberry Honors for a Texas writer of children’s books. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 29, 2021
As the trial for the murder of George Floyd gets underway, debate heats up on a Texas bill to punish cities that cut police funding. We’ll have the latest. Other stories we’re covering: a bill to prohibit public school athletes in Texas from participating on sports teams that don’t align with an athlete’s biological birth sex. And new numbers from the winter storm and subsequent power outages in Texas suggest the event was deadlier than Hurricane Harvey. Also, supermarket wars coming to North Texas? And remembering a literary giant. How Larry McMurtry challenged Texas mythology, and changed the way many view the Lone Star State. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 26, 2021
After mass shooting incidents in Georgia and Colorado, Texas lawmakers considering several measures to expand gun rights. A review of gun legislation moving through the Texas legislature. Also, redrawing the political maps of the state, almost certain to be delayed. And what does this mean for the future of Texas elections? And calls for Texas to rework the power grid to adapt to climate change, the latest in our listener vaccine tracker, the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 24, 2021
Everyone over 16 in Texas will be eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine come Monday, but will there be enough doses to go around? Also, a new chapter begins in the fight against COVID-19 in Texas. We’ll have the latest on the push to get everyone over 16 vaccinated in Texas as soon as possible, and what if anything is being done to protect vulnerable populations. Plus a bill in the Texas legislature that could shut down an iconic Texas swimming hole sparks protests in the Texas capitol city. And branding Madness. Why is the march madness label reserved for men, but off limits to women as the college basketball playoffs move forward? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 24, 2021
The number of foster kids sleeping in state offices reaches an all time high. A long running crisis in the foster care system, now worse than ever? We’ll explore. Other stories we’re following: a surprise move in south Texas by a democratic congressman, one some see foreshadowing a national fight for control of the U.S. House. Abby Livingston of the Texas Tribune with details. And a Covid variant found in a dog and a cat in Texas. Why this news has researchers watching closely. Plus addressing racial inequity in vaccine distribution. And what an author and scholar describes as a Sports Revolution: How Texas Changed the Culture of American Athletics. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 22, 2021
50 years after they were declared unenforceable and illegal, could racial covenants finally be coming off property deeds in Texas? Coming up, Texas Senator Royce West on the push in the legislature to remove racial covenants from property conveyances and why this has become a priority. Also, Texas voices from the pandemic, the one from the previous century, that is. And the difficult task of calculating the loss to Texas due to COVID-19. Plus museums selling art to make ends meet. And the oil rally, already over? What it means for the industry and consumer prices at the pump. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 19, 2021
The Asian American community in Texas and beyond demanding change in the wake of shootings in Atlanta. Also, after concerns at Forth Hood and elsewhere about sexual harassment complaints being ignored. What’s the army doing to change things? And an ongoing journey helping immigrants and refugees navigate healthcare in the U.S. Plus Texas families struggling with virtual learning. Also a film about a Texas whistleblower and the line between breaking the law and speaking out to stop violations of the law. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 15, 2021
Texans 50 or over, get in line. New rules take effect opening up vaccine eligibility, the trouble? Finding enough doses. Coming up disputes between the feds and state officials over whether Texas is getting enough vaccine doses in its fight against COVID-19. Also, efforts by the republican legislature in Texas to curb the powers of the governor during a pandemic. Now a priority item in the house. We’ll hear why. Also more listener questions about COVID-19 and the vaccine , plus our conversation with Austin mayor Steve Adler, the power of the Black church in Texas politics and so much more today on the Texas Standard :
Texas Standard: March 8, 2021
Let’s set the table: we got a lot of food on the show today. From restaurants to citrus to food for thought. In the food for thought category we start with some little known side-effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. We also imagine what if would be like to be homeless from the book “You Are My Brother”. And we imagine the political cost of the pandemic and freeze. Then we visit restaurants still open and remember those that have closed during the pandemic. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 5, 2021
We pretend to be a fly on the wall at the hearings where the failings of the state’s electric grid are being argued, we’ll have details. Also, did you know there’s money available for renters who are struggling? We tell you how to apply and hopefully how to get it. Plus, the good the bad and the ugly on vaccine distribution. And I bet you thought you knew everything there is to know about Selena Quintanilla. But as they say there’s always more to the story. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 17, 2021
It was set up to be an electrical island independent from a national power network. Cold comfort for millions of Texans right now. With a winter storm leading to rolling blackouts leaving more than 4 million Texans in the cold, the nonprofit deigned to manage the state’s power grid finds itself getting sudden national notoriety, as angry Texans demand answers. What is ERCOT, and who’s really at the switch behind this current power crisis? As the Lone Star State anticipates a thaw, things heat up between electricity providers and lawmakers now calling for investigations. The latest on the winter storm and its many ripple effects today on the Texas Standard: