Record setting heat on tap for much of Texas. Will there be enough electricity to meet demand? And what about the rest of the summer? Coming up, the latest on heat warnings across Texas, and what it portends for the rest of the summer amid anxieties about whether the electrical grid can stand the strain. Also a federal judge moves to hold Texas’ foster care services in contempt as court monitors continue to find deficiencies in a system once declared unconstitutionally unsafe for children. Paul Flahive of Texas Public Radio with the latest. And what’s in a name? Some Mexico distillers say cultural appropriation. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Vaccine
Texas Standard: June 2, 2022
A teacher killed in Uvalde, her husband who died just days later and the outsized impact they had on their community. As Uvalde continues to mourn the loss of 19 school kids and two teachers in the latest mass shooting at a school in Texas, the governor calls for special committees to study school safety. But he stops short of demands for a special session. We’ll have the latest. Also beyond Roe: why many women are concerned that an expected decision from the Supreme Court could mean access to contraceptives will be at stake. Plus what happens next with Texas’ controversial social media law. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 1, 2022
If not this then what will it take? The president of the Texas State Teachers Association with a plea to Texas lawmakers. As Uvalde mourns the loss of 19 elementary school kids and 2 teachers, Ovidia Molina of the Texas State Teachers Association joins us to discuss concerns about school safety and what she sees as empty promises from state officials. And despite pledges for mental health resources, where has the money gone? We’ll take a closer look. Plus the proliferation of claims about the shooting online. Sorting the falsehoods from the facts. Also reckoning with the past at TCU, now acknowledging two forgotten founders. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
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: May 24, 2022
An explosive third party report on sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Church. The new report on the scope and scale and coverup of sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist church confirms the findings of an 2019 investigation by two Texas papers, the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express news. So what comes next for churches and congregants? Our conversation with the lead reporter on the story at the Chronicle. Also GOP lawmakers in Texas issue a warning to companies offering to cover expenses for employees seeking an abortion in other states. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 23, 2022
Plans to lift Title 42 at the border today are now on hold. We’ll look at what this means for the future of immigration and deportations. Other stories we’re tracking: how the mass shooting in Buffalo, New York is resonating in El Paso, the site of a racist shooting at a Wal Mart three years ago. Also what a political runoff in South Texas tells us about an intra-party ideological battle among Texas Democrats. And more than a year ago, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality announced a social justice initiative. So what’s happened since, and what hasn’t? And a new film that puts a more human face on a larger than life Texas baseball legend. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 13, 2022
White house flags ordered to half staff as the U.S. reaches what President Biden marks as a tragic milestone in the pandemic. As public health efforts against COVID-19 continue to scale back, deaths from COVID-19 in the US approach the 1 million mark, and Texas has the second highest number of those deaths among the 50 states. We’ll take a closer look. Also the Texas Supreme Court overturns the statewide injunction on investigations of parents providing gender affirming care to transgender youth. We’ll have the latest. Plus a Texan’s journey into the kitchens of Mexico becomes a rapturous revelation. And the effort to give an endangered Texas toad a fighting chance at survival. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 12, 2022
Public or private? Tho Texas lawmakers have rejected vouchers, Governor Abbott puts the school choice debate into play this election season. With complaints from conservatives over what’s being taught in Texas public school classrooms, Governor Abbott says he wants to give parents a choice for private school. We’ll take a closer look. Also, how ‘where you live’ may be hazardous to your health. And Ukraine’s military partnering with state national guard forces. Plus, why a rise in gun theft from autos. And Tech expert Omar Gallaga on what to do if you’re locked out of Google. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 10, 2022
The future of Roe vs. Wade on the ballot in Texas? Not exactly, but how might the issue resonate statewide come November? We’ll have a closer look at the potential political implications in Texas should Roe be overturned as many now expect. Other stories we’re tracking: a shortage of baby formula. What are families to do? Expert advice from Doctor LaJuan Chambers, a pediatrician at UT Health East Texas. Also the conflict in Ukraine creating difficulties there for needed prescriptions. But as humanitarian aid tries to fill the gaps, issues remain getting psychiatric drugs to combat zones. A possible solution and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 9, 2022
Texans overwhelming approved two constitutional amendments promising some tax relief. So what happens now? We’ll take a look. We’ll also dive deep into one Dallas neighborhood for some understanding of the challenges facing lower-income renters everywhere. And the head of the state’s juvenile justice department resigned just over a week ago. Why the timing has some advocates worried. Plus eyes are on an annual celebration in Russia this year, we’ll have what a Texas-based expert is watching for. And Lockhart, Texas is synonymous with BBQ, but it’s a veggie-growing enterprise there that’s caught our attention. We took a trip to find out why what’s going on there is so cutting edge. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 4, 2022
On today’s show we’ll explain the trigger law that would mostly ban abortion in Texas if Roe v. wade is overturned. Plus, have Texans had enough of highways? Some transportation activists are taking it to the streets. And are you familiar with Toadsuck? Don’t be offended, it’s the name of a place. Commentator W.F. Strong will tell you all about it. And we’ve got back to school book bans in San Antonio and of course the latest news from across the Lone Star State 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: May 2, 2022
As Governor Abbott weighs the possibility of declaring an invasion at the southern border, legal challenges over immigration policy pile up. We’ll have details. Also growing calls for a European embargo of Russian oil and the ripple effects felt closer to home. And a medical mystery in south Texas as health officials warn of a rash of pediatric hepatitis cases in young kids, sometimes necessitating liver transplants. We’ll talk with a specialist from UT Health San Antonio. And a production in Fort Worth bearing witness to racist violence against Black people blurring the boundaries between actors and audiences. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 29, 2022
As Willie celebrates birthday number 89, Texas cities contemplate decriminalization of something the singer’s known to be especially fond of. We’ll have the latest. Also the military’s hard line on COVID-19 vaccinations, and why some soldiers say it could make it harder for other religious accommodations. And with war in Ukraine and a push for alternatives to Russian oil, why are Texas pump jacks so silent? Texas Monthly’s Russell Gold reports they won’t be much longer. Also the push for big change at Big Bend to help deal with rising crowds. And the week that was in Texas Politics with the Texas Tribune and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 28, 2022
Governor’s Abbott’s border security mission known as Operation Lone Star, what has it accomplished? We’ll do a check of the claims being made. Other stories were tracking, federal scrutiny on Galveston county after a redistricting plan eliminating the county’s only majority-minority district. Also, is Twitter ‘Texas-bound’ after its purchase by Elon Musk? We’ll ask tech expert Omar Gallaga. And its Green Ghost, not Gringo…So says an unlikely feature film star, better known in Texas as a car salesman than a big screen superhero. The story of Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone plus a whole lot more today on the 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 26, 2022
Election season and property tax valuation season coincide in Texas as two constitutional amendments come up for a vote. As many Texas property owners see historic increases in their tax valuations, a pair of constitutional amendments come up that could provide some relief, but how much? And will it make a difference? Two reporters from the Texas Newsroom offer a primmer. Also, from five to just four days of school each week? Long a dream for many a student, many Texas school administrators are making the shift. We’ll hear why. And Texas-based presidential scholar Mark Updegrove reconsiders the legacy of JFK. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: April 25, 2022
Border bottlenecks brought on by ramped up Texas inspections cost business billions. But a surprising potential longer-term effect, too. A new relationship between Texas and 4 border states in Mexico? Angela Kocherga has that story. Plus a new report reveals San Antonio’s south side, one of the nation’s hardest hit by the pandemic. Also an update on COVID-19 and kids in Texas. And what our neighbors to the east may be able to teach Texas as plans for a coastal Ike Dike get the green light. Also ChicanX utopias. What pop culture tells us about the politics of the possible. All 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: April 21, 2022
An expected assault in Mariupol called off by Vladmir Putin. What does that mean for what comes next? Global security expert Michael Mosser of the University of Texas breaks it down. Also the state’s largest teacher prep and recruiting program of its kind gets failing grades from state auditors, but with a massive teacher shortage, many questions about what to do. And historian Doris Kearns Goodwin on a major donation of archives to a top Texas center for history. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard: