President Biden is in Austin to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act – and is expected to deliver a speech that could have big implications for the future of the U.S. Supreme Court.
The surprise arrests in Texas of two leaders of the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel were a major victory for the feds, but now there are hints that the backstory involves a double cross. One of the state’s top experts on Mexico’s drug cartels explains.
A new survey finds that two-thirds of Texans support Gov. Greg Abbott’s school voucher plan.
And: A new investigation from NPR, Texas Public Radio and public radio program 1A finds more than 250 preventable deaths in trench accidents.
Voucher
Community colleges get a funding boost, but with some changes
Gov. Greg Abbott received a $6 million campaign contribution from an out-of-state mega donor and school voucher advocate. Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy of the Texas Newsroom shares more.
The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán has the latest on what appear to be endorsement wars among top Texas Republicans.
There’s a new funding formula for community colleges. What could the change add up to?
And commentator W.F. Strong reflects on influencers – both intentional and accidental.
Is this the end of efforts to keep Fairfield Lake State Park public?
For the first time in modern memory, the Texas House is set to take up a school voucher-like plan.
How do you put a price tag on a state park? We’ll hear more about the challenges facing Texas Parks and Wildlife as it tries to reclaim parkland purchased by developers.
In a dramatic U-turn this week, China’s president appears to be trying to warm up to the U.S. Some clues as to why might be found in a new report from the Dallas Federal Reserve.
Also: What some forecasters are calling a “super El Niño” is coming soon to Texas.
The Texas discovery of a new, dog-sized dinosaur
After months of stalemate, are the Texas House and Senate finally making progress on school spending?
For millions of years, the bones of a tiny dinosaur lay undisturbed in what are now the shores of Lake Grapevine. We’ll learn about a new species.
El Paso residents are concerned about the growing number of high-speed chases in their city.
And: Are city parks set to decline? A new law could make it tougher for urban areas to procure parkland.
Emmitt Smith’s latest move is fighting opioid overdoses
Texas governor Greg Abbott’s prediction a school voucher bill would pass now looks unlikely as the latest special session winds down.
Legendary running back and three-time Super Bowl champ Emmitt Smith teams up with NARCAN to reduce opioid deaths.
How Texans cross into neighboring New Mexico for abortions. We’ll have a special report.
A Texas town’s long-lost photos go on display. What residents hope to learn about their past.
And how a notorious monster has helped generations of parents get children to behave – especially at bedtime. Kristin Cabrera explains the Cucuy.
Exploring the tale of the Chupacabra
A deal over school vouchers at the Legislature – or high political theatre? As Gov. Greg Abbott declares victory, others have their doubts. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of The Texas Newsroom shares the latest.
You’ve heard of solar farms, but how well do animals share that land? Why agrivoltaic farms are popping up all over Texas.
And our spooky season isn’t over. The Texas Standard’s Kristen Cabrera explores the story of the arguable king of the Texas cryptids: the Chupacabra.
Celebrating a century of Texas state parks
Dozens of Texas school districts have sued to stop changes in the A-F grading system used to evaluate schools.
The manager of the state’s power grid is out with a new forecast for winter. How prepared is Texas for another statewide freeze like 2021?
Israel, Hamas and disinformation on social media: Tech expert Omar Gallaga joins us with more.
New numbers in the race for mayor of Texas’ biggest city.
And a new book written by longtime Texas conservationist George Bristol, “Texas State Parks: The First 100 Years,” tells the story of how the state’s parks began.
How are Texas ranchers dealing with a hay shortage?
Two prominent scholars weigh in on what Texans should be listening for in tonight’s State of the Union address.
School vouchers or something quite similar promise to play a big role in the Texas legislative session now underway.
After a drought and ice storms, many Texas ranchers are facing a hay shortage and are fighting rising prices and scrambling for alternatives.
And a case from Texas 20 years ago that had ripple effects nationwide: our conversation with Wesley Phelps, the author of “Before Lawrence v. Texas: The Making of a Queer Social Movement.”
These bills have little chance of being passed. Why do lawmakers file them?
How much confidence do you have in state government? The first post-election survey is out with a message for Texas lawmakers. We’ll have details. Other stories we’re tracking: In North Texas, reaction to the manslaughter conviction of a former Fort Worth Police officer charged with murder in the killing of Atatiana Jefferson. And why did the Texas Attorney General request gender change data from Texas drivers license records? Plus they are the champions Texas sweeps Louisville to take the NCAA Volleyball title. Also the legislative bills that seem to be going nowhere fast: why file them in the first place? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: January 24, 2019
After school shootings nationwide, a Texas county recruits its very youngest students in an effort to be prepared for the worst. We’ll have the latest. Also, a crisis beyond our borders that could become a crisis on our border in rapid order. Political turmoil in Venezuela reaches a boiling point. We’ll explore. And Texas lawmakers keep promising to focus on education; code for a renewed push for vouchers charter schools and other alternatives? We’ll take a closer look. Plus 19 places to visit in 2019: five of em are in Texas. You may want to take notes. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: March 17, 2017
It’s called a ‘declaration of taking’. Tho you might call it something else: the first tangle steps toward a border wall. Also a rough landing for US air traffic controllers? Why the FAA may not be in charge of managing the highways of the sky much longer…we’ll explain. And the New York stock exchange. The Chicago Mercantile exchange, the Texas gold depository? A Texas lawmaker polishes up plans to make an official Texas gold repository open for business. Plus saving Texas dance halls, a certain madness seizing Texas, the week that was at the capitol and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 27, 2017
Feeling the pinch? Texas lawmakers blame lower oil and gas revenue. But for the real explanation, you may have to drill deeper, we’ll explore. Plus homeschoolers and public school advocates form an unlikely partnership: the target? Stopping the latest effort on school choice. We’ll hear why. And sweat dirt and drilling equipment: the stuff fortunes have been built on since spindle top. But new wildcatters are getting their hands dirty without getting their hands dirty. We’ll explain. And as states ease up on marijuana, a new directive from the feds to crack down on recreational use of pot. What happens next? All that and more today on the Texas Standard: