Water

Will Texas ban the death penalty for people with severe mental illness?

Thirty million people now call Texas home, but new numbers tell a story of uneven growth across the Lone Star State. Which areas are gaining and which are slipping as the Texas population continues to grow?

The Texas Standard’s Sean Saldana has details on a push to outlaw the death penalty for those with severe mental illness

The rising cost of living in Texas is hitting tacos, too. But what’s with a $5 difference just five blocks away? Likely more than meets the mouth, says taco journalist Mando Rayo.

Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and the Typewriter Rodeo.

What’s in the Texas House budget

The opioid fentanyl has become a scourge for many communities. But where is it coming from? New court filings shed light on the fentanyl supply chain. We’ll tell you where it comes from, and how it’s being smuggled into Texas.

The Texas economy just keeps growing. How does this keep happening, and when will it ever stop?

What if Shakespeare was from the Valley? We kind of have an answer. We’ll hear from the professors who compiled pieces from writer’s who’ve reimagined some of the playwright’s works by setting them along the border.

Plus the latest on the Legislature, the Typewriter Rodeo, and breaking news from across the state.

This West Texas town has been under a boil-water notice for nearly 5 years

State lawmakers heard hours of testimony on a bill that would restrict gender-affirming care for minors. Senate Bill 14 wouldn’t just end access to gender-affirming care for young Texans, it would also revoke the medical license of any doctor who provides it.

How Texas’ first family of oil and gas both regulates and profits from the energy industry.

And in far West Texas, the community of Toyah is dealing with a boil-water notice that seems like it will never end.

Ideas for combatting the trucking shortage

Five men are handed over in Mexico along with a letter purportedly from the Gulf Cartel apologizing for the “senseless crime” of violently kidnapping four Americans, leaving two of them and one Mexican dead. U.S. officials say the apology seems authentic, though perhaps not sincere.

What’s being done to combat the nation’s shortage of truck drivers.

A sneak peek at the start of SXSW Film as the festival kicks off in Austin.

And the week in politics with the Texas Tribune.

A deep dive on big plans at the Texas State Aquarium

The Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi will soon take on a new role: the largest coastal wildlife rescue facility in the state, and one of the largest in the country.

Should taxpayers cover the multimillion-dollar settlement in a whistleblower case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton? Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of The Texas Newsroom joins us with the latest.

Black and Hispanic Texans say they don’t trust the quality of their water, according to a new survey.

More book bans in Texas? How a strategy used by abortion opponents may be used to take on librarians.

And the feds are cracking down on a financial maneuver that could implicate questions of freedom of speech.

Why Texas and the U.S. need larger apartments

Is there a Speaker in the House? Texas’ role in the drama over who will lead the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. No state sends more republicans to Congress than Texas, but those republicans are at loggerheads over who to pick as House speaker, and it’s brought Congress to a standstill before the next session’s even underway. Sean Theriault of UT Austin explains what’s happening and why. Also new travel restrictions as a Covid outbreak spreads in China. How concerned should Texans be, and will the restrictions really help? And W.F. Strong looks back on an historic sunken treasure discovery and more today on the Texas Standard:

Something About the Fishes of Texas

The Typewriter Rodeo operates by request. And this request by a Texas Standard listener named Amanda left our poet a lot of room for interpretation. Want to request a poem? Just email texasstandard@kut.org.

Texas Standard: October 3, 2022

We’ll take a look back at the top talking points in the gubernatorial debate between Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke Friday night, and whether it will have any impact come November. Plus an AP investigation finds disarray and dysfunction in the Texas Attorney General’s office. We’ll hear details. Also concerns by some Texas doctors that new restrictions are creating a different sort of opioid problem. And a conversation with Texas A&M Task Force One as they search for survivors in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Those stories and a lot more on todays Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 29, 2022

The push among some republicans for Greg Abbott to declare an invasion at the southern border with Mexico. We’ll have the latest. Also, Texas #1 again: this time for toxic waste in water. Details of a new environmental report. Plus long COVID-19 has made so many Texans so sick, they can’t return to work. We take a closer look at the impact. And staying private online and why the usual changes to your settings may not be enough. Also one of the new stars of the Netflix series ‘Fate: The Winx Saga’ is a Texan in a role demanded by fans. We’ll talk with actor Paulina Chavez. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Low Water

The last several weeks brought a bit of much-needed rain to most of Texas. But it hasn’t been enough to offset months of drought. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Texas Standard: August 26, 2022

A Texas gun restriction for 18 to 20 year olds ruled unconstitutional. This, just 3 months after a young gunman’s deadly attack on a school in Uvalde. A judge in Fort Worth rules that Texas can’t ban 18 to 20 year olds from carrying handguns. We’ll hear more about what’s behind the decision and what comes next. Also beyond debt forgiveness: what can be done to bring down the cost of higher ed in the first place? And amid a water shortage in the Valley, one community moving to reclaim water for the future. Also a teacher shortage today, a crisis for the future? Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 12, 2022

It’s exceptionally dry across Texas, but the little rain parts of the state have been experiencing in recent days could be a game changer. Farmers are reporting widespread crop losses, and both the supply and quality of the water is on the decline. We’ll speak with the Texas State climatologist on how climate change factors into the drought outlook. Plus perspective from D.C. on the migrants the Texas and Arizona governors are bussing to the East Coast. And a new MAGA has emerged as a political player in the race for Texas governor. We speak with the woman behind Mothers Against Greg Abbott. All that and the week that was in Texas politics today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 1, 2022

Water crisis. That’s the label communities on the border are giving the current conditions as reservoirs are drying up. But it’s not just on the border that water is a concern. We’ll talk with an expert about the current state of groundwater across Texas and the long-term forecast. Plus a shot in the arm for a Liquid Natural Gas facility in Brownsville. What a big contract means for its future. And in Uvalde the community still in the early days of recovery is trying to access the financial help promised, but doing that is easier said than done. And we’ll remember an Austin radio icon beloved by throng and truly one of a kind. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 11, 2022

How hot is it? Hot enough for ERCOT to ask the state to dial back its power use at temperatures climb back into the triple digits. We’ll have the latest. Also a recent pipe burst in Odessa left the city’s hundred thousand plus residents without water for days. Now comes a warning for lots of small to midsized cities about a ticking time bomb of aging pipes and underground stressors. We’ll hear more. Also a new effort aimed at tracking drug overdoses, most of which go non-reported. And a comeback for the Guadalupe bass. And Texas versus Volkswagen: how the carmakers novel defense could put millions of dollars at stake. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: June 16, 2022

In the wake of the Uvalde shooting, state lawmakers talking more money for mental health resources and for law enforcement, we’ll have the latest. Other stories we’re tracking: a widely expected reversal of Roe vs Wade. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of the Texas Newsroom with a closer look at changes to Texas abortion laws over the last decade. And the water’s back on in Odessa, but don’t drink it just yet. How a city of more than a hundred thousand has coped without water during days of blistering temperatures. And this week’s election results from South Texas that have political observers here (and way beyond) buzzing big time. 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 5, 2022

With the Supreme Court now widely expected to overturn Roe vs. Wade, new numbers of where Texans stand on the issue of Abortion. From abortion to border security, the state’s population growth and the economy, Texans weigh in on a range of issues that could have a profound effect at the polls come November. Jim Henson with the results of a new survey by the Texas Politics Project. Also, Texas’ attempt to treat gender-affirming care as “Child Abuse”. A new report examines the underlying scientific claims being made by officials leading the push. Plus, say cheese, Texas: why a place better known for its beef is challenging dominant states in the dairy business. All this and then some today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 15, 2022

The business of border security. Who’s making millions, and who’s paying the price tag? An investigation by the Houston Chronicle takes a closer look. Also, new commercial checkpoints at the border set up by Governor Abbott now opening back up for business? We’ll have the latest. Plus presidential debates and their impartiality. How debatable? The GOP says Republicans running for president will have to sign a pledge not to participate with the Commission on Presidential Debates. Ricard Pineda of the University of Texas at El Paso talks about the implications. And Kristen Cabrera cracks open the story of an Easter tradition especially widespread in south Texas and northern Mexico. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 11, 2022

A woman charged with murder in Texas after an alleged self induced abortion has been released, but that’s far from the end of the story. Many fear the arrest and murder charge in Starr County could be a harbinger of what’s to come amid a rise in abortion restrictions and an expected ruling from the United States Supreme Court. We’ll hear more. Also the hype over hemp: what new data says about the legalization of the hemp industry in Texas and whether it has turned out to be as big an economic boon as advocates had hoped. And the race to save the stories behind a musical movement: reclaiming and preserving San Antonio’s Westside sound. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 18, 2022

Nineteen indictments of Austin police officers in what appears to be one of the biggest indictments of a single police department in connection with the racial justice demonstrations of 2020. Also, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard: