Texans said yes to all 17 proposed state constitutional amendments. What’s that mean now?
We’ll also dig into some select local results from across the state, including an update in the race to fill the U.S. House seat of the late Sylvester Turner.
The Trump administration recently announced a new cap on the number of refugees that the U.S. will accept in the upcoming year. What’s that mean for the big picture?
Plus, an El Paso woman concerned about her neighbors who rely on government food assistance starts a program she hopes others will replicate.
WF Strong
Legal fight over access to East Texas waterway continues
Texas has flagged thousands of registered voters who officials say could be noncitizens. What we know about that claim right now.
For years, Texas Standard has been following the legal battle over a beloved waterway in East Texas. Now, some powerful figures are getting involved in the fight over the Cutoff.
Some leadership changes at UT Austin raise questions about what it means for someone to be removed based on “ideological differences.”
A new book chronicles the history of local police violence during the civil rights struggle in American cities, including Houston. Our conversation with “Police Against the Movement” author Joshua Davis.
Plus, W.F. Strong cracks open the history of Shiner beer.
Belle and Lea
Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong has met a lot of Texans throughout the years. Some have shared bits of history from the Lone Star State. Some have recalled old family traditions or news of certain oddities.
But others have imparted on him some unique problem-solving skills. This story tells of two old friends and their quick thinking.
Rodney Crowell talks new album, career
A deadly shooting this morning at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Dallas. We’ll share the latest details.
Workplaces across the state trying to calculate the implications of a new $100,000 fee for H-1B applications. We’ll hear more on the questions raised by the new policy and the possible fallout.
How college football in Texas and beyond is being reshaped by new NIL rules allowing for direct athlete pay by advertisers and sponsors.
And the return of Rodney Crowell: Music and conversation with a Texas songwriting legend.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
Cowboy Time
Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong reminds us of a time you’ll find particularly in rural Texas – Cowboy Time.
Pushback in Mexico against SpaceX expansion
The latest on the dismissal of a Texas A&M professor and the removal of two top administrators after political pressure over what was being taught in a children’s literature class – an incident that has led to concern about academic freedom.
The impact of SpaceX launches in South Texas is felt across the border in Mexico, where some officials are even weighing legal action against the company.
Tech expert Omar Gallaga on how Facebook is bringing back one of its earliest features, the “poke,” to appeal to Gen Z.
The use of facial recognition technology in Juárez is raising red flags.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
Austin Butler, Darren Aronofsky talk Texas, filmmaking & ‘Caught Stealing’
President Trump is using the threat of legal action to push his policies forward in Texas and beyond.
We continue our series about new state laws taking effect with a look at one that prevents people from certain countries from buying land in Texas.
20 years after Hurricane Katrina, how the New Orleans residents who found a home in Houston reshaped the cultural landscape.
Actor Austin Butler and filmmaker Darren Aronofsky on their new film, “Caught Stealing.”
And the Standard’s Kristen Cabrera with part two of her report on the Rio Grande Valley’s brand new college football team, the UTRGV Vaqueros.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
The sky welcomes you home
The start of the school year means it’s the end of summer travel season for many families. As Texans well know, depending on where you live in the state, it can take longer to travel out of it than to cross several state lines beyond our borders.
Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong reflects on coming back to Texas.
Virtual public school enrollment surges
Gov. Greg Abbott threatens a concurrent second special session with a Democratic walkout still underway. Is there any end in sight?
Details from a new release of materials withheld by Uvalde County and the Uvalde school district in the wake of the 2022 Robb Elementary school shooting.
What’s behind a massive growth in virtual schooling in Texas?
W.F. Strong meditates on what welcomes Texans back home after a long time away.
And: The scene at Voz de la Paloma, a women’s mariachi competition in honor of a San Antonio ranchera icon.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
Why ‘Don’t California My Texas’ isn’t the whole story
Are Democratic lawmakers on the verge of a walkout to stop Republicans from redistricting during the special session? We’ll have the latest.
We’re also tracking possible federal funding cuts to legal aid organizations that could leave thousands of Texans who can’t afford a lawyer without the help they need.
Going beyond armed security guards, some Texas schools are turning to drones to increase security.
The changing role of social media influencers was on display in the aftermath of the July 4 floods.
And: Are Texas lawmakers quietly taking cues on governing from California?
The hat that made the cowboy
There are a few symbols so deeply woven into the fabric of Texas that they seem as native as mesquite or bluebonnets. One of them is the Stetson hat. Not just any Stetson hat – the Boss of the Plains.
Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong says that oddly enough, it didn’t come from Texas at all.
Creative smuggling when Texas was a republic
If there’s one thing the Texans of the early republic never lacked, it was imagination – especially when it came to dodging tariffs and taxes. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong explains.
A special Texas Standard for kids, live from Abilene
Texans under the age of 18 make up almost a quarter of the state’s population, so we’ve put together a show with them in mind. We’re joining you today from Abilene and the Children’s Art and Literacy Festival.
We begin with a conversation about politics: We’ll hear from some Texas teens who make their voices heard, even though they can’t yet vote.
Checking in with our go-to tech expert about kids and technology – some tips for engaging them while avoiding some of the pitfalls.
Other familiar voices on the show will be insect expert Wizzie Brown, who is answering kids’ questions about bugs, and commentator W.F. Strong, who shares a conversation about growing up in Texas with his 10-year-old daughter.
New York aids Texas Revolution
This bit of history really does seem too strange to be true. It involves the family of John Wilkes Booth, the son of Abraham Lincoln, and Sam Houston.
Houston ISD has half the nurses it did last year
Healthcare providers and people on both sides of Texas’ abortion ban are working together – kind of – on an effort to clarify the law.
The VA is trying to trim its budget without affecting patients. A closer look at the plans and their potential holes.
The number of nurses in Houston public schools has dropped by 50% in the past year. Now there’s an effort at the Texas Capitol to set requirements for having nurses on campuses.
What you need to know as the federal government restarts collections on federal student loan borrowers in default.
And: We’ll introduce you to Porfirio Salinas, the Texas painter who captured the Hill Country in a way that inspired Lady Bird Johnson.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support our work by becoming a sustaining member at supportthispodcast.org.
Whistling while you work
Growing up in Texas, WF Strong found that whistling played a important role in his life. But there are many ways to whistle. He explores a few of them.
A forgotten history of DeWitt County comes back to life
The man who’s admitted killing 23 in a racist mass shooting in El Paso in 2019 will be given a plea deal that does not include the death penalty. What’s behind that decision.
A federal judge temporarily prevents Texas A&M from enforcing a ban on campus drag performances, setting the stage for this week’s Draggieland.
A long-lost book detailing DeWitt County’s history before 1900 has resurfaced, more than a century after it was written in German.
And: A potentially deadly bird flu spotted early in Texas jumps species in the UK, prompting a warning from health officials.
The 100th meridian
If you examine any good map of Texas, you’ll notice a natural division of East and West Texas that runs from the eastern side of the Panhandle down to Abilene and San Angelo and on past Uvalde to Carrizo Springs and Laredo. To the west side of that line is arid and to the east is wetter and greener. And it becomes increasingly dry as you go west and increasingly humid as you go east. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong explains the history of this geographical marker.
A sisterhood of nuns is quietly emerging on Texas death row
It’s been four years since the deadly days-long blackout in Texas – and “The Disconnect” podcast is back for a third season, exploring what’s changed and what hasn’t.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been told by the new Trump administration to stop work. How a long-term closure might affect you.
An investigation into the death of a foster care child has led to the closure of one facility and some bigger questions.
And: The women on Texas death row have a special relationship with a group of nuns. The details might surprise you.
Texans weigh in on how to spend the state’s $24 billion surplus
If Texans were in charge of the state’s budget, how would they spend the money? A new survey from the Hobby School of Public Affairs sheds light on priorities.
We know many state lawmakers are prioritizing a school voucher effort that would give money for private education directly to families – and the proposal has moved forward in the Senate.
Some Texas business are already feeling indirect impacts of deportation efforts.
And: With Texas attracting more data centers, -what’s being done to ensure the energy grid can handle it?