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March 13, 2023

Documentary highlights competitive high school mariachi

By: David Brown

There’s a push in the Texas Senate to raise the penalty for illegal voting despite a widely reported absence of evidence that it’s a major problem. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of the Texas Newsroom shares his weekly lookahead at what’s happening at the Legislature.

A bill filed last week would abolish the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and close down the state’s youth prisons.

There was chaos Sunday on the pedestrian bridge connecting El Paso with Juárez, Mexico. Lauren Villagran of the El Paso Times joins us to discuss what happened.

By many measures Texas is at the top of the pack for renewable energy, yet gas and oil likely remain big in the state for some time to come.

Plus we’ll hear from the directors and a student star of a new documentary that had its Texas debut at South by Southwest, “Going Varsity in Mariachi.”


Episodes

February 13, 2023

What happened during the Southwest Airlines meltdown?

What are the top priorities of Texas’ top officials? Gov. Greg Abbott delivers his State of the State address this week, and in the next few days we’re likely to hear which bills are set to take up priority slots for the Senate and possibly House. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of the Texas Newsroom shares details. A […]

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February 10, 2023

Soy de Tejas art exhibit highlights Latino artists in the Lone Star State

Black lawmakers in the Texas Legislature are pushing colleagues for changes to key Texas laws. Texas State Representative Ron Reynolds, chair of the Black Caucus, joins us to discuss top priorities in the 88th session on issues ranging from criminal justice reform and environmental justice to voting rights. The Standard’s Kristen Cabrera on an effort […]

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February 9, 2023

What Texas House committee assignments say about this session

Two prominent names in Texas politics get key assignments on Capitol Hill in a pushback against GOP investigations. Democrats lose top slots on influential Texas House committees. What could that mean for some hot-button issues before the Texas legislature? A directive from the governor’s office to state colleges and universities to consider employment on merit […]

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February 8, 2023

How Austin has changed

Last night’s State of the Union touched on immigration, inflation, gun violence and other issues. Richard Pineda of the University of Texas at El Paso joins us with analysis of the annual message by the president to Congress. A legal challenge to an abortion drug and a possible decision from a federal judge in Amarillo […]

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February 7, 2023

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 […]

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February 6, 2023

What zoos are doing to stay safe

Funding for public education is set to take center stage at the Capitol. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of the Texas Newsroom joins us with what to expect this week as the Senate finance committee takes up education funding. Some Texas lawmakers say student mental health is a top priority this legislative session. We’ll take a closer look […]

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February 3, 2023

Answering your tree questions in the wake of the ice storm

Insurance claims are about to spike as Texans try to recover from storm damage – a Texas insurance specialist advises how best to move forward with claims: what to do, and what not to do. We’re also answering your questions about trees and ice damage. We take a look at what winter storms have done […]

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February 2, 2023

Marfa art exhibit honors the railroad’s Chinese laborers

Nearly 400,000 homes and businesses are still without power in Texas, but the worst of the freezing rain may be behind us. Mose Buchele of the Disconnect podcast and KUT Austin joins us with more on the power situation. A new poll suggests a disconnect between the headlines and what Texans really think of the […]

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