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April 12, 2022

Texas Standard: April 12, 2022

By: David Brown

As evidence mounts of atrocities by Russian forces in Ukraine, the conversation shifts beyond war crimes to allegations of genocide. Ukraine says civilian killings constitute genocide. We’ll have a Texas expert on how and why that term is contentious, and what it could mean for the future. Also closer to home, with population growth in Texas, demand for concrete grows and Black and Hispanic communities in Houston disproportionately affected by concrete batch plants. We’ll have more on analysis by the Houston Chronicle. And federal dollars flowed to Texas landlords who pledged not to evict tenants during the pandemic. But many were evicted anyway. So what happens next? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:


Episodes

August 12, 2025

No phones, devices in classrooms as Texas students return to school

Undocumented college students in Texas are no longer eligible for in-state tuition. As the new semester starts, many are in limbo.As we keep an eye on the special session where Texas Democrats broke quorum, a look at another state – Oregon – where Republican lawmakers staged a walkout.A new state law that bans cell phones, […]

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August 11, 2025

Dinosaur tracks uncovered near Austin after floods

Just one more full week is left in the Texas Legislature’s special session, and with House Democrats away, what happens next?Some of those Democrats have decamped to California, which is now mulling a possible redistricting effort to offset potential Republican gains in the midterms.The IRS says churches can now endorse candidates, a move that could […]

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August 8, 2025

Charley Crockett talks new album and recent success

Texas’ redistricting fight is has spread past state lines. New federal legislation aims to ban mid-decade congressional redistricting, and the brawl looks likely to impact upcoming elections and the 2028 presidential race.San Antonio is planning a massive sports and entertainment district, including a new arena for the Spurs, a convention center expansion and more – […]

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August 7, 2025

State parks are getting bigger and better

While the Texas House remains stalled due to a quorum break, the Senate continues its work, advancing a key education bill that could eliminate STAAR testing statewide.Texas is seeing a boom in data centers driven by AI and crypto – but the growth comes with major energy and water demands.Thanks to a $1 billion voter-approved […]

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August 6, 2025

Muleshoe Refuge expansion plan scrapped

Texas Democrats are facing legal threats and potential action from the FBI for fleeing the state during the special session.Concerns about artificial intelligence are coming to a head with the most recent round of college graduates. How it’s disrupting the job market.A proposed expansion for the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge in the Panhandle had been […]

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August 5, 2025

A century of redistricting fights in Texas

The high-stakes battle over redistricting continues. Why Democratic Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins took the risk and left the state.Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to remove Democratic lawmakers from their seats for leaving during a special session, but can he legally do that?The history of partisan gerrymandering in the Lone Star State.Why Texas has become a professional […]

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August 4, 2025

Texas Democrats flee state, break quorum over redistricting

More than 50 Democratic lawmakers have left the state so the Texas House would not have a quorum, trying to derail a redistricting plan that could add five more congressional seats for Republicans in the midterms. Harvest season is arriving in South Texas, but many cotton farmers are still reeling from drought, inflation, and weakened […]

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August 1, 2025

Kerr County emergency officials were sleeping when flood hit July 4

Why weren’t Hill Country communities alerted as a deadly wall of water roared down the Guadalupe on the weekend of July 4th? In their first public testimony on the floods, top emergency officials in Kerr County said they were away or asleep. Voting the old-fashioned way? A return to hand-marked ballots in Collin County is […]

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