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February 8, 2018

Texas Standard: February 8, 2018

By: Laura Rice

The Texas primaries are just around the corner. We’ll follow the money to find out which big organizations are funding candidates so far. Also the numbers are devastating and they seem to be growing. What’s behind an uptick in child abuse deaths in Texas? And a central Texas university is mired in debate about racism involving the student body president. We’ll have the story. Plus as the state’s first medical cannabis oil dispensary opens we’ll talk with a doctor about why even those eligible for a CBD oil prescription might have a hard time getting one. And a new book about an odyssey in the Texas Hill Country is getting a lot of praise and complimentary comparisons. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:


Episodes

September 15, 2026

Dallas-raised, best-selling author R.F. Kuang talks new novel ‘Taipei Story’

Texas pulled smokable hemp out of stores but it’s still available in other forms. So, what does the law say now?A North Texas community weathered a recent wildfire but still lacks basic resources for another emergency.And there’s a rise in dangerous ectopic pregnancies and it varies by state. We’ll delve into what’s happening in Texas.Dallas-raised, […]

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September 14, 2026

How the Longhorns took down top-ranked Ohio State in a dramatic comeback

Rural Texas has long been a GOP stronghold, but one issue could make a top statewide race more competitive than previously thought. We’ll look at how data centers have emerged as critical in the Texas gubernatorial contest.Some Texas institutions of higher learning are encouraging students to use AI. We’ll dig into why.Public libraries in Texas […]

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September 12, 2026

Texas Extra: Texas political history and intrigue with politico Ben Barnes

There’s a lot to talk about in Texas on a daily basis and Texas Standard wants to get to as much as we can. But sometimes that means taking a great conversation and making it much shorter than we’d like. Such is the case with one this week with longtime Texas politico Ben Barnes. Our […]

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September 11, 2026

Remembering a Houston family’s loss 25 years after 9/11

25 years since 9/11, in which a series of coordinated attacks on the U.S. marked the end of one era and the start of another. We’ll share some stories of Texans whose lives were impacted.A first-of-its-kind midterm political convention wraps up in Dallas. Did Republicans move the needle with just two months to go before […]

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September 10, 2026

New novel ‘The Beauty of Days Gone By’ tackles the Texas frontier

How might AI-generated images affect a high-stakes political contest in Texas? Rice University political professor Mark Jones joins the Standard to talk about how Ken Paxton’s campaign is hoping to win votes with AI-generated images of his Democratic opponent, James Talarico.Also: Some top-line takeaways from the first day of a first-of-its-kind GOP midterm convention underway […]

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September 9, 2026

High electricity costs contribute to senior heat deaths in the RGV

Costs for air conditioning are so high that some on limited incomes are trying to do without. But with temperatures also at extremes, that’s leading to some grave outcomes for seniors, in particular.The GOP’s unconventional convention is in Texas for a reason — and part of that is the state’s fundraising power. We’ll take a […]

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September 8, 2026

Texas political legend Ben Barnes looks back on career

While all eyes are on the upcoming midterm election, there are signs one particular Texan is looking at running for president again. Is Ted Cruz gearing up for 2028? Also, why Democrats see James Talarico’s Senate run as an opportunity to gain votes in parts of West Texas that have been reliably red for decades. […]

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September 7, 2026

Forged in flames: An oral history of the Labor Day wildfires

This Labor Day holiday marks 15 years since the most destructive wildfire in recorded Texas history — measured not by acres burned, but by homes lost.The Bastrop County Complex Fire was just one of more than 30,000 that ignited in 2011 — by far the worst year since the Texas A&M Forest Service has been […]

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