Texas Standard

November 17, 2023

Is this the end of efforts to keep Fairfield Lake State Park public?

For the first time in modern memory, the Texas House is set to take up a school voucher-like plan. How do you put a price tag on a state park? We’ll hear more about the challenges facing Texas Parks and Wildlife as it tries to reclaim parkland purchased by developers. In a dramatic U-turn this […]

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November 16, 2023

Why is Texas’ Railroad Commission wading into school textbook policy?

New Texas schoolbooks are raising concerns about the long-term implications for attitudes about climate change. The state-appointed board now running Houston’s independent school district is dealing with more than what’s happening in the classroom, but also struggling to regain trust. Apple weighs in on a push to give consumers the right to repair their gadgets. […]

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November 15, 2023

Tracing the foodways of Black Seminoles

The Supreme Court finally has its own ethics code for justices following a series of scandals – including a Texas billionaire showering gifts on Justice Clarence Thomas. Will this new code of conduct make a difference? Bison once ruled the Great Plains of North America before being hunted almost to extinction. We’ll hear about how […]

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November 14, 2023

Clemency comes for Black soldiers, a century after their court-martial and execution

Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill last week that will do away with COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Medically vulnerable folks are speaking up about its effects. More than 100 years ago, a regiment of Black soldiers was found guilty of crimes like mutiny and murder after a riot in Houston. Now, the Army has cleared their […]

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November 13, 2023

The Texas discovery of a new, dog-sized dinosaur

After months of stalemate, are the Texas House and Senate finally making progress on school spending? For millions of years, the bones of a tiny dinosaur lay undisturbed in what are now the shores of Lake Grapevine. We’ll learn about a new species. El Paso residents are concerned about the growing number of high-speed chases […]

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November 10, 2023

How Texas lowering requirements to become a teacher in the 2000s impacted the profession

As the first week of a fourth special session draws to a close, the Senate passes a voucher-like plan for education. A teacher shortage and what a new study tells us about the implications of past plans to bring in and retain teachers in Texas classrooms. The independent market monitor for the Texas power grid […]

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November 9, 2023

Why Texans can’t vote on abortion or marijuana anytime soon

The fourth largest earthquake on record in Texas struck Wednesday out west, renewing concerns about fracking and seismic activity. Erin Douglas of the Texas Tribune with more on yesterday’s temblor and what researchers and regulators are saying about it. The latest on a runoff for mayor in Texas’ biggest city.In San Antonio, plans to close […]

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November 8, 2023

How Texas voted on 14 statewide propositions

The votes are in, and Texans have given the green light to 13 of 14 amendments to the Texas constitution. The Texas Tribune’s Karen Brooks Harper shares a rundown of how the state propositions fared.Public media reporters statewide join us with updates on key local races across the Lone Star State. Nuclear power plants, once […]

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