Texas Standard

January 23, 2024

Children at Risk’s annual ranking of Texas schools is out

Texas officials say they’re reassigning workers to deal with an ongoing problem of providing care for foster kids without placement. The 2022-2023 school ratings report from Houston-based nonprofit Children at Risk sheds light on progress and problems that districts are facing statewide. Former Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo, who also had a short stint in […]

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January 22, 2024

Could Texas’ electric grid finally connect to other states?

A grand jury in Uvalde will consider possible charges over law enforcement’s failed response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary. An Air Force general who was stationed at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph faces a court-martial over charges of sexually assaulting a subordinate. The Texas power grid is famously separate from the rest of the […]

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January 19, 2024

Standoff between Texas and the feds continues over Rio Grande access

Tensions between Texas and the federal government intensify over Border Patrol access. On the day after the release of the findings of a federal investigation into the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, what we’re learning and what it could mean for accountability. With the intensification of winter weather this week, how advocates […]

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January 18, 2024

Justice Department report on Uvalde shooting finds ‘critical failures’ in police response

After a review of thousands of videos and other evidence, the Justice Department has released its report on the Uvalde school shooting, finding “critical failures” by law enforcement before, during and after the attack. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals strikes down much of a new Texas law that sought to restrict which books are […]

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January 17, 2024

Community colleges get a funding boost, but with some changes

Gov. Greg Abbott received a $6 million campaign contribution from an out-of-state mega donor and school voucher advocate. Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy of the Texas Newsroom shares more. The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán has the latest on what appear to be endorsement wars among top Texas Republicans. There’s a new funding formula for community colleges. […]

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January 16, 2024

Supreme Court case pits Texas rancher against TxDOT’s highway renovations

A senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service offers a peek at what’s to come as much of Texas remains blanketed by bitter cold. On South Padre Island, there’s a mission to rescue hundreds of sea turtles stunned by the cold. A Houston-area rancher says his land is prone to serious floods because of renovations […]

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January 15, 2024

Celebrated African American art and history exhibit arrives in Texas

With winter storm warnings out across the Lone State State, emergency management officials are warning Texans to stay inside if at all possible, avoid travel, and monitor calls for energy conservation. We’ll get a status update from Matt Lanza of Space City Weather, plus a look at what’s ahead this week. With COVID-era protections like […]

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January 12, 2024

Food safety & tree protection tips as Texas awaits an arctic blast

Most parts of Texas are preparing for a big freeze as an arctic front moves in. We’ll have the latest on what to expect, plus how to prepare your trees to survive a Texas winter and tips on food and food safety in case the power goes out. The U.S., U.K. and other allies have […]

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