Texas Standard

December 9, 2024

What exactly does the Texas House speaker do?

Dade Phelan is out, and a bruising battle for speaker of the Texas House is set to begin – unless it’s already over? Over the weekend, GOP members backed David Cook, but Dustin Burrows claimed he had enough votes to override the caucus. What does a House speaker do, anyway?In a stunning turn of events, a coalition […]

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December 6, 2024

House Speaker Dade Phelan bows out of leadership reelection bid

Facing a challenge from fellow Republicans, Dade Phelan says he’s dropping his bid for re-election as Texas House speaker.Texas has some of the most expensive insurance in the nation, forcing homeowners to pay more for less coverage.Desert bighorn sheep return to the Franklin Mountains of El Paso, a major milestone in restoring the species.While the […]

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December 5, 2024

Uranium mining poised for a comeback in South Texas

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about restrictions on gender-affirming care for young people. What a ruling could mean.Texas elected officials will soon have to start disclosing more information about the properties they own – changes that could reveal more about Attorney General Ken Paxton’s recent real estate transactions.Houston-based Enron went very publicly kaput more […]

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December 4, 2024

Texas’ ghost towns spotlight rural population shifts

Martial law has now been lifted in South Korea – Texas’ fourth-largest trading partner – but the effects may not be as short-lived. A top Texas expert tells us why.Ongoing casualties in what was long touted as the war on drugs: Kevin Krause of The Dallas Morning News analyzed a decade of meth sentencing data […]

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December 3, 2024

Is new fertilizer behind Texas cattle deaths?

A climate-friendly fertilizer turned out to be tainted with so-called “forever chemicals” that are killing cattle and other ranch animals.Education Savings Accounts are on the legislative agenda and likely to pass. What they are and why they’re controversial.Historic horse-drawn carriages will become a thing of the past in San Antonio as the city phases them […]

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December 2, 2024

How might proposed tariffs on Mexico impact Texas?

Texas does more business with Mexico than any other nation, and with 25% tariff threats now on the table from President-elect Trump, what should we expect? We’ll take a closer look.The Texas Public Utility Commission issues a report on CenterPoint Energy’s much-criticized response to Hurricane Beryl.Squaring economic data points with how voters felt going into […]

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November 29, 2024

Some of our favorite books of 2024

Over the course of the year we talk with dozens of authors – some stars in the making, others well-known names among Texas readers – and today we’re sharing a selection of great reads in 2024.Plus: Just in time for Black Friday, booksellers share their top books for holiday gifts.

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November 28, 2024

Stories we’re thankful for this year

This Thanksgiving, we’re reflecting on some of the stories we’ve been grateful to share over the past few months:– A Texas-based freelance visual journalist reflecting on winning a prestigious prize– A Uganda-born musician who calls Texas home and is taking the U.S. by storm– A comedian landing on many best-of lists, now reconnecting with his […]

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