Texas Standard

A peek into the week ahead for the Texas Legislature’s special session: We’ll hear the latest on a much-talked-about possible walkout by Democrats. A plan to relieve congestion in Austin was approved by voters years ago – but so far, there’s not much to show for it. Is Project Connect off the rails? The rollback […] The post Black farmers in East Texas feel the sting of DEI...

As Texas lawmakers move to consider regulations on THC products, what’s legal, and what’s not? KUT News reporter Nathan Bernier joins us to break it down. As many see the future of energy as cleaner renewables, why many in the city of Port Arthur are pinning their hopes for a comeback – on oil. At […] The post Ben Kweller on grief, music and ‘Cover the Mirrors’ appeared first on...

Texas lawmakers hear 12 hours of testimony as they take up what happened before during and after the devastating Hill Country floods. Repeated plans to improve flood warning systems were repeatedly scuttled in the years leading up to the July 4th weekend. Neena Satija of the Houston Chronicle with what she’s learning about why. As the Americans […] The post The ADA turns 35: What true...

The Epstein controversy has federal lawmakers taking an early recess, putting off important business. Summer heat means some Texans have to choose between paying for air conditioning or basic necessities. Is a violent protest at an ICE facility in North Texas the new normal as the country copes with a rise in extremism? What’s happening in Harris County […] The post Families are cuttin...

Over the weekend, the number of missing in the Texas Hill Country dropped drastically. What happened? Checking in with those whose livelihood is at stake after the flood, including farmers and ranchers in the region. Why so many Texans don’t have flood insurance. The governor ordered an end to remote work for state employees, but now he’s backtracking. […] The post Ag commissione...

Lawmakers recently ended a regular session of the Texas Legislature, but on this Monday, they’re back. They call it a special session: 30 days to complete a long list of action items including a response to the Hill Country flooding, the regulation of THC consumables, and a rare mid-decade push for redistricting that has some […] The post Texas lawmakers begin special session focused o...

As lawmakers return to Austin for a special session, who got the most accomplished in the regular? Why the numbers don’t tell the whole story. With state legislators set to take up flood relief and related matters, we’ll hear how the region’s fairing two weeks after those deadly flash floods, and we’ll hear about efforts concentrated […] The post The rise of Maren Mor...

As lawmakers get ready to return to the Capitol in a special session, a new report shows billions more are needed to address flooding. Who are the most productive lawmakers in the Legislature? The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey takes a closer look. Remember when there were growing concerns about a population explosion? In a new book, UT […] The post Who really got things done at the Le...

Online rumors are blaming cloud seeding for the deadly Texas floods, even though the science doesn’t support it. Along with flood recovery and THC regulation, Texas lawmakers are tasked with redrawing congressional districts in their special session. The connection to racial gerrymandering. Volunteers and rescue workers have descended on the Hill Country to help with flood recovery […] The p...

With the Hill Country devastated by deadly floods, many are asking: What’s a 100-year or 1,000-year flood, and are these terms outdated? A closer look at how first responders from Mexico are helping in Kerr County. A new report from the University of Texas at El Paso warns of growing job losses in Juárez’s maquiladora industry. The health […] The post Climatologist explains what ‘1,000-year...

More rain pummels the waterlogged Hill Country, putting a pause on search efforts and bringing a new wave of weather warnings to the region. We’ll talk with James Hartley of KERA, who’s been in Kerrville this weekend. Stuffed animals are strewn across flood-ravaged Texas. People are trying to get them to their owners. The Trump administration is […] The post Trucking industry fac...

A week after the Hill Country floods, the president and first lady will visit Kerr County as the search for the missing continues and storms are in the forecast for the weekend. Talking to kids about tragedy: A Dallas-based pediatric psychologist on how to deal with their questions and their anxieties. Gov. Greg Abbott has added flood […] The post In wake of Hill Country floods, how to talk...

The Texas Newsroom finds that responders to the Hill Country floods called for a public alert early Friday, a warning some say came hours too late. The upcoming special session of the Legislature, which originally looked like it would focus on regulating THC, now includes several emergency preparedness topics. And: Gillian Rodriguez with the Texas Counseling Association […] The post Processi...

A bill in the Texas Legislature this past session would have created a grant program for emergency communication. It didn’t pass. In the days since the deadly flooding, engineers have already modeled what happened on the Guadalupe River. What they say about how we should rebuild. A harrowing story of survival: Our conversation with a […] The post A Guadalupe River regular shares her fa...

In Kerr County, local officials say they have all the resources, equipment, food and personnel they need, but with constantly changing numbers of people still missing, search and rescue teams continue to slog thru the debris of what is almost certain to go down as one of the deadliest natural disasters in state history. The […] The post Officials in Kerrville begin to assess damage as floodw...

Rescue and recovery efforts continue following devastating Guadalupe River flooding that has killed at least 75 people. More than two dozen campers and counselors died at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp, and 10 campers remain missing. Flash flood warnings are in effect for many parts of Texas, and officials fear that the waterlogged […] The post The latest on catastrophic flo...

Mason LaDue raises cattle on family land in Central Texas. But before he was a rancher, he was mostly on the road, managing tours for artists like Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa. His journey from the Dallas hip-hop circuit to the homestead is the focus of today’s special program, Rap to the Ranch: The Ballad of Mason […] The post Rap to the Ranch: The Ballad of Mason ‘Bric’ LaDue –  A Texas Standa...

Federal education funding is put on hold, leaving administrators scrambling to evaluate what programs may be affected and what comes next – not just for young students, but Texans in adult education programs as well. What could rural schools teach the rest of us about how to better get along? New research by the George W. […] The post Adult education programs feel the squeeze as federal fund...

Elon Musk may be on the outs in D.C., but closer to home, his political influence appears to be on the rise: The state’s richest billionaire scored some quiet but rather significant victories in the last legislative session. Legislative support for wind and solar may be on the wane, but Texas lawmakers appear to be warming […] The post Elon Musk’s lobbying machine finds wins in Texas a...

As we continue our yearlong 10th birthday celebration, today we’re broadcasting before a live studio audience at a place that’s been called the “Athens of Texas” – Waco, itself celebrating 25 years of public radio from our partners at KWBU.We’ll be sampling some of the sights, sounds and tastes of this historic Central Texas city. After […] The post A live broadcast from Waco appeared first...

The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the Texas law that requires age verification for porn sites. We’ll take a close look at the law. As the U.S. and China negotiate a new trade agreement, farmers cope with the uncertainty. Plus, how some of the best and brightest in Texas collaborated to build the Giant Magellan Telescope. Also, fresh […] The post Texans help build Giant Magellan Telescop...

In a 6-3 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court rules against nationwide injunctions, likely to be read as a major victory for the Trump administration. UT constitutional law professor Tara Grove helps us parse out today’s big news from the high court. Texas underwater? After boom times in real estate, many Texas homeowners are upside down on […] The post SCOTUS rules against nationwide injunc...

A new Texas law requires posting the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. We’ll look at the looming legal battle. Where do Texans stand on how well state legislators are doing their jobs? What about how well the president is doing his job? A new poll by the Texas Politics Project offers a look. The Mexican flag, […] The post Sugar Land acquires historic district tied to city’s...

Gov. Greg Abbott’s last-minute veto of a proposed ban on THC-derived products has opened a rift with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the powerful leader of the Texas Senate who championed the ban. More autonomous vehicles are now on Austin streets – and these Tesla robotaxis are a little harder to spot than their Waymo counterparts. Some Texans […] The post Senate GOP primary brawl could open a door f...

State lawmakers passed several bills affecting how Texans vote. What that means at the ballot box. Among the allegations detailed in a lawsuit about conditions inside immigrant detention centers in Texas holding families: fighting for drinking water and children denied medical care. Why an effort by a Las Vegas company to legalize gambling in the Lone Star […] The post Waco adult education p...