Coverage of politics, lifestyle, environment, technology, innovation and money matters from a uniquely Texas perspective.
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Stories from Texas are written for and recorded for the Texas Standard radio program. They’re written by W.F Strong and edited for broadcast by Texas Standard producers.
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Poems written by the Typewriter Rodeo about all matters from a uniquely Texas perspective.
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Election Day is fast approaching, and controversies in Texas over who’s eligible to cast a ballot are picking up steam. The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey has an update on Republican-led efforts to purge voter rolls and growing concerns about what could be a recipe for confusion come November. As Texas public schools see enrollment numbers drop alo…
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Housing availability is too low across Texas – and the cost to buy a home is just too high. We’ll have the details of a new report that shows the middle class feeling the brunt of the housing crunch. Seniors were some of the hardest hit during the power outages caused by Hurricane Beryl. What’s being done to protect them before the next storm? FEMA…
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Mexico has halted diplomatic ties with the U.S. Embassy over criticism of the outgoing president’s plans to overhaul the country’s judicial system. What does it mean for relations with our biggest trading partner? Two towns within the city of Arlington are trying to distance themselves from their reputations as “speed traps.” CDC researchers are tr…
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Is an investigation by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton protecting the balloting process or an attempt to suppress Latino voters? CenterPoint Energy tries to repair damage to its relationship with customers after many were left without power following Hurricane Beryl. A decade of drone research at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, what does the future hol…
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has suspended his bid for the White House and appeared with former President Donald Trump to offer his endorsement. What does it mean for the race moving forward? Where does the economy really stand, and what do the presidential candidates’ promises add up to in substance? A top Texas economist does the math. The University of…
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Presidential nominee Kamala Harris took the stage for a historic acceptance speech to end the Democratic National Convention, a celebration of unity and momentum unimaginable just a few weeks ago. A new series tracks the impact of one of the biggest transitions in Texas history: from big oil to greener energy. Remembering the impact of legendary TV…
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A new policy blocks transgender Texans from changing the sex on their driver’s licenses, unless it’s to fix a clerical error. The game is up on a Texas lottery loophole that allowed some to buy up tickets en masse, guaranteeing a win. But the door could still be open for abuse. A new poll on presidential politics in Texas shows Vice President Kamal…
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Another August day, another forecast for record-setting heat – and plenty of questions about whether the power grid can manage the strain. So far, so good, to the surprise of many who’ve been bracing for calls to conserve electricity. What different about the energy mix this go-round? Texas Instruments recently received a $1.6 billion Department of…
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The Democratic National Convention kicked off with an emotional evening and Texans among the featured speakers. A jury found that the parents of the accused gunman in the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting were not responsible for his actions. Highway lanes are shrinking in Austin. It’s part of national trend – but what does it mean for safety? Why…
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Texas has the third-largest delegation at the Democratic National Convention. We’ll hear more about the four-day political spectacle getting underway in Chicago and what it could mean for the Lone Star State and the presidential race. Conservative activists, led by the Houston-based group True the Vote, are submitting lists of names to county elect…
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Just how dangerous is triple-digit heat in Texas? They say the numbers don’t lie. Last year was the deadliest on record in Texas, but there’s reason to think we don’t know just how bad it really was – or is. As schools begin welcoming students back to class, data shows nearly 1 in 5 will be chronically absent. Are you a mosquito magnet, or does it …
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A Houston housing program designed to increase affordability isn’t helping the lowest earners. Is it a failure – or is it more complicated than that? Two liquified natural gas projects set to be built in the port of Brownsville are on hold after a court ruling. What that means for the plans long-term. The safe return of two astronauts aboard the In…
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Former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has won the Democratic nomination to replace the late Sheila Jackson Lee on the November ballot for Texas’ 18th Congressional District. More and more Texas jurisdictions are sending people awaiting trial to other states and counties. What effect is this having on criminal justice? As Frito pie season returns, T…
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Two women file federal complaints after they say Texas hospitals refused to perform medically necessary abortions to terminate ectopic pregnancies. In East Texas, a tiny museum is dedicated to preserving the history of the 1937 London School explosion, the deadliest school disaster in U.S. history and the reason natural gas has an added odor. Are s…
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The city of Uvalde releases a trove of records from the Robb Elementary school shooting after pressure from the media. What are we learning? As tensions escalate in the Middle East with Israel anticipating a strike from Iran or its proxies within days, how could this affect Texas, its role in oil exports and prices? Matt Smith, energy analyst at Kp…
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With Kamala Harris in the spotlight, there appears to be a major momentum shift in presidential politics. Is it moving the needle in Texas? A new survey indicates that 90% of Texans believe housing costs are too high, with Democrats and Republicans in agreement. Schools are struggling to grapple with a rise in vaping among students. A conversation …
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Texas educators are preparing for the start of a new school year as billions of dollars in federal support expires. Houston ISD is preparing to go to taxpayers with a bond proposal – but the idea is not without controversy. Wastewater from fracking is spewing out of abandoned wells. What we’ve learned from a new study that confirms what many living…
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Texas Standard kicked off a new project in August: The Texas Museum Map. To begin, we decided to get answers to some challenging questions about museums. This Texas Extra is an extended version of that interview with Kenneth Hafertepe, a fellow with the Texas State Historical Association and chair of the Department of Museum Studies at Baylor. The …
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New ratings suggest big improvements for Houston schools, but not everyone is excited about the changes: In the wake of the state’s takeover, a huge number of teachers and staffers have been leaving. An Abilene family’s experience with a fentanyl overdose has sparked a citywide call to action. KACU’s Alexis Jones reports. As rent falls in some plac…
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More than 400 people ended up in emergency rooms with carbon monoxide poisoning after Hurricane Beryl, many from generators. Five years later, victims of a mass shooting in El Paso wait for the state to prosecute the gunman. Why Texas ranks last when it comes to healthcare access and affordability, especially for women. Is there a link between the …
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Does the lack of air conditioning in Texas prisons amount to cruel and unusual punishment? A state prison official testifies that heat levels contributed to three deaths last summer. The Great Springs Project aims to someday create a whole new route between San Antonio and Austin – via hike and bike trail. Rick Jervis, author of the book “The Devil…
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A faculty committee at UT Austin found that university leaders violated their own rules when calling police to respond to protests over the war in Gaza at the end of the spring semester. Audrey McGlinchy of KUT News shares the latest. Five years after the mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, a new memorial is unveiled to honor the 23 people kille…
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The Santa Fe community is seeking answers and accountability for the 2018 school shooting as the accused shooter’s parents appear in court this week. Houston police admit systemic failure in the processes that led to 264,000 cases being dismissed over eight years. On the anniversary of the 1966 UT Tower shooting, a man who helped a fellow student t…
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Gov. Greg Abbott receives at least a temporary victory in a fight with the Biden administration over border buoys in the Rio Grande. NPR’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán has the latest on the reduction in the numbers of people crossing the border from Mexico into Texas, and the political spin in a volatile election season. As Texas senators hold hearings …
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President Biden visits Texas and unveils his plan to reform the Supreme Court, including a call for term limits. Protests and claims of fraud as Venezuela president says he won another election. Could that spur more migration to the U.S.? Scurry County, west of Fort Worth, has felt more than 90 earthquakes in the past week. Why Austin is pulling th…
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