Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, April 24, 2024:
State Supreme Court blocks Harris County’s guaranteed income program
The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked Harris County’s guaranteed income program, right before payments were to be issued. The emergency stay from the court was in response to a request from Attorney General Ken Paxton.
McKenna Oxenden, who covers Harris County for the Houston Landing, joins the Standard with the latest.
‘Absentee’ apartment owners, red light runners top Arlington City Council candidates’ platforms
Public safety and thoughtful redevelopment are among the top priorities for Arlington City Council candidates across four seats. Early voting runs through April 30, and election day is May 4.
KERA’s Kailey Broussard has more.
What are the downsides to ocean desalination?
People in Corpus Christi could be the first in Texas to drink treated seawater. Water scarcity in the state is a developing crisis, and ocean desalination is being touted as a solution.
But as Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies reports, community activists are pointing out there are downsides to desalination.
Norfleet: the Texas rancher who kept on coming
Never mess with a Texas rancher. By all accounts, J. Frank Norfleet was no lawman. But that didn’t stop him from pursuing the con men who took his life’s savings.
Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong has the story.
Xcel Energy target of multiple lawsuits after Smokehouse Creek Fire
The northern Panhandle is recovering from the devastation brought by the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest recorded wildfire in state history. The cause of the fire was a downed electric pole belonging to Xcel Energy, a local utility. Now, Xcel is the target of multiple lawsuits from people who lost assets during the blaze.
University of Texas at Austin School of Law chair Charles Silver joins the Standard with more.
Lake Boehmer has grown for decades as its toxic water has spread across the desert
Just north of Fort Stockton, old oil wells have been bursting open, threatening the environment and groundwater. And fixing these leaks can be complicated and expensive.
Today, we start a two-part series looking into one notorious leak that’s flowed for decades and the fight to get it plugged. Marfa Public Radio’s Mitch Borden has the story.
Has Harris County offered fair flood buyouts?
Since 1985, the Harris County Flood Control District has purchased more than 4,000 parcels in the Houston-area – around a quarter of which happened after Hurricane Harvey.
Has the county offered homeowners a fair price? A new Houston Chronicle investigation raises questions. Reporter R.A. Schuetz joins the Standard with more.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
