Texas Standard For December 25, 2020

You’ve made your list, checked it twice, and have concluded that 2020 has been one big lump of coal. But not so fast. Despite the struggle and heartbreak, there were reasons to smile this past year. Join us for a bit of the good news of 2020 on this special Christmas Day edition of the Texas Standard:

By Texas StandardDecember 25, 2020 9:30 am

This has been a challenging year on many fronts, and we here at the Texas Standard have had to be the bearers of some pretty bad news. But as a gift to you this Christmas Day, we’re dedicating the whole show to good news.

What’s “good” and “bad” is, of course, highly subjective. The outcomes of political contests, for example, will have no place on this show. We’ve also brought you many stories this year of people doing good things despite hard times. Think of the teachers, medical staff and grocery store workers who have gone above and beyond. Also think of the 12-year-old composer who turned the coronavirus genome into music or the many people who put teddy bears in their windows for neighborhood children to spot on quarantine walks.

We also highlighted stories about people opening their hearts to one another in the midst of a reckoning over racism: artists sharing their work; a young man dedicated to being open to hard conversations; a brewery owner with a worldwide beer collaboration.

But in this show, we want to focus on some of the brighter stories of 2020 that happened outside of those broader challenges.

NASA’s Orion Director Says To Expect First Woman On The Moon By 2024

Catherine Koerner is the first woman to lead Orion – the NASA spacecraft that will return astronauts to the moon and beyond. She says a better understanding of the moon will help us get to Mars one day.

A Big Bend Trail Makes Outside Magazine’s Top 25 List For Accessibility

The Window View Trail, which is paved, is the only Texas trail to make the list.

Four Texas Cities Receive ‘Bird City’ Certification

The Texas Parks and Wildlife designation recognizes communities that have prioritized bird conservation and habitat.

How One Man Taught His Students About Music And About Texas

San Antonio teacher Oscar Castro recorded, “Bluebonnet Sonnet” with his class. Then they took the song to the state capitol.

After 11 Years Of Research, The San Antonio Zoo Breeds Endangered Salamander Species

The zoo’s head of conservation says successful breeding of the reticulated flatwoods salamander makes him hopeful for the future of other endangered species.

Corpus Christi Couple Celebrates 75 Years Together

What does it take to keep a marriage strong for 75 years? If you ask Eliseo and María Dávila, they’ll tell you that faith in God has a lot to do with it – and learning how to forgive.

In the Panhandle, A Basketball Dynasty Stays In The Family

Joe Lombard is one of the best high school basketball coaches ever. Now, his son Tate will take the reins at Canyon High School.

A Navy Supercarrier Will Bear The Name Of A Black Sailor From Texas

At Pearl Harbor, Navy cook Doris Miller saved the lives of his fellow sailors and repelled a Japanese attack using a machine gun he hadn’t been trained to use.

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