Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Friday, Dec. 29, 2023:
The biggest political moments of 2023
What a year it was on the political front, as a legislature typically done with business by the end of spring went into four overtime sessions – plus the spectacle of an impeachment trial against the Texas attorney general.
The Texas Newsroom’s Julián Aguilar and Sergio Martínez-Beltrán kick off our year in review.
Cormac McCarthy’s deep Texas ties
Cormac McCarthy, widely considered among the greatest novelists in American literature, died in June at the age of 89. He often set his stories in the American Southwest, with some of his most celebrated works taking place in Texas: “Blood Meridian,” “No Country for Old Men,” “All the Pretty Horses.”
We discussed McCarthy’s legacy with Steve Davis, literary curator at the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University, which houses McCarthy’s archives.
Smoking out Texas’ historic barbecue spots
You’ve probably seen those Texas historical markers placed at spots across the state. But did you know those honors include some great Texas smokehouses?
Daniel Vaughn, barbecue editor for Texas Monthly, joined us us with a look.
Why ‘Viva Terlingua’ is the ‘Big Bang of Texas Music’
By 1973, Jerry Jeff Walker was due another album for his record label – and overdue for a hit. But what happened when Walker and The Lost Gonzo Band set up in Luckenbach 50 years ago was heard and felt not just across Texas, but Nashville and way beyond.
Hector Saldana, Texas music curator for the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University in San Marcos, joined the Standard to talk about the 50th anniversary of “Viva Terlingua.”
Latinos now outnumber white residents in Texas, Census Bureau says
In June, the U.S. Census Bureau updated its official population estimates, confirming that Latinos have made up the largest share of Texas’ population since at least last July.
We heard more about the shift and the overall demographic makeup of Texas from Lloyd Potter, state demographer of Texas and director of the Texas Demographic Center.
