Texas Standard For August 26, 2020

Residents of the northern part of the Texas Gulf Coast prepare for the worst as Hurricane Laura approaches, gathering speed. Overnight, Laura intensified by 70%, and could strengthen to a Category 4 storm as it nears the coastal border of Louisiana and Texas. Many cities have been evacuated – we’ll be checking in with the mayor pro tem of Galveston who says residents there are bracing from a storm similar to Hurricane Ike. And: A major “beef” between Harvard and Texas A&M as the two institutions engage in a public food fight over the safety of eating meat. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

By Texas StandardAugust 26, 2020 9:33 am

Here’s what’s on Texas Standard for Wednesday, August 26, 2020. Listen on your Texas public radio station, or ask your smart speaker to play Texas Standard.

Hurricane Laura Preparations In Galveston

Hurricane Laura is ramping up to be a Category 4 hurricane. It’s expected to hit somewhere along the Louisiana-Texas coastline. Galveston is among several cities evacuating. Galveston Mayor Pro-Tem Craig Brown talks to the Standard about that city’s preparations.

A Look Back At Hurricane Harvey And Flooding From Houston-Area Reservoirs

The back-to-back storms in the Gulf of Mexico this week are grim reminders that the Houston area is marking the third anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. One of the major sources of flooding during that storm came from the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs. Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider looks at whether the reservoirs have been made any safer since then.

Vaccine Trials In South Texas Border Region

There’s a national race for a COVID-19 vaccine, and phase three trials on humans are now taking place across the country. But there have been concerns about who is included in these trials and their impact on communities. To learn more, Texas Public Radio’s María Méndez takes us to two trial sites along the South Texas border.

The ‘Beef’ Between Texas A&M And Harvard About Red Meat Research

Few things are as inexorably tied to the idea of Texas in the popular imagination as cattle ranching. But another beef is taking shape between Texas A&M and Harvard universities. Each is accusing the other of a conflict of interest when it comes to dietary research around the role of red meat in the American diet and whether beef consumption is linked to heart disease and cancer. And that food fight is getting ugly, reports Jason Heid, senior editor at Texas Monthly.

How Protestors Are Protecting Their Mental Health

How do activists avoid burnout as they continue to protest police violence? For some demonstrators, protesting has provided a new sense of agency in a moment of turmoil. It’s also stressful work. KERA’s Syeda Hasan reports on how activists are finding help to keep up the fight for change while avoiding burnout.

W.F. Strong On El Llano Estacado Mesa

The Llano Estacado is an enormous mesa, covering more than 37,000 square miles of Texas and New Mexico. In Texas, it starts north of Amarillo and ends south of Odessa. But how did it get its name and what exactly does it mean? Texas Standard commentator WF Strong explains, there are at least five different theories about that.

PolitiFact Texas: George P. Bush And The Austin Police Department

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush recently shared a video on Twitter of vehicles with busted out windows in a parking garage. He added that the footage was taken quote ” “the same night the City of Austin voted to cut $150 million” from the police department.” But is that true? The Standard talks to Madlin Mekelburg who looked into it for PolitiFact Texas, based at the Austin American-Statesman

All this and Texas News Roundup, plus Social Media Editor Wells Dunbar with the talk of Texas.

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