Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, March 24, 2021.
Expanding COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility to Everyone
On Monday, Texans 16 and over will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The state health department announced the eligibility expansion yesterday. Jennifer Shuford, who is the chief state epidemiologist and a member of Texas’ COVID-19 Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel, talks to the Standard.
Pros and Cons of Texas Vaccine Eligibility for All
For more on whether or not this eligibility expansion could strengthen or worsen the state’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, we turn to Vivian Ho. She’s the James A- Baker Institute Chair in Health Economics and Director of the Center for Health and Biosciences at Rice University.
Rare Artwork Saved in the Storm
During last month’s winter storm, 23 buildings in Dallas’ historic Fair Park suffered water damage. The hardest hit was the Hall of State. Built as a Texas showcase, the art deco masterwork was flooded. KERA’s Jerome Weeks reports there’s one small silver lining: the rescue of some rare, fragile artworks.
High Security and Low Security Texas
Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of neighborhood cultures in Texas: high security and low security. The high security has high walls, gates, security cameras, locks on everything, guard dogs, etc. The low security neighborhoods depend mostly on locking doors at night and vigilant neighbors.
It’s often referred to as the crown jewel of Austin. Barton Springs is a spring-fed 68-degrees, year-round pool in the center of the city that’s popular with tourists and attracts many regulars. But a bill in the Texas Legislature could close it for good. At least that’s what city officials say. KUT reporter Mose Buchele talks to the Standard.
First, it was the social media posts highlighting the paltry workout facility in San Antonio for the women playing in the NCAA tournament. A single stack of dumbbells and a few yoga mats versus the men’s tricked-out weight center. Then pictures surfaced comparing the men’s food – a huge buffet of offerings, versus the prepackaged take-out meals given to the women. But now a Wall Street Journal article points out the shortcomings don’t end there. Even the term “March Madness” – a powerful marketing slogan – is reserved for the men, depriving women’s teams better brand access and therefore, revenue. WSJ reporter Laine Higgins talks to the Standard.
All this and Texas News Roundup, plus Social Media Editor Wells Dunbar with the talk of Texas.
