Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, April 5, 2021.
Biden Infrastructure Proposals for Texas
Last week, the Biden administration proposed a plan that could help address Texas’ electric grid failures and resilience to natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey. But Biden’s plan also pushes for a larger investment in green energy, which Texas Republicans in Congress are calling an attack on the oil and gas sector. Ben Wermund, Washington correspondent for the Houston Chronicle, talks to the Standard.
We’re entering a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. About 15 percent Texans are now fully vaccinated, and that figure is growing. But questions remain about how to navigate this stage. To help us get some answers, we turn again to Dr. Fred Campbell, doctor of internal medicine and associate professor of medicine at the Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio.
Biden Wants Children Back in School
Getting children back to their brick and mortar classrooms is a priority for the Biden administration. Texas Public Radio’s Bonnie Petrie spoke with a renowned pediatrician about whether that’s a good idea.
New Lockdowns, Worldwide, and Oil
With OPEC meeting late last week to discuss potential production increases, oil continues its bumpy recovery. But new spikes in COVID cases and new lockdown measures abroad may potentially complicate things going into the summer. Matt Smith is watching the trends as director of commodity research for ClipperData, and joins us today.
San Francisco to Austin Tech Transplants
With news of Elon Musk and other tech giants moving to Texas, you have to wonder, “was it worth it?” One writer, a Texan now living in San Francisco, talked to several new Austin transplants and they say there are few regrets. Dan Gentile from SFGate.com, talks to the Standard.
Oscar Castro: Bluebonnet Sonnet
Black Church versus Payday Lenders, part 1
Ten years ago, Dallas passed the first city ordinance in Texas regulating small-dollar loans with huge fees targeted to people with poor credit. Payday and auto title loans were trapping people in debt, a pernicious cycle felt acutely in lower-income Black communities.
As more people receive COVID-19 vaccinations, many are eager to get back to pre-pandemic life. But how will airlines, concert venues or government offices know who has had a shot and who hasn’t? Many experts believe it’s only a matter of time before some kind of vaccine passport is available – the proof that the bearer doesn’t pose a virus risk to others. But will you be required to carry one? Maryn McKenna, contributor to Wired Magazine, talks to the Standard.
All this and Texas News Roundup, plus Social Media Editor Wells Dunbar with the talk of Texas.
