Here’s what’s coming up on Texas Standard for Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Listen on your Texas public radio station, or ask your smart speaker to play Texas Standard. We’ll have full posts for each story, including audio, a little later today.
Monday’s message from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, urging Texans to conserve energy prompted a rash of questions. Why now? After February’s deadly winter storm, didn’t lawmakers promise to fix the state’s electric grid? And if we’re getting warnings to conserve now, what awaits us in summer’s hottest months? Here to help answer those questions is Erin Douglas, who reports on energy and the environment for The Texas Tribune.
Fort Worth’s New Mayor’s Promise Of Unity
Building unity was a big theme for new Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, as well as for her runoff opponent Deborah Peoples. KERA’s Miranda Suarez explores what unity means, and what might be the best way to achieve it.
Permitless Carry Concerns Gun Experts
Texas House Bill 1927, also known as “permitless carry” or, as proponents call it, “constitutional carry,” will allow eligible Texans to carry weapons, openly or concealed, without a permit. But many Texas voters and law enforcement agencies oppose the measure. Texas Public Radio’s Jerry Clayton spoke with some gun experts in San Antonio about the proposed law.
Amid warnings from ERCOT about power supply this summer, solar power is taking off in Houston. The mayor recently launched a citywide solar co-op to help make it easier for residents and businesses to install panels on their roofs. It’s part of the city’s “Climate Action Plan,” which includes adding solar power to local rooftops. Houston Public Media’s Katie Watkins reports on how it’s going so far.
This week, the nation’s largest Protestant religious denomination meets in Nashville for its annual gathering. But all is not peaceful inside the 14 million-member Southern Baptist Convention, which stands at a crossroads as it selects its new leader. The conflicts are detailed in an article by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eliza Griswold for The New Yorker.
Juneteenth is on Saturday. Lately, it’s a celebration that’s gotten national recognition. But a lot of folks outside of Texas are still learning about the day’s origins. Now, Texas A&M University Press has just published what it says is the first scholarly book to delve into the history behind Juneteenth – a full 156 years after the news of the end of slavery reached Galveston. Edward T. Cotham Jr. is the author of “Juneteenth: The Story Behind The Celebration,” and he joins us for an extended conversation today.
Dicamba Drift At West Texas Vineyards
Nearly 60 West Texas grape growers are suing former agriculture chemical giant Monsanto – which is now owned by Bayer – for damage to their crops they say was caused by the company’s herbicides. Pierre Helwi is a viticulture regional specialist for Texas A&M Agrilife Extension in West Texas.
All this and Texas News Roundup, plus Social Media Editor Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
