Here’s what’s coming up on Texas Standard for Tuesday, September 8, 2020. 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.
DPS APD Takeover Proposal
Terry Keel is a longtime public servant. He’s currently an assistant commissioner for the Texas Department of Agriculture. But he’s a former Travis County sheriff and a former Republican Texas state lawmaker. He’s one of the people behind the proposal to have DPS take over the Austin Police Department that Gov. Abbott is touting. Keel talks to the Standard about the plan .
Dallas Police Chief Criticism
Dallas Police Chief Reneé Hall has been criticized for the way her department has handled this summer’s protests against police brutality. Activists want her removed and some City Council members are questioning her leadership. KERA’s Alejandra Martinez reports.
First Year Bilingual Teacher
Today marks the first day of school for many Texas children. It’s also a big first day for brand new teachers, even if their classroom is online. Houston Public Media’s Laura Isensee takes a look at how some first-year teachers in Houston are anxious to connect with their students in bilingual education.
Big Bend Tourism
The pandemic has taken a toll on the tourism economy in West Texas. The region is home to the Big Bend, and to state parks. Many of the area’s attractions like museums, together with businesses, have limited their hours or closed altogether. Marfa Public Radio’s Carlos Morales reports.
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
In late August, a biotech company called Oxitech announced that the EPA approved its plan to release millions of mosquitoes in the Florida Keys and in Greater Houston, pending approval from local leaders. But these aren’t just any mosquitoes. Gabriel Hamer, an associate professor of entomology at Texas A&M University talks to the Standard about the plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes.
My Mask: Katie Pudhorodsky
Katie Pudhorosky is a licensed massage therapist in Austin. She’s found more people are coming to her with jaw pain from ill-fitting masks. She offers some tips for reducing those problems.
Art and Social Movements, part 2, Ciara Bryant
Ciara Elle Bryant carries a camera everywhere she goes. And her images paint a very complex portrait of Bryant’s life as a Black woman in Dallas. As part of an ongoing series exploring the creativity of Black artists in North Texas, KERA’s Miguel Perez spoke to Bryant about the power of images.
Border Wall Near Historic Cemetery
The Trump administration is racing to add more miles of wall along the U.S.-Mexico border: the goal is 10 miles of wall a week. Many of those projects on the Texas-Mexico border, including one next to a historic cemetery in the Rio Grande Valley have been met with controversy. Texas Public Radio’s Reynaldo Leaños Jr. reports.
All this and Texas News Roundup, plus Social Media Editor Wells Dunbar with the talk of Texas.
