Texas Standard for November 29, 2021

With a big rise in COVID-19 cases in New Mexico, and pediatric cases up in El Paso, experts raise red flags for Texas. In time for the holidays, growing warnings about COVID-19 in Texas as the president announces new steps amid the spread of a new variant. We’ll have the latest. And: With the infrastructure bill, the push for electric vehicles in one of the nation’s top gasoline-consuming states, you know the one. Also: A conversation with the mother of a Texas elementary school student pushing for changes in how the stories of indigenous people and Native Americans are taught. Plus: A college football outlook and more today on the Texas Standard:

By Texas StandardNovember 29, 2021 9:37 am,

Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, November 29, 2021.

COVID in Texas, and the Omicron Variant

With the holiday season in full swing, what’s the state of COVID in Texas – including concerns about the omicron variant? Rebecca Fischer, assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Texas A&M University School of Public Health, joins us today with an update.

Restaurant Staff Shortages

Many restaurants across Texas continue to struggle hiring workers almost eight months after Gov. Greg Abbott fully reopened the state. As Houston Public Media intern William Menjivar reports, the worker shortage and slowdown of federal relief dollars have kept many restaurants from fully recovering.

Electric Cars in Texas

Under the Biden administration, Texas will receive $408 million for electric vehicle charging stations. The Dallas Morning News’ Dom DiFurio is writing on what the rollout could look like. He joins us today with more.

Great Promise for American Indians

November is Native American Heritage Month, and Austin ISD teachers are trying to transform the way Indigenous history is taught in the classroom. Skye Howell is the parent of a second grader at Becker Elementary School in Austin and a board member for Great Promise for American Indians. She joins us now to discuss the importance of revisiting Native American curriculum in Texas public schools.

Texas Metal

It’s a remarkably exciting time for heavy music, with bands blending and drawing on death metal, black metal, punk, noise and more. And as with so much, Texas is leading the charge. Andy O’Connor is a freelance music and culture writer who covers the heavier side of things for SPIN in a monthly column. He takes us on a tour of Texas’ sonic underground.

Texas College Football Outlook

The 2021 season is over for many of Texas’ college football teams. One team still has some meaningful football to play; others have made it to bowl exhibition games. Everyone else gets to start cleaning out their lockers. To take stock of the biggest takeaways on and off the field in Texas college football, we’re bringing in Sam Khan Jr., a Houston-based college football reporter for The Athletic.

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

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