Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, April 10, 2024:
Texas attorney general sues to block Harris County’s guaranteed income program
In January, Harris County commissioners approved a program that would provide $500 per month to nearly 2,000 residents who would get the payments for 18 months. But this week, the Texas Attorney General’s Office sued to block the program from getting off the ground, calling the plan “plainly unconstitutional.”
Jen Rice, Harris County government reporter for the Houston Chronicle, joins us with the details.
Advocacy groups call for probe of Sen. Ted Cruz’s podcast deal
Two advocacy groups called on the Federal Election Commission to investigate U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. The complaint centers on more than $630,000 in advertising revenue that has flowed from Cruz’s podcast to a super PAC backing his reelection. Cruz is facing a challenge from U.S. Rep. Colin Allred.
Joseph Morton, who covers national politics for The Dallas Morning News, joins the Standard to discuss.
Internet service providers standardize sharing speed, price information
If you’re shopping around for high-speed internet, you may notice service providers are now sharing information about their speeds and prices in a new standardized format. We hear more from KUT’s Sangita Menon:
How Houston’s approach to budget shortfall may not be working
Houston is expected to have a gap of $160 million in the upcoming fiscal year. Mayor John Whitmire last month proposed 5% budget cuts for all city departments, except for police and fire.
The city’s financial approach isn’t working, says Chuck Marohn. He’s the founder and president of the urban planning think tank Strong Towns and he joins the Standard to discuss.
This Texas poem exemplifies the strides the state has made in the genre
Longtime listeners may know Texas Standard is fast approaching a milestone birthday. We’re turning 10 next March. With us almost from the beginning have been signature segments including the Typewriter Rodeo and Stories From Texas, biweekly commentaries from W.F. Strong.
Strong says he has a goal beyond entertainment, and he shares this poem to show that.
‘Texas, Being’ poetry collection takes reader on a Texas tour
Ever since the notion of “Texas” first came into being, people have strained to agree on just what it is. A new book of poetry called “Texas, Being: A State of Poems” doesn’t attempt to sum up all things Texan, but it does take the reader on a journey.
The collection was put together by Jenny Browne, a poet and professor of English at Trinity University in San Antonio. She joins the show today.
The Marine Corps says its pandemic-related uniform shortage is easing and should end by mid-summer
Marines are famously meticulous about their uniforms. But for more than a year, they haven’t always been able to wear the ones they’re supposed to, because of a shortage of camouflage tops and other clothing items.
Jay Price reports for the American Homefront Project.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Raul Alonzo with the Talk of Texas.
