Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, April 14, 2025. Check back later today for updated story links and audio.
What to watch at the Texas Legislature this week
The House could take up its version of the controversial school voucher bill, HB 2, this week. So what might that debate look like — and what happens next if it passes, or doesn’t? Meanwhile, another hot-button education bill, HB 100, is also up for discussion, as is a measure dealing with local sheriffs cooperating with immigration authorities.
The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey joins the Standard with what to expect under the dome this week.
When there’s no delivery room for miles
Almost half of all Texas counties don’t have a hospital or birth center that provides obstetric care. That means expectant parents in rural areas often have to travel long distances just to see a doctor — or give birth.
KACU’s Baylie Simon explores the challenges and what’s being done to support pregnant people across rural Texas.
This week in Texas music history
In 1939, Western swing founding father Milton Brown died in a car crash almost as soon as the genre began. Jason Mellard with the Center for Texas Music History at Texas State University has the story.
Midland, Odessa and the oil boom
Texas still runs on fossil fuels — but the shift to renewables is well underway, even if it’s uneven.
In his new podcast “Phases and Stages: The Texas Energy Story,” UT Energy Institute fellow Andy Uhler looks at what this transition means for communities who’ve long relied on oil and gas. We’ll get a preview of the latest episode today:
Rory McIlroy claims golf’s career grand slam
It came down to a playoff, but Rory McIlroy did it: winning the Masters and joining the exclusive club of golfers who’ve won all four major tournaments. Dallas’ Bryson DeChambeau was in the mix but ultimately couldn’t close.
Golf writer and Austin-based journalist Kevin Robbins recaps the tournament and the history made in Augusta.
Meet the Rev. Daryl Horton of Austin’s Mt. Zion Baptist Church
The pastor has led Mt. Zion for four years, but his history with the congregation did not start there. Horton’s engagement with the East Austin faith community spans decades.
Most school advocacy comes from parents — but three elementary students in Houston ISD are making their voices heard. They’re calling for changes at school and learning how to make their case to lawmakers.
Houston Public Media’s Colleen DeGuzman reports on their push for better schools.
Could SpaceX’s Starbase become an actual city?
SpaceX’s launch facility in South Texas is booming – so much so that there’s now a proposal to turn it into its own municipality: the city of Starbase. A local vote is set for May 3. But some residents worry it could mean losing access to nearby public beaches.
The Texas Newsroom’s Lauren McGaughy reports what’s at stake.
All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
