Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Tuesday, April 18, 2023:
New Texas parents had their baby taken away from them over concerns they weren’t treating their newborn’s jaundice correctly. The case speaks to two systemic issues: the policing of Black families by child welfare systems, and the disregard of midwifery expertise by many doctors. The 19th reporter Candice Norwood joins us with the story.
Expanded telehealth is coming to an end
Telehealth options were expanded during the early days of the pandemic. Now, President Joe Biden has announced that the emergency order that enabled the expansion will end on May 11. Without that emergency order in place, some patients will have to return to in-person medical care. Psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Kim joins us to talk about the change.
What’s up with that sinkhole in Southeast Texas?
Environmental regulators are examining a large sinkhole in the Southeast Texas city of Daisetta. As Houston Public Media’s Lucio Vasquez reports, the new sinkhole opened next to a much larger one that first appeared about 15 years ago:
A bill before the Texas Legislature would impose fines on individuals who file repeated complaints with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that don’t result in enforcement actions. Its sponsor says excessive complaints tax the agency’s limited resources, but environmentalists say the bill could make it hard for people living near pollution sources to get relief. The Texas Tribune’s Alejandra Martinez speaks about their co-report with Inside Climate News.
Texas is home to millions of bats. But according to a new report out this week from Austin-based nonprofit Bat Conservation International, more than half of North America’s bats are in peril if action isn’t taken to protect them. Bat Conservation International scientist Winifred Frick joins us with more.
The military is converting to electric vehicles on bases, but charging them remains a challenge
The Pentagon has mandated that all military installations across the country start converting their fleets of non-combat vehicles from gas-powered to electric. While they have more than a decade to meet that requirement, bases are already facing challenges trying to achieve that goal. The American Homefront Project’s Jonathan Ahl reports.
A Pleasant Grove artist’s decade-long project brings a drainage canal to life
If you’re on the hunt for public art gems in Dallas, you might be looking in the wrong places. One local artist’s homegrown graffiti museum lives in a drainage canal. As KERA’s Toluwani Osibamowo reports, his art is all about memory, legacy and Pleasant Grove pride.
How Texas Republicans became the party of big government
Independence and distrust of authority is part of the Texas mythos, and arguably one reason Texans have historically valued small, conservative government. But a new essay argues that Texas Republicans, who control the Legislature, have become a party of big government. Texas Monthly’s Michael Hardy joins us with more.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
