Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Tuesday, April 23, 2024:
The challenges facing transgender youth in Texas foster care
Living in the foster care system can be precarious for any child. But for transgender youth in Texas, challenges also include a lack of training and resources for caregivers, as well as state laws that restrict gender-affirming care for young people.
In his latest for The Texas Tribune, William Melhado profiled two young transgender adults who went through the foster care system in Texas. He joins the Standard with the story.
LGBTQ+ asylum seekers fleeing persecution find additional challenges at Texas-Mexico border
Estuardo Cifuentes Luarte applied for asylum on the Texas-Mexico border, but his request was denied under Title 42 during the Trump administration. Cifuentes, who is gay, left Guatemala after being attacked and harassed by police for being seen with his husband.
After five years, Cifuentes was granted asylum in the U.S. Texas Public Radio’s Gaige Davila reports:
More thoughts on the Future of Work in Texas
The Texas Standard has been diving deep on the topic of the Future of Work in Texas. If you missed our special program yesterday, you can catch up here.
Today, Traci Callandrillo shares her thoughts about the future of work:
Why are there so many bluebonnets along Texas highways?
Bluebonnet season in the Texas Hill Country has largely come and gone – but it’s been a pretty spectacular one.
The Standard’s home station, KUT News in Austin, received a question about why bluebonnets grow so well next to highways. Angela Lim reports.
In Presidio, the effort to preserve an Indigenous cemetery is finally complete
A small cemetery in far West Texas has held the remains of Indigenous residents for centuries – but until recently, it was nearly abandoned. In 2021, the city and county of Presidio made the historic decision to give the land to the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas.
Since then, a coalition of conservationists, descendants and architects has worked to create a memorial at the burial ground. Marfa Public Radio’s Annie Rosenthal reports.
New novel ‘Canto Contigo’ sets its coming-of-age tale in the world of mariachi music
With its powerful vocals and heartstring-tugging lyrics, mariachi music can be a direct line to the emotions. This evocative world is the perfect setting for a new novel.
Author Jonny Garza Villa joins the Standard to talk about his latest novel, “Canto Contigo.”
New Navy ships are years behind schedule, because manufacturers can’t find workers to build them
The Navy has been facing delays in building and maintaining ships. For one, it can’t find enough qualified shipyard workers.
Industry experts say it’s a complex problem. Steve Walsh has more for the American Homefront Project.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
