Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, April 24, 2025.
Texas school districts’ A-F grades finally out
In 2023, more than 100 school districts sued the Texas Education Agency to stop updates to the state’s A–F school rating system. After a lengthy court challenge, the Texas Education Agency released its 2023 school and district accountability results this morning.
KERA’s Bill Zeeble joins the Standard with more.
Despite deadly toll, lawmakers avoid police pursuit reforms
Nearly 100 people died in Texas police chases in 2022 – the deadliest year on record. Yet, state lawmakers have once again avoided major reforms.
KERA’s Toluwani Osibamowo spoke with legislators about why they’ve kept their distance from the issue.
What’s next for the DOJ’s antitrust case against Google?
A federal judge ruled last year that Google has a monopoly in online search. Now, a court must decide what the company should do to fix it – force Google to sell off parts of itself, or make smaller changes to level the playing field.
Tech journalist Omar Gallaga joins the Standard with the latest.
San Antonio’s historic Alameda Theater is now open for walking tours
Once a crown jewel of Latino culture in Texas, the Alameda Theater in San Antonio has been closed for decades. Now, it’s slowly coming back to life.
Texas Public Radio’s Jack Morgan takes us inside the long-awaited restoration.
Craft beer’s brewery slowdown forces a new era of reinvention
For the first time since 2005, more breweries shut down than opened last year. The craft beer world is adapting by becoming something more – with playgrounds, kitchens and community events.
Texas Monthly contributor Richard Santos joins the show with more.
‘The Bright Years’ shines a light on familial joy and pain
Secrets haunt the newlywed couple at the center of “The Bright Years,” the debut novel by Dallas-based author Sarah Damoff. It’s a story of love, addiction and resilience told over decades.
Damoff joins the Standard to talk about her Texas-set family drama.
As the Pentagon reexamines women in combat, female veterans consider it a settled issue
It’s been a decade since women entered the Army’s elite Ranger School — and combat jobs opened to female troops. Now, a decade later, there’s a secretary of defense who has said women don’t belong in those jobs.
Jay Price reports for the American Homefront Project.
All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
