Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Check back later today for updated story links and audio.
The questions on local ballots across Texas this election
Across Texas, voters will decide on several initiatives this May. With a roundup of the issues facing local voters, we’re joined by KUT’s Andrew Weber in Austin, Texas Public Radio’s Joey Palacios in San Antonio, TPR’s Gaige Davila in the Rio Grande Valley and Fort Worth Report’s Emily Wolf.
New coal emission rules are coming to Texas
New emissions rules from the Environmental Protection Agency could mean big changes at some Texas coal plants. As KUT’s Mose Buchele reports, the EPA’s new rules are part of a longstanding federal effort to reduce emissions in the state.
Layoffs in Harris County elections offices may explain some 2022 voting problems
While there’s little evidence to back up Republican claims that election issues in Harris County cost them votes, that’s not to say problems don’t exist. In an installment from a multi-part investigation, Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider looks at how Harris County elections officials may have contributed to the troubles.
The tale of the $10 billion handshake
How much is a promise worth? How much is it worth if you guarantee the promise with a handshake? What is the value of one’s word? In Texas, once, these questions totaled over $10 billion in court. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong has the story.
The acclaimed new miniseries covering ‘Love & Death’ in small-town Texas
The story of Candy Montgomery, the churchgoing housewife accused in the axe murder of Betty Gore, captured the nation’s attention in the 1980s. Now “Love & Death,” a new HBO Max series starring Elizabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemons, retells the tale and invigorates the true crime genre. Director Lesli Linka Glatter joins us today.
The latest on legislation banning foreign purchases of land
The Texas Senate advanced a bill on Tuesday that would restrict purchases of farmland and energy-producing property in Texas by people and entities associated with China, North Korea, Russian and Iran. The bill has been dialed back from its original, sweeping restrictions, but state Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, still has concerns. He joins us today.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
