Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Tuesday, April 30, 2024.
Flooding forces Polk County residents to evacuate their Southeast Texas homes
People along the Trinity River in rural Polk County, northeast of Houston, evacuated yesterday after a series of heavy rains. The Trinity’s flow in this area is regulated by the Lake Livingston Dam – but so much water was released from the lake into the Trinity that it flooded some low-lying areas.
Melissa Gates, Polk County’s liaison for long-term disaster recovery, joins the Standard with an update.
A new crackdown on vaping in schools could create more dropouts
A new state law is changing how school districts discipline students caught with vaping devices. HB 114 requires districts to send any student found with a vape to a disciplinary alternative education program.
Critics warn that pulling students out of their normal learning environment increases their chances of dropping out. Texas State University professor and Texas Community Health News director Daniel Carter joins the show with an overview.
Tech subcontractors fight for better wages and job security
Labor unions have gained momentum in the U.S. recently, but Texas is still a right to work state – meaning that even if a workplace is unionized, employees aren’t required to join.
Lately, a lot of tech workers are getting in on the labor movement. The Texas Standard’s Patrick M. Davis reports they’re finding out their industry comes with some unique challenges.
Dozens more arrests at UT-Austin as police bust up pro-Palestinian encampment
At least 50 people were arrested Monday at a protest on the south lawn of UT-Austin’s campus, according to an attorney who helped coordinate the release of protesters arrested last week.
Around 100 protesters had gathered around midday Monday with tents and blankets to begin an “encampment” to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza. KUT News reporter Audrey McGlinchy joins the show with more.
‘Secessionists Standoff’ reexamines Texas extremists’ actions back in 1997
27 years ago, an armed militia calling itself The Republic of Texas tried to secede. Militia members took hostages and the standoff looked set to become a repeat of what happened at the Branch Davidian complex and Ruby Ridge years earlier.
Now, a new book recounts what happened during a tense seven days in the Davis Mountains. “Texas Secessionists Standoff: The 1997 Republic of Texas ‘War’” author Donna Marie Miller shares the story in this extended Q&A.
How is the switch to digital mail for incarcerated people in Texas prisons playing out?
Texas prisons switched to a digital mail platform last summer, which officials said was going to reduce the contraband coming into prisons. Advocates for incarcerated people warned against the change, saying it cut prisoners off from meaningful contact with the outside world.
How has the change been received? Journalist April Towery joins the Standard with an update.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
