Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024:
ERCOT just saw its biggest demand day ever. Why hasn’t it issued any conservation notices?
With temperatures topping 100 degrees all over Texas, the state set a new energy grid demand record Tuesday. ERCOT, the state’s primary grid operator, reports demand nearly reached 86,000 megawatts yesterday.
Despite the record demand, ERCOT didn’t issue any requests for consumers to conserve power. KUT News energy and the environment reporter Mose Buchele joins the Standard with more.
State appeals court overturns election results in tiny Loving County
Loving County is comprised of fewer people than anywhere else in the state – and that means your vote really counts. There are 110 registered voters in the county. In 2022, some Loving County elections were decided by less than a dozen votes.
But a state appeals court recently took a close look at one of those elections and found some issues. Courthouse News Service reporter Cameron Thompson joins the Standard with more.
CenterPoint aims to push cost of repairing Hurricane Beryl’s damage onto Houston-area ratepayers
Houston’s CenterPoint Energy has yet to put a final price tag on its repairs and resilience work related to Hurricane Beryl and the May derecho. But its latest filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission estimates the combined cost at close to $1.8 billion.
Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider reports on why ordinary ratepayers are likely to get stuck with the bill.
Biden administration bets on Texas Instruments in the chip manufacturing race
In 1958, a new employee at Texas Instruments changed the world. While his co-workers were on vacation, Jack Kilby killed time by tinkering with what became the world’s first microchip.
Now the U.S. government is betting on Kilby’s old company to shore up domestic microchip production. Texas Instruments recently received a $1.6 billion Department of Commerce grant for new chip-building facilities. Bloomberg technology reporter Mackenzie Hawkins joins the show with the story.
‘The Long Ride Home’ offers a rare glimpse into the lives of Black cowboys in America
A new book called “The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America” offers a glimpse into the Black cowboy experience in contemporary America. But it’s more than just a collection of stories — it’s a powerful visual journey that goes beyond what the title might suggest.
Ron Tarver, the author and photographer behind the book, joins the Standard to share more about this captivating project.
New Eagle Pass art exhibition is a love letter to the borderlands
The border city of Eagle Pass has made headlines for the ongoing fight between state and federal authorities over immigration enforcement.
Now a new art exhibition aims to reframe the city’s image beyond barbed wire and lawsuits – and highlight the diverse perspectives of people who make the border home. Texas Public Radio’s Marian Navarro reports.
All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
