Her are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, Aug. 22, 2022:
As Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke make their case to be Texas’ next governor, new poll results could give some clues as to which issues voters are paying most attention to. Mark Jones, political science professor at Rice University, breaks down the results and what they mean for the governor’s race.
An Austin school and state-of-the-art clinic unite to meet the needs of medically fragile children
A school in Austin for students with special needs is getting a considerable upgrade: a state-of-the-art clinic on campus. The Rosedale School educates about 100 students who need intensive medical and behavioral help, KUT’s Seema Mathur reports.
On Friday, Mexico’s president visited the border city of Tijuana, the scene of recent deadly attacks. The president also sent additional national guard troops to regions of the country ravaged by violence. But further east along the Texas-Mexico border in Juárez, cartel gangs torched convenience stores and opened fire on public streets last week, killing 11 people and injuring more than a dozen others. Angela Kocherga of KTEP reports that a tense calm has now settled over the city.
A new weather pattern for Texas
Most Texans have had enough of the heat that’s gripped the state for the better part of two months. And soon, they might get what they want. Texas is entering a new weather pattern that could persist through the rest of August, writes Matt Lanza, managing editor and meteorologist for Space City Weather.
While the current drought isn’t the worst in Texas history, it’s bad enough that some cattle operations are starting to question just how much longer they can hold out. Marfa Public Radio’s Mitch Borden has the story.
Texas artists honor the Uvalde victims with 21 murals they hope will help healing
As Uvalde continues to cope with the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in May, a massive mural project has been undertaken there as a memorial. Texas Public Radio’s Jack Morgan reports.
Mexico’s expansion of abortion access is becoming a lifeline for Texans
As Texas and other states move to further restrict abortion access in a post-Roe era, across the border, Mexico appears to be heading in the opposite direction. Last September, Mexico’s Supreme Court declared it was unconstitutional for the state of Coahuila to criminalize abortion. The Texas Standard’s Gabriella Ybarra has more.
Vanessa Guillén and the Feres doctrine
It’s been more than two years since the murder of Vanessa Guillén, a 20-year-old soldier in the U.S. Army stationed at Fort Hood in Killeen. Investigators believe she was killed by another soldier. Before her death, Guillén said she was being sexually harassed at work, which the Army confirmed. Now, her family has filed a $35 million lawsuit against the military. Rachel VanLandingham, national security and military law professor at Southwestern Law School, notes the suit will need to overcome a longstanding legal doctrine.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Michael Marks with the Talk of Texas.
