Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023:
Why does Houston have so many high-speed police chases?
High-speed police chases are under increasing scrutiny because of the inherent dangers of driving so fast. Chases launched by the Houston Police Department increased 47% over a five-year period, killing more than two dozen people and injuring hundreds more.
A new Houston Chronicle investigation found at least 240 of the dead and injured in these chases were bystanders. Investigative reporter Andrea Ball joins Texas Standard with the findings.
What’s behind the right-wing push for Texas to leave a national voter database
More than 770 new laws passed by the Texas Legislature are set to go take effect Sept. 1. All this week, the Standard and its partners are looking at some of these new laws.
One of those laws will require Texas to withdraw from an interstate compact that helps member states keep their voter rolls clean. The organization is the lone entity of its kind shown to reduce the few instances of voter fraud that actually exist. Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider reports.
Noise concerns amplify as I-35 expansion in Central Austin nears
Construction starts next year on one of the biggest road projects in Austin history: the expansion of I-35. The Texas Department of Transportation is adding two lanes in each direction. The main lanes will be lowered through downtown Austin, maybe even covered with buildings put on top. And you can say goodbye to the upper decks.
The official price tag is $4.5 billion. But the I-35 expansion comes with environmental costs, too. Among them: a lot more noise. KUT’s Nathan Bernier has the story.
San Antonio ‘Summer Slay’ wrestling fashion show promotes sustainable design
Professional wrestlers and luchadores are colorful characters, from their outsized personalities to their wardrobes.
San Antonio recently hosted a wrestling fashion show to highlight some of that style. Texas Public Radio’s Jackie Velez was there.
LaToya Watkins follows soaring debut novel with a searing collection of short stories
In LaToya Watkins’ first novel, “Perish,” the Texas author wrote about the traumas of a family drawn back to West Texas after the death of a matriarch. Watkins’ highly anticipated new book still uses West Texas as a backdrop, this time through 11 short stories.
The title is “Holler, Child,” and Watkins joins the Texas Standard today.
Texas ‘Death Star bill’ could destroy local protections for renters
Texas cities are preparing for some newly passed state laws to take effect Friday. One such law is HB 2127, dubbed by critics as the Death Star Bill. It has the ability to override or block many city ordinances and local laws.
Among the rules it could nullify: a pandemic response from Dallas and Austin giving renters a longer grace period after they’re late on rent. KERA North Texas’ Chris Connelly joins the Standard with an overview.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
