Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024:
Record number of employees leave Houston ISD after state takeover
More than 4,000 employees left Houston ISD in June, bringing the total number of departures to over 10,000 since the state took over the district last year.
Those resignations are three times higher than the June average for the past five years, according to an analysis by the Houston Chronicle. Education reporter Nusaiba Mizan joins the Standard with more.
Fentanyl crisis sparks call for youth recovery center in Abilene
The fentanyl crisis continues to cast a shadow over Texas communities. The state’s health department recorded almost 2,400 fentanyl overdose deaths last year and over 350 so far this year.
In Taylor County, one family’s experience has sparked a citywide call to action. KACU’s Alexsis Jones reports on their effort to bring a youth addiction and recovery center to Abilene.
DART riders say they need transit services. Several North Texas cities want to cut funding
Some North Texas cities – including Rowlett, Irving, Plano and now Highland Park – want to cut funding for DART, but riders and the agency say that would hurt the services it provides. Pablo Arauz Peña reports.
Rents in Austin are down. But many renters still struggle to find housing they can afford.
Rent prices in the Austin area have been falling for more than a year. Still, more people are spending a big portion of their income on rent compared with just a few years ago.
KUT’s Audrey McGlinchy reports that hundreds of thousands of renters are burdened by housing costs, meaning less income to spend on groceries, transportation and healthcare.
Does a rising baby bull shark population mean more Texas shark attacks?
Fewer than 50 shark attacks have occurred in Texas in the last century, but over Independence Day weekend this year, two people were hospitalized and two others were injured in shark encounters off South Padre Island.
New research shows the baby bull shark population is exploding along the Texas coast, increasing up to eight times over the past 40 years in estuaries from Sabine Lake to Matagorda Bay. Texas A&M Galveston marine biologist Philip Matich joins the Standard with more.
Ride the Fronterawave with RGV electro musician Charlie Vela
Get your body moving with this Valley music maker.
Art and barbecue converge at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Art. Barbecue. To some connoisseurs, there’s no issue here: a great serving of barbecue is a work of art, case closed.
But as the barbecue editor of Texas Monthly writes, there are 50,000 reasons to see an art exhibition at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth dedicated to smoked meats. Daniel Vaughn joins the Standard with more.
Several North Texas pastors step down, removed from positions amid controversies
North Texas churches have seen a string of high-profile staff departures in recent weeks amid claims of moral failures, immoral behavior, and in some cases, sexual abuse. At least seven North Texas pastors, from mostly megachurches, have resigned or been fired since May.
Three of them have been arrested on charges related to sex offenses, and a fourth is under an internal church investigation for similar allegations. KERA News reporter Penelope Rivera joins the Standard with the latest.
All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
