Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022:
Thousands of migrants arrive in El Paso as Title 42 repeal nears
There’s a growing humanitarian crisis in El Paso, with thousands of migrants arriving daily to turn themselves in to Border Patrol agents. It all comes just days before the court-ordered end of a pandemic-era policy known as Title 42. How did we get here? Ruben Garcia, executive director of migrant shelter system Annunciation House, has more.
Military suicides have become slightly less common but are still a ‘massive problem’
The Pentagon is finishing a review of its policies regarding suicide. Though the number of military suicides declined slightly last year, it remains a major problem, and the armed services are trying to address it in new ways. Steve Walsh reports for the American Homefront Project.
Texas ‘Robin Hood’ school funding system falls short, report says
School funding policies in Texas designed to distribute funding more equally between poor and wealthy school districts fall short of that goal, according to a new report from the nonprofit Education Trust. Texas Public Radio’s Camille Phillips explains:
Wary of another blackout, utilities are looking at battery power
After 2021’s deadly winter blackout, some homeowners added battery power to prevent another loss of power. Now utility companies are part of the battery boom as well – and not just in Texas, either. Houston Chronicle reporter James Osborne has more.
2022 was a banner year for Bum Steers
The end of the year is known as award season. But in Texas, there’s one accolade most folks aren’t fond of receiving: Texas Monthly’s Bum Steer award. Ross McCammon edited the 2023 Bum Steer Awards for the Monthly and joins us today.
The fight to save a historic hotel along the Texas Gulf Coast
Palacios, Texas, sits between Corpus Christi and Galveston along the Texas Gulf Coast. For nearly 120 years, the Luther Hotel has been a prime spot for tourists and locals alike. But now, the Luther is threatened with demolition. Community members, including Margaret Doughty, are rallying to stop that from happening. She joins us today.
Fusion scientists made a clean energy breakthrough. What’s next?
For the first time, scientists can get more energy out of a nuclear fusion reaction than they put in. What does the breakthrough mean for the future of clean energy? François Waelbroeck, director of the Institute for Fusion Studies at UT-Austin, has more.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
