Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022:
The latest on where Title 42 stands
Title 42, the Trump-era policy of immediately expelling unauthorized migrants back to Mexico, is in limbo. While continued under the Biden administration, the White House now seeks to wind it down but has faced many legal hurdles, including a U.S. Supreme Court opinion. We’ll learn more from Texas Tribune immigration reporter Uriel García.
Flawed medical response affected Uvalde victims’ chance of survival
Nineteen students and two teachers died during the Robb Elementary school shooting in Uvalde in May. Many hold a delayed law enforcement response partially accountable for the lives lost. Now we’re learning how a flawed medical response also undermined the chances of survival for some victims. Unreleased records obtained by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and The Washington Post show that poor communication and confusion prevented responders from providing effective treatment. Zach Despart, politics reporter for the Tribune, shares the story.
Shamond Lewis went to the Dallas County Jail instead of a mental health facility. And then he died.
Shamond Lewis had a history of serious mental illness when Dallas police officers arrested him in late September. They took him to the county jail instead of a mental health facility. That aligned with police policy, but as KERA’s Bret Jaspers reports, Shamond’s mother worries the decision may have led to his death.
The generosity of Jesse H. Jones
December is often seen as “giving season.” Over 30% of nonprofit giving happens in the last month of the year. Philanthropists Jesse H. Jones and his wife, Mary Gibbs Jones, have been very generous to to Texas. Our commentator W.F. Strong has more on the gifts bestowed by Joneses on the Lone Star State.
Drought, climate change has folks looking at recycling fracking wastewater
Drilling for oil and gas through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, requires a lot of water. After it’s served its purpose, most drillers dispose of that water by shooting it back into the ground. But as freshwater grows scarce across Texas, there’s a growing push to re-use the wastewater from fracking. We’ll have that story from Dylan Baddour with Inside Climate News.
Welcoming Broadway star, TV actor and Edinburg native Gabrielle Ruiz
It’s that time of year when you find yourself humming along to a holiday song – it’s just automatic. Music, especially around the holiday season, has the power to stir emotions. For Rio Grande Valley-raised actor and vocalist Gabrielle Ruiz, her debut single “Twinkle Twinkle” does just that. You may know Ruiz from her numerous credits on Broadway, TV’s “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and more – and she joins the Standard today to talk about all that and more.
Elon Musk’s money moves in Central Texas
Elon Musk made headlines when he moved Tesla’s corporate headquarters to Austin. But it’s not the only one of his companies to move to Central Texas. The Boring Company, Musk’s tunneling and infrastructure company, and SpaceX, his aerospace company, are now there as well. Austin American-Statesman tech reporter Kara Carlson has more.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
