Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Friday, Dec. 23, 2022:
The latest on Texas’ winter freeze
The cold front bearing down on Texas was predicted to be “one of the strangest weather days” in Texas history. How did its arrival night match up with forecasts, and how long is the freeze expected to last? Eric Berger, editor of Space City Weather, joins Texas Standard with the latest.
After a slow recruiting year, states are trying new ways to attract people to the National Guard
The National Guard came up about 9,000 troops short of its recruiting goal this year. That’s led National Guard leaders, at the state and federal level, to think up new ways to persuade people to join. From Long Island, Desiree D’Iorio reports for the American Homefront Project.
Building connections at AfroTech festival
AfroTech bills itself as the premier tech, investing and wealth-building platform for the Black community. It held its conference in Austin this fall. The Texas Standard’s Tiara Allen and Terry Gutierrez caught up with three attendees.
Without enough workers in the U.S. to fill jobs, ranches and farms in Texas look abroad
The demand for temporary agricultural workers in Texas has hit an all-time high; there just aren’t enough workers here willing to produce agricultural commodities like cotton, corn, chicken, and cattle. Farmers say they must look elsewhere – and use a visa program to hire people from outside the U.S. The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán reports on the program’s growth and what it means for the state.
To help Georgetown understand COVID’s toll, a mother and son turned to butterflies
Origami butterflies, to be exact. KUT’s Kailey Hunt reports on how the art form has helped this family – and their neighbors – process loss.
‘Brain Energy’ looks closely at the link between mental and physical health
Psychiatric conditions are typically thought of as distinct from physical ones, like heart disease or diabetes. But what if physical and mental health are much more closely related than previously thought? Harvard psychiatry professor Dr Christopher Palmer explores the link in his new book, “Brain Energy.” He joins us today.
The gang delivers another custom poem. Get in touch with your own topic suggestions!
The Texas Tribune’s Patrick Svitek offers up a political recap, including Texas dropping its opposition to people under 21 carrying guns in public, some Texas opposition to releasing Donald Trump’s tax returns, and the Texas Senate’s report on school safety after Uvalde.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
