Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023:
Judge mulls whether Texas foster care fails children – again
A Texas federal judge will soon decide whether the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services should be held in contempt for the third time. The department is also the subject of an ongoing lawsuit over foster care conditions and has been under the supervision of court-appointed monitors since 2019.
Dallas Morning News reporter Bob Garrett joins the Standard with the story.
Chronic wasting disease ravages Texas Parks and Wildlife facility
Deadly chronic wasting disease continues to spread among Texas’ white-tail deer. There’s no cure or vaccine, so when it’s detected in a closed environment all the deer that may have been exposed are euthanized.
Now Texas Parks and Wildlife has announced the disease was found at one of its own facilities, resulting in the death of scores of deer. The Texas Standard’s Michael Marks reports.
The legacy of Dublin Dr Pepper lives on in a song
Daryl Watson recalls his experience growing up in Dublin, Texas, and the now-defunct drink.
Talks to buy a Permian oil producer could have big political implications
The Permian Basin energy industry is going through a period of consolidation, with companies like Chevron and Exxon Mobil spending billions to buy regional oil producers.
Among the potential sellers: Midland driller and Republican megadonor Tim Dunn. Bloomberg reporter Mitchell Ferman notes that should Dunn sell, his considerable influence at the Capitol could grow even further. Ferman joins the show today.
Sunshine Community Gardens brings green space to North Austin
Texas cities have been among the fastest-growing in the country, with many places building more densely or without a lot of dedicated outdoor space. Take a place like The Triangle in Austin, where two major roads merge. There are specialty grocery stores and sandwich shops next to several large complexes – but also three acres of space for folks with a green thumb.
Texas Standard intern Breze Reyes digs into what’s behind Sunshine Community Gardens.
As eligibility grows, more people in Tarrant County can get treatment instead of jail time
Jails in many cases have become mental health treatment centers. People with mental illness or who are homeless end up behind bars at higher rates – but some Texas counties have decided it doesn’t have to be that way.
KERA’s Miranda Suarez reports Tarrant County is trying to give low-level offenders treatment instead of jail time.
What do Texas fish sound like? This marine science student knows.
Ever thought about the sounds of fish? One marine science student certainly has – going as far to get up close with the critters to record and document their sounds.
The Texas Observer’s Paula Levihn-Coon joins us with the story.
What are Republicans doing to get more women in office?
Women who hold elected statewide office are not distributed evenly between parties. There are twice as many Democratic women in the Texas Legislature than Republican women, for example.
It’s something the Texas Federation of Republican Women aims to change. Republican Party of Texas vice chair Cat Parks joins the Standard with more.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
