Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024:
Inside Ken Paxton’s lawsuit fighting pot decriminalization
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton recently announced a lawsuit against five Texas cities – Austin, Denton, San Marcos, Killeen and Elgin – that have passed resolutions deprioritizing low-level marijuana offenses.
Texas A&M School of Law professor Frank Snyder joins the show with a look at the lawsuit and what it could mean.
What’s being done to address violence against transit workers in the Dallas area
Assaults on transit workers have spiked nationwide in recent years, including in North Texas. Safety on the job continues to be a top concern for workers at Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
KERA’s Pablo Arauz Peña has more on what’s behind the increase in violence and what’s being done to curb it:
How new anti-trafficking laws can sweep up ordinary citizens
Texas’ new human smuggling law went into effect Tuesday. It’s the latest effort from the state Legislature to give Texas law enforcement more power to deal with immigration issues.
KTEP’s Angela Kocherga reports immigrant advocacy groups are concerned ordinary citizens could get caught up in the crackdown:
Bitcoin miners came to rural Texas – and brought disruption with them
In recent years, laws and plenty of open space have made Texas a magnet for bitcoin miners. Now neighbors say the noise is causing migraines, sleepless nights and the flight of wildlife.
TIME magazine correspondent Andrew Chow joins the show with more.
How did Tex-Mex food become a game day staple?
Nachos. Chips and guac. Seven-layer dip. None would be out of place in a Super Bowl snack spread. But how did Tex-Mex become the cuisine supreme of football games?
New York Times food writer Christina Morales joins the Standard with the scoop.
Texas-based photojournalist honored for coverage of gun violence
The Heising-Simons Foundation’s American Mosaic Photojournalism Prize is a $100,000 grant awarded for excellence, with an emphasis on recognizing freelance journalists. This week, it was awarded to Texas-based visual journalist Tamir Kalifa for his coverage of communities affected by gun violence, including Uvalde.
The Standard reached Kalifa in Israel, where he’s covering the Israel-Hamas war, and brings you this Q&A today.
How Texas is getting into the gas-fueled power plant business
Texas lawmakers and energy leaders convened with about 100 investors in Houston on Tuesday to encourage the construction of more natural gas-fueled power plants in the state.
KUT Austin reporter Mose Buchele joins the Standard with the details.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
