Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024:
What we know about the natural gas explosion in Fort Worth
Debris lay scattered on a downtown Fort Worth street yesterday after Monday’s explosion at the Sandman Signature Hotel. Authorities have said they believe the explosion was likely caused by a gas leak, though investigations are ongoing.
The Dallas Morning News’s Sarah Bahari gives the Standard an update on where things stand.
Will business-friendly Republican priorities win this seat – or will red meat for the base take it?
A northeast Texas special election for a seat in the state House is a bellwether race between competing interests among Texas Republicans.
The Texas Tribune’s Patrick Svitek joins the show with a look at the two candidates seeking to succeed expelled state Rep. Bryan Slaton.
How the Houston Texans made it to the playoffs
This coming weekend is a big one for pro football in Texas. Both the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans have made it to the playoffs, with a chance to go to Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas.
The Cowboys were more or less expected to make it, but it’s a remarkable turnaround for the Texans. Houston Public Media’s Jack Williams has more:
Could tiny homes be the big answer to solving homelessness?
Just outside of Austin sits one of the biggest efforts to combat homelessness in the country: a village of tiny homes with about 400 residents, where crime is low. Now hopes are running high it could serve as a model for other cities.
New York Times reporter Lucy Tompkins joins the Standard with a look.
Book vending machine gets Bastrop students excited to read
Educators at a Bastrop Independent School District campus wanted to figure out how to get students excited about reading and see it as something to do for fun.
As KUT’s Becky Fogel reports, they decided to install a vending machine right outside of the school library.
Have you been to the ‘Honey Island General Store?’
A wistful folk song from the band Little Mazarn now has an equally evocative video.
Hear from the student animator behind “Honey Island General Store” and the teacher who inspired her.
Texas sage is our state’s native shrub. State folklore holds that the so-called barometer bush can predict rain. But the truth is a little more complicated than that.
Texas Monthly’s Elisabeth Jimenez joins the Standard with the story
Can 3D printing help solve North Texas’ affordable housing crisis?
As North Texas continues to see unprecedented growth, entrepreneurs hoping to solve the housing affordability crisis are turning to an innovative solution: 3D printed homes. These easy-to-build structures are popping up in cities and towns across the region.
KERA’s Pablo Arauz Peña visited the site of one of these new projects to get a closer look at how it’s done – and whether it’s really taking off.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
