Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024:
Abbott nets $6 million contribution from school voucher proponent
Gov. Greg Abbott received a $6 million campaign contribution last month from national Republican mega-donor Jeff Yass, who strongly supports school voucher programs. Abbott spent 2023 unsuccessfully pushing for education savings accounts – called vouchers by critics – which would have directed state funds to private schools.
Lauren McGaughy, an investigative reporter and editor at The Texas Newsroom, joins Texas Standard to tell us more.
Texas spending millions housing foster kids in ‘dangerous,’ unregulated places
Texas has spent more than $250 million the past three years housing foster kids in what experts have called “dangerous,” unregulated places like hotel rooms and leased homes. The ongoing costs raise questions about how the state is tackling what is understood to be a temporary and emergency program.
Texas Public Radio’s Paul Flahive reports.
Texas community colleges get a funding boost, but with some changes
During the last legislative session, community colleges in Texas got an infusion of cash – $683 million. But lawmakers also changed how those dollars will be distributed with a new funding formula.
Harrison Keller, commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, shares details on how the changes will impact these institutions and the students who attend them.
As violence roils Ecuador, how will the ripple effects be felt in the U.S.?
In recent weeks, organized crime in Ecuador has thrown the country into chaos. But the ripples of the conflict extend far beyond Ecuador.
María Cristina Rosas, international relations professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, spoke to the Texas Standard about the United States’ potential role in resolving the crisis.
‘Buck Alamo’ is an exploration of unattained dreams and an ode to a changing Austin
Filmmaker Ben Epstein grew up in Dallas but has long Austin ties. The city’s rapid growth and its troubadour past inspired his film “Buck Alamo.”
The film follows a “wannabe has-been” singer-songwriter through a confrontation with mortality.
A look at ‘influencers’ of Texas history
A relatively new phenomenon in modern society is the rise of the influencer: a person on social media skilled at persuading followers to buy stuff.
But Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong wondered how many of today’s influencers will have as much influence over time as some of the accidental influencers of our past.
With election season come the endorsement wars in Texas
It’s official: The 2024 election cycle has started. With it comes a surge of political endorsements for candidates, including those running for seats in the Texas Legislature. In those contests, the big GOP endorsements are coming from Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton – but the Republicans seem to be backing different candidates.
The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán reports the biggest matchups are happening in Collin County.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Raul Alonzo with the Talk of Texas.
