Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025:
How will Texas’ power grid weather the winter storm?
Rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow are sweeping across Texas, with the Panhandle and DFW areas bracing for the worst. How will this arctic blast affect the power grid?
Doug Lewin, author of the Texas Energy and Power newsletter and host of the Energy Capital Podcast, joins the Standard with his insights:
Will 2025 be the year Texas expands Medicaid? Not likely, advocates say
As the 89th legislative session begins, some lawmakers are pushing for Medicaid expansion in Texas – one of the few states that hasn’t expanded coverage for low-income adults. Two North Texas lawmakers have already filed bills to expand Texas’ program.
But as KERA’s Kailey Broussard reports, lawmakers are likely to ignore the proposal again.
Golden-cheeked warbler losing protection
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the golden-cheeked warbler should no longer be listed as endangered. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies reports the decision comes despite mounting threats to the warbler’s habitat from both land development and climate change.
Trump cuts to EV incentives trouble carmakers
President-elect Trump has promised to repeal tax credits for electric vehicles and incentives for their domestic production. But instead of cheering the news, some automakers have pleaded with the incoming administration to keep EV incentives.
Longtime automotive journalist Micheline Maynard wrote about the situation for The Boston Globe and joins the Standard with more.
SMU’s fight with Methodist Church heads to court
A fight over Southern Methodist University’s efforts to separate from the United Methodist Church heads to the Texas Supreme Court next week. With news of UT Austin President Jay Hartzell taking over SMU, what’s next for this legal battle? Texas Tribune higher education reporter Kate McGee joins with more.
This week in Texas music history: Blues pianist Katie Webster is born
Jason Mellard with The Center for Texas Music History at Texas State University has the story of Houston’s “Swamp Boogie Queen.”
The polar vortex is complicating Northeast Texas farming
Northeast Texas is expecting several inches of snow, complicating life for farmers and ranchers between Dallas and Texarkana.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agent Jessica Humphrey joins the show to discuss the storm’s impact.
Texas’ 988 crisis hotline is dropping thousands of calls
Texas’ suicide and crisis lifeline is struggling to meet demand, with thousands of calls abandoned monthly due to limited resources, according to reporting from the Texas Tribune.
Mental health reporter Stephen Simpson joins the Standard with his findings.
All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
