Texas Standard for July 18, 2024: After switching party affiliation, Dallas mayor Eric Johnson speaks at RNC

Dallas mayor Eric Johnson spoke about crime and public safety at the Republican National Convention as he explained his controversial 2023 switch from Democrat to Republican.

By Texas StandardJuly 18, 2024 8:50 am,

Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, July 18, 2024:

How Houston-area residents without power are faring

CenterPoint has restored power to more than 2.2 million customers since Hurricane Beryl hit, but that still leaves thousands without electricity and air conditioning.

Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider reports on how the long outages are affecting some residents and businesses across the Houston area:

After switching party affiliation, Dallas mayor Eric Johnson speaks at Republican National Convention

“Today’s woke Democratic Party is with the criminals, not with the victims,” Dallas mayor Eric Johnson claimed Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention.

The mayor spoke about crime and public safety as he explained his controversial 2023 switch from Democrat to Republican. Texas Monthly senior editor Alexandra Samuels recently interviewed Johnson and joins the show today.

Deaths on Arlington roads spiked in 2023. The city’s mix of plans aims to make roads safer.

With 43 traffic fatalities reported in Arlington last year, 2023 was one of the deadliest on the interstate and city roads in recent history. City officials look to lower that number as the city sees more pedestrians and more speeding motorists.

KERA’s Kailey Broussard reports on the city’s strategies and what residents want to see.

Are you an AT&T customer? Hackers probably have your call and text metadata

If you’re an AT&T customer who sent a text or made a call in the middle of 2022, there’s a pretty good chance that you were affected by a massive data breach. The Texas-based telecom giant says “nearly all” of its cell phone customers were affected by an attack that exposed call and text logs to hackers.

The actual content of those calls and texts is said to be safe and AT&T doesn’t even believe the hacked data has been made public. Tech expert Omar Gallaga joins the Standard with more.

Texans are experts at spinning tall tales, even today

Texans have long had a reputation for tall tales, for stretching the truth in entertaining ways. Just think of the legendary Pecos Bill, whose favorite food was dynamite and who rode a catfish down the Rio Grande and managed to lasso a tornado, all in one adventure.

Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong has been wondering to what extent a certain cultural tendency to embellish lives on in today’s Texas.

Houston Chronicle columnist releases new book, ‘Native Texan: Stories from Deep in the Heart’

In the expansive and diverse landscape of Texas, Joe Holley’s voice stands out with remarkable authenticity and depth. His “Native Texan” column for the Houston Chronicle has captivated readers for years with its stories of people and places from every corner of the state.

Now Holley has compiled some of his favorites from the column archives for a book by the same name. The Texas Standard welcomes Joe Holley to the show.

Hurricane Beryl led to a surge in shelter animals. How is Houston faring?

After Hurricane Beryl, Houston’s animal shelters took in more than 1,600 injured or orphaned animals. More than a week and a half later, the animals keep coming, including a colony of more than 300 egrets.

How is the region dealing with the enormous strain on shelters? Houston SPCA wildlife center administrator Sharon Schmalz joins the Standard with more.

All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.

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