Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Tuesday, July 30, 2024:
What President Biden said in his Texas stop
President Joe Biden was in Texas yesterday with stops in Houston and in Austin.
The Standard’s Sean Saldana attended Biden’s Austin speech at the LBJ Presidential Library, which commemorated the 60th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and he joins us with more on what the president said.
Numerous earthquakes rattle region west of Fort Worth in past week
Dozens of earthquakes have rumbled out from an area west of Fort Worth over the past week. The source of the quakes is near the city of Snyder, the seat of Scurry County.
A seismologist for the U.S. Geological Survey told the Dallas Morning News that the tremors are likely related to human activities. Some of the oil and gas industry’s operations in the area have been linked with earthquakes in the past.
Jay Callaway, emergency management coordinator for the city of Snyder and Scurry County, joins us today.
Austin’s metro service hits snag in going all-electric
Austin’s metro service is going to stop buying battery-powered electric buses. Capital Metro’s CEO says battery buses are “not yet ready” to replace every diesel-fueled vehicle in the fleet.
As KUT’s Nathan Bernier reports, it’s a big break from CapMetro’s pledge to go all-electric.
What’s behind the chaos in the Houston Library system?
Things have been a little bit chaotic in the Houston Public Library system. Last month, staff announced two previously halted library projects will indeed begin moving forward. Meanwhile, Houston Landing has been reporting on what library employees have called a toxic workplace culture.
Maggie Gordon has been following this story in her role as a columnist for The Houston Landing and joins us today.
New book captures decades of change in Dallas neighborhood
Photographer Richard Doherty has lived in the same Dallas neighborhood for 42 years, in the same house, and he’s lovingly photographed his surroundings the whole time. His new book, “Framing Oak Cliff: A Visual Diary of a Dallas Neighborhood,” features over 100 photographs of Oak Cliff, accompanied by a history and essays about the neighborhood by three different Texas authors.
Doherty joins us today.
Venezuelan election results draw criticism, spark protests
Thousands have taken to the streets in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, to protest Sunday’s election results. Incumbent president Nicolás Maduro claims he won a third term, but opposition leaders are claiming fraud. The uncertainty could have wide-reaching implications, both in Venezuela and abroad, including here in Texas, where there’s a growing Venezuelan population.
Kurt Weyland, the Mike Hogg Professor in Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin, joins us to discuss.
All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Raul Alonzo with the Talk of Texas.