Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, June 17, 2024:
What we know about COVID’s current spread in the U.S.
A new Omicron subvariant accounts for more than half of all new COVID cases in the U.S., up from less than 5% in March. Some experts have suggested that the new variant could cause a summer surge in COVID cases. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reports that COVID viral activity in wastewater is low.
Dr. Catherine Troisi, a professor at the School of Public Health at UT Health Houston, joins the Standard with a look at the current COVID landscape.
Don’t be lulled by the slow start – meteorologists say this hurricane season’s still a threat
Forecasters are predicting this year’s hurricane season will be extremely active, even as it’s gotten off to a slow start so far. Two weeks into the Atlantic storm season, experts are reiterating their warnings.
Houston Chronicle newsroom meteorologist Justin Ballard shares what forecasters are saying about this year’s hurricane season.
Father’s Day at Houston’s Minute Maid Park
There were a lot of happy dads on Father’s Day at Minute Maid Park as the Astros finished the series against the Tigers with a win.
Houston Public Media’s Rob Salinas was there talking to fathers about the connection they have with baseball and their kids:
Meet Emma, the AI assistant answering the phones at Amarillo City Hall
In Amarillo, Emma answers the phones at City Hall. She’s not a person, though – Emma is a virtual assistant powered by AI, built specifically for the City of Amarillo by Dell Technologies.
She’s one of the first of her kind in the country, but likely not the last. Joining to tell us more is Rich Gagnon, assistant manager for the city of Amarillo.
The International Energy Agency is predicting a “staggering” oil glut in the coming years. For more we turn to Matt Smith, energy analyst at Kpler.
The fight to save the historic San Juan Hotel
Recently, San Juan city leaders approved the demolition of a historic building in the RGV community as part of a downtown revitalization plan. The San Juan Hotel was originally built in 1919 and is a state historic landmark, but is no longer in use and has fallen into disrepair.
Even though there are no concrete plans to take down the building yet, some community members are speaking out about why it should stay standing. Gabriel Ozuna, preservation chairman of the Hidalgo County Historical Commission, joins the Standard with more.
Texas Democrats think they can run against Greg Abbott’s school voucher plan – and win
When the dust settled after this spring’s GOP primaries, Gov. Greg Abbott boasted that he now has the votes in the Legislature to pass his school voucher program. But Texas Democrats, who oppose the plan, think they have an issue they can run on in November.
Alexandra Samuels has been writing about Democrats’ plans for Texas Monthly, where she covers politics. She 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.
