Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, June 23, 2022:
Uvalde school police chief placed on administrative leave. What’s next?
Uvalde Consolidated ISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo has been placed on administrative leave, amid withering criticism of his response to the deadliest school shooting in Texas history. The decision comes after weeks of conflicting stories and a shifting narrative – and is far from the last word. Austin American-Statesman and KVUE investigative reporter Tony Plohetski joins us with more.
Gun safety bill likely to advance in U.S. Senate
A gun safety measure drafted by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators looks to have enough votes to clear the upper chamber. The hope is to get the measure out of the Senate before Congress recesses for the 4th of July. Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn has played a pivotal role in getting the bill to the Senate floor – much to the chagrin of some of his party’s hardline conservatives. Jeremy Wallace has been covering this for the Houston Chronicle and joins us with the latest.
This 87-year-old woman carries a lifetime of learning
Eloisa Tamez has five college degrees – and she just earned her latest at age 87. She shares her story about why education has always been an important part of her life and what she wants to do next.
Amazon’s employee shortage could impact deliveries, workforce
Amazon runs on its workforce of nearly 1 million people. And workforce turnover year after year has had Amazon execs worried they won’t have enough people to hire. That’s been confirmed by a leaked memo showing Amazon could start to run out of warehouse workers in some states by 2024. Omar Gallaga, our resident tech expert, delivers the news and more.
UTEP creates new institute focused on Hispanic student success
Eighty-four percent of students at the University of Texas at El Paso are Hispanic – a figure that’s reflective of the area’s overall population. But it wasn’t always that way. Former UTEP President Diana Natalicio made recruiting Hispanic students a focus of her 31-year tenure. That’s why a new UTEP institute – the Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success – bears her name. Its goal is to reimagine what it truly means to be a Hispanic-serving university. Inaugural executive director Anne-Marie Núñez joins us today.
The author and Olympic coach redefining toughness
In his new book, Texas author and Olympic coach Steve Magness hopes to redefine and expand what toughness and resilience mean and how these ideas transfer to everyday life. He joins us today to talk about his new book, “Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness.”
A new tool in West Texas that’s helping prevent suicide in the military
Suicide has become a leading killer of those who serve in the military. In the 20 years since 9/11, far more have died from suicide than in combat. Preventing suicides has become a top priority for the Department of Defense. KTEP’s Angela Kocherga has been looking at training in West Texas – and a new virtual reality tool designed to help members of the military talk to someone in crisis.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
