Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, March 14, 2024:
What‘s next after the House approves TikTok ban
The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly yesterday to ban TikTok, citing security concerns related to the Chinese-owned platform’s control of Americans’ data.
The Standard’s Shelly Brisbin has been following the story, including where Texans in Congress stand.
An update on SpaceX’s Starship rocket launch
SpaceX launched its Starship rocket from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, this morning, the third test of the super heavy rocket in the past year.
We’ll hear from Gaige Davila of Texas Public Radio live from Boca Chica about how things went.
Smokehouse Creek Fire contained, but Panhandle fire conditions spike
The Smokehouse Creek Fire is nearly contained after spreading across roughly 1.1 million acres. But as responders continue to fight the last of the blaze, officials warned they could be facing another hurdle: “extremely critical fire weather” in the Panhandle.
The Texas A&M Forest Service’s Erin O’Connor joins the show with more.
Airbnb hosts will no longer be allowed to activate security cameras inside the spaces they rent. The company created the new policy after several incidents in which Airbnb renters found cameras trained in private areas, including bedrooms.
The Standard’s tech expert Omar Gallaga wrote about the new rule for CNET and joins the show with more.
Questions over how to remember an East Texas manhunt
In the summer of 1986, the nation briefly turned its eye on rural east Texas – specifically, the Upshur County Courthouse. While under arrest for murder, Gerald Walter McFadden overpowered one guard and took another hostage. He was caught after a two-day manhunt, thought to be the largest in Texas history, and eventually executed by the state in 1999.
Now the Upshur County Courthouse is about to undergo a major remodeling effort. And there’s a proposal on the table to keep McFadden’s notorious cell untouched. But not everyone is pleased about that idea. Longview News-Journal reporter Jordan Green joins the Standard with more.
Wizzie Brown is a program specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and our go-to insect expert. Something bugging you? Send the Standard your insect questions and we’ll pass them along.
Austin-area students learn about the upcoming total eclipse through an escape-room-style game
Many schools in Central Texas have cancelled classes on the day of the total solar eclipse as county official expect traffic jams. But that doesn’t mean students are missing out on a chance to learn.
KUT’s Becky Fogel reports a Hill Country science museum has developed a game to help thousands of children learn more about the celestial event.
Oil companies get into carbon capture business
In East Texas, oil companies are hoping to cash in on federal programs to boost carbon capture projects.
It’s a story Amanda Drane is reporting on for the Houston Chronicle, where she covers energy. She joins the Standard today.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
