Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Tuesday, March 28, 2023:
A fire at a migrant detention center in Juárez claims dozens of lives
At least 39 people are dead after a fire at the National Migration Institute, a detention center in Juárez, Mexico. For the latest we turn to Aaron Montes, producer and newscaster at KTEP in El Paso:
What can be done to crack down on human smuggling?
Three people lost their lives and several more were hospitalized in two separate human smuggling incidents in South Texas over the weekend. For more on the rise of human smuggling in South Texas, we’re joined by South Texas College professor and Rio Grande Anti-Human-Trafficking Coalition founding member Jenny Bryson Clark.
Carroll ISD board votes to leave state association over political grievances
In North Texas, the Carroll ISD school board has voted to end its long-standing membership in the Texas Association of School Boards. The association had, until now, represented all public districts in the state. While Carroll ISD is the first district in the state to leave the group, KERA’s Bill Zeeble reports more could follow:
After COVID cut down the ‘she-cession’ in the workforce, it’s building back
Before the pandemic, the number of businesses owned by women was growing at breathtaking speed, particularly in Texas. Then, COVID disproportionately affected female entrepreneurs. But now those businesses are returning. Emily Ryder Perimeter, senior adviser with the Dallas Federal Reserve, offers more.
How you define ‘made in America’ could make a big difference for these companies
What does “made in America” mean? While it sounds pretty straightforward, the definition may not be so clear cut – at least when it comes to a new program to encourage homegrown green energy projects. Phred Dvorak reported on the conundrum for the Wall Street Journal, and she joins us today.
We shared our gas station stories. Now Texas Standard listeners are sharing theirs.
When we put together “Pumped,” the Standard’s recent special program about gas stations, we asked folks to share their own stories. Many did! We’ll hear a couple of them, from listeners David Borden and Tammy Melody Gomez.
A new report says Austin allergies aren’t that bad. Locals beg to differ.
Most folks who live in Central Texas will agree: Allergies in the Austin area are the worst. Now, a new report ranks U.S. cities by how challenging they are for people with allergies. And as KUT’s Olivia Aldridge reports, the results might come as a surprise to most Austinites – or even anger them.
New bills address the environmental impact of Texas’ growth
As major cities across Texas continue to grow, things are busy at concrete batch plants, which create the concrete for things like highways and shopping malls. But as Houston Public Media’s environmental reporter Katie Watkins explains, lawmakers have introduced two dozen bills to address how dust from the plants impacts the health of people nearby.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
