Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, March 28, 2024:
How the delay to FAFSA updates has impacted colleges, students and families
The Department of Education launched a renewed version of FAFSA – the form college students and families use to find out how much financial aid they qualify for – on Dec. 31.
The late rollout has caused major issues for applicants and colleges, with fewer students filling out the application and some universities pushing back deadlines in response to errors with the form.
Betsy Mayotte, president and founder of the Institute of Student Loan Advisors, joins the Standard with more.
Dairy cattle are coming down with bird flu: what you need to know
Cattle in the Panhandle got sick last week, their milk suddenly turning thick and discolored. Some of the animals developed flu-like symptoms.
For a while, no one knew exactly what was wrong with these cattle, but now a culprit has emerged: avian flu. For more, the Standard’s joined by Rachel Wagoner, editor of weekly paper Farm and Dairy.
After working for the City of Houston for eight years without a contract, Houston firefighters are in sight of a new labor agreement.
The deal would address longstanding concerns, but as Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider reports, it would mean some tough choices for taxpayers.
The Austin ‘bitcoin underground’ touts crypto’s surge in prices
Is bitcoin back? The cryptocurrency has been surging in value lately, in part because of the approval of bitcoin exchange traded funds. And along with it is a growing interest in Austin’s so-called “bitcoin underground.”
For more on why the capital city’s emerged as a hub for crytpo enthusiasts, we’re joined by tech reporter Omar Gallaga.
They’re worked like dogs – but for these canines, farm rustling is the life
In 2022, Texas farms sold more than $32 billion in agricultural products, and nearly half of that came from cattle farms.
Many Texans hold jobs in the ag sector. But there’s one job on a few cattle farms –and whole lot of sheep farms – that’s literally gone to the dogs.
As part of Texas Standard’s special project “The Future of Work in Texas,” producer Sarah Asch has more.
Questions – and some answers – with ‘Lousy Carter’ director Bob Byington
Austin-based filmmaker Bob Byington has made a career out of his dry comedic style. His movies are a hit on the festival circuit, and his newest one – “Lousy Carter,” opening tomorrow – may be his biggest movie yet.
The Standard’s Laura Rice sat down with Byington to try to get a straight answer or two about the movie.
As EVs boom in North Texas, communities hurry to fill infrastructure gaps
The electric vehicle industry is booming, and EVs are quickly growing as a viable alternative to traditional gas-powered cars. North Texas is home to more than a third of all EVs registered in the state.
As KERA’s Pablo Arauz Peña reports, that means there’s a growing need for better EV infrastructure across the region.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
