Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, May 1, 2023.
El Paso declares state of emergency as more migrants arrive at the border
El Paso mayor Oscar Leeser has declared a state of emergency over the number of people arriving at the border seeking asylum in the U.S. KTEP’s Angela Kocherga joins us with the latest on the situation.
Anti-transgender legislation comes up in the Texas Legislature this week
Texas lawmakers have discussed a slew of bills affecting transgender youth this legislative session. Two such bills – one that prohibits trans youth from receiving gender affirming care, and another governing trans college athletes – are up for discussion this week. As he has every week of the session, the Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán offers a look at what’s coming up at the Capitol.
Why Galveston is changing the way it responds to mental health calls
Galveston is changing the way it handles emergency calls when someone is having a mental health crisis. Houston Public Media’s Gail Delaughter says the island community has some unique challenges in handling those kinds of cases.
The missed warning before a Houston-area chemical plant fire
A massive butane spill in Deer Park lead to a fire at a chemical facility in 2019. A new investigation by Public Health Watch delves into the warning signs at the Intercontinental Terminals Company facility, and a lack of safety precautions that made the fire harder to contain. Reporters David Leffler and Savanna Strott share the story.
Exploring a coastal insurance crisis
More coastal homeowners are buying policies from a state-chartered insurance program, because that’s their only option. The rapid growth of the program raises concerns that if a major storm hits Texas, the state-chartered insurer will make other insurers help pay. Climate journalist Thomas Frank with E&E News shares more.
Teaching Greek and Roman texts in the Jim Crow era
During the Jim Crow era, a debate emerged among Black leaders and educators: is it better to teach trade skills or to teach the classics and study ancient Greek and Roman texts? Now, modern researchers are highlighting the contributions of Black Texans at the center of the debate. The Standard’s Sean Saldana reports.
Vietnamese community in DFW marks a sad day in history — the fall of Saigon
Sunday marked what’s known as the Fall of Saigon, when the capital of South Vietnam fell to the communist regime of North Vietnam in 1975. As KERA’s Stella Chavez reports, the North Texas Vietnamese community has been commemorating that day for more than four decades.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
