Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, Nov. 25, 2024:
State Board of Education approves Bible-infused curriculum
The Texas State Board of Education gave a final approval to a controversial new curriculum for Texas public schools that had been criticized for downplaying slavery and the civil rights movement and adding more passages from the Bible as part of lessons.
For more we’re joined by Talia Richman, who reports for the Dallas Morning News Education Lab:
How ballot secrecy was put at risk, and what lawmakers can do to fix it
In an effort to increase election transparency, Texas lawmakers put some voters’ ballot secrecy at risk. That came to light earlier this year, amid the implementation of a new state law that allows Texans to obtain copies of ballot images for review more quickly after elections.
Any identifying information is supposed to be redacted. But, in certain instances, people have been able to find individual voters’ ballots by using other public records.
The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey explains how we got here and what state lawmakers may do to fix the problem when they meet again next year.
Lookalike contest wave hits Texas as Austin looks for the best Glen Powell
It started just before Halloween – when a Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest in New York went viral. This weekend, the craze reached Texas with a contest to find the best Glen Powell. KUT News’ Katy McAfee was there:
Residents of Van Zandt County voice concerns over lithium project
Van Zandt County, about an hour east of Dallas, is mostly rural and quiet. But a potential energy project is causing some locals to make a lot of noise.
The proposal by a Finnish energy company is to build a lithium battery storage facility, which would collect and store power to be used at a later time. But many people in Van Zandt County are worried about potential safety concerns and negative impacts to land and water.
David Dunagan, leader of the group “Save Van Zandt County,” joins the show today.
Traveling for Thanksgiving? Here’s what to expect
Millions are gearing up to travel for turkey day – even as several storms forecast across the U.S. threaten to shake up plans.
Matt Smith, energy analyst for Kpler, joins us with a holiday travel outlook.
The pitmaster who brought his small community together
Texas barbecue more than just meat: In many ways, it helps us understand who we are and where we’ve come from. Take, for example, the meat market pitmaster who, many generations ago, brought a Texas community together.
The story’s told in Texas Monthly, where Daniel Vaughn is barbecue editor. He joins us with the details.
What to know about hospitals asking patients about their immigration status
Texas hospitals that accept Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Plan coverage were required to start asking all patients about their immigration status as of the beginning of this month as part of an executive order Gov. Greg Abbott issued this summer. The policy says the information is statistical only – no identifying information about patients is passed along to the governor’s office.
Terri Langford, who covers health and human services for The Texas Tribune, joins us to discuss.
All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Raul Alonzo with the Talk of Texas.
