Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024.
Republicans break losing streak in South Texas
On Election Night, Republicans broke a long-standing losing streak in South Texas that dated back to the 1890s. Voters in Starr County backed Donald Trump over Kamala Harris, marking the GOP’s first win there in over a century. This was part of a broader shift, with several once-reliably blue communities in the Rio Grande Valley turning red.
Carlos Gutiérrez-Mannix, a South Texas political expert and lecturer at the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley, joins the Standard with more.
West Texas geysers highlight oil and gas infrastructure failures
In recent years, parts of West Texas have started to resemble Yellowstone, with geysers and bubbling pools surfacing unexpectedly. But unlike natural phenomena, these eruptions result from broken wells and pipes in the oil and gas industry.
The rising liquid can be harmful to humans, and addressing these issues has become a mounting task for the Texas Railroad Commission. On Aug. 30, the commission’s executive director made a $100 million emergency request to the state Legislature to manage leaking wells.
Houston Chronicle reporter Amanda Drane joins the Standard with the story.
Austin mayoral race could be headed to a runoff
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson could be heading to a runoff in his bid for reelection, but it could be a few more days before that outcome is clear. KUT News’ Luz Moreno-Lozano has the latest.
Outdated boundaries strain Harris County’s Justices of the Peace
What happens if you need to go to a small claims court or receive an eviction notice? These cases fall under the jurisdiction of elected Justices of the Peace, who oversee them within designated districts in each county.
Ideally, these districts are periodically redrawn to ensure balanced caseloads across courts. But in Harris County, those boundaries haven’t been updated since 1973 – leaving some courts swamped and overwhelmed.
Houston Chronicle housing reporter Rebecca Schuetz, plus Houston Chronicle data reporter Caroline Ghisolfi, join the show with more.
Could Napoleon have ruled over Texas?
Commentator W.F. Strong delves into the little-known story of the colony started by one of Napoleon’s generals in Texas.
Ethereal new novel ‘The Naming Song’ tackles a world without words
Imagine a world where every word, every piece of meaning has vanished; where borders have disappeared, and language itself has been erased. In this strange new reality, a Naming Committee is tasked with assigning words to help people understand the world around them – because, as anyone here knows, nothing is more dangerous than something left unnamed.
That’s the premise of “The Naming Song,” a haunting new novel by award-winning author Jedediah Berry. Shortlisted for a feature at the Texas Book Festival, Berry joins the show today.
Microsoft nudges users to upgrade as Windows 10 support deadline looms
Three years after Windows 11’s release, Microsoft is urging users to finally let go of Windows 10. The company has started reminding customers about the end of official support for Windows 10, emphasizing potential security risks for those who stick with the outdated OS. However, Microsoft also promises options for those unable to upgrade just yet.
Tech expert Omar Gallaga joins us to explain what Windows 10 users need to know – and how long they have before support runs out.
All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
