Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. :
As midterm elections near, Republicans try to make gains with Latinos in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley
One of the most closely watched political battlegrounds in the nation right now is South Texas, where many political prognosticators say Republican inroads in 2020 could suggest a tipping point in a region where Latinos have favored Democratic candidates. How much has that conventional political wisdom really changed? The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán takes a closer look.
What issues drive Latino voters to the polls?
Everything – from border security to religion and Donald Trump – have been credited for Republican competitiveness with Latinos, but what really are the main issues on Hispanic voters’ minds this election season? To get to the bottom of that question, we’re joined by Sharon Navarro, political science professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Committee meant to help South Texas colonias has gone unformed, without report
Help for South Texas’ colonias was supposed to come after a legislation authored by a Rio Grande Valley legislator passed last year. But as Texas Public Radio’s Carolina Cuellar reports, little of what the bill called for has been done – and it’s set to expire in less than a month.
Will Facebook’s Metaverse have legs?
Last year, Facebook signaled a major transition in changing its parent company’s name to Meta – a sign the company was investing heavily in building out the Metaverse, its virtual reality social platform. Joining us to talk about how those efforts are going is Adi Robertson, senior reporter with The Verge.
Has human activity had a direct effect on the habits of insects?
We’ll hear from Wizzie Brown, a program specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and our go-to insect expert. Something bugging you? Drop us a line and we’ll pass it along.
A violin 50 years in the making
Robert Hunter was not famous. He was born in 1930, lived in the small West Texas town of Seminole and worked for a natural gas company. But 50 years ago, he started shaping a piece of wood into something that would become part of his legacy. KUT’s Matt Largey has the story.
Early detection of breast cancer saves lives
One in eight women will get breast cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As KUT’s Seema Mathur reports, early detection can be lifesaving and give women additional treatment options:
There is an enormous shortage of childcare workers
Approximately 100,000 childcare workers are missing from the workforce compared to before the pandemic, the New York Times reports – and people are hardly rushing to fill those positions. Here for a look at how the situation is affecting Texas is Cynthia Juniper, research associate at the University of Texas at Austin’s Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
