Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024:
What’s behind El Paso County’s drop in early voting turnout?
Since the start of early voting in Texas on Monday, there have been numerous reports of high turnout eclipsing the numbers of previous recent elections. One outlier, however, is El Paso County, where turnout dropped 31% when compared with the first day of early voting in 2020.
So what gives? Richard Pineda, a professor of communication at the University of Texas El Paso, joins us with his take:
North Texas Democratic incumbent in a tight race
One of the few competitive races in North Texas is playing out in Collin County, traditionally a Republican stronghold. Democrat Mihaela Plesa is the incumbent in Texas House District 70, but Gov. Greg Abbott says Republican Steve Kinard can flip it.
KERA’s Caroline Love has more.
Austin mulling requiring landlords to disclose extra fees
Texans in the market for a rental are seeing slightly lower prices this year compared with last October, according to data from Zillow. But when folks find a place they like and can afford, some are surprised by extra fees.
Now, the City of Austin is considering requiring landlords to disclose those fees when someone applies for an apartment. KUT’s Audrey McGlinchy has more:
Where has Harris County’s tax assessor-collector been?
A Houston Chronicle investigation has found that the top tax official in Texas’ most populous county has not showed up to her office in four years. Documents show Ann Harris Bennett, an elected official, last swiped into the county building where she works back in late 2020 – this in the midst of the state Legislature targeting Harris County over its election procedures, procedures that the tax assessor-collector’s office is at least partially responsible for.
Yilun Cheng, who covers city hall and local politics for the Houston Chronicle, joins us with the story.
Marijuana on the ballot in two more Texas cities
Two more Central Texas cities, Bastrop and Lockhart, are voting on whether to decriminalize possessing small amounts of marijuana. Several cities and towns across the state, including Austin, San Marcos and others in Central Texas, have already done the same thing.
So why have all these places been holding elections on marijuana possession? KUT’s Katy McAfee reports:
San Antonio’s Donkey Lady gets a modern re-imagining
San Antonio-based performance artist Marisela Barrera tells the legend of the Donkey Lady and why “La Burra” has become the topic of several of her projects. We’ll hear from her today.
Sony announces worldwide video game concert tour
Video game fans will soon be able to attend a concert consisting of some of their favorite music from games like “God of War” and “The Last of Us.”
The worldwide concert tour, announced by Sony, will feature live musicians and begins in Europe. Tech expert Omar Gallaga wrote about the tour announcement for CNET, and he joins the Standard to tell us more.
Health care providers dealing with IV fluid shortage
Health care providers across the country are doing their best to conserve IV fluids – liquids that often help hydrate or deliver medicine directly into a patient’s bloodstream. In Texas, some hospitals have suspended elective surgeries to deal with the shortage, while others are cutting back on the amount of fluid used in each procedure.
The cause of the problem is Hurricane Helene, which flooded the area around a facility in North Carolina that makes most of the country’s IV fluids.
Joseph Choi, who’s been covering this story as a healthcare reporter for The Hill, joins us to discuss.
All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Raul Alonzo with the Talk of Texas.
