Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022:
Collin County commissioners are Republican — but precinct chairs still question election integrity
Election fraud claims have been repeatedly discredited – but questions about election integrity still come up frequently at public meetings in Texas. All this week on the Standard, we’re exploring disinformation and the issues it’s causing leading up to the midterms in November. Today, KERA’s Caroline Love looks at the impact on community conversations.
The significance of Britain’s new prime minister
Rishi Sunak is set to become the first non-white prime minister in British history, and the youngest in about 200 years. The 42-year-old finance minister will take over after Liz Truss’ six-week tenure and is also now set to lead the British Conservative party. For more on why it matters to Texans, we’re talking with Caroline Ritter, historian and professor at Texas State University.
Early voting is here – and the candidates won’t let you forget it
Early voting is underway for the midterm elections. As The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán reports, candidates are encouraging people to get out and vote:
Border Patrol chief takes lessons learned in El Paso to new job leading Rio Grande Valley
Gloria Chavez is the highest-ranking woman in the Border Patrol. The 27-year-veteran now oversees the busy Rio Grande Valley region. She formerly served as El Paso sector chief, where she worked for about three years. Chavez spoke with KTEP news director Angela Kocherga in El Paso.
Steep drops in math scores among students’ learning loss
Schools may have returned to in-person instruction, but the impact of the pandemic is still being felt, in terms of learning loss. New data shows how the past few years have affected academic achievement among fourth- and eighth-graders in U.S. public schools – and the numbers are concerning. Meghan Mangrum, reporter with The Dallas Morning News’ Education Lab, has more.
Listen to this seasonal ode from a Texas Standard listener.
Science on their fingertips: The Texas professor making chemistry available to blind students
If you took chemistry in high school, you probably remember using your eyes quite a bit: noticing color changes in a test tube, or sketching the structure or a molecule. But for many blind students, those visual aspects can put chemistry out of reach. But a new program aims to open up to blind people what’s called “the central science.” The Texas Standard’s Shelly Brisbin reports.
Crime and partisanship are likely to be the main factors deciding the Harris County judge’s race
Hundreds of local races are on the ballot across Texas. In the state’s most populous county, the most important matchup might be for Harris County Judge. Democratic incumbent Lina Hidalgo is facing Republican challenger Alexandra del Moral Mealer. Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider takes a closer look at the race.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
