Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, Sept. 16, 2024.
Can you trust the polls that say Texas could go blue?
You may have heard this before: a high-profile Democratic challenger looks like they’re pulling ahead in the polls. The race could flip a key seat, and expectations run high for election day. But then, long faces among hopeful Democrats. And the inevitable question arises: what about those polls?
Alexandra Samuels of Texas Monthly dives into the issue in her piece, “Can You Trust the Polls That Say Texas Could Go Blue?” She joins the Standard today with more.
Blackwell School Site honored in Marfa
Over the weekend, hundreds of people gathered in Marfa to celebrate the designation of a new National Historic Site.
As Marfa Public Radio’s Carlos Morales reports, the Blackwell School Site will help exhibit an era when Texas created separate schools for Hispanic children.
Legal fight over air conditioning in prisons continues
Texas inmates and nonprofit groups are in the middle of a lawsuit against the state over extreme heat inside prisons. Attorneys for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice argue that the state already provides incarcerated people with unlimited access to cold showers, ice water and air-conditioned respite areas.
But do prisons have enough guards on staff to make that promise a reality? Here to tell us more is Pooja Salhotra, who wrote about this issue for the Tribune.
Remember Democrats’ border message during Trump? A different tone in this year’s Senate race
Back in 2018, images of overcrowded detention centers and reports of family separations stirred outrage, particularly during Beto O’Rourke’s campaign against Sen. Ted Cruz.
Fast forward to today, and the message from Cruz’s latest Democratic challenger seems to have shifted. Texas Monthly’s Chris Hooks explains how the issue has evolved and what it means for this year’s race.
Brownsville native finds joy in creating Boca Chica Beach archive
Many Rio Grande Valley residents have fond memories of playing in the sand and waves at Boca Chica Beach. But when SpaceX picked the area for its launch base, the beach began to change rapidly.
Monica Sosa is trying to preserve the memories of what Boca Chica once was. She’s the curator of a regional archive called Boca Chica Corazon Grande. She shared her story with Maria Ruiz as part of NPR’s Next Generation Radio project.
Tucked away, San Antonio’s magical Lourdes Grotto
There’s a hidden gem in San Antonio that most people don’t know about – a grotto dedicated more than 80 years ago, on a day marked by fear and uncertainty in U.S. history.
Texas Public Radio’s Jack Morgan brings us the story of Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto and the Tepeyac Shrine.
Why is it so hard for young people to vote in Texas?
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made headlines recently with lawsuits targeting Bexar and Travis counties over their efforts to reach unregistered voters. And a Tarrant County judge tried – but failed – to eliminate voting on college campuses. Even before these legal fights, young Texans faced difficulties in registering to vote, despite a 1983 law requiring high schools to provide registration forms.
Reporter Leslie Rangel from The Barbed Wire takes a closer look at why voting remains a challenge for young Texans.
All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
