Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023:
San Antonio ISD could shutter as many as 17 schools
San Antonio ISD is considering closing nearly one-fifth of its schools. District officials suggested the closures as part of an effort to improve the overall educational experience, but parents and activists are voicing concerns about the closures. The full plans is set for a board vote on Nov. 13.
San Antonio Express-News staff writer Scott Huddleston joins Texas Standard with more.
Resignations, firings: What’s happening inside the Tarrant Appraisal District?
Tarrant County’s appraisal district has undergone a shakeup in recent weeks after one employee was fired and the chief appraiser resigned. Problems at the district started before recent staffing changes, however.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Jess Hardin joins the Standard with an overview.
The week in Texas music history
Jason Mellard with The Center for Texas Music History at Texas State University shares the story of Roy Montelongo.
The Dallas Fed’s latest ‘Beige Book’
Eight times a year, the Federal Reserve releases what it calls “The Beige Book,” a collection of data about the current state of the economy based on Fed interviews, surveys and talks with businesses and community groups.
The Texas Standard’s Sean Saldana joins us to talk about the Dallas Fed’s contribution to the most recent Beige Book.
Texas students worry over state book bans
A federal judge in Austin has temporarily blocked a new Texas law regulating which books are available in school libraries. The state has already appealed the ruling. But with or without the new law in place, efforts to restrict students’ access to certain books continue throughout Texas.
KUT’s Becky Fogel reports on how young people are worried about what the future holds.
Animal rights groups want Benito the giraffe moved from his park in Juárez
He’s a giraffe in a public park in Ciudad Juárez that’s become a focal point for animal welfare groups. What’s to become of Benito?
From the borderlands, KTEP’s Angela Kocherga reports.
For one Dallas school, addressing kids’ mental health needs starts in the classroom
Social-emotional learning is a framework for students to understand and communicate their feelings. It’s also about early interventions that can stop worse mental health outcomes later in life. Despite recent challenges from conservative groups, districts across the country have incorporated emotional health into education.
KERA’s Elena Rivera reports on how these principles show up in practice at a Texas school.
Has Harris County DA Kim Ogg used her office to attack political rivals?
A Democrat who has often been at odds with members of her own party, Kim Ogg has been Harris County’s district attorney since 2017. According to a new Houston Chronicle investigation, Ogg has launched criminal investigations against four other county officials with whom she was having public disagreements.
The Chronicle’s Neena Satija joins the Standard with the story.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
