Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Friday, Sept. 22, 2023:
Migrants’ arrival at Eagle Pass underscores Biden’s challenge on immigration
Nearly 6,000 migrants have crossed from Mexico into the U.S. over last two days at Eagle Pass, Texas, the Associated Press reports. It’s one of several recent developments involving migration, including the Biden administration’s announcement of temporary protected status to almost half a million Venezuelans in the U.S., making it easier for many to qualify for employment.
Texas Public Radio reporter Gaige Davila joins the Standard from Eagle Pass with the latest.
How impeachment frayed the Texas House and Senate’s relationship even further
Lawmakers will be back in Austin next month for a special session on school vouchers. But the relationship between the Texas House and Senate may be more strained than ever after the Senate acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton in an impeachment trial last week.
At the forefront is the sour relationship between Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan. The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán reports it could hamper the GOP’s goals:
Trees can make bus stops safer for riders. What would it take to plant more?
Two Houston reporters spent the summer taking temperatures at bus stops across the city, researching how hot it gets for METRO riders. They found tree shade consistently beat bus shelters at cooling riders.
In the third part of their investigation, Houston Public Media’s Katie Watkins and Sara Willa Ernst dig into solutions, including what it would take to get a tree at every bus stop.
Big corporate landlords bought up scores of homes – then stopped. Now what?
In 2020 and 2021, the American housing market was soaring. Spurred by low interest rates and COVID’s halt to construction activity, demand and prices skyrocketed. Large corporate landlords were among those who took advantage, paying cash for homes and competing with individual buyers.
But now, The Wall Street Journal reports these mega landlords have slowed their spending. Reporter Ryan Dezember joins the Standard with the story.
Why ‘Viva Terlingua’ is the ‘Big Bang of Texas Music’
By 1973, Jerry Jeff Walker was due another album for his record label – and overdue for a hit. But what happened when Walker and The Lost Gonzo Band set up in Luckenbach 50 years ago was heard and felt not just across Texas, but Nashville and way beyond.
Hector Saldana, Texas music curator for the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University in San Marcos, joins the Standard to talk about the 50th anniversary of “Viva Terlingua.”
The gang delivers another custom poem. Reach out to Texas Standard with your topic suggestions!
Texas Tribune managing editor Ayan Mittra stops by with a recap of the week that was in Texas politics.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
