Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024:
Judge orders removed books back onto the shelves in Llano County
Llano County has been embroiled in a lawsuit over library books for over a year. Seven patrons of the library filed a lawsuit against Llano County officials after those officials ordered the removal of 17 books from the shelves and the suspension of access to digital library books.
Now, 18 months after an Austin district judge ordered Llano County to restore the 17 books, the case is back in court. Bayliss Wagner, who covers politics for the Austin American-Statesman, joins us to discuss.
For Banned Books Week, a look at titles prohibited in state prisons
For the past few years, it seems like the whole country has been focused on the fight over what books should be allowed in local libraries and public schools. But the issue of what to censor in state prisons goes back much further.
For banned books week, The Texas Newsroom’s Lauren McGaughy combed through the 10,000 titles on the state’s list of prohibited books. What she found might surprise you.
Introducing Austin musician Rosie Flores
Austin long ago gave itself the nickname the Live Music Capital of the world. Hispanic artists have and continue to contribute to its music scene.
This Hispanic Heritage Month, our friends at Austin music station KUTX are highlighting just a few of them – including Rosie Flores. If you haven’t heard of her or don’t know that much about her work, KUT’s Jerry Quijano has an introduction.
A look at the life and impact of Tomás Rivera
Of course, the impact of Hispanic Texans goes far beyond music. Sara Acuña with the Voces Oral History Center at UT-Austin introduces us to a man who became one of the first Hispanic leaders in academia.
How AI is spurring the return of Three Mile Island’s nuclear plant
The worst nuclear accident in U.S. history happened in 1979 at a reactor at Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island when one of its units experienced a partial meltdown. The other operated until 2019, when it was shut down for economic reasons.
Now, a big tech company is planning to bring it back – in large part to support power-hungry artificial intelligence operations. Tech expert Omar Gallaga joins us to discuss.
New exhibit showcases never-before-seen Freddy Fender artifacts
The hometown of Baldemar Huerta – better known by his stage name, Freddy Fender – will soon honor the trailblazing Tejano musician in a first-of-its-kind exhibit at the San Benito Cultural Heritage Museum.
One of the historians curating the exhibit is Veronique Medrano, a musician and archivist whose own work has been greatly influenced by Fender. She joins us to share what folks can expect.
The gang delivers another custom poem. Reach out to Texas Standard with your topic suggestions!
The Texas Tribune’s James Barragán joins the Standard with a recap of the week that was in Texas politics.
All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Raul Alonzo with the Talk of Texas.
