Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Friday, Sept. 29, 2023:
The latest on a government shutdown and what it means for Texas
A federal shutdown, precipitated by an ideological battle in Congress, would put thousands of Texans in financial precarity. While the shutdown still isn’t certain, Congress must reach a deal to keep the government funded by Sunday, Oct. 1, when the fiscal year ends.
UT Austin political science professor Sean Theriault joins the Standard with more.
Deadly heat, no AC — and for Texas renters, help from local governments is hit-or-miss
The summer of 2023 was the second hottest on record in Texas. For most residents, that meant more time indoors. But for renters, air conditioning isn’t legally required — at least not everywhere in the state.
KERA’s Christopher Connelly reports that’s more than just an inconvenience.
Howdy, folks: The State Fair of Texas is back
The State Fair of Texas is opening today and will run through Oct. 22. Learn more about what’s happening on the fairgrounds.
These reporters found dangerously high temperatures at Houston bus stops. What’s next?
As mentioned above, Texans experienced the second hottest summer on record this year. Houston Public Media examined the toll heat takes on public transit riders and presented potential solutions in a special investigative project.
Reporters Sara Willa Ernst and Katie Watkins join the Standard with a debrief today.
Why homeschooling is on the rise across the ideological spectrum
Over the past couple of years, there’s been a shift in the way that many Texans school their kids, with more folks opting for homeschooling. The Washington Post reports an increasingly diverse population choosing to pull their kids from the public school system for reasons that span the political spectrum – or lie completely outside it.
Post education reporter Laura Meckler joins the Standard with more.
What does it mean to be low vision? ‘The Country of the Blind’ seeks to answer that question.
People with partially blindness or low vision are often called upon to explain themselves: How much can you see? Do you really need that white cane? Are you OK?
Writer Andrew Leland, who is gradually losing his vision, knows these questions. Searching for answers, Leland (the grandson of playwright Neil Simon) also wanted to understand something about how blind people figure into history, literature and even the development of technology.
The Standard’s Shelly Brisbin speaks with Leland about his new memoir, “The Country of the Blind.”
The gang delivers another custom poem. Reach out to Texas Standard with your topic suggestions!
Texas Tribune managing editor Matthew Watkins 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.
