Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023:
Inside the bipartisan effort to improve Texas’ water infrastructure
A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers is working to fund sorely needed upgrades to the state’s water infrastructure. Today we’ll hear from the chair of the House Water Caucus, Democratic Rep. Tracy King of Batesville.
State park to close at the end of the month
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced Tuesday that Fairfield Lake State Park, located between Dallas and Houston, will permanently close at the end of February. Although the area has been a state park since 1976, the state doesn’t own the land; it leases it from a private company – but the parks department says it will continue its efforts to purchase the land back:
Railway merger means Houston will see more freight traffic
Two North American railways have proposed a $27 billion merger that would mean more trains traversing cities like Houston. Houston Public Media’s Katie Watkins, working with nonprofit newsroom Floodlight, looks at what‘s at stake – especially for neighborhoods already overburdened with trains.
What’s the big deal with ChatGPT?
ChatGPT’s been hailed as the next big thing in tech. It’s a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence – a robot you can talk to with your computer. In that regard, it’s not the first of its kind. So what’s the big deal? SF Gate tech reporter Stephen Council helps us explore the question.
The woman reuniting migrants with their dogs
Recently, more and more migrants are traveling with their dogs – only to be separated at the border. Now one Texas woman is trying to reunite dogs and their families. KTEP’s Angela Kocherga reports from El Paso.
My valentine: a life-changing, theme song-singing, nail-painting love
Love can come in many forms. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong has found a lot of familial love in his life, including in his two teenage boys. He recalls a certain newer relationship that he says came as a bit of a surprise.
A State of the Union fact-check
In President Joe Biden’s recent State of the Union, he said democracies are becoming strong and autocracies weaker. Is that a fact? Nusaiba Mizan with the Austin American-Statesman helps us go over this PolitiFact fact check.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
