Texas Standard For August 13, 2020

Defunding the police: It’s gone from a phrase on a protest sign to a real discussion as cities finalize their budgets, we’ll have the latest. Also, Hispanic communities have been especially hit hard by the Coronavirus. But why? We’ll dig in. Plus a contact tracing technology experiment of sorts in a perhaps unlikely venue: the GOP convention. What it might mean for the general population. And one of the darlings of Sundance this year was a documentary about a bunch of Texas boys. We’ll have the story. That plus more on schools and COVID-19, today on the Texas Standard:

By Texas StandardAugust 13, 2020 9:30 am

Here’s what’s coming up on Texas Standard for Thursday August 13, 2020. Listen on your Texas public radio station, or ask your smart speaker to play Texas Standard.

Austin City Council Considers Police Funding

Like other major cities in Texas, Austin is rethinking police funding in the wake of new examples of police violence. KUT’s Audrey McGlinchy reports on City Hall for our home station, KUT in Austin.

The Impact of COVID on Latinos

COVID-19 has hit Hispanic families across Texas particularly hard. In the Houston area, Hispanics account for the highest number of cases in Harris County. 

Dr. Pepper Shortage

First it was toilet paper, then hand sanitizer. The latest pandemic staple in short supply is Dr Pepper.

Fredericksburg and State-Level Tax Revenues

A busted tourism industry, a flailing oil and gas sector and shuttered bars have led to a multi-billion-dollar revenue shortfall for the state of Texas, and for many local governments. But statewide, sales tax revenue actually increased last month compared to the same time in 2019. 

Republicans And Some States Are Embracing Electronic Contact Tracing

When Republicans gathe for their national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, attendees will be required to wear face masks, and they’ll be tracked around the convention hall by a system that notes who they’ve been in contact with. 

“Boys State”

Every summer since 1940, hundreds of incoming high school seniors have gathered in Austin for Boys State. Filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine captured this in a film now coming to Apple TV Plus.

Tracking COVID in the Classroom

Some Texas schools are back to in-person classes. And as more prepare to reopen, questions remain about whether state leaders will report or even explicitly collect data on COVID-19 cases in its public schools.

All this and Texas News Roundup, plus Social Media Editor Wells Dunbar with the talk of Texas.  

If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and KUT.org. Thanks for donating today.