Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, April 6, 2022.
Oklahoma abortion ban further blocks abortion access for Texans
After Texas’ ban on abortions after six weeks passed in September 2021, Texans seeking abortions went to Oklahoma more than any other state. Now, the Oklahoma Legislature passed a law making abortions a felony in the state. Eleanor Klibanoff is the Women’s Health Reporter at the Texas Tribune and explains on today’s show what this will mean for abortion access in the region.
Relief may come earlier than usual for farmers facing wildfire loses
Wildfires that have scorched parts of the state in the past month have devastated Texas ranchers and farmers. Joseph Morton is a Washington correspondent for the Dallas Morning News and joins us to talk about a plan to expedite federal relief for people who have lost livestock or equipment.
Is Dallas doing enough for its sidewalks?
Sidewalks in low-income neighborhoods aren’t just a convenience — they’re a necessity. But a city of Dallas improvement plan might not make up for decades of neglect. KERA’s Alejandra Martinez reports on whether the new plan will be enough.
The Surprising Lesson Of Judge Roy Bean’s Life: It’s Never Too Late
You probably know the name Judge Roy Bean. Depending on your age it may spark memories of a rollercoaster at Six Flags or a Paul Newman film. Texas Standard Commentator W.F. Strong remembers him most in relation to this maxim — “The greatest mistake in life is thinking it’s too late.”
Drones are flying to Texas
Since the passing of the country’s most restrictive drone use law in 2013, it’s been harder to use a drone in Texas than anywhere else. But late last month, that law was overturned, opening up new opportunities for drone use here in the state. Jim Magill, a Houston-based journalist for dronelife.com talks with us today about what to expect in Texas skies after the ruling.
Rural population loss
Despite being one of the fastest-growing states in the country, Texas’ 2020 U.S. Census data shows more than half of its counties are losing people. Most of those counties are in rural parts of state in West and Northwest Texas as well as some South and East Texas regions. The Texas Standard’s Jill Ament explores how one East Texas town is trying to stem its population loss.
According to Gov. Abbott, Texas has 15% more power generation capacity now than it did during the 2021 winter storm. Is that a fact? To help us sort out this claim, Nusaiba Mizan, a reporter with Politifact Texas based at the Austin American-Statesman, explains to the Standard what was said and what it meant.
All this and Texas News Roundup, plus Social Media Editor Wells Dunbar with the talk of Texas.
