Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023:
What happened at last night’s GOP debate?
The Republican Party held its first presidential debate last night, with neither a Texan nor Donald Trump onstage.
Todd Gillman, Washington bureau chief for the Dallas Morning News, joins Texas Standard to discuss the first of many debates.
Railroad Commission approves South Texas coal mine expansion
Energy regulators greenlit a 12,000-acre expansion of a South Texas coal mine on Tuesday, despite locals’ environmental concerns. San Miguel Electric Cooperative won unanimous approval from the Texas Railroad Commission to expand its mine near Christine.
Dylan Baddour, reporter for InsideClimate News, has more about the story.
After 15 years, ancient artifacts stolen from Mexican museum begin their journey home
Historic artifacts from Mexico that were stolen over a decade ago were officially returned earlier this week in a special ceremony in Alpine.
Marfa Public Radio’s Mitch Borden reports.
I-35 expansion through downtown Austin gets final green light
The Texas Department of Transportation is giving a final green light to a highway expansion in downtown Austin. The project would add at least four lanes to I-35, get rid of the road’s existing upper decks, and widen bridges.
KUT transportation reporter Nathan Bernier shares more details.
Solar development moratorium proposal
Although Texas is one of the country’s solar leaders, some Texas counties have had enough – at least for a while. The Texas Attorney General’s Office recently opined on whether a county in northeast Texas can enforce a moratorium on solar development.
The Texas Tribune’s Emily Foxhall joins the Standard with the story.
After decades of desert wars, the Navy and Marines are preparing for bigger global fights
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps just wrapped up an exercise spanning 22 time zones, a worldwide joint training that simulated a major battle with adversaries like China and Russia.
Steve Walsh reports for the American Homefront Project.
What one Texas Standard staffer has learned from life with a cat
Texas Standard producer and first-time cat owner Sean Saldana reflects on his first month with Lady Bird.
Federal TikTok negotiations address national security concerns
A draft agreement between the U.S. and ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, would give the federal government vast powers to control how TikTok operates here. According to a story in Forbes, the Biden administration has been negotiating with TikTok to address national security concerns raised by its Chinese ownership.
Our tech expert, Omar Gallaga, explains how the feds proposed to reign in TikTok.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Michael Marks with the Talk of Texas.
