Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024:
The Texans on stage at the Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention kicked off in Chicago last night with praise for presidential nominee Kamala Harris and scorn for her opposing Republican, Donald Trump.
Sherri Greenberg, professor and chair in state and local Government at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT-Austin, joins the Standard with a recap:
Trial for parents of accused Santa Fe High School shooter has ended in acquittal
A trial related to the shooting at Santa Fe High School in 2018 ended yesterday, when a jury found that the parents of accused gunman Dimitrios Pagourtzis were not responsible for his actions killing eight students that day. Pagourtzis has been deemed incompetent to stand trial.
New York Times Houston bureau chief J. David Goodman attended the trial and joins the Standard with more.
I-35 lane widths will shrink in Austin as TxDOT packs in more traffic
I-35 through Central Austin is about to get bigger. But the main lanes will get smaller – going from 12 to 11 feet wide, so TxDOT can squeeze in more lanes.
The shift to narrower highway lanes in urban areas is part of a national trend, but as KUT News’ Nathan Bernier reports, there are some concerns about what it means for safety.
This week in Texas music history
Today marks the birth anniversary of Big Moe – the “barre baby” of Houston’s legendary Screwed Up Click.
Jason Mellard with The Center for Texas Music History at Texas State University shares his story.
The San Antonian restoring century-old tombstones
A San Antonio man has been spending his time in cemeteries, restoring headstones that are sometimes more than 100 years old. The cemetery at St. Mary’s University on the city’s westside is among those with people who have been buried more than a century with no one to maintain their grave sites.
Texas Public Radio’s Samuel Rocha reports on what it takes to restore the rich history beneath the hallowed soil.
New book ‘The Stadium’ reconsiders the role of our modern arenas
We often hear a stadium described as home for a sports team: the home of the Cowboys, the Spurs, the Longhorns. But these giant edifices of concrete and steel are much more than sports palaces. While stadiums are built for entertainment, they can also be forums for protest and activism.
In his new book, “The Stadium: An American History of Politics, Protest and Play,” historian Frank Guridy traces the evolution of these community institutions over the past century.
Book ban efforts continue as Texas leads the nation in requests to remove titles
In 2022, Texas received more requests to remove certain library books than any other state. Recently, Harlingen pastor Luis Cabrera asked Mission CISD to remove nearly 700 books, labeling them “filthy and evil.”
Despite initial interest from the superintendent, the district has yet to remove any titles. Berenice Garcia, who covers the Rio Grande Valley for The Texas Tribune, joins the Standard with more on the story.
All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
