The Standard’s news roundup gives you a quick hit of interesting, sometimes irreverent, and breaking news stories from all over the state.
A new report outlines a statewide plan to ensure kids and families who have experienced trauma get the services they need when they interact with the child welfare system. The Texas Supreme Court’s Children’s Commission released its findings last Friday.
Travis County District Judge Darlene Byrne is part of the 100-member group that worked on this report, titled “Building a Trauma-Informed Child Welfare System: A Blueprint,” for the last year-and-a-half. She explains that one of the first steps that needs to be taken is a shift in how we understand and talk about trauma.
“We want Texas to start looking at the children and families that we serve from a lens of not ‘what’s wrong with you?’ but otherwise ‘what happened to you?’ and start from that place of healing,” Byrne says.
Judge Byrne says she understands many communities can struggle to provide resources to kids and families.
“But what this blueprint challenges every community to do is to come together collaboratively and identify what resources do we have, what can we leverage with those resources, and then identify the unique gaps in that jurisdiction.” she says.
Byrne describes this blueprint as the first step in a five-to-ten-year process to transform how the state’s child welfare system understands and addresses trauma.
While Congress works to reach a border security deal with another government shutdown looming, several Democratic lawmakers decided to visit the border themselves. A small delegation spent the weekend in El Paso and southern New Mexico.
Mallory Falk, with KRWG, reports.
On Saturday, a congressional delegation visited El Paso and southern NM to see the border up close. “It’s frustrating to know that we are being painted as a dangerous place meant to be controlled when what we see is a place of complexity and beauty,” says @RepEscobar pic.twitter.com/FnBGHNQwPX
— Mallory Falk (@malloryfalk) February 10, 2019
The five representatives met with various stakeholders along the border, including immigration advocates and officials from Customs and Border Protection. El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar co-led the delegation.
“It’s frustrating to know that we are being painted as a dangerous place meant to be controlled when what we see is a place of complexity and beauty,” Escobar said.
The border is too complex, she says, for a one-size-fits-all solution. Escobar was joined by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, along with representatives from New Mexico and Pennsylvania. President Trump is expected to hold a campaign rally in El Paso this evening.
Texans basically took over the 61st annual Grammy Awards Sunday night.
Post Malone of Dallas, Maren Morris of Arlington, Travis Scott of Missouri City and Kacey Musgraves of Golden all performed Sunday.
Musgraves also won big last night, including taking home the top prize of Album of the Year for “Golden Hour.”
“Life is pretty tumultuous right now, for all of us I feel like…and I feel like because of that art is really thriving and it’s been really beautiful to see that.” Musgraves said.
Other Texans who took home awards include St. Vincent, Willie Nelson and Leon Bridges.
