Here are the stories for Texas Standard for Monday, May 16, 2022.
Ready to vote again? Another election’s getting underway today.
Early voting in Texas’ May 24 primary runoff election starts today, and voters will determine which Democrats and Republicans make it to the ballot in November. For the details, we’re joined by María Méndez, service and engagement reporter for the Texas Tribune.
Ripple effects of abortion restrictions confuse care for miscarriages
New Texas laws restricting abortion access are beginning to impact miscarriage treatment. And concerns are growing among the healthcare community that Texas physicians and patients could be hesitant to continue with certain miscarriage care for fear of lawsuits. Charlotte Huff, who is covering the story for Kaiser Health News, joins us today.
Bush’s attacks on Paxton’s ethics not working in attorney general race
One of the most-watched runoff races is the Republican contest for attorney general. Incumbent Ken Paxton is being challenged by current Land Commissioner George P. Bush. Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider says that despite hefty legal baggage, Paxton seems to have the edge among likely Republican voters.
What led to the call for energy conservation this weekend
Unseasonably warm temperatures weren’t the only thing making Texans sweat this weekend. Warnings from the state power grid operator ERCOT had many on edge about whether the lights would stay on as the mercury soared. ERCOT issued a notice Friday asking people to conserve electricity as demand was expected to come close to supply. Matt Smith, lead oil analyst for the Americas at Keplr, talks about what happened.
How do you take a picture of a black hole? Very carefully.
Black holes are invisible by nature – but for the first time, we can see characteristics of the black hole 27,000 light-years away from Earth at the heart of the Milky Way. An astrophysics researcher with Texas Tech University contributed to this discovery: NASA Einstein Fellow Alex Tetarenko joins with the science today.
New exhibit showcases the ancient, sophisticated culture of the Mississippians
One thousand years ago, the Mississippian culture was one of the dominant civilizations of North America and covered much of the central and southeastern portion of the U.S. They were mound builders, by and large; in Texas, you can see evidence of what they left behind at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site in Alto. At another site in eastern Oklahoma, archaeologists found a cache of mysterious artifacts in the 1930s. Some are now on display at the Dallas Museum of Art in an exhibition called “Spirit Lodge: Mississippian Art from Spiro.” Michelle Rich, assistant curator of arts of the Americas, joins the show with more.
This Texas region has the highest rate of inflation in the U.S.
Inflation is a problem across the country. But financial research firm Moody’s Analytics says one Texas region has the worst inflation rate in America: Midland/Odessa, where inflation has hovered around 10% over the past six months. Bloomberg economic reporter Katia Dmitrieva joins us to discuss what’s behind the rise in prices there.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
