Here’s what’s coming up on Texas Standard for Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. Listen on your Texas public radio station, or ask your smart speaker to play Texas Standard. Check back later today for updated story links and audio.
Texas youth prisons locked down after violent assaults
Texas’ five youth prisons were placed on lockdown following what officials described as an exceptionally violent assault on a correctional officer and a separate incident at a halfway house. The restrictions come as the state’s juvenile justice system continues facing scrutiny over conditions and treatment of young people in custody.
KERA law and justice reporter Toluwani Osibamowo joins the Standard with the latest.
What’s behind the recent surge in food recalls?
A string of food recalls and outbreaks has affected products ranging from lettuce and blueberries to dozens of items sold at H-E-B. The recent headlines may leave consumers wondering whether food safety problems are becoming more common and what they can do to protect themselves.
Dolores Woods, a registered nurse and nutritionist supervisor at UTHealth Houston, joins the Standard with more.
Good sportsmanship program looks to keep the fun in high school football
High school football gets underway this week as fans flood stadiums across Texas. Houston Public Media’s Rob Salinas reports game officials are stressing a good sportsmanship program that has reduced the number of ejections from players and fans.
Texas oil companies sign landmark deals with Venezuela
Two Texas-based companies have signed major oil agreements with Venezuela, the first such U.S. deals in nearly two decades. The agreements could signal renewed investment in a country with enormous reserves but badly deteriorated energy infrastructure, while potentially redirecting more Venezuelan crude toward U.S. refineries.
Kpler lead energy analyst Matt Smith joins the Standard with more on the impact.
Texas makes heat safety rules mandatory for school sports
Texas schools must now follow mandatory heat-safety rules for outdoor athletic practices rather than relying on recommended guidelines.
Houston Chronicle high school sports reporter John Poorman joins the show with more on the changes, why they’re coming now, and what, exactly, a “wet bulb temperature” is.
This week in Texas music history
Jason Mellard from the Center for Texas Music History takes us into Inner Sanctum, a storied, long-since departed Austin record store.
How talking to babies builds early literacy skills
Learning to read begins well before children open their first book. Researchers say talking regularly with infants helps them absorb language patterns and build communication skills. Now a new program at the San Antonio-area Northside Independent School District is building on those findings.
Texas Public Radio’s Yvette Benavides reports.
Texas hemp businesses sue over new THC bans
Texas hemp businesses are challenging the state’s new THC restrictions in state and federal court, arguing the bans conflict with federal law and place an unconstitutional burden on interstate commerce. The lawsuits follow recently implemented rules that made previously legal THC products subject to criminal penalties.
Texas Tribune reporter Stephen Simpson joins the Standard with more.
