Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Friday, Aug. 4, 2023:
Body discovered trapped in Rio Grande buoy barrier, amid Abbott’s border security initiative
A grim discovery came to light near Eagle Pass this week as officials found a body ensnared within the buoy barrier erected in the Rio Grande. These buoys stand as the latest component of Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security initiative; the U.S. Department of Justice recently filed a lawsuit against Texas, saying the buoys and other deterrent obstacles like razor wire on the riverbanks were illegal. And beyond the legal fight, the buoys have sparked outrage from human rights advocates who deem them cruel and inhumane.
Sandra Sanchez, South Texas correspondent for Border Report, joins us with more.
Dallas County has the highest rate of uninsured people in North Texas. Why?
Texas has the largest percentage of people without health insurance. But zooming in a little closer, Dallas County has the highest percentage of uninsured folks of all the large counties in Texas. It also has the largest percentage among the four big DFW counties.
KERA’s Bret Jaspers wanted to find out why.
El Paso Walmart attack survivors from Mexico still await promised immigrant visas
Thursday marked four years since the attack on an El Paso Walmart. Some of the shoppers there that day were from Mexico and are eligible for immigrant visas for crime victims who help law enforcement.
Four years later, they’re still waiting. KTEP’s Angela Kocherga explains:
Pandemic-era financial relief is ending for childcare centers
As pandemic-era financial support draws to a close, many families face the resumption of federal student loan payments, the end of Medicaid qualification, and the loss of SNAP benefits. Alongside these changes, childcare centers across the nation are experiencing the cessation of pandemic relief checks, impacting working families with young children.
Cody Summerville, executive director of the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children, joins Texas Standard to discuss how childcare centers around the country have likely gotten their last pandemic relief check – and the worry that comes with that.
What’s next for the U.S. in the World Cup
In their final group stage match at the World Cup, the U.S. Women’s National Team played to a 0-0 tie against Portugal.
The early morning broadcast left fans anxious about the team’s upcoming challenges in the knockout rounds. Portugal controlled possession and posed several promising goal-scoring opportunities, highlighting the U.S. team’s struggles to maintain pace.
To delve into the U.S. team’s performance and analyze their future prospects in the tournament, we’re joined by Linda Hamilton, a member of the 1991 World Cup-winning U.S. national team and a distinguished coach at Southwestern University in Georgetown.
Del Rio’s William Beckmann fuses youthful energy and timeless soul in country music
William Beckmann, a native of Del Rio, has blended the vibrancy of youth and the enduring soul of classic country into a unique musical style. His latest album, “Here’s to You, Here’s to Me,” radiates an unmistakable country roots essence, peppered by the Latin influences that characterize his hometown.
We welcome Beckmann to the Standard today.
Austin’s Typewriter Rodeo is a group of poets who use vintage typewriters at events and gatherings to compose personalized poems on the spot.
Today they deliver another custom poem. Reach out to Texas Standard with your own topic suggestions!
Texas Tribune reporter James Barragán stops by with a recap of the week that was in Texas politics, including developments in Ken Paxton’s long-delayed criminal trial, a Dallas attorney’s connection to the Justice Department’s indictment of Donald Trump, and top U.S. House Democrats rallying behind Rep. Henry Cuellar.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
