Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, Dec. 11, 2023:
Houston voters pick John Whitmire by a resounding margin
State Sen. John Whitmire has defeated U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in the runoff election to serve as Houston’s 63rd mayor.
The Texas Tribune’s Patrick Svitek joins the Standard with a look at what Whitmire’s win may mean for the state’s biggest city.
Tension spikes in South America as Venezuela lays claim to Guyanan territory
A longstanding territorial dispute between neighboring South American countries reignited over the weekend, with Venezuelan officials moving to claim over half of Guyana’s territory as its own. An international tribunal ruled that the oil-rich Essequibo region belongs to Guyana, but Venezuela has consistently contested that decision. Now Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is using the issue to drum up support ahead of his country’s presidential election.
University of Texas at Austin professor Kurt Weyland joins the Standard with more.
Despite lawsuits, November’s constitutional amendments will take effect
The 13 constitutional amendments Texas voters approved last month – including property tax cuts and raises for retired teachers – will be implemented as planned, despite a handful of lawsuits from far-right activists challenging the election.
The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán reports.
Why does a property-rich district like Austin struggle to fund schools? Because of recapture
Most everything costs more than it did in 2019. But Texas public schools still get the same funding they did four years ago. That has school districts across Texas struggling to balance their budgets – even in large, urban districts with plenty of property wealth.
As part of Texas Public Radio’s ongoing series on school finance, education reporter Camille Phillips visits Austin ISD to explain why.
Younger and older voters are increasingly motivated by climate change
For young voters, polling shows change in climate policy as a top priority. But a new study suggests they’re getting help from an unlikely cohort: voters age 65 and older.
Inside Climate News reporter Marianne Lavelle joins the show to talk about whether gray is the new green.
YouTube chef blends her Texan and Indian roots in new show
Texas has the second-largest Indian American population in the U.S., and that blend of cultures can produce some truly exciting food. It’s this reason chef Deepa Shridhar has chosen to focus her new show on South Indian-Texan cuisine.
Shridhar joins the Standard to talk about her YouTube series “KanDeepa Texan.”
U.S. military families face childcare shortages
Childcare is among the largest expenses faced by working families, including those in the armed services. But thousands of military parents are on waitlists, unable to enroll their kids in base childcare centers.
While the Pentagon has made some progress, families can still wait years for a childcare opening. Andrew Dyer reports for the American Homefront Project.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
