Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022:
Texas’ highest criminal court keeps Operation Lone Star cases at the border
Gov. Greg Abbott has surged state resources at the border, charging unauthorized migrants with trespassing or vandalism charges in the process. A Central Texas judge ruled in the case of one such man – but despite the legal backlog, Texas’ Court of Criminal Appeals says counties removed from the border can’t get involved. The Austin American-Statesman’s Katie Hall has more.
Texas Muslim leaders are calling for frank talk about domestic violence
A series of domestic violence cases across the United States have involved members of the Muslim American community. Now advocates and leaders are speaking out. KERA’s Stella Chavez reports community members are organizing and educating others on how to help.
What the Texas economy looks like right now
Eight times a year, the Federal Reserve publishes The Beige Book. Unlike typical economics reports, the Beige Book shares qualitative, less-formal data about the economy. The Standard’s Sean Saldana debriefs us on its latest opus.
Lensa turns selfies into art. Its ethical issues may not be as pretty
The “it” app right now? Lensa. The AI-based app turns selfies into vibrant images rendered in an array of artistic styles. But are there privacy risks or other implications to using Lensa? Our tech expert Omar Gallaga has a few thoughts.
How the U.S. and Mexico are bringing back the Mexican gray wolf
Mexican gray wolves, or lobos, once roamed the southwestern U.S. to southern Mexico by the thousands. But by the 1970s, only a handful remained in the wild. A binational recovery strategy was created by U.S. and Mexican agencies in 2017, and renewed earlier this year. Martha Pskowski with The El Paso Times has more.
It’s more than tamales: There’s a bounty of Latino holiday dishes
Tamales are a holiday staple in Texas, but there are plenty of less-famous Latino holiday foods waiting to get unwrapped. Here to dish out the details is taco journalist and “Tacos of Texas” podcaster Mando Rayo.
WNBA star and Houston native Brittney Griner freed from Russian prison
WNBA star Britney Griner has been released from a Russian prison as part of a prisoner swap between Russia and the U.S. Adam Klein with UT Austin’s Strauss Center Program on Technology, Security, and Global Affairs has more:
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
