Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024:
A conversation with U.S. Senate candidate Roland Gutierrez
Roland Gutierrez announced he was running for U.S. Senate last July. The Texas Senate Democrat has served in the state Legislature since 2008 and became more widely known for his gun control advocacy after the Uvalde shooting, which occurred in his district.
Gutierrez joins the Standard to tell us more about his campaign.
Ken Paxton sets his sights on 3 judges from Texas’ highest criminal court
Texas’ Court of Criminal Appeals is the state’s court of last resort for all criminal cases. It’s earned a reputation as a tough, conservative court, but its elections usually don’t get much fanfare.
But leading up to the March primaries, Attorney General Ken Paxton has been laser focused on getting three criminal appeals judges off the bench. KERA’s Toluwani Osibamowo reports.
The winding path to viral fame in 2024
The New York Times recently told the story of the viral rise of a previously unknown cleaner called The Pink Stuff. The brand owes its success not to sophisticated marketing, but to a TikTok influencer who wasn’t even paid to promote it.
Tech expert Omar Gallaga joins the Standard to suss out what’s behind it all.
It’s not just multiple choice: computers are grading student essays, too
The Scantron, or something like it, has long been a part of standardized tests, but computers aren’t just grading multiple-choice questions.
From here on out, most of the essay questions on the state’s required assessments will also be graded by a machine. Dallas Morning News Education Lab reporter Talia Richman joins the Standard with more.
A Wichita Falls glam rocker champions Black voices at the punk mothership
This week in Texas music history, Texas band Banzai Kik played the Black Rock Nation Time Festival at legendary New York venue CBGB.
Jason Mellard with The Center for Texas Music History at Texas State University shares the story.
Is high school football on the decline in Texas?
Texas has long been considered the epicenter of high school football in the U.S. But for how much longer?
A Washington Post analysis called “The Divided States of Football” looks at the sport’s rise and fall across the country. Sports feature writer Dave Sheinin joins the show with more.
New bill aims to connect Texas to neighboring electric grids
Three years ago, a winter storm plunged Texas into a deep freeze. Millions went without power for days. Hundreds, maybe more, died.
Of the many vulnerabilities exposed by that blackout, one caught people’s attention: Texas is an energy island, relatively cut off from neighboring electric grids. Now, as KUT’s Mose Buchele reports, that could end — if a bill to be filed in Congress this week becomes law.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
