Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024:
Congressman Marc Veasey remembers his colleague, Eddie Bernice Johnson
Eddie Bernice Johnson, a retired congresswoman who made history as the first Black woman from Dallas to hold public office, died Sunday at 88. The Waco native took office representing Texas’ House District 30 – including South Dallas, Desoto, Lancaster and Cedar Hill – in 1993.
U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, who represents the Fort Worth area, joins us to remember Johnson.
As the clock struck midnight on Monday, Houstonians not only ushered in a new year, but a new city leader. John Whitmire took the oath of office as the bayou city’s 63rd mayor.
Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider looks at some of Whitmire’s top priorities, including how he’ll tackle the city’s biggest challenges.
What to expect from I-35 expansion this year
Construction is scheduled to start this year on the largest expansion of Interstate 35 in Central Texas’ history. The project will cost almost $5 billion and take 10 years to finish.
KUT’s Nathan Bernier reports on what Austinites can expect on I-35 in 2024:
Understanding WARN notices and mass layoffs
If you run a company of 100 people or larger and you’re planning layoffs, you must alert the government and give your employees 60 days’ notice. This law, known as the WARN Act, was designed to give workers time to adjust to the news about layoffs. But these notices can also “reflect structural changes in an economy,” according to the Dallas Federal Reserve.
Luis Torres, a senior business economist with the Dallas Fed, recently co-authored some research looking at WARN notices and mass layoffs here in Texas. He joins us today.
Longhorns’ national championship dreams end at the Sugar Bowl
The University of Texas lost to the University of Washington, 37 to 31, at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans last night. Washington will now play Michigan for college football’s national championship. Texas had its chances, but an unstoppable passing game from the Huskies and steady stream of miscues were too much to overcome.
For more, we’ll hear from Danny Davis, who covers Longhorn sports for the Austin American-Statesman.
If good art is the byproduct of talent and suffering and opportunity, it should come as no surprise that Cuba is a natural hotbed of art. A group of San Antonio artists and art lovers just returned from a trip to Havana to help spread the magic of an arts interchange between both cities.
Texas Public Radio’s Jack Morgan has the story of what’s called the San-Havana Project.
U.S. and Mexico cooperating on cattle
On some issues, the U.S. and Mexico may come into conflict; on others, there’s collaboration. But as neighbors, there’s no ignoring one another. When it comes to the cattle business, ranchers on both sides of the border have benefited from an instance of cooperation between the two countries – part of a grand experiment that’s yielded significant results for beef producers and consumers alike.
Alfredo Corchado has been writing about this as Mexico and border correspondent for the Dallas Morning News. We’ll talk with him today.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Shelly Brisbin with the Talk of Texas.
