Here’s what’s coming up on Texas Standard for Monday, March 11, 2024:
Supreme Court to consider SB4
The U.S. Supreme Court will weigh in on SB4, the controversial Texas law that allows state and local police to arrest and prosecute migrants who enter the state, even though managing immigration is a federal responsibility.
After delaying implementation of the law last week, the high court is now set to consider the case. The Texas Newsroom’s Julián Aguilar has more on the upcoming arguments:
How Texas’ low rate of medically insured plays out in rural areas
Texans are familiar with the statistic that the state is home to the largest medically uninsured population in the country. Close to 19% of Texans under the age of 65 don’t have health insurance.
Reporter Jordan Gass-Pooré looked at how this plays out in rural Texas communities like the one she’s from. Her story is part of a series for Public Health Watch on states that have not expanded Medicaid coverage. She joins the show today.
Annunciation House injunction hearing
A district court judge heard arguments last week from an El Paso non-profit challenging a demand to turn its records over to the Texas attorney general. Annunciation House says it wants a court to decide which documents it must release. KTEP’s Angela Kocherga reports:
The Rio Grande is getting saltier. What’s that mean for agriculture?
The Rio Grande, the body of water that outlines the border between Texas and Mexico, is becoming saltier. That’s affecting people, farmland and livestock on both sides of the border.
Brandon Mulder, a journalist and graduate student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT-Austin, wrote about the Rio Grande’s salt problem for Texas Monthly.
Spring Break gas costs on the rise
Those hitting the road for a Spring Break road trip may notice gas prices have been rising again. According to AAA, the national average price per gallon of regular grade gasoline is now 25 cents higher than a month ago. In Texas, a gallon is $2.93 on average.
Matt Smith, energy analyst with Kpler, has kept an eye on where it might go next.
This week in Texas music history
This week in Texas music history, Jason Mellard with The Center for Texas Music History talks about conjunto artist Eloy Bernal.
An Austin-area school district is struggling to find teachers, so it’s going to train its own
Teacher shortages escalated from crisis to catastrophe in the wake of the pandemic. But the number of people interested in the profession has been trending down for more than a decade.
KUT’s Becky Fogel reports on one Central Texas district that’s trying to turn around that trend by creating its own pipeline of future teachers.
New lake will fuel petrochemical expansion on Texas coast
A 2,500-acre reservoir may soon be built near Port Lavaca to supply water to the growing petrochemical industry in the area. Formosa Plastics wants more water to expand operations in the area. But with the company’s history of pollution in the area, some environmental advocates are raising concerns over the project.
Dylan Baddour, Texas-based reporter for Inside Climate News, has the story.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Raul Alonzo with the Talk of Texas.
