Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, March 20, 2023:
What’s happening this week at the Texas Legislature
Despite historical opposition from rural Republicans, school voucher efforts are getting a hearing in the Texas Legislature this week. Will the push be successful this time? The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán offers a preview of what’s at stake.
What’s next as pandemic-era housing assistance winds down
The Texas Rent Relief program recently reopened applications, but due to record demand – 70,000 applications in 24 hours – it closed just two days later. What does the popularity of it and similar pandemic-era assistance programs say about the need for housing assistance? Ben Martin, research director for the nonprofit organization Texas Housers, joins us with more.
The downside to low unemployment
The Texas Workforce Commission says Midland has the lowest unemployment rate in the entire state: 2.7% The Texas Standard’s Sean Saldana looks at how unemployment that low can actually cause some problems.
The pandemic drove experienced nurses from the field. Austin experts are looking for solutions.
Health care institutions in Texas are concerned about their ability to hire and retain nurses following the COVID-19 pandemic. In Austin, KUT’s Olivia Aldridge details how state and local leaders in the nursing space are working to bolster the workforce.
The legacy of cumbia musician Fito Olivares
The world of cumbia lost a legend on Friday when saxophonist Fito Olivares had died at the age of 75 in Houston. To talk more about Olivares and the legacy he leaves behind, we’re joined by singer and Tejano music archivist Veronique Medrano.
New documentary ‘Join or Die’ says we need to get to know our neighbors – or else
Is the antidote to distrust and isolation as close as the nearest bowling alley, community center or church? The new documentary “Join or Die,” which recently premiered at South by Southwest, makes the case. Co-directors Rebecca Davis and Pete Davis join us today.
As refugee numbers grow, North Texas resettlement agency expands to Dallas
After four decades in Fort Worth, a refugee resettlement agency is expanding its services to Dallas. As KERA’s Stella Chavez reports, World Relief North Texas is working with other organizations to help meet the needs of the growing refugee community.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
