Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Thursday, May 9, 2024:
The price-fixing scandal that’s rocked the oil and gas industry
Soon after Pioneer Natural Resources merged with ExxonMobil, word came that the former Pioneer’s CEO wouldn’t sit on the combined company’s board due to an alleged oil price-fixing scandal. The scandal, which affected gas prices, involved messages between then-CEO Scott Sheffield and OPEC leaders calling for production cuts that experts say cost Americans thousands of dollars.
Myles McCormick, Houston-based energy reporter for the Financial Times, joins the Standard with more.
Thinking about going solar? Think twice before signing something from a door-to-door salesman
Ever had someone come to your door trying to sell you solar panels? If you want to save money and help the environment, it might sound appealing.
But as reporting from the Dallas Morning News explains, there is often a catch that will hit your bottom line down the road. Columnist Dave Lieber joins the show with the story.
Will Texas ever follow New Mexico’s lead and decriminalize recreational weed?
New Mexico legalized recreational cannabis about two years ago. Business is booming in the Land of Enchantment – due, in part, to a steady stream of Texans fueling the multimillion-dollar industry.
Will Texas make recreational sales legal? The Texas Newsroom’s Julián Aguilar reports the answer from some Texas Democrats is “don’t hold your breath.”
How to mount a flat screen TV in 2024
Ever since flat screens became the standard for television viewing, consumers have faced a basic question: whether to perch that new TV on a flat surface or mount it on a wall.
As our tech expert Omar Gallaga wrote recently for Wired, there’s a surprising new generation of TV mounting tech out there that promises more options for enhancing your viewing experience. He joins the Standard with the latest.
Biden unites Republican and Democratic governors with proposed National Guard change
The Biden administration has proposed a restructure to parts of the National Guard, the military’s state-based reserve forces. The plan: move certain members of the Air Force guard over to Space Force.
The problem? None of our nation’s governors like it. All 50 U.S. governors recently signed on to a recent letter opposing the move. Stars and Stripes reporter Rose Thayer joins the show with the details.
Did Corpus Christi ISD push disabled students out of school? Texas is investigating
The Texas Education Agency says the Corpus Christi Independent School District discriminated against disabled students earlier this year.
The announcement follows a complaint filed by several groups that CCISD pushed disabled students out of the district via truancy court. Texas Public Radio’s Gaige Davila reports:
Is McKittrick Canyon the prettiest hike in all of Texas?
Inside Guadalupe Mountains National Park at the far west corner of Texas is a hike that’s been dubbed the “the most beautiful spot in Texas.”
McKittrick Canyon is home to diverse flora and fauna and geological formations. Bobby Alemán recently wrote about the trek for Texas Highways magazine and joins the show today.
Texas voters just elected their first slate of property appraisal board members
In spring elections across larger Texas counties, voters got a more direct say in who runs the obscure agencies that oversee the property appraisal process – agencies that determine how much you pay in property taxes.
Renée Cross, senior executive director of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston, joins the Standard with more.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
