Texas Standard
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You're on Texas Standard time. We're a production of KUT Austin, KERA North Texas, Texas Public Radio San Antonio & Houston Public Media.
Sorghum can handle dry conditions better than many crops. Now growers and chefs are trying to answer another question: Can they persuade more Americans to eat it? buff.ly/QsR8i2G
This grain could be an answer to drought-prone fields — if more Americans eat it
More farmers are showing interest in sorghum, a drought-tolerant grain. The crop is poised to expand in the U.S. — especially if Americans start consuming it.
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Still seeing Senate ads everywhere? Campaigns and outside groups are spending heavily in the Paxton-Talarico race, making this an extraordinarily expensive election season in Texas. buff.ly/WIM2gT6
Paxton-Talarico contest on course to demolish Texas record for campaign spending in a US Senate election
Collective spending on advertising by Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, and super PACs supporting each of them has already topped $153 million. AdImpact…
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According to the affidavit, Texas Rangers have probable cause to believe the camp’s leaders committed criminal offenses, including: manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, injury to a child, abandoning or endangering a child and deadly conduct. buff.ly/gBFlHu3
Camp Mystic under investigation for manslaughter, other criminal charges
Twenty-eight people died at the Christian girls' camp during July 2025's deadly flooding in the Hill Country.
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Kids threatened suicide, urinated on themselves and were pepper sprayed in the early days of a statewide lockdown of Texas’ five youth prisons. The first-of-its-kind move has advocates, experts and former staff wondering if the restrictive protocol is doing more harm than good. buff.ly/lVxBh5j
Texas youth prison lockdown records detail self-harm, delayed care and escalating use of force
Kids threatened suicide, urinated on themselves and were pepper sprayed in the early days of a statewide lockdown of Texas' five youth prisons. The first-of-its-kind move has youth advocates, experts…
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No safe drinking water. No sewer system. No municipal trash pickup. Residents of Sand Branch have spent years trying to bring basic infrastructure to their small North Texas community. buff.ly/TdSslC6
A town 14 miles from Dallas has no clean drinking water. She’s trying to fill the gap
The people of Sand Branch have lived without a functioning water infrastructure for decades. Christina Parks is trying to preserve what’s left of her community.
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Women are the fastest-growing group of U.S. veterans — but many aren't enrolled in VA health care. A new outreach effort is trying to understand why and connect more female veterans with available services. buff.ly/uQExMDf
The VA is reaching out to female veterans, who sometimes are hesitant to identify as veterans at all
Women make up the fastest-growing group of U.S. veterans. But fewer than half of female veterans are enrolled in VA health care, and some women are hesitant to even self-identify as former service…
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More than a million Texans are on the voter suspense list as of March of this year. It doesn’t mean a voter has been removed from the voting rolls or that they’re ineligible to vote, but may mean that they have extra requirements to fulfill at the polls. buff.ly/vn8yEUK
Are you a Texas voter in ‘suspense’? Don’t freak out. You can still vote in November
Getting on the list can happen for a number of reasons, but it’s not hard to update your registration.
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French, the Republican nominee for a statewide position regulating Texas’ oil and gas industry, posted a photo of University of Texas students, while decrying “foreigners” displacing Americans. buff.ly/l8jiDui
Several Texas Republicans condemn Bo French’s racist posts calling Asian students at UT a ‘problem’
French, the Republican nominee for a statewide position regulating Texas’ oil and gas industry, posted a photo of University of Texas students, while decrying “foreigners” displacing Americans.
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Kevin Tuerff was supposed to fly into New York on September 11, 2001. Instead, his plane was diverted to Newfoundland, where strangers welcomed thousands of stranded travelers. His experience became a book — and part of the Broadway musical "Come From Away." buff.ly/yKWJ0tV
This Texan’s 9/11 Story Is Now A Book And A Musical
Gander, Newfoundland is a town of only about 10,000 people but they responded in a big way, coming to the aid of the more than 6,500 stranded airline passengers on September 11, 2001. Austinite Kevin…
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The victims of 9/11 included people with connections to Texas. One family’s story offers a deeply personal way to mark a quarter-century since the attacks. buff.ly/PSxEMHS
25 years later, a Houston firefighter remembers the brother he lost on 9/11
Kevin Maynard’s twin brother, Keithroy Maynard, was one of several people with Houston connections killed in the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.
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Dark matter is thought to make up most of the universe’s mass, yet scientists have never directly identified a particle of it. That may have just changed. buff.ly/Snw4KLH
Researchers say they may have detected a dark matter particle for the first time
Members of the LUX-ZEPLIN project, including Texas scientists, say more data is needed. But the potential dark mater particle is a major breakthrough.
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Military working dogs face many of the same battlefield dangers as the troops alongside them. Medics need to know what to do when those dogs are badly wounded. buff.ly/YQHiFIZ
The Army is training medics to treat a different kind of patient: Wounded dogs on the battlefield
The Army is cross-training medics and working to improve its practices for canine casualty care more broadly to meet the new challenges of warfare.
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“The Beauty of the Days Gone By,” the debut novel by Jason Stone, could not exist without the work of Texas historians of the past. Stone’s book follows a family whose world is ruptured after two children are captured by Native Americans on the Texas frontier. buff.ly/qaTFg0m
‘The Beauty of the Days Gone By’ paints an unflinching picture of frontier Texas
Jason Stone’s deeply researched debut novel tells the story of a family caught up in the turmoil of post-Civil War Texas.
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“Of course, that wasn’t [actually Talarico], but it can be confusing for voters.” buff.ly/HhNRwyd
Ken Paxton put out an AI-generated attack ad. He’s not the only one
Increasingly, political candidates are using AI to depict their opponents in advertisements.
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The Nepali community in North Texas is grieving after flash floods and mudslides devastated central Nepal and killed at least a thousand people. Various groups are gathering to pray, remember and raise funds to help rebuild their motherland. buff.ly/6WQNFUl
Nepalis in Texas come together to grieve, heal after deadly floods
The Nepali community in North Texas is grieving after flash floods and mudslides devastated central Nepal and killed at least a thousand people. Various groups are gathering to pray, remember and…
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Dallas hosted the 1984 Republican National Convention and a GOP midterm convention is about to start. The city — and the politics — have changed a lot. buff.ly/n14FFDR
A ‘Trumpapalooza’ in 2026. Reagan in 1984. Two GOP conventions in Dallas, but times have changed
Dallas hosted the 1984 Republican National Convention and a GOP midterm convention is about to start. The city — and the politics — have changed a lot.
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"Texas has largely been considered the ATM for Republican Party politics. There’s no other state where there’s such a convergence of ideology and money as Texas." buff.ly/nQmCPAq
Why Texas Republican donors give — and why the state matters to GOP fundraising
As the Republican National Committee gathers in Dallas, Republican donors and political experts explain why Texas raises so much money.
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Gov. Greg Abbott says more competition could lower electric bills in Austin and San Antonio. City leaders say dismantling their publicly owned utilities could do the opposite. buff.ly/UT7YPon
Texas cities say Abbott’s proposal to disband their electric companies won’t lower costs
On the campaign trail, the governor said dismantling city-owned utilities will save customers money by introducing competition.
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For some seniors, keeping the AC running through extreme heat can mean choosing between cooling the house and paying other bills. New reporting connects elderly at-home deaths with “energy poverty” — when utility bills consume an unsustainable share of household income. buff.ly/EsuUNu0
Senior citizens in the Rio Grande Valley are paying the price for oppressive heat
Summer heat is becoming more deadly for the elderly in South Texas with record-breaking temperatures and rising costs for electricity.
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The two-day convention begins Wednesday at the American Airlines Center. President Donald Trump is set to headline both nights, and other Republican leaders from inside and outside of Texas are expected to use the event to promote the party’s agenda, raise money and energize voters. buff.ly/M0rCJM8
GOP’s first midterm convention kicks off Wednesday, putting Dallas at center of national politics
The Republican Party's first-ever midterm convention begins in Dallas as Trump and GOP leaders rally voters, while Democrats prepare their own counterprogramming ahead of November.
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Monarch butterflies are flying south again – one of nature’s great migrations. A decade ago officials offered roadside “rest stops” along the way. The Monarch Highway was supposed to restore native habitat along migration routes. What became of the plan? How much actually happened? buff.ly/PgIltOv
More young adults are cutting back on alcohol, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re staying home. Bars and restaurants are expanding their nonalcoholic menus, giving customers more ways to go out, socialize and skip the booze. buff.ly/x2EjO3y
As young people drink less, bars add more nonalcoholic options to menus
The reasons for less alcohol consumption are complicated, but the data shows it’s definitely a trend.
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1) HEB 2) texas standard senior audience and engagement producer wells dunbar
V & V smoked jalapeno sausage. Lockhart sausage. Rico nacho cheese sauce. Back in the day, Shiner Bock and Messina Hof.
What’s something made in Texas that you’re genuinely loyal to – food, drinks, products … or whatever?
Esaul and Grecia Ramos, the husband-and-wife team behind the acclaimed 2M Smokehouse in San Antonio, just smoked, grilled, and baked their way to the championship of Food Network’s inaugural “Pitmasters” competition. buff.ly/MXfzrqr
‘Smoke and sugar’: Pitmaster and pastry chef power couple bring San Antonio flavors to Food Network
Esaul and Grecia Ramos, of 2M Smokehouse, won first place in the network's inaugural "Pitmasters" competition.
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Next week’s Republican convention in Dallas takes place in the same city that helped give rise to the Bush political dynasty. But George W. Bush himself — and many policies he pushed 30 years ago — are largely missing from today’s GOP, political scientists say. buff.ly/kTADu2T
As Republicans plan to gather in Bush’s backyard, his influence is largely absent from the party
Next week's Republican convention in Dallas takes place in the same city that helped give rise to the Bush political dynasty. But George W. Bush himself — and many policies he pushed 30 years ago —…
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“In huge stretches, hundreds of miles of stretches along this river, it’s already running dry. And this is a huge problem because over 15 million people depend on the Rio Grande for their drinking water.” texasstandard.org/stories/rio-...
The Rio Grande is drying up. What does that mean for Texas?
Texas Monthly reporter Jack Herrera traveled all 1,900 miles of the river to learn more.
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