You're on Texas Standard time. We're a production of KUT Austin, KERA North Texas, Texas Public Radio San Antonio & Houston Public Media.https://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mv4lmjtv2r2f"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 https://texasstandard.org/stories/texas-republican-donors-gop-fundraising/09 Sep 2026 22:30 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv4lmjtv2r2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mv4f324tvd2yGov. 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 https://texasstandard.org/stories/texas-austin-energy-san-antonio-cps-abbott/09 Sep 2026 20:33 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv4f324tvd2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mv4cfd5ciz2iFor 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 https://texasstandard.org/stories/texas-energy-heat-deaths-seniors-rio-grande-climate-change/09 Sep 2026 19:45 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv4cfd5ciz2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mv43oqehyg2hThe 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 https://texasstandard.org/stories/republican-convention-dallas-midterm/09 Sep 2026 17:45 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv43oqehyg2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mv3y7ihibo2aMonarch 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/PgIltOv09 Sep 2026 16:42 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv3y7ihibo2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mv3xccohv42aMore 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 https://texasstandard.org/stories/as-young-people-drink-less-bars-add-more-nonalcoholic-options-to-menus/09 Sep 2026 16:26 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv3xccohv42ahttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3muzbsghw5k2hWhat’s something made in Texas that you’re genuinely loyal to – food, drinks, products … or whatever?08 Sep 2026 14:56 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3muzbsghw5k2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mupluzkn4o2tEsaul 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 https://texasstandard.org/stories/food-network-pitmasters-winners-ramos-2m-smokehouse-san-antonio/04 Sep 2026 18:30 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mupluzkn4o2thttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mupjkinca62mNext 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 https://texasstandard.org/stories/republican-midterm-convention-dallas-george-bush-politics-gop/04 Sep 2026 17:48 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mupjkinca62mhttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3munldhlvvd2c“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.” https://texasstandard.org/stories/rio-grande-drying-up-texas-drought/03 Sep 2026 23:15 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3munldhlvvd2chttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mune4k4p2h2bSurfers along the Texas coast recently noticed something unusual in the water and turned to beachcomber Jace Tunnell for answers. The culprit was a massive gathering of sea butterflies – tiny marine snails that can appear by the millions. https://texasstandard.org/stories/sea-butterflies-butterfly-beach-texas-beachcomber-jace-tunnell/03 Sep 2026 21:06 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mune4k4p2h2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3muncbidwzf2fA chronic kidney disease with no clear cause is increasingly affecting young Central American men, including some now working in Texas and elsewhere in the U.S. The illness can progress to kidney failure and dialysis. https://texasstandard.org/stories/kidney-disease-texas-central-america-migrants-mesoamerican-nephropathy/03 Sep 2026 20:33 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3muncbidwzf2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mumzw4lpzn2wTarrant County commissioners voted 3-2 Tuesday to approve a list of polling sites for the November elections that included 92 fewer sites than the 2022 midterms. https://texasstandard.org/stories/tarrant-countys-november-elections-will-have-92-fewer-places-to-cast-ballots-than-2022/03 Sep 2026 18:03 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mumzw4lpzn2whttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mugamzbs742rIt’s been more than ten months since Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced a plan to clean up the places where most younger troops live. https://texasstandard.org/stories/almost-a-year-after-the-pentagon-formed-a-barracks-task-force-some-say-repairs-are-moving-slowly/01 Sep 2026 01:15 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mugamzbs742rhttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mug7abxqri25“It’s the law, and we expect you to follow the law. So we’re coming for the books.” https://texasstandard.org/stories/as-school-libraries-are-pushed-to-remove-books-a-west-texas-district-stands-by-its-library-council/01 Sep 2026 00:50 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mug7abxqri25https://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mufz3vy5ws2yScientists say the telescope, which can capture a larger field of view than the Hubble telescope, will help study dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets. https://texasstandard.org/stories/nasa-launches-its-powerful-roman-telescope-studying-dark-matter-and-dark-energy/31 Aug 2026 23:00 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mufz3vy5ws2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mufv3gek472jTexas leads the country in electricity shutoffs as households contend with rising power bills and extreme summer heat. A new investigation examines whether the state’s deregulated energy market is delivering lower costs: https://texasstandard.org/stories/texas-electricity-costs-soar-temperatures-rise-public-health-crisis-brews/31 Aug 2026 21:48 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mufv3gek472jhttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mu6ijomybs2pThe unique project used mapping tools to help put together a live-action film made specifically for viewing on the façade of the Gonzales Memorial Museum. https://texasstandard.org/stories/gonzalez-texas-revolution-movie-legacy-lights-museum/28 Aug 2026 23:15 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu6ijomybs2phttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mu6dbkhf6y25Yesterday, Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, agreed to pay up to $17 billion to settle claims with nearly every state in the country. Texas struck its own deal worth more than $1 billion, bringing Meta’s potential payout to roughly $18 billion. https://texasstandard.org/stories/meta-child-safety-lawsuit-settlement-texas/28 Aug 2026 21:41 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu6dbkhf6y25https://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mu67hxbfww25As Meta’s AI Glasses and other wearables become more common, a small crop of apps has popped up promising to tell you when a pair may be nearby. One of them is called Zuckoff, and it uses Bluetooth signals to sniff out Meta, Snap Spectacles and similar devices. https://texasstandard.org/stories/smart-glasses-privacy-concerns-how-to-block/28 Aug 2026 20:33 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu67hxbfww25https://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mu66hy7mkb2yThe GED has long offered a path to better jobs and further education for people who didn’t finish high school. But the exam has become more rigorous, more expensive and more closely tied to economic mobility than many realize. https://texasstandard.org/stories/ged-higher-education-college-wage-premium/28 Aug 2026 20:15 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu66hy7mkb2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mu5yzkp4rv25In its quest for a cheaper burger, the Trump administration has drawn the ire of ranchers across the country. https://texasstandard.org/stories/american-ranchers-are-irked-by-trumps-efforts-to-bring-down-beef-prices-this-is-a-mistake/28 Aug 2026 18:37 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu5yzkp4rv25https://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mu5tkzo4g22oChristian Castro is accused of shooting a man during an immigration operation in Minneapolis and lying about what happened. Minnesota says he’s a fugitive. Abbott questions that. https://texasstandard.org/stories/is-ice-agent-christian-castro-a-fugitive-texas-and-minnesota-disagree/28 Aug 2026 16:59 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu5tkzo4g22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mu3oz2dcxa2zChristian Castro was released a day after a federal judge rejected Minnesota’s bid to keep him jailed while Gov. Greg Abbott decides whether to sign extradition papers. https://texasstandard.org/stories/texas-minnesota-ice-officer-extradition-judge/27 Aug 2026 20:33 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu3oz2dcxa2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mu3fbcen7i2pAs Republicans prepare for the party’s first national midterm convention in Dallas, we asked Texas Republicans what — and who — defines the Lone Star State’s GOP in 2026. https://texasstandard.org/stories/texas-republican-party-platform-identity/27 Aug 2026 17:38 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu3fbcen7i2phttps://bsky.app/profile/texasstandard.bsky.social/post/3mtytmjxank2yReitz, a firebrand conservative who has drawn scrutiny for challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election and arguing that court orders can justifiably be disobeyed, was not tapped for the role by the usual route. buff.ly/CEyyLGP https://texasstandard.org/stories/who-is-aaron-reitz-the-federal-maga-attorney-overseeing-prosecution-of-the-houston-ice-shooting/26 Aug 2026 17:17 +0000at://did:plc:33a2tzachcyxwpwft7jpk3ya/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtytmjxank2y