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>>> Find current programs on the Texas Matters page Program Archive: Show #540, December 31, 2010 Full Program Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 1: Service members wounded or burned in battle often suffer injuries that disfigure features of their face. Even after recovering from their injuries, they may still be missing parts of their nose or ears. But a clinic at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio is dedicated to making the faces and perhaps the spirits of wounded warriors whole again. Texas Public Radio's Terry Gildea reports. Segment 2: A colony of Desert Bighorn Sheep will be starting the New Year in a new home. They are now residents of the rocky terrain of Big Bend Ranch State Park. The sheep are part of the legacy of West Texas and in late December they were released on the park to restore the native species. Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies was able to go to Big Bend and witness the capture and release of the bighorns. Segment 3: Now that the year 2010 is coming to a close, it's only natural to look back at the major events of the last 12 months. One of the biggest ongoing stories of the year was the rise of violence along the Texas/Mexico border. Linda Cuellar brings us two special reports on how the violence is changing the quality of life in the area. Segment 4: For weeks, the Deep Water Horizon offshore blown oil well spewed crude into the gulf. There were fears that gulf beaches would be soiled by the oil including beaches in Texas. While the sands of the Texas coast remained clean, Shelley Kofler of KERA reported that crews were prepared. Segment 5: Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is working with others to fight the implementation of the federal health care law and this will certainly be an issue that will create news in the coming year. Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies interviewd Attorney General Abbott after the law was passed and asked about about his plans to fight it. Show #539, December 24, 2010 Full Program Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Johnny Cash is seen as one of the most influential singers, songwriters and performers of the 20th century. He was born in Kingsland, Arkansas and became a music star in Memphis, Tennessee, but he did have some roots in Texas. Cash served in the Air Force in San Antonio and met and married his first wife there in the early 1950's. It's clear that Cash was influenced by his years as a Texan. Jonathan Silverman researched the life of Johnny Cash for seven years to write the book Nine Choices: Johnny Cash and American Culture. He delves deeply into the life of the singer, but also helps shape our understanding of his identity and his unremitting goal to maintain his authenticity. Show #538, December 17, 2010  Download Entire Program
Full Program Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 1: Boyd Ritchie is the Chairman of the Democratic Party of Texas. This week, two democrats in the state House changed parties and became Republicans - Allan Ritter of Nederland and Aaron Pena of Edinburg. Segment 2: The Texas Department of Public Safety is urging Texans to avoid traveling to Mexico during the holidays. Tom Vinger is a DPS spokesperson. Segment 3: Despite warnings from the DPS and the U.S. State Department, during the Christmas holidays nearly a million Mexican citizens and American citizens with close ties to Mexico will drive south on America's highways, headed home for the holidays. The Mexican government will be at the border waiting for them with open arms and beefed-up security. For good reason: the travelers come flush with cash and gifts. From the Fronteras: The Changing America Desk, Michel Marizco reports. Segment 4: Jay Doegey is the city attorney of Arlington, Texas. He testified this week before the Sunset Advisory Commission about the Texas Railroad Commission. His group drafted a report that found the Railroad Commission consistently favored the natural gas industry over homeowners in rate cases. Segment 5: Hispanic buying power in the U.S. is a whopping trillion dollars per year. Major American companies have been targeting this market since the 1980s often with mixed results. From the Fronteras: The Changing America Desk, Devin Browne reports on one growing American retailer that has learned more lessons than most. Show #537, December 10, 2010 Full Program Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 1: The BP Oil Spill will be remembered as one of the biggest stories of 2010. Even though the well is no longer dumping crude into the Gulf waters, the story isn't over. Loren Steffy is a Houston Chronicle business columnist and the author of the new book Drowning in Oil: BP and the reckless Pursuit of Profit., published by McGraw-Hall. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: The diplomatic cables recently released by Wikileaks show that the U.S. was quietly dismayed by Mexico's inability to dismantle its powerful cartels. But they also give deeper insight into the role that U.S. intelligence has played in Mexico, and some concern that rival political parties can change that. From Fonteras; The Changing America Desk Michel Marizco reports. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: This Sunday December 12, is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, an important day in Mexican culture on both sides of the border. In San Antonio, three legends of Spanish language music are uniting for the feast day in a special concert. Texas Public Radio's Yvette Benavides has the story. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: Holland Taylor is an Emmy award-winning actress who wrote and performs in the play Ann: An Affectionate Portrait of Ann Richards. It's currently being staged at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre in San Antonio. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 5: Despite its proximity to the violence in Mexico, the U.S. side of the Border is generally a safe place to live. The most extreme example is El Paso Texas, recently ranked as having the lowest crime rate in the country. Just feet away from El Paso is one of the most dangerous cities in the world, Ciudad Juarez. From Fronteras: The Changing America Desk in El Paso, reporter Monica Ortiz Uribe reports. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #536, December 3, 2010 Full Program Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript
Segment 1: With all the GOP firepower in the Texas House some are wondering if Rep. Joe Straus of San Antonio should remain House Speaker, or whether a more conservative republican should be in charge. Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies did connect with Representative Warren Chisum about his bid for Speakers. And a word of warning, there is some adult content. They'll be talking about Chisum's efforts to protect the state's anti-sodomy law. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Another challenger is Ken Paxton of McKinney. He is working to convert previous Straus supporters to back him, and he's had some success. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Democrat Trey Martinez Fisher of San Antonio says the block of 51 democrats will continue to support Straus. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: On Monday, December 6, Judge Kevin Fine is scheduled to hold a hearing in Houston in the case of John Edward Green to decide if the death penalty in Texas is unconstitutional.Judge Fine is examining the question of whether or not there is a large enough risk in Texas that an innocent person could be executed. Andrea Keilen is the Executive Director of Texas Defender Service. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Program #535, November 26, 2010 A Remembrance of the Holidays The holidays are a time of stories. There is the divine story of the birth of Jesus and the almost infinite volume of personal stories from each of our families. There's the story of the magic of Christmas seen a child's eyes, then told many years later after that child became an adult. We at Texas Matters are pausing to listen to those stories and we encourage you to tell your stories to your loved ones. This program originally aired as program #483 on November 27, 2009. Segment 1: Luisa Benavides - "Laredo Christmas Story" Segment 2: The Mujeres writers group in San Antonio share their childhood holiday stories. The Mujeres have just published their third anthology including stories of family and faith.
Show #534, November 19, 2010 Full Program Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 1: Across the Rio Grande from Roma, Texas, where about 700 refugees from the Mexican drug war have gathered is Miguel Aleman. Last week, Aleman and others were ordered to flee their homes in Ciudad Mier. Billy Schwartz is the pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista de Santa Maria (First Baptist Church of Santa Maria). Pastor Schwartz is gathering donations to help the refugees. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: American colleges have grown more racially diverse in recent years, but minority students, especially Latinos, still lag behind in academic success. From Fronteras; The Changing America Desk in San Diego, Ruxandra Guidi looks into institutions in 15 states, including Texas, that are making a special effort to reach out to Hispanics. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Eric Herm is a west Texas farmer and the author of the book Son of a Farmer, Child of the Earth: A Path to Agriculture's Higher Consciousness. Hern cautions against the mechanization and chemical dependency of modern farming. The book is published by Dreamriver Press. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: In the United States, one out of every three children is overweight or obese. The statistics are even worse when looking at the obesity rate for Hispanic children, with Mexican Americans leading the Latino sub-groups. For the first time in many generations children will have shorter life spans than their parents because they're prone to high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. From Fronteras: The Changing America Desk in Flagstaff, Laurel Morales looks at the link between culture and obesity. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #533, November 12, 2010 Segment 1: Known as one of the most talented dancers and a prolific director/choreographers of the twentieth century, Tommy Tune has enchanted audiences over the past 50 years on film, on Broadway and on stages across around the world. The native Texan has won 9 Tony Awards and a National Medal of the Arts, the highest honor for artistic achievement given by the President of the United States. And has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. David Martin Davies sat down with Tommy and asked him about his life and growing up first in Wichita Falls and later in Houston. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #532, November 5, 2010 Full Program Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 1: The GOP wave that hit the nation on Election Day didn't miss Texas. Again it was a republican sweep of statewide offices. Furthermore, several Texas fixtures in Congress were knocked out by republican challengers. And for the first time there is a two-thirds Republican majority in the Texas House. For analysis of the vote in Texas and what it means for future policy, laws and faction of government – we turn to Harvey Kronberg – editor of the Quorum Report, online at quorumreport.com. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: It was a year ago on November 4, that a gunman at a soldier readiness center at Fort Hood began shooting people indiscriminately. Major Nidal Hasan stands accused of killing thirteen people before he was stopped by police. Of the thirteen people shot to death, one was a civilian. He was Mike Cahill, a 65-year-old physician's assistant. KUT's Nathan Bernier travelled to Cameron, Texas last year to speak with the family shortly after the tragedy. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Phil Ward is a decorated combat veteran and former instructor at the Army Rangers School. The Austin resident is also a scholar of WWII history and the author of Those Who Dare a book of historical fiction about an elite group of WWII warriors. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: Liza Bakewell is the author of Madre: Perilous Journeys with a Spanish Noun. Bakewell will have a reading and book signing at The Twig at Pearl on November 17 at 5 p.m. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #531, October 29, 2010 Full Program Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 1: In the mid-term elections border security is an issue that's been popping up. In congressional districts, hundreds or thousands of miles from Mexico candidates are being quizzed on how to stop illegal immigration. But what about at the 23rd Congressional District in Texas, which has more southern border order real estate than any other district? David Martin Davies has more in this report. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: With midterm elections only days away efforts to get that coveted Latino vote are ramping up. Democrats are hoping for a loyal turnout, while Republicans are appealing to the disenchanted. From the FRONTERAS: The Changing America Desk, Reporter Ruxandra Guidi tells us that when it comes to Latinos, This election will be about two ends of a spectrum: youth and tradition. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Arizona's Latino community hopes the recent immigration controversy will prompt Hispanics to vote this November. Latino turnout in past elections has lagged compared to the general population. This time community organizers are trying a new strategy: asking Hispanics to vote with an early ballot. From FRONTERAS: The Changing America Desk Nadine Arroyo Rodriguez reports from Arizona. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: Last week, a new kind of political commercial popped up. It didn't ask for you to vote for a candidate; it didn't ask you to vote against a candidate. Instead, it ask Latinos not to vote at all. The ad was produced by a group called "Latinos for Reform." The 60-second ad supposed to air in Nevada but because of YouTube it sent shock waves across the nation. The spot in Spanish urges Latinos to abstain from voting in order to punish Democrats for failing to deliver on immigration reform. After protests the Spanish language network Univision refused to air the ad saying it "prides itself on promoting civic engagement and our extensive national campaigns encourage Hispanics to vote." The Southwest Voters Registration Education Project also condemned the ad. Lydia Camarillo is the vice president of the Southwest Voters Registration Education Project. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 5: Using conservative heavyweights like Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Sarah Palin, the Tucson Tea Party has been galvanizing Republican voters, increasing the party's chances for two important seats in southern Arizona. And it seems to be working. From FRONTERAS: The Changing America Desk, Michel Marizco files this report from Tucson. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 6: Over 100,000 farms along the U.S.southern border rely on undocumented workers. But for many farm owners, the immigration issue is the least of their concerns. From FRONTERAS: The Changing America Desk, Reporter Ruxandra Guidi met a former guest-worker turned farm owner and brings us his story. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #530, October 22, 2010 Asleep at the WheelFull Program Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript
Show #529, October 15, 2010 Remembering The AlamoFull Program Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript
Segment 1: 2011 will be a big year for Texas history buffs. The nation will mark 150 years since the start of the Civil War, and Texas will also be marking 175 years since its war for independence from Mexico. At the Alamo, the plan is to have a massive party to commemorate the historic battle. There will be a concert in front of the old mission in downtown San Antonio with rocker Phil Collins and country music star Ricky Skaggs. Bruce Winders is the Alamo curator. He said this big anniversary is an appropriate way to reintroduce the Alamo to a new generation. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: The Daughters of the Republic of Texas are facing a storm of criticism over how they are managing the Alamo. Some of the toughest barbs are coming from within their own ranks. Texas Monthly writer Jan Jarboe Russell writes about the new battle of the Alamo in the current issue. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: The Alamo is celebrating another milestone. Fifty years ago this month, John Wayne's version of Texas' struggle for independence made its way to the big screen. The Alamo was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won one Oscar, for Best Sound. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the caretakers of the Alamo, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, organized a special screening of the film at San Antonio's IMAX Rivercenter Theater on Friday, October 8. Texas Public Radio's Nathan Cone was there, and reports on his experience. Related Link: Photos From the 50th Anniversary Screening [Facebook] Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Extended Interview with The Alamo castmember Jim Brewer Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript
Segment 4: John Valadez is the producer and director of the Independent Lens documentary The Longoria Affair. The film tells story of war hero Private Felix Longoria and what happened when the only funeral parlor in his hometown refused hold a wake for him because he was Mexican American. The documentary will air on PBS November 9. Related Link: The Longoria Affair [PBS' Independant Lens] Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #528, October 8, 2010 Full Program Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 1: On November 2, the citizens of Texas will be able to decide who will govern the state. Those office holders will have the ability to levy taxes, create laws and make decisions that will directly impact the quality of life in Texas. But voter turnout is expected to be lousy. And voter turnout is generally lousy in Texas. Texas Observer reporter Forrest Wilder takes a look at the question – "Why Don't Texans Vote." You can read it on their website texasobserver.org. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: The longest serving Lt. Governor in Texas was Bill Hobby. He swung the gavel in the Texas Senate from 1972 to 1991 – an unprecedented 5 terms. During that time Hobby oversaw Texas change from a rural economy to a state with massive urban centers. Hobby has written a book about his years in office called How Things Really Work: Lessons from a life in Politics. Hobby will be at the upcoming Texas Book Festival to discuss his book and years in public office. He'll be at the Austin event Sunday, October 17 at the Texas State Capitol: Senate Chamber. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: National Book award nominee, novelist Cristina Garcia is the daughter of Cuban exiles. She was raised in Queens surrounded by neighbors from myriad countries. That imprint could have something to do with her consistent interest in telling the stories of global citizens negotiating their space in the world. Her latest novel is The Lady Matador's Hotel. She'll be reading at the Texas Book Festival in Austin on Oct. 16 and 17. More details about her presentation can be found at texasbookfestival.org. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #527, October 1, 2010 Full Program Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 1: Kathie Glass is the libertarian candidate for Governor. She will be sharing the debate stage Sunday Oct 3, along with Green candidate Deb Shafto and Democrat Bill White. Governor Rick Perry is refusing to debate saying White needs to release
more old tax information. The debate is from 6 to 8 Sunday and can be seen on the Internet at hcde-texas.org. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: The election for state's Agriculture Commissioner doesn t have the highest stakes for Texas voters,but it could be providing the most entertainment.Incumbent Republican Todd Stables is being challenged by Democrat Hank Gilbert, and it's fair to say things are getting personal. Ross Ramsey managing editor of the Texas Tribune says the race is getting ugly. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Michael Shapiro is the political reporter for the Waco Tribune. He s been covering the race for the 17th congressional district of Texas between incumbent democrat Chet Edwards and Republican challenger Bill Flores. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #526, September 24, 2010 Full Program Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 1: The State Board of Education is back in the headlines and fighting another battle in the culture wars. In the past the board hashed out evolution and re-wrote history with a conservative slant. Now it's dealing with a claim that there's an anti-Christian/pro-Islam bias in history textbooks.The board is considering adopting a resolution that would require it to reject textbooks that it determines are tainted with pro-Islam teachings. Randy Rives of Odessa drafted the resolution. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is prepping for the coming legislative session's budget crisis. There's a predicted shortfall of about $18 billion. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Advocates for the state's poor will be nervously watching budget balancing when the legislature convenes in Austin in January. Dick Lavine is a senior fiscal analyst at the Texas Public Policy Institute. He says, like it or not Texas, will have to have a tax increase to fix the budget. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #525, September 17, 2010 Mexico's Bicentennial Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 1: Thursday, September 16 was Diez y seis de septiembre, the 200th anniversary of Mexico's struggle for independence from Spain. When that fight for freedom began, Texas was still part of Mexico and an integral part of the Mexican independence story. Texans fought and died in that first failed struggle, which also gave birth to the first Republic of Texas. Jesus "Frank" de la Teja is the former state historian and chairman of the history department at Texas State University. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: The recession has been brutal in the United States and Europe, but not so much in Latin America. Some say the region is poised for long-term sustainable growth that its northern neighbor -- The United States -- could be envious of. In its September 11th issue The Economist has a special report on the Rise of Latin America. The Economist Americas Editor Michael Reid says Texas could be in position to cash in on Latin America's growth. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: The problems along the Texas-Mexico border are having a profound impact on the communities in the region. The twin cities that straddled the Rio Grande used to be able to share resources and cooperate to tackle regional problems. Now with car bombings, mass murders and the breakdown in law and order in a growing number of Mexican border towns, Texas sister cities are struggling to adjust. In the west Texas town of Marfa, community leaders will hold a weekend conference on border issues called "The Marfa Dialogues." Tom Michael of Marfa Public Radio has more in this report. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #524, September 10, 2010 The $18 Billion Texas Budget Hole Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 1: Dennis Borel is the executive director of the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities. He is leading an effort to prevent state leaders from cutting state services for health, mental health and child abuse prevention. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Paul Burka is the senior executive editor for Texas Monthly. He is has picked apart the Texas state budget and figured out how to deal with the state's looming $18 billion budget shortfall. He is proposing making large structural changes to state government — the elimination of state agencies that are vestiges of a by-gone era, tightening the belt on education and rolling the dice with casino gambling. The article is in the October issue of Texas Monthly. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #523, September 3, 2010 The Debate over the Debate Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 1: Governor Rick Perry doesn't seem concerned that there could be an official debate for the governor's race and he won't be there. Perry is insisting that his Democratic challenger, Bill White, release his tax returns from the 1990's when he was an undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Energy during the Clinton Administration. Earlier this week, Perry was in San Antonio to accept the endorsement of the Texas Board of Realtors and was asked about the debate by reporters. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Former Houston Mayor and the Democratic nominee for governor, Bill White, says he's released plenty of tax returns and Perry is creating a fake issue to avoid the tough questions of editorial boards and the debate. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: There is a debate set for October 19 in Austin. It's organized by the biggest newspapers in Texas including the Dallas Morning News, the Houston Chronicle, the San Antonio Express-News and the Austin American Statesman. The debate will be held even if Perry is a no-show. Fred Zipp is the editor of the Austin American Statesman. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: This drama over the debate isn't happening in a vacuum. It's part of the political theatre that will impact the results on election day. Harvey Kronberg is the editor of the Quorum Report, a non-partisan online newsletter dedicated to Texas politics at quorumreport.com. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 5: So what would a political debate between Rick Perry and Bill White sound like? Using the miracle of audio editing, Texas Matters is able to hold a virtual debate. a) The first question goes to Governor Perry. What should be done about the drug cartel violence on the Texas/Mexico border? Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript b) Some are calling the current economic situation the Great Recession. Texas seems to be doing better than other states. Why is that? And what can we do to keep jobs in Texas? Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript c) Texas is dealing with a crisis with dropouts. How do we fix this? Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #522, August 27, 2010
The result was an infectious Tex-Mex sound and a new generation of fans. But in 1999 Doug Sahm died unexpectedly after suffering a massive heart attack. And in 2006 Freddy Fender died after a long battle with cancer. It was thought that without Doug and Freddy the Tornados were no more. But they are back with Shawn Sahm stepping into his father's role. The Texas Tornados join Texas Matters' David Martin Davies to discuss the latest iteration of their band and to play some old favorites. This program originally aired June 18, 2010. Full Episode Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript "Hey Baby, Que Paso?" Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript "Who Were You Thinking Of" Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript "Who's To Blame, Señorita" Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript "She's About a Mover" Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript "Anybody Going to San Antone?" Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript "Adios Mexico" Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #521, August 20, 2010 Segment 1: The federal government is boosting its commitment to securing the nation's southern border. On Aug 13, President Obama signed the Border Security Bill which will spend $600 million on the effort. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano spoke to us about the signing and what the nation gets for $600 million. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: State Representative Joe Driver has some explaining to do. Driver is a republican from Garland and sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. This week the Associated Press published their investigation into Driver's travel expenses. The investigation showed that he billed the state for travel expenses that his campaign had already paid for. In total Driver collected over $49,000 in the process that the Dallas Morning News called a "scam." Andy Wilson is the spokesperson for Public Citizen Texas, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group and government watchdog in Austin. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: In 1858, Texans elected Sam Houston to be governor. Houston ran on a strong union platform. Three years later, Texas held a vote on seceding from the Union and it won by a 3-1 margin. What happened to popular opinion in that time frame? Historians say it was the "Texas Troubles." The "Texas Troubles" was a wave of lynchings and mob rule that shook the state after false reports of a Northern controlled slave uprising. And it set the stage for the Civil War. Donald E. Reynolds is a historian and the author of a book on the "Texas Troubles" called Texas Terror. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #520, August 13, 2010 Segment 1: Governor Rick Perry and his democratic challenger Bill White appeared on the same stage in Austin Thursday. But those itching for a debate between the two were disappointed. The candidates were separated by other speakers and were never even in the room at the same time. KUT's Ben Philpott has more on the candidates crossing paths on the campaign trail. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: When a child is born in the United States that child is a U.S. citizen. It doesn't matter if the parents are in the country illegally. That's according to the 14th Amendment to the U.S. constitution and that's been the law since 1868. But some high ranking republicans are calling for a reexamination of 14th Amendment, including Texas State Representative Debbie Riddle of Houston. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: The 14th Amendment has plenty of defenders. They say the citizenship birth right is part of the American dream and helps make the country great.They also doubt that the amendment can be changed. However, they say bringing the question forward is disturbing. Louie Gilot is the policy director for the Border Network for Human Rights based in El Paso. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: The Texas Department of Transportation has hit the road working to get a statewide passenger rail plan back on track. The first step is to get public comment about the current rail system and then develop a single plan for the entire state. Bill Glavin is TxDOT's rail director. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #519, August 6, 2010 Segment 1: Last week, when the Texas Education Agency released the school accountability ratings there was plenty to celebrate. The TEA announced that 239 school districts and 2,624 schools received the state's highest accountability rating of "exemplary." Two years ago, the number of exemplary schools was just a thousand. But look more deeply into those numbers, and things aren't quite so rosy. The TEA used a statistical device called a projection measure to increase the ranking of a school. State Representative Scott Hochberg is a critic of the formula. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: The Texas Education Agency defends the Texas Performance Measure. TEA spokesperson Debbie Ratcliff says it is a valid way to reflect progress. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White is criss-crossing the state hammering GOP Governor Rick Perry about a questionable land deal Perry made several years ago in Horseshoe Bay. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: The details about the Horseshoe Bayland deal came to light after an investigation by the Dallas Morning News. James Drew is the lead reporter on the story. We reached out multiple times over several days to the governor's office for reaction to the story and for details about the Horseshoe Bay land deal. They refused to comment. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #518, July 30, 2010 Segment 1: On a 7-6 vote the State Board of Education approved a plan to spend $100 million from the Permanent School Fund to buy real estate for the charter schools. The charter schools would pay rent back to the state. State Board of Education candidate Michael Soto calls the program a bad idea. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: The architect of this Charter School facilities financing plan is Republican David Bradley. Bradley says the plan not only helps the Texas children who attend charter schools, but will make money for the state. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Oil from the BP spill is more than 100 miles off the Texas coast, but a special oil response team is still on the lookout. KERA's Shelley Kofler went on patrol with members of the team based in Corpus Christi to find out how Texas has prepared for oil spills here. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: Belinda Acosta is an Austin based award-winning author. Her latest novel is Sisters, Strangers and Starting Over. It's published by Grand Central Publishing. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #517, July 23, 2010 Segment 1: Janet Napolitano is the Secretary of Homeland Security. On August 1, twelve hundred National Guard troops will be deployed on the southern border. Two hundred fifty of them will come to Texas. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: The anti-illegal immigration militia the Texas Minutemen calls the National Guard deployment too small and misdirected. Shannon McGauley is the president of the Texas Minutemen. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Life on the border is more complicated than the headlines. Cecilia Balli studies the border. She is a University of Texas professor of anthropology and a former writer for Texas Monthly. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: For immigrants coming in the United States from Latin America, it's a rough transition – whether they be illegal or legal immigrants. And that transition is getting more difficult. Ana Maria Quevedo the author of Living in a Double World: A Practical guide Through The Immigration Experience. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #516, July 16, 2010
Segment 1: It's been over two weeks since Hurricane Alex came ashore just south of Brownsville. The storm moved into the mountains of Mexico and dumped a sea of rain. Then came a tropical depression and more heavy rains.Now all that water is ending up in the Rio Grande. Sally Spener is with the International Boundary and Water Commission. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Rolando Zamora is an agent with the Starr County Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Starr County is situated just south of Falcon Dam on the Rio Grande. The area is seeing record flooding. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: TPR contributing reporter Linda Cuellar tells us that many of the border residents are turning to social media to keep a step ahead of the border violence. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: In the second part of her special report TPR contributing reporter Linda Cuellar reports on the drug war's impact from Laredo. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 5: Laura Huffman is the Texas director for the Nature Conservancy. The nonprofit has released a report with recommendations on how to clean up the Gulf on Mexico from the history BP oil spill. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #515, July 9, 2010 Segment 1: Kat Swift is the Texas Coordinator for the Green Party of Texas. After a legal soap opera that pulled back the veil and revealed the ugly face of partisan politics in Texas, it looks like the Greens will be on the state ballot in November. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Dogs working in the military have a long rich history protecting our service members and their numbers are growing. Texas Public Radio's Terry Gildea takes us to the place where their training begins and introduces us to a man dedicated to remembering their K9 contributions. Click here for the complete story and photos. Segment 3: Lance Rosenfield is a photojournalist working for ProPublica who found out what can happen when the media doesn't follow the BP script. He ran afoul of the law while working on a story in Texas City. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #514, July 2, 2010 Segment 1: On Thursday Texas said goodbye to former democratic Governor Dolph Briscoe. He served as the state's executive from 1972 to 1978. In May of 2008 Dolph Briscoe published his autobiography called Dolph Briscoe: My Life in Texas Ranching and Politics. Texas Matters was then able to interview Briscoe about his accomplishments, and he said he was most proud of being a Texan. Also in 2006 speaking in front of the Alamo Briscoe spoke about what it means to be a Texan. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: When Hurricane Alex is heading toward the Texas-Mexico coastline, some potential hurricane victims were busy creating a storm of tweets to communicate about the developments of Alex. If you follow Twitter you might have seen some posts from Courtney Robertson who was in Brownsville during the storm. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Texans have been fighting over water since the first days the land was settled by Europeans. The rules and laws that govern water are cryptic, and now that the state is populated with almost 25 million people those laws seem to be out of date. Writing in the Texas Observer author Joe Nick Patoski lays out what he considers wrong with the rule of capture. You can read the article online at texasobserver.org. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #513, June 25, 2010 Segment 1: The Texas Republican Party had its statewide convention in Dallas two weeks ago. Now the Texas Democrats are having their confab in Corpus Christi. The Texas Dems remain in complete exile from holding any statewide office, but hope springs eternal that they will eventually bounce back. Harvey Kronberg editor of the Quorum Report is in Corpus covering the convention. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript State Rep. Linda Harper Brown responds to allegations of failing to properly disclose her finances.Segment 2: Crawford, Texas became the adopted home of George W. Bush during his presidency. But the small town west of Waco has undergone some big changes since the 43rd president handed over the keys to the White House. From Austin Public Radio, KUT's Nathan Bernier visited Crawford recently, and spoke with some of the locals about what it's like to lose the spotlight. Related Links: Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript
The battleship moored at the Battleship San Jacinto battleground is the last of the world's "dreadnoughts," and at one time was the most powerful weapon in the world. Now her future is in doubt and recently the battleship was almost sunk – not by a torpedo but by old age. Andy Smith is the ship’s manager. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript
Segment 4: Who was the "Yellow Rose of Texas?" And did she use her beauty to help Texas win independence from Mexico? We’ll never know for certain where history ends and where the myth begins. But that doesn’t stop author Douglas Brode from telling the tale in a graphic novel called Yellow Rose of Texas: The Myth of Emily Morgan. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #512, June 18, 2010
The result was an infectious Tex-Mex sound and a new generation of fans. But in 1999 Doug Sahm died unexpectedly after suffering a massive heart attack. And in 2006 Freddy Fender died after a long battle with cancer. It was thought that without Doug and Freddy the Tornados were no more. But they are back with Shawn Sahm stepping into his father's role. The Texas Tornados join Texas Matters' David Martin Davies to discuss the latest iteration of their band and to play some old favorites. Full Episode Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript "Hey Baby, Que Paso?" Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript "Who Were You Thinking Of" Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript "Who's To Blame, Señorita" Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript "She's About a Mover" Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript "Anybody Going to San Antone?" Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript "Adios Mexico" Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #511, June 11, 2010 Segment 1: The general election is now just six months away. And the candidates running for governor aren’t waiting any longer to start their mudslinging.Harvey Kronberg is keeping score. He’s the editor of the online political newsletter the Quorum Report and he’s in Dallas to cover the GOP Convention. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: NPR has spent the week covering the nation’s changing attitudes and laws about marijuana. For some states there is a bright future for fans of the wacky weed. But what about in Texas? Could cannabis go legit? Jerry Epstein is the president of the Drug Policy Forum of Texas. Related Links: Medical Marajuana Laws by State (NPR) Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript
Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #510, June 4, 2010 The Quality of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The TCEQ is taking heat, and much of it coming from the EPA. Segment 1: The EPA has threatened to take over the permitting process from the TCEQ, if the commission doesn't get tough on polluters. That has Governor Rick Perry calling out the EPA as another example of Washington D.C. interference in state governance. Perry was in Deer Park Wednesday. While standing in the warehouse of a local business, he blasted the EPA and praised the TCEQ. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: The Texas Observer has published a comprehensive and fault-finding examination of the TCEQ. The article, titled “Agency of Destruction,” lays out a case that the TCEQ is more focused on pleasing industry than protecting the state’s air and water. Forrest Wilder is the environmental reporter for the Texas Observer. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: State Senator Wendy Davis is demanding some accountability from the TCEQ, after she said environmental regulators failed to report accurate information about the air quality in the Barnett Shale region. Davis tells Texas Matters that the TCEQ needs to be reformed. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: John Sadlier is the Deputy Director of the TCEQ. The state’s environmental agency is underfire for not being forthcoming with the results of air quality testing conducted around gas drilling sites in Tarrant County. He says this is a communication problem and the agency wasn’t trying to cover up failed air quality tests. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #509, May 28, 2010 Segment 1: Jerry Patterson is the Texas Land Commissioner. Patterson says Texas is likely to be spared ecological damage from the BP oil blow out,and that it is important for the coastal economy for oil production in the Gulf to continue. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Others aren’t so confident that Texas is free and clear of widespread environmental devastation from the oil spill. Susan Kaderka just got back from seeing the oil coating Louisiana’s coastal marshlands. Kaderka is the regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation based in Austin. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Fifteen national parks, wildlife refuges and state parks in Gulf states are being threatened by the floating oil according to a new report. The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization produced the report, titled “Special Places at Risk in the Gulf: Effects of the BP Oil Catastrophe.”Stephen Saunders is a co-author of the report. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: Geoff Winningham is a photographer and writer. He also teaches visual arts at Rice University. He has documented life along the Texas and Mexico gulf coast with photos and essays in the book Traveling the Shore of the Spanish Sea, published by Texas A&M University Press. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #508, May 21, 2010 Segment 1: Citizens gathered at hearings this week in the run up to the State Board of Education's vote on adopting new social studies curricula standards. Many spectators and participants at this week's hearings spoke with KUT Austin. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Peggy Venable is the state director for Americans for Prosperity She supports the republican majority on the Texas State board of Education as they push for a more politically conservative social studies curriculum. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: State Representative Mike Villarreal is a democrat from San Antonio. He is an outspoken critic of the conservative changes the state board of education is adopting for the social studies curriculum. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: Ron Kendall is the Director of the Texas Tech University Institute of Environmental and Human Health.They have developed a special cotton material that will be used to clean up the BP oil spill. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 5: Becky Moeller is the president of the Texas AFL-CIO. The labor union is offering Rick Perry to rent their mobile home in downtown Austin for one dollar per year. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #507, May 14, 2010 Segment 1: While the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico continues to gush, threatening coastal areas and the fishing industry, there is a bright spot of energy news for Texas -- wind is thriving. Later this month, the American Wind Energy Association will convene more than 20,000 wind industry leaders, government officials, and business executives in Dallas for the Windpower Conference & Exhibition.Denise Bode is the CEO of the American Wind Energy Association. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Grab a bottle of water or can of soda, and when you’re done quenching your thirst, you’ve still got that empty bottle or can to deal with.Many do the responsible thing and drop it in the recycling. Even still, far too many bottles and cans end up in the landfill, along the highway or in our waterways. But what if Texas had a deposit system in place? Patsy Gilham is a coordinator for the effort to pass a Texas Bottle deposit bill. There’s more information online at texasbottlebill.com. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: It has been unreal what’s happened to the real estate world these past few years.Houses have been turned upside down and underwater. But living in a house is more than wondering if you are going to make the next mortgage payment. It’s part of the American Dream, and it can be a nightmare. Still LA Times columnist Meghan Daum maintains that there's no place like home. She writes about it in her memoir, Life Would Be Perfect If I Lived in That House. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #506, May 7, 2010 The women of the Mujeres writing group in San Antonio share their Mother’s Day stories with Texas Matters. The women recently published their third anthology including stories of family and faith. Segment 1: Belza Elia Ramos – “Boundless Mother Love” Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Teri Flores – “Finding Love in Abuelita” Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Arleen Garza – “Side-by-Side” Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: Vangie Alaniz – “My Quest for Knowledge: A Mother’s Day Tribute” Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 5: Lupe M. Gonzalez – “The Only Title that Ever Mattered” Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #505, April 30, 2010 Segment 1: Debbie Riddle is a republican Texas state representative for District 150 northwest of Houston. She will sponsor a bill in the coming legislative session that could create a Texas law similar to the controversial anti-illegal immigration law now in place in Arizona. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Texas State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte is a Democrat from San Antonio. She is joining in a boycott against Arizona in protest against the new law there that cracks down on illegal immigrants by requiring all non-citizens to carry documents that prove they are in the country legally. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: David Spener is a professor in the department of sociology and anthropology at Trinity University in San Antonio.He has written Clandestine Crossings: Migrants and Coyotes on the Texas-Mexico Border, published by Cornell University Press. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #504, April 23, 2010 Segment 1: Financial forecasters are predicting a slow but steady recovery in most sectors of the Texas economy. Even though we fared better than other states, lawmakers face a budget shortfall of $10 billion or more when they return to Austin in 2011. In a series of special reports KUT and Texas Tribune reporter Ben Philpott take a look at the big budget buster and some proposed solutions.First up – How Texas got in this fiscal ditch. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: When the recession hit Texas many people put away the credit cards and stopped shopping. That quickly dried up state and local sales tax dollars, and it is a big reason Texas is facing a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall. State lawmakers are asking what can they do. And they could be thinking the unthinkable. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune contemplates a hugely unpopular alternative. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Texas lawmakers head back to Austin in January and they will be looking at several options to cover a $10 billion dollar-plus biennial shortfall. Politics aside, it's pure math, the state government has to reduce spending and/or make more money. But increasing the state’s cash flow is never simple in tax-averse Texas. Ben Philpott is a political reporter for KUT Austin and the Texas Tribune. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: Legislative leaders are not expected to push new taxes as a cure for the coming multibillion-dollar busted budget. Cutting state social services could be too painful. Advocates for the impoverished say the Texas safety net is already too thin. So where might new money come from? Texas could be willing to roll the dice on a gambling. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 5: There’s no hiding from the ten billion dollar Texas budget shortfall. The state was in a similar sticky situation in 2003. Lawmakers did a little bit of everything to patch up that $10 billion hole. They raided the so-called Rainy Day fund, used some accounting tricks, raised some fees and jacked up the tax on a pack of cigarettes. They also cut spending by billions of dollars. Ben Philpott wraps up his special series with a look at what cuts could be in store this time around. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 6: Texas ranks among states with the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the nation, but recent data shows that unintended pregnancies among women in their twenties is also a growing concern. More than seventy percent of pregnancies among Texas women between the ages of 18 and 29 are unplanned. That’s according statistics released by the Department of State Health Services. These pregnancies often occur when women are at critical point in their lives, trying to pursue an education or job training to secure their financial futures. State officials estimate unplanned births in Texas cost Medicaid over $1.2 billion annually. But a new campaign launched by national and state organizations is designed to reduce the number of unexpected pregnancies among this group of young women. Bill Albert, the chief officer of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, and Dr. Janet Realini with Healthy Futures of Texas were in San Antonio this week to launch the program. Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea sat down with them to learn more. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #503, April 16, 2010 Segment 1: This is the time of year that tomato plants go on sale, and many folks take up the yoke to plant that backyard garden. But something goes wrong and the expected bumper crop gets bumped. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has created a new free online course about growing tomato that will help gardeners get better results. “Tomato 101: The Basics of Growing Tomatoes” was prepared by Extension Specialist Joseph Masabni. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Growing big veggies and beautiful flowers depends on the quality of the soil. It’s not that hard to improve your soil the natural way with some help from the Dirt Doctor. The Dirt Doctor is Howard Garrett who has been researching and teaching organic gardening across Texas for over 20 years. He’s written seventeen books on organic gardening, and you can find him online at dirtdoctor.com. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Texas has always been about producing oil, but there’s a new oil in Texas that comes from the ground – olive Oil. California has a successful olive industry and now some are hoping the business can take root in Texas. Jim Henry is the president of the Texas Olive Oil Council. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: Normally when you have a garden you are trying to keep the insects away from your plants, except when it comes to bees. Honey bees have had a tough year, but this spring it’s hoped the hives will bounce back. Paul Jackson is the state’s chief apiary inspector. An apiary is a place where bees are raised. He’s with the Texas A&M department of Entomology. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #502, April 9, 2010 Segment 1: Tuesday is the run-off election for the primary races where no candidate received the majority vote. Without a high profile contest for the media to focus on there hasn’t been much attention in the news and early voting turnout has been meager. On the ballot there is only one state-wide race, the republican primary for Texas Supreme Court place 2. The two candidates appear as different as night and day. Former state representative Rick Green is closely tied to the Tea Party movement and a conservative christian effort to erode the separation of church and state. His opponent is Judge Debra Lehrmann. She is a legal scholar and pushing her experience in the courtroom. In the past weeks Lehrmann has received support from Texans for Lawsuit Reform and a number of former Supreme Court Justices. Green is endorsed by Chuck Norris. We’ll talk to both candidates. We caught up with Green as he was driving to Dallas for a campaign event. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Judge Debra Lehrmann is also busy on the campaign trail. We contacted her while she was riding in a taxi in Lubbock where she was meeting voters. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: The winner of the Green-Lehrmann April 13th runoff will face Democrat Jim Sharp in November for a seat on the nine-member court.To get some perspective about this race for Texas Supreme Court we turn to Harvey Kronberg editor of the online newsletter about Texas politics, The Quorum Report. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: Texas author John Phillip Santos has written the long-awaited companion to his critically acclaimed memoir, Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation. His new book is called The Farthest Home is an Empire of Fire.In the book the San Antonio-native goes on an adventure of self-discovery that drives to the fore questions of identity, race and origin. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 5: Dorothy Allison is best known for her novel, Bastard Out of Carolina which was nominated for a National Book Award in 1992 and was later translated to a dozen languages and adapted to a film directed by Angelica Houston. In 2007 she was awarded the Robert Penn Warren Award for Fiction. She is currently the McGee Professor Writer in Residence at Davidson College in North Carolina. Her latest novel, She Who, is forthcoming. Dorothy Allison will have a reading and book signing on Wednesday, April 14 at 7 pm in Thiry Auditorium on the campus of Our Lady of the Lake University. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #501, April 2, 2010 Texas Dance Hall MemoriesTexas dancehalls like Club 21 once peppered the farming communities of Texas. The German and Czech immigrants brought the dance halls with their old world customs. The dance halls were the original community centers of the original European settlements of Texas. They were a focal point for the men and women, when they weren’t trying to survive and conquer the Texas wilderness. Now the classic Texas dancehalls are in trouble. Many have been lost. Can they be saved for future generations? [Original Airdate: December 25, 2009] Show #500, March 26, 2010 Segment 1: Although the Health Care Reform bill is law, the issue isn’t settled. Republican congressmen and senators,including some from Texas, are calling for the repeal of the law. Attorneys general from 13 states, including Greg Abbott from Texas, are challenging the law in court. We spoke to Attorney General Abbott about why he’s fighting the health care reform law. Segment 2: Barbara Ann Radnofsky is the democratic nominee for Texas Attorney General. She supports the health care bill and says its constitutional and good for Texas. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: The largest group of women veterans today served in the early campaigns of Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 40 percent of them have enrolled with VA health care. But the battle for many female vets continues on the home front when seeking care at VA hospitals. Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea brings us the story of a decorated female veteran and her struggle to find care after being diagnosed with PTSD. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: He was due to be executed on March 24. One hour before he was to receive the lethal injection the U.S. Supreme Court intervened. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #499, March 19, 2010 Segment 1: Hank Skinner, who waits on Texas Death Row, is hoping his life will be saved by DNA evidence, but the state’s judicial system is so far refusing to test that evidence. Skinner was convicted and sentenced to die for the murder of his live-in girl friend Twila Busby and her two adult sons. Skinner has maintained he is innocent of the crimes, but time is running out for him.He is scheduled to be executed Wednesday, March 24. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Rob Owen is the director of the Capital Punishment Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law. He’s the attorney for Hank Skinner, who is scheduled to be executed on March 24. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: In 1957, two weeks before Barbara Smith Conrad was to debut on stage in a University of Texas student production of Henry Purcell's opera "Dido and Aeneas," Conrad was pulled from the production, not because she couldn't sing, but because of the color of her skin. Some Texas legislators objected to an African-American woman being paired as the love interest on stage of a white singer. The lawmakers pressured UT to pull Conrad from the cast and the university did so. However, over the next 40 years, Barbara Smith Conrad became one of the premiere mezzo-sopranos in the country. Conrad's story is told in the new documentary When I Rise, which premiered to a sold-out house at Austin's Paramount Theatre during the South By Southwest film festival. Nathan Cone spoke to Barbara Smith Conrad in Austin. Related Links: Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #498, March 12, 2010 Segment 1: The Texas National Guard is on a five-year mission in Afghanistan to help farmers build a sustainable agricultural economy.The men and women of the Texas National Guard Agribusiness Development Team are trying to win the war by helping Afghan farmers with agriculture, irrigation, and animal breeding projects. In the process, the Texas ADT soldiers are also trying to survive in a place where danger lurks around every corner.Reporter Douglas Wissing was embedded with the Texas ADT forces in Afghanistan. Reporting for KUT in Austin Douglas Wissing brings us a four part series on the team’s mission in Afghanistan’s complicated war zone. Related Links: More reporting from Douglas Wissing Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: A national conservation group is suing Texas environmental regulators. The Aransas Project filed the federal suit to protect endangered whooping cranes. Jim Blackburn is the attorney for the Aransas Project. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: For over 100 years the Historic Herff Farm survived hostile attacks and Mother Nature’s fury.But now the old homestead in the Hill Country is facing a tougher battle against the developer’s bulldozer. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has the story. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #497, March 4, 2010 Segment 1: After months of speeches and millions of dollars spent on political advertising, primary day has come and gone. But it was all just a warm-up for the general election campaign, which is now underway. So what did we learn from the election tallies?
Let’s check in with Quorum Report editor Harvey Kronberg to find out. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Texas is the nation’s top producer of oil. But what would happen if suddenly every drop of the sweet crude just vanished? Not just from Texas but from the entire world. That’s a question explored by the National Geographic Channel in a special program called “Aftermath: World Without Oil.” Author Richard Heinberg is featured in the program. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Texans are wild about wildflowers and this spring it looks like we are in for a treat. The forecast from the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin is for a colorful explosion of native blooms. Andrea DeLong-Amaya, is the director of horticulture at the Wildflower Center. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: Twisting rock and roll, country and conjunto music, the Texas Tornados produced an infectious sound. But can that magic be recreated now that two key performers have passed on? The surviving members of the Tornados announced yesterday they are giving it a spin with a new CD. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has the story. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #496, February 26, 2010 Segment 1: It won’t be long now before it’s time to stop the speeches and start the counting of ballots. We’ll finally know who the winners are in the party primaries – unless there’s a run-off. Then the speeches will start again. Bob Moser is a political junky and is enjoying every minute of it. Moser is the editor of the Texas Observer, a magazine that specializes in investigative, political and social-justice reporting. You can read his blog and other Texas Observer articles online at texasobserver.org. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: Incumbent Lt. Governor David Dewhurst has no challenger in the Republican primary, but the Democrats have a battle royale going on. One leading candidate is Linda Chavez-Thompson. She is a retired labor organizer and a former leader of the AFL-CIO. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: Also seeking the democratic nomination for Lt Governor is Ronnie Earle, the former Travis County district attorney. Earle earned a national reputation for fighting for justice. His most notable and controversial case was the prosecution of former Sugarland congressman and U.S. House Majority Leader Tom Delay. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: Kathryn Borel set out with her father on a road trip through the finest French vineyards. The trip was an education about wine, as well those wonderfully complicated people: our parents. She documents the trip in her book, Corked: A Memoir.
It’s published by Grand Central Publishing. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #495, February 19, 2010 Segment 1: This week, Governor Rick Perry, Attorney General Greg Abbott and Agricultural Commissioner Todd Staples held a joint news conference where they announced a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency. The lawsuit is a bid to stop the EPA from regulating global warming pollution using the so-called “climate-gate” hacked e-mails to discredit the EPA. Supporters of climate change say the e-mails are disgraceful, but the science is sound. We will hear from both sides of the debate. First, we talk with Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 2: The Texas League of Conservation Voters is one of many organizations critical of Texas for filing the lawsuit. The TLCV is the state’s leading environmental organization dedicated to electing pro-conservation candidates. David Weinberg is the director of the TLCV. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 3: The Texas EPA lawsuit wasn’t the only climate change battle in the state this week. On Thursday, the conservative think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, issued a scathing review of possible cap and trade federal legislation that seeks to limit carbon emissions. The report says cap and trade will have a harsh negative impact on Texas industries, jobs and economy. Kathleen White is with the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Read the report. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Segment 4: The liberal organization, Environment Texas, is firing back. Saying the Texas Public Policy Institute is only telling their side of the research. Alejandro Savransky is an organizer for Environment Texas. Audio Player Requires Flash and JavaScript Show #494, February 12, 2010 Segment 1: Harvey Kronberg,editor of the Quorum Report discusses, the latest polling in the primary races for Governor. The Quorum Report is an online newsletter dedicated to following Texas Politics.
Related Link: Quorum Report Segment 2: When Dallas public broadcaster KERA held a statewide televised debate for democrats running for governor, only two candidates met their requirements. That left lesser-known democrats who are on the ballot out of the big debate. Four candidates who were excluded are now suing KERA for $400 million dollars.Lawsuits like this are not uncommon, and legal precedent gives the debate host the ability to choose the candidates. Clement Glenn is one of the four candidates for governor left out of the democratic debate.
Segment 3: When republicans begin casting votes in the primary, in addition to deciding what candidates should run in the general election, they also are deciding five critical policy questions. Brian Preston is a spokesperson for the Republican party of Texas.
Segment 4: Texas has what it takes to be a national leader in solar power – but the state losing out on jobs and energy to other states in the Sunbelt. The Go Solar Texas coalition says the state needs leadership to take solar power forward. Lucy Midelfort is with the Go Solar Texas Coalition.
Segment 5: This year, the Chinese New Year will welcome the Year of the Tiger. Animal conservationists are hoping they can use the year to help save the tiger, an endangered species that’s plentiful in sanctuaries across the state. Sybille Klenzendorf is director of the World Wildlife Federation species conservation program.
Show #493, February 5, 2010 Segment 1: Early voting in the Texas primaries begins February 16, and candidates are looking to persuade voters anyway they can, but does that include lying? The Austin American-Statesman is putting claims to the test using the truth-o-meter. Gardner Shelby is the editor of Austin American Statesman’s Politifact Texas.
Related Link: Politifact Texas Segment 2: This week President Barack Obama released his proposed budget for the federal government. One item caught the eye of the Texas energy industry – dropping federal subsidies for exploration, drilling and extraction of oil and natural gas. Texas Rail Road Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones says if congress follows this recommendation it will have a negative impact on Texas.
Show #492, January 29, 2010 Segment 1: Andrew Wheat is a researcher at Texans for Public Justice and author of the study “Watch You Assets,” which examined the track record of job creation of the Texas Enterprise Fund. He found that the TEF is coming up short in the number of job corporations promised Texas they would generate after taking taxpayer dollars. Segment 2: Texas is missing out on billions of dollars from the federal government to develop a network of high speed rail systems. Out of $8 billion in federal rail funding, it seems Texas is getting just $4 million. Peter LeCody is the Executive Administrator for Texas Rail Advocates. He says in order for Texas to get billion dollar grants we need to follow the example of other states that are serious about rail like California and Florida.
Segment 3: Vicki Muller is a wildlife specialist at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. She is monitoring the endangered whooping cranes. There is an annual Whooping Crane Festival at Port Arkansas,February 25 though 28. Show #491, January 22, 2010
The states have to compete for the money and if Texas had decided to apply it could have received up to $700 million. But Texas is sitting this one out. Perry explains his position at a January 19 press conference at Cole High School in San Antonio. Also speaking to reporters is Texas Commissioner of Education Robert Scott. Segment 2: Michael Kirst is Professor Emeritus of Education and Business Administration at Stanford University. He is a former president of the California State Board of Education. His book is titled From High School to College: Improving Opportunities for Success in Postsecondary Education. Professor Kirst says for the majority of states "Race to the Top" makes a lot of sense.
Segment 3: Rick Perry says he’s getting a lot of support from Texas teacher organizations for his decision not to apply for “Race to the Top” funds. This is a new development, because the two haven’t seen eye to eye on education reform in the past. Holly Eaton Texas Classroom Teachers Association Director of Professional Development and Advocacy. Segment 4: While some are opposed to the Race to the Top because they see more regulation in the classroom as impractical, others are against the program for ideological reasons. Michael Quinn Sullivan heads Texans for Fiscal Responsibility. Show #490, January 15, 2010 Segment 1: The Texas GOP gubernatorial debate was held Thursday night at the Murchison Performing Arts Center in Denton. The candidates participating were the incumbent Rick Perry, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Deborah Medina. Here is a sample of the debate highlights. Segment 2: Whoever wins the primary could face democrat Bill White, the former mayor of Houston, in the general election in November. We wanted to see what he thought of the Republican debate.
Segment 3: Paul Burka is a reporter and blogger for Texas Monthly magazine. He writes in the February issue that Rick Perry is gearing up for a run for president in 2012. Show #489, January 8, 2010 Segment 1: Attorneys general in 13 states are objecting to the U.S. Senate’s version of national health care reform. And Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot is among that group who sent a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid saying changes needed to be made to the bill or face legal action. Abbott is also running for re-election in Texas. Segment 2: Abbott is facing challenger Democrat Barbara Ann Radnofsky in the general election. We spoke to her about why she’s running to be the state’s top lawyer. Show #488, January 1, 2010 Segment 1: It would take you a lifetime to explore all of the sights, scenes and historic points of the Unites States. Author Gary McKechnie only had 4 years to do it so he had to makes some tough choices – he picked the 101 most interesting places in the nation. He’s the author of the book USA 101: A Guide to America's Iconic Places, Events, and Festivals Segment 2: One of the many festivals that’s not covering in the book USA 101 is the International Festival at Round Top. Which is located half way between Austin and Houston. Texas Public Radio’s John Clare has more on the cultural festival.
Texas Public Radio’s Nathan Cone brought the band into our studios recently to play some tunes, and talk about how the effort to preserve their recorded past brought them back to the present. Extended interview with Hector and David Saldaña of the Krayolas:
The Krayolas Perform "Marie Leveau" in the Texas Public Radio Studios:
"Marie Laveau" by The Krayolas from KSTX on Vimeo. Download songs from their TPR studio session:
Photos of The Krayolas in-studio performance:
Show #487, December 25, 2009 Texas Dance Hall MemoriesTexas dancehalls like Club 21 once peppered the farming communities of Texas. The German and Czech immigrants brought the dance halls with their old world customs. The dance halls were the original community centers of the original European settlements of Texas. They were a focal point for the men and women, when they weren’t trying to survive and conquer the Texas wilderness. Now the classic Texas dancehalls are in trouble. Many have been lost. Can they be saved for future generations? Show #486, December 18, 2009 Segment 1: Under the Texas Open Meetings Act elected officials are required to do the public’s business out in the open, so the public can follow along.
Backroom deals using taxpayer money shouldn’t happen. Three Texas cities – Alpine, Big Lake and Rockport and a number of elected officials are suing the State of Texas claiming the Open Meetings Act infringes on their rights of free speech. Houston lawyer Dick DeGurin is one of the lead attorneys in that complaint. Segment 2: Former Texas Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby has written a guest editorial published in multiple Texas newspapers that argues the Texas Open Meetings Act works and should be left in place. Hobby says the act was put in place to fight corruption, and, if the act is weakened, then it is likely there will be an increase in back room dealings in Texas politics.
With 53 percent of the vote Houston chose Parker, the city controller, over Gene Locke, a former city attorney. Jonathan Martin of politico.com theorizes the Houston election signals a trend. Segment 4: Watching the pedestrian border bridges between Texas and Mexico, you’ll frequently see tourists, businessmen, shoppers and school children. But why are some children from Mexico crossing the border to attend public schools in Texas? That question and the effort to put a stop to it put Del Rio in the spotlight during the illegal immigration debate. Melissa del Bosque writes about that in the current issue of the Texas Observer. Show #485, December 11, 2009
Segment 2: Houston Mayor Bill White changes gears. He is no longer running to be the next U.S. Senator from Texas. Now he wants to run for governor. Segment 3: Lisa Ling is a correspondent for the National Geographic Channel. Ling takes a look at how the drug war is impacting Ciuda Juarez and Phoenix in the documentary Narco State. Program #484, December 4, 2009 Molly Ivins: A Rebel Life
She died of cancer in 2007 after charting a career of helping the rest of the nation understand Texas and notable Texas politicians. She once wrote about a Texas congressman, “If his IQ slips any lower, he’ll need to be watered twice a day.” Austin writer Bill Minutaglio has written a biography of Molly – called Molly Ivins: A Rebel Life, published by Public Affairs Books. You can find more online at mollyivinsbook.com. Program #483, November 27, 2009 A Remembrance of the Holidays The holidays are a time of stories. There is the divine story of the birth of Jesus and the almost infinite volume of personal stories from each of our families. There’s the story of the magic of Christmas seen a child’s eyes, then told many years later after that child became an adult. We at Texas Matters are pausing to listen to those stories and we encourage you to tell your stories to your loved ones. Segment 1: Luisa Benavides - "Laredo Christmas Story" Segment 2: The Mujeres writers group in San Antonio share their childhood holiday stories. The Mujeres have just published their third anthology including stories of family and faith.
Program #482, November 20, 2009 Segment 1: The race for the Republican nomination for governor is turning into a civil war in the Texas GOP. The party is being torn between support for Governor Rick Perry and for Senator Kay Baily Hutchison. Now we learn that Hutchison isn’t going to resign her seat in Washington until after the March primary. To explain what this means we turn to Harvey Kronberg of the Quorum Report, an online newsletter that tracks politics in Texas. Segment 2: Matthew Gardner is with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. His study show Texas as the fifth worst state for taxing the poor and middle class. Only Washington, Florida, South Dakota and Tennessee were ranked ahead of Texas in the unfairness department. Segment 3: This week, the Oxford American Dictionary named " its 2009 Word of the Year. In her commentary Yvette Benavides takes a minute to “word-process” unfriend. Segment 4: Travis polling is the author of Beer Across Texas: A Guide to the Brews and Brewmasters of the Lone Star State from Maverick Publishing. Travis also has an online beer blog, www.beeracrosstexas.com. Program #481, November 13, 2009 Segment 1: Funerals will be held this weekend for some of the thirteen people murdered in the Fort Hood shootings. Among those will be a service for 62-year-old Mike Cahill. He was the only person from Central Texas to die in the attack, and the only civilian killed. KUT's Nathan Bernier takes us on a trip to Mike Cahill's home in Cameron, Texas. Segment 2: As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq rage on repeated deployments are taking a toll on Military families. As service members fight overseas, spouses and children are often left alone to navigate the challenges that come with separation. It becomes even more difficult when a parent has a child with special needs. Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea profiles one military family trying to overcome some extraordinary obstacles. Segment 3: Farouk Shami is a candidate for the democratic nomination for Texas governor. The multimillionaire made his fortune by inventing and selling hair products. Segment 4: John Moran Gonzalez is the author of Border Renaissance: The Texas Centennial and the Emergence of Mexican American Literature. He is also an associate professor of English and Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. The book is published by the University of Texas Press. Program #480, November 6, 2009 Segment 1: Republican political in-fighting cost the GOP the 23rd congressional district in New York. That race is an example of larger problems with the party of Lincoln. If those same Republican fractures rip Texas apart, there is one party that could benefit: the Libertarians. Patrick Dixon is the chair of the Libertarian Party of Texas. Segment 2: When someone drops out of school, they increase their odds of going to prison, going on welfare. Plus, there is an increased chance that their children will also become dropout. High School dropouts are likely to be a life long burden for the state. The problem is getting so big in Texas that leaders from across the political spectrum are coming together looking for a solution., but first they have to figure out exactly big is the drop out problem. That in itself is a challenge. Abby Rapoport is a reporter for the Texas Tribune, a web-based nonprofit journalism project. You can read her article "Drop Out Problem Drags Texas Down" online at texastribune.org. Segment 3: Recent developments in the renewable energy industry have been significant, but the budding promise of solar, wind, hydro and thermal power has yet to be fulfilled. Bringing Texans closer to relying on clean energy is the job of the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association. They are having their 25th annual conference this coming week in Austin. Russell Smith is the executive director of the Texas Renewable Energy Industrial Association. Segment 4: Folklorico, the art of Mexican folk dancing take center stage in author Reyna Grande's second novel Dancing with Butterflies. Reyna Grande weaves the stories of four women bound together by their Mexican heritage. Program #479, October 30, 2009 Segment 1: According to a study by The Brookings Institute and Business Week Magazine, Texas is leading the nation's economic recovery. The Metro Monitor study of the 100 biggest cities in the nation found that Texas cities had the strongest local economies. Alan Berube is a senior fellow and research director for the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institute. Segment 2: Pamela Colloff is a reporter for Texas Monthly. In the November issue, she covers the 10 year commemoration of the Texas A&M Bonfire collapse. Segment 3: Robert W. Merry is the author of A County of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, The Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent. Program #478, October 23, 2009 Segment 1: Mark White is a former governor of Texas. He is calling for a legislative review of the use of capital punishment. Segment 2: Terry Hall is the head of Texans United for Reform and Freedom (TURF). The political group is fighting toll roads and the TransTexas Corridor. She is urging Texans to vote No on prop 11. Segment 3: For 20 years Jim Cullum and his Happy Jazz Band hit the radio waves. The program is carried by some 200 public radio stations via Public Radio International and heard by millions of people around the world. Program #477, October 16, 2009 A Focus on Texas Constitutional AmendmentsElection Day is November 3. Early voting begins Monday Oct 19. To learn more about all the proposition the League of Women voters has created a voters guide – you can find it on line at lwvtexas.org. Segment 1: San Antonio Republican State Representative Frank Corte is the author of four of the eleven propositions that are before Texas voters. They are Prop numbers 1, 4, 6 and 11. Segment 2: Tony McDonald is with the Young Conservatives of Texas. They are urging voters to reject Prop 4, an amendment to create more Tier One universities in Texas. Segment 3: Rob Nixon is the chairman of the Surfrider’s Foundation South Texas Chapter. They urge voters to support Proposition 9, which would protect public access to beaches in Texas. Related Link: Surf Riders South Texas Chapter Segment 4: There are three propositions on the ballot that concern property appraisals – Props 2, 3 and 5. Republican Representative John Otto of Dayton helped author the three proposals. Program #476, October 9, 2009 Segment 1: Among the many questions in the health care debate is how much should the government do to care for those who don't have the money or insurance to get care themselves. Traditionally state governments have that responsibility, but in Texas, each county must pick up the tab for those costs not covered by other programs. Texas Public Radio's Terry Gildea looks at a program in Bexar County trying to meet the healthcare needs of the working poor. Segment 2: The Texas food stamps program is overwhelmed and the federal government says the long delays are unacceptable. The USDA Regional Administrator William Ludwig says Texas could do a better job. He told Texas officials to speed up the application processing or risk losing federal funds. Segment 3: Stephanie Goodman is a spokesperson for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Segment 4: Todd Staples is the Texas Commissioner of Agriculture and the treasurer for "PAC Off, It's my land." a political action committee working to pass Prop 11. Election Day is Nov 3. Early voting starts Oct 19. Segment 5: A Texas entrepreneur and adventurer is leading the charge to land on the moon to get the water and then sell it. It sounds like science fiction, but it could be a reality by 2015, according to Bill Strong, chairman of the Austin-based Shackelton Energy Company. Program #475, October 2, 2009 Segment 1: Questions are being raised about the timing of the replacement of three members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission. The commission was set to hear a critical report about a high profile arson case that led to the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham. There are doubts about arson investigator’s case against Willingham. A report that was due to be presented to the commission would have confirmed those doubts. Dave Mann is a reporter for the Texas Observer. He’s been writing about a pattern of problems with arson prosecutions in Texas for the publication. The series of articles, called "Burn Patterns," is available online at texasobserver.org. Segment 2: There is a new face in Texas politics: Deborah Medina. She’s running for the republican nomination for governor. Medina is getting attention and finding supporters because of her conservative ideas about how to govern the state. She’s not dominating the polling, but she’s drawing enough support that could sap votes away from Governor Rick Perry. Segment 3: To find out more about state nullification we turned to Lucas A. Powe, Jr., professor of government law at the University of Texas School of Law. Powe is a leading historian of the Supreme Court. His latest book is The Supreme Court and The American Elite. Show #474, September 25, 2009 MP3 Download
Segment 1: Hank Gilbert has announced that he is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor. Texas Matters is interviewing candidates from both parties.Next week we’ll feature Republican candidate Deborah Medina. Segment 2: Are you ready to give up your car for the daily commute and jump on public transportation? According to a new report by Environment Texas – a growing number of Texans are already doing just that. Gerri Witthuhn is a spokesperson for Environment Texas. Related Link: Environment Texas Segment 3: Historically, books with sex, violence, profanity, and drugs and alcohol use have been banned by schools in Texas. This week the Texas American Civil Liberties Union released their annual report on the practice and which books were banned. Dotty Griffith is the Public Education Director for ACLU of Texas. Related Link: ACLU Banned Books Report Segment 4: H.G. Bissenger is the author of Friday Night Lights. It was 20 years ago that the book was published. Still the book remains controversial; it was banned from the entire Beaumont ISD. We contacted Beaumont ISD for comment however they didn’t reply. Show #473, September 18, 2009 Segment 1: Ginny Goldman is the head organizer of ACORN’s Texas operations. The U.S. House and Senate voted to pull funding after a hidden camera video was made public this month showing ACORN workers giving advice on how to evade the law. Goldman says ACORN will still survive. Segment 2: R.J. DeSilva is the spokesperson for the Texas Comptrollers Office. He says the Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan is still going to honor it’s deal with enrollees to pay for college, but those who cancel out after Nov. 1 won’t see a return on their investment refund. Segment 3: Katy Vine is a reporter for Texas Monthly. She has spent months investigating the allegations of sexual abuse and child forced marriages at the YFZ Ranch. She has written an article about the case for the current issue of Texas Monthly. Show #472, September 11, 2009 Segment 1: Kinky Friedman is seeking the democratic nomination for Texas Governor. Other candidates running for the nomination are businessman Tom Schieffer and rancher Hank Gilbert. There’s also speculation that former Travis County DA Ronnie Earle could still jump in the race. Segment 2: Somehow President Barack Obama’s speech to America’s school children became a political mess. Fringe opponents to President Obama branded the stay-in-school address as trouble and many school districts across the nation refused to show it. Here’s something those students missed – President Obama talking up a Texan -22-year old Jazmin Perez. We caught up with Jazmin on the phone at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Houston. Segment 3: Melissa del Bosque covers the Texas indigent health care system in Jefferson County for the current issue of the Texas Observer. The article is called “Sick and Tired.” Show #471, September 4, 2009 Segment 1: The health care debate in America has become less of a debate and more of a loud war of words. Segment 2: Questions are being raised about a Texas death row case. But no matter what the answer is its going to be too late to set Cameron Todd Willingham free; he was already put to death. Willingham’s case is the subject of a New Yorker article “Trial by Fire” in the Sept 7th issue – written by David Grann. Segment 3: It was one year ago that Hurricane Ike made landfall over Galveston. It was at 2:10 a.m., September 13 with sustained winds of 110 miles per hour. Bryan Carlile is a pilot and aerial photographer – he captured bird’s eye images of the disaster brought by Hurricane Ike. His book “After Ike” is published by the Texas A&M University Press. Show #470, August 28, 2009 Segment 1: Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies reports the drought is having a devastating effect on area ranchers. Related Links: Segment 2: Is this prolonged drought the new normal for Texas? In his essay Blanco County Farmer and Rancher Mike Paterson isn't giving up hope. Segment 3: Hand-in-hand with the Texas Drought comes a protracted and historic heat wave and high energy bills. Texas Public Radio's Jessica Gonzalez reports. Segment 4: The State Board of Education is no stranger to controversy. They've fought over if creationism should be taught and other hot button issues. Now they've started working on revising the social studies curriculum and politics has become part of the debate. Should former house speaker Newt Gingrich and the Moral Majority be items that Texas school children be quizzed on? Some State Board of Education members think so. Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, says there is an attempt to bring partisan politics into the classroom. Segment 5: The revising the state's social studies curriculum is a long process. Gail Lowe, the chair of the State Board of Education, says there are lots of opportunities for community input. Segment 6: Author Deborah Paredez explores the meaning of the continued celebration of Selena's life in the book Selenidad: Selena, Latinos, and the Performance of Memory. Show #469, August 21, 2009 Segment 1: As Texas high schools reopen for a new school year, they will have to contend with a new state law requiring all public schools to offer information relating to the Bible in their curriculum. The courses are elective, not mandatory, and are supposed to focus on how Christianity has influenced American history and society. Mark Chancey is an associate professor in religious studies at Southern Methodist University. Segment 2: There are some who stick to the disputed story that the hamburger was invented in Texas. True or not it does seem like the hamburger is being perfected here. Texas Monthly went on a quest to find the best burgers in the state. Jake Silverstein is the editor of Texas Monthly. Segment 3: The Latino market continues to grow. With buying power of nearly $1 trillion, the 46 million Hispanics now living in the United States wield a powerful influence on the American consumer economy. The publishing industry doesn’t want to be left out, and they are tailoring books specifically for the Hispanic book buyer. Austin writer Belinda Acosta has recently published her book, Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz, the first in the Quinceañera Club series. Show #468, August 14, 2009 Segment 1: Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea spent some time inside the San Antonio Express-News to see how one of the state’s major newspapers is retooling itself to stay alive. Segment 2: Luis Vera is the council for LULAC. The civil rights organization is suing the Texas Democratic Party over it’s Texas Two Step primary system. Segment 3: Reporter Kevin Sieff has written about the problem of evacuating the Rio Grande Valley while maintaining national security. His article is in the current issue of the Texas Observer Show #467, August 7, 2009 Segment 1: While some parts of Texas are green and moist, a substantial part of the state is dealing with a crippling drought. South and central Texas are not able to get a break from the triple digit heat and lack of rain. Water restrictions are common, and it’s not just lawns that are turning brown. Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist Mike Krueger says the drought is having an impact on the wildlife. Segment 2: Wind energy is seen as a savior for parts of west Texas and the panhandle, but a little grouse could slow the spread of wind power. The lesser prairie chicken could soon become listed as threatened or endangered. Heather Whitlaw is a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wildlife biologist. Segment 3: In December 2007, the "Mitchell Report", detailing the use of performance enhancing drugs by dozens of Major League Baseball players, was released. Roger Clemens was among the players listed in that report. The new book American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America's Pastime lays bare the corruption that has plagued baseball for years, and chronicles the downfall of Katy, Texas-native Clemens. Next week, Kelly Blair, a former gym owner from Pasadena, Texas, will testify before a federal grand jury that is believed to be investigating Clemens for perjury. Clemens testified under oath before a congressional committee in February, 2008 that he had never used steroids or human growth hormone. Nathaniel Vinton is one of four investigative writers from the New York Daily News that’ has been following this story. He spoke to Texas Public Radio’s Nathan Cone. Listen to an extended interview with Nathaniel Vinton: Video: Roger Clemens denies using steroids and HGH: Related Links: Show #466, July 31, 2009 Segment 1: Alberto Gonzalez resigned from the U.S. Attorney General’s office on September 17, 2007. He left under a dark cloud resulting from the possible illegal firing of nine U.S. attorneys for political purposes. Since Gonzalez left D.C. he’s had no success finding a new job until now. Starting in August, Gonzales is scheduled to begin teaching at Texas Tech University. The class is called "Contemporary Issues in the Executive Branch." A petition signed by over 70 Texas Tech University professors is protesting the hiring. Philosophy professor Walter Schaller organized the petition drive. Segment 2: The summer break is coming to the halls of Congress in Washington D.C. The lawmakers are heading back to their districts with work left undone on health care reform and other major issues. It’s an opportunity for the congressmen and women to check in back home and see what their constituents want from health care reform. Or instead, will the congressmen hear outrage at town hall meetings? Harvey Kronberg is tracking Texas politics for the online newsletter, the Quorum Report. Segment 3: Drive across Texas and you’ll see the sometime magnificent displays of pride of land ownership and boundary. The ranch gates can signal a welcoming tip of the hat or a warning to "enter at your own risk." Each ranch gate is trying to tell you something. They are varied and unregulated, but the gates follow a set of unwritten rules of social conduct. A ranch gate should be a serious thing, but it’s acceptable to flourish it with icons of Texas, the wild west and the great outdoors. Daniel M. Olsen along with Henk Van Assen photographed thousands of ranch gates for the book Ranch Gates of the Southwest. It’s published by Trinity University Press. Show #465, July 24, 2009 Original Air Date: December 5, 2008 · During his last months in the White House President Lyndon Johnson can be heard trying to deal with the Vietnam peace talks, and being frustrated that a peace couldn’t be cobbled together. Apparently, it was Richard Nixon, a candidate for president at the time, who was thwarting the efforts to win the war for his own political purposes.This conflict comes to light in a new batch of audio tapes released from the Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library in Austin. The 43 hours of telephone recordings cover the period from May 1968 through January 1969, when Johnson left office. Regina Greenwell is the senior archivist at the LJB Library and Museum. You can hear the recordings via the internet. Go to www.lbjlib.utexas.edu. Show #464, July 17, 2009 Segment 1: Texas lost another 40,000 jobs last month. The Texas seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 7.5 percent in June but remained well below the national rate of 9.5 percent. The Texas unemployment rate was 7.1 percent in May. And there is the question of will there be unemployment checks for those who were laid off? The Texas Unemployment fund is going broke. Ann Hatchett is the spokesperson for the Texas Workforce Commission. Segment 2: Finding a job in today’s economy is getting more and more difficult, but imagine the challenge for a service member who has spent months recovering from injuries sustained in Iraq. Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea brings us the story of a wounded warrior who is making that transition from the hospital to the workplace, with help of some important Army programs. Segment 3: There’s always been a rivalry of sorts between Texas and California. In the new economy it’s clear which state is doing better. The Economist could not help noticing that Texas is coping in the recession while California is having a meltdown. Christopher Lockwood is the United States editor for the Economist and authored a special section called “America’s Future: California vs. Texas.” Related Links: "Lone Star Rising" - The Economist Segment 4: Despite the fact that Texas is doing relatively well the recession more of us are reeling from this economic crunch. But there’s help out there, for rent, utilities, food and other necessities. And no matter where you live in the state, it’s a free phone call away. Many Texans don’t even know it exists. From Dallas – KERA’s Bill Zeeble reports on the statewide 211 help information number. Segment 5: News about today’s economic downturn is filled with numbers, charts and opinions. So where’s the human face of the story? There are real people being impacted by the recession. Washington Post staff writer Theresa Vargas is traveling the nation looking for those people and telling their stories on her blog, Half a Tank: Along Recession Road. Show #463, July 10, 2009 Segment 1: Throughout the summer, about 3500 soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division will go through training at Fort Hood to help them readjust to life in the United States. The soldiers have recently returned from Afghanistan and many have served multiple deployments. From Austin public radio, KUT's Crystal Chavez reports that army officials are watching closely for any signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Segment 2: In the world of new energy economics, Amory Lovins is a rock star. He’s was recently named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential Americans. Lovins had the solution to the energy problem in 1976 and it's taken the rest of us 33 years to catch up. Segment 3: The fight over the border fence is back on in Washington D.C. This week, the Senate voted to require actual fencing along 700 miles of the border with Mexico rather than vehicle barriers and high-tech equipment. Ricardo Martinez has completed a documentary about the border fence called The Wall. The film will play two dates in Texas, July 17th at McAllen's El Cine De Rey and July 18th at San Antonio's Guadalupe Theatre. Show #462, July 3, 2009 Segment 1: It would take you a lifetime to explore all of the sights, scenes and historic points of the Unites States. Author Gary McKechnie only had 4 years to do it so he had to makes some tough choices – he picked the 101 most interesting places in the nation. He’s the author of the book USA 101: A Guide to America's Iconic Places, Events, and Festivals Segment 2: One of the many festivals that’s not covering in the book USA 101 is the International Festival at Round Top. Which is located half way bwtween Austin and Houston. Texas Public Radio’s John Clare has more on the cultural festival. Texas Matters: Round Top HD from John Clare on Vimeo.
Texas Public Radio’s Nathan Cone brought the band into our studios recently to play some tunes, and talk about how the effort to preserve their recorded past brought them back to the present.
Extended interview with Hector and David Saldaña of the Krayolas:
The Krayolas Perform "Marie Leveau" in the Texas Public Radio Studios: "Marie Laveau" by The Krayolas from KSTX on Vimeo. Download songs from their TPR studio session:
 The Krayolas - "Your Doorway Darlin’"
Photos of The Krayolas in-studio performance:
Show #461, June 26, 2009 Segment 1: Texas is dealing with its annual heat wave we call summer. It’s not uncommon to see the temperature across the state hitting 100 degrees. So we respond by turning on the air conditioners – but that’s takes electric power. ERCOT – the Electric Reliability Council of Texas – says it’s keeping up with demand for now. Dottie Roark is the spokesperson for ERCOT. Segment 2: Is there a crisis of leadership in Texas? Tom Schieffer says there is. He’s now officially running for governor. Texas Matters was able to talk to Tom Schieffer about his vision for Texas and why he’s running for Governor. Segment 3: On Friday June 19 Governor Rick Perry vetoed 37 bills that otherwise would have become law in Texas. State Representative Mike Villarreal – a democrat from San Antonio – joins us to talk about the vetoes. Segment 4: Veronica Hernandez has produced a length documentary about Cenobio Hernandez – her grandfather who composed music while working as a migrant farm worker. Today his music is being rediscovered and lives on through his blood line. To see clips and hear the music go online to www.amanhismusicandhislegacy.com. The documentary will be screened at the San Antonio Film Festival on Sunday – to learn more go to www.safilm.org. Show #460, June 19, 2009 This is a special edition of Texas Matters, produced by KUT Public Radio Austin, we're taking an examination of the 81st Texas legislative session. Hosted by Texas Monthly's Evan Smith, the show takes a look back at the recent session: what happened, what didn't...and where the state stands now that it's over. From the opening Speaker's coup in the House to the session long battle over Voter ID, and all that did and didn't get accomplished in between, we'll break down the key moments and put them all into perspective. Show #459, June 12, 2009 Segment 1: Benny Veliz is an illegal immigrant in the United States. She is fighting to stay in the country and working to promote passage of the Dream Act. Segment 2: When a gun man opened fire at the Washington D.C. Holocaust Museum the shots were heard all the way at the Holocaust Museum in Houston. Ira Perry is the spokesperson for the Houston Holocaust Museum. Segment 3: Joe Murin is the president of Ginnie Mae the “Government National Mortgage Association” To learn more about qualifying for government assistance with a mortgage go online to www.ginniemay.gov. Segment 4: Film restoration expert Robert Harris says a full restoration of The Alamo will take about a year. Segment 5: Cliff Frohlich is the senior research scientist at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics and the author of Texas Earthquakes – published by the University of Texas Press. He’s monitoring the multiple miniature magnitude quakes hitting Cleburne, Texas. Extended Interview on The Alamo Remember the Alamo? Fifty years ago, actor John Wayne and crew set up shop outside of Bracketville, Texas, to film an ambitious re-telling of the epic story of the Battle for Texas Independence. The Alamo was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture. It won one award for its impressive sound design. Although there have been subsequent films of the Alamo story, many people still hold John Wayne’s version close to their hearts. One of those persons is Robert Harris, the esteemed film restoration expert whose restorations of Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, and Rear Window were nothing short of revelatory in the way they brought new life to those movies. Harris is turning his attention next to The Alamo. The film, shot in 1959, is in dire need of a full restoration. Harris says a full restoration of The Alamo will take about 10 to 12 months. The effort is being funded through corporate donations only at this time, so if you know someone high up at your place of business that would like to have their company’s name stamped on a piece of Texas movie history, here’s the address to write to: Jacob Burns Film Center All contributions are tax deductible. For further reading, here’s a link to a very informative article from The Digital Bits, penned by Mr. Harris.
Show #458, June 5, 2009 Segment 1: The Texas House and Senate meet only once every two years for 140 days. In that time the lawmakers are asked to craft laws that will solve problems that face Texans or, at the very least, not mess the state up. At the end of the session, Texas Monthly reveals its list of the best and worst legislators. Paul Burka is a senior executive editor, political columnist, and blogger for Texas Monthly magazine. Segment 2: One of the bills that may have been a causality of the fight over voter-ID was the expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program or CHIP. Anat Kelman Shaw is with the Children’s Defense Fund of Texas. Segment 3: During the 81st legislative session, Representative Leo Berman had to get used to a new role. In previous sessions the conservative Republican from Tyler was a power player, but with a new speaker in charge, Berman fell out of favor and into the back bench. Berman says he was punished during the session and his battery of anti-illegal immigrant bills didn’t get a fair hearing. He is prepping to announce a campaign to seek the Republican nomination for Governor. Others seeking the nomination are incumbent Rick Perry and Senator Kay Bailey Huchinson. Segment 4: Speculation is there will be a special session called this summer for the lawmakers and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples wants eminent domain reform added to the list of issues to tackle. Show #457, May 29, 2009 Segment 1: To the world, Steve Sterquell was the angel from Amarillo. He looked like an American success who ran one of the largest affordable housing foundations in the country. Sterquell’s life recently came to a tragic end and now questions are being raised about his finances and his foundation. Reporter Kevin Welch uncovers the story for the Amarillo Globe-News. Segment 2: The United States is trying to figure out how to fix the nation’s health care system. It’s just gotten too expensive to get sick in America. One of the most expensive places to end up in a hospital or doctor’s office is McAllen, Texas. In addition to being a surgeon, Doctor Atul Gawande is a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine. He went to find out what made medical care so expensive in McAllen. Show #456, May 22, 2009 Segment 1: J.W. Lown won reelection on May 9th to his fourth term as the mayor of San Angelo. The 32-year-old claimed almost 90% of the vote and had a promising career as a politician, but instead he’s opting for love. Lown didn’t show up for his swearing in. Instead he moved to Mexico with his lover. San Angelo is now reeling from the loss of its mayor and feels almost like a jilted mate. Tim Archuleta is the editor of the San Angelo Standard-Times. Segment 2: A cultural icon of the Lone Star State turns 100 this year. Shiner Bock enjoys a large following among beer lovers around the country and its popularity is growing. The Spoetzl Brewery was one of only a few to survive prohibition and now it’s battling a surge of international brands and micro brews to keep its share of the market. Terry Gildea takes us to the small Texas town where it all began and continues today. Read more of Robb Walsh’s articles and blogposts on food and beer at www.robbwalsh.com. Also, checkout Robb’s latest book Sex, Death and Oysters: A Half-Shell Lover's World Tour. Segment 3: The Texas legislature is battling the clock. The lawmakers are seeing many of their bills dying and a few survive the sausage making practice. Harvey Kronberg is watching and reporting on the process on the Quorum Report, an online newsletter dedicated to Texas politics. Segment 4: This Memorial Day weekend, Texans have the chance to save big when they buy green. It’s the energy star sales tax holiday. Matt Valdez is the spokesperson for texasishot.org Show #455, May 15, 2009 Segment 1: Proposed federal climate change legislation could have a high price tag for Texans. The main electric grid operator of Texas released a report that predicts the average Texan's monthly power bill will jump $27 or more in the next four years if a carbon tax is passed by congress. ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, says the cost could be even higher if the price of natural gas goes up significantly. But that’s only a small part of the cost of trying to rein in global warming. Kathleen White is the director of the Center for Natural Resources at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation. White says a the price of a carbon tax for Texas is going to be staggering. Luke Metzger is the director of the green advocacy group, Environment Texas. He supports proposed legislation to impose a carbon tax. Segment 2: Much of Texas is suffering drought conditions, but in the Texas Hill Country the drought is being felt under the ground. There are signs that the Trinity Aquifer is running dangerously low and the hottest driest months of the summer have yet to hit. Forrest Wilder writes about the silent springs for the Texas Observer and he asks, "is it too late to save the Hill Country’s Water?" Segment 3: It’s been nearly two years since Mike Coolbaugh was fatally struck by a foul ball during a minor league baseball game in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was a coach with the Texas League Tulsa Drillers and had spent his entire career as a minor league player trying to achieve stardom in the majors. S.L. Price, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, has written a book about Coolbaugh’s career, his family and his untimely death. It’s called Heart of the Game: Life, Death, and Mercy in Minor League America and is published by Harper Collins. Show #454, May 8, 2009 Segment 1: Lubbock is one of the largest cities in the nation that still hasn’t pulled the cork on prohibition. The city of about 200,000 people is dry. On May 9th the voters will decide if it will stay that way or to roll out the barrel and tap it. We’ll hear from both sides of the bubbly issue that’s dividing Lubbock. Melissa Pierce is the chairwoman of Lubbock County Wins, a political action committee pushing for the measure's passage. The group that’s opposed to the ordinance change says making Lubbock wet will fundamentally change the city’s character. Brant O'Hair is co-chairman of the group called “Truth About Alcohol Sales.” Segment 2: Bill White is the Mayor of Houston and has announced he will run for the Senate seat that Kay Bailey Hutchison is vacating. White will remain Mayor until January 2, 2010. We will also interview other candidates for the senate seat as the election approaches. Leading Republican candidates are Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams and former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams. Segment 3: It’s not clear exactly how many monuments there are in Texas dedicated to the fallen of the Civil War, but there are many. Most are for the soldiers who died fighting for the South, but there are memorials that honor the Union warriors as well. Each monument tells a story about how a community first decided to remember the Civil War. Then as society changed and Reconstruction became a forgotten era, the next chapter in the story was how the current culture accepted or rejected these monuments in their midst. Kelly McMichael has written a book on the subject called Sacred Memories: The Civil War Monument Movement in Texas published by the Texas State Historical Association. Show #453, May 1, 2009 Texas is the birthplace of Fritos, chicken-fried steak, the margarita machine, big gulps, fried Twinkies and even more devious delicious dishes. Two radio producers known as the Kitchen Sisters on National Public Radio have explored the hidden kitchens of Texas. Their real names are Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson and, working with KUT Austin, they produced an hour long radio documentary about the love of food in Texas. Now they’ve turned it into a book complete with recipes. We talked to Nikki Silva about her experience finding the hidden kitchens of Texas. Show #452, April 24, 2009 Segment 1: It’s been 30 years since a nuclear waste dump has been built in the United States, but that’s about to change. In January, Waste Control Specialists Texas was issued a low-level waste disposal permit for Andrews County, but because of the economy’s credit freeze, building the West Texas disposal site is on hold. The company is looking for a $75 million dollar loan from an unusual source, the people of Andrews County. Segment 2: The number of homeless veterans continues to rise in the nation. Many programs are in place to help them, but Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea reports one in particular is designed to remember the sacrifices these people have made when they pass away, so homeless veterans won’t have to do without a dignified final resting place. Segment 3: When Governor Rick Perry mentioned that Texas has the right to secede from the United States and he could understand why some people would want to do that, he got a lot of national attention. But was it the kind of attention Perry was looking for? Was this a shrewd play by Perry to throw red meat to his conservative base or was this a political blunder? And here’s another option – maybe the eastern establishment media blew this way out of proportion? To get some answers, lets tap our reservoir of political brilliance Harvey Kornberg, editor of the Quorum Report. Segment 4: The economic downturn is hitting us all, but the world of arts and culture seems to be reeling in the recession. Large symphonies across the nation are dealing with budgetary shortfalls. The lagging economy is impacting orchestras all across the country. In Texas, the San Antonio Symphony is laying off administrators and musicians are taking a cut in pay. Jack Fishman is the executive director of the San Antonio Symphony. Show #451, April 17, 2009 Segment 1: April 15th was tax day across the nation and also, for many, it was Tea Day, an opportunity to openly grouse about the burden of paying taxes, the federal stimulus, and other public policies invented in Washington D.C. Tea parties were held in almost every city in Texas, but the biggest was in San Antonio. It’s estimated that crowd exceeded 4,000 at Alamo Plaza where Fox News provocateur Glenn Beck took the stage. One of the organizers of the Alamo Tea Party was Julia Hayden. We spoke to her in the days leading up to the event and she objects to efforts to minimize the protest by calling it Astroturf and corporate sponsored. Segment 2: April 19th is the last day on the job for U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, the federal prosecutor of the Western District of Texas. Sutton drew national attention for his prosecution of two Border Patrol agents who shot at a fleeing drug smuggler and then covered up the event by falsifying reports and destroying evidence. There were multiple calls for his resignation from supporters of the agents and now Sutton says this is the right time for him to move on.
Web Links: MP3 downloads of Athens v. Sparta recorded live in the TPR Studios: Show #450, April 10, 2009 The History of Texas Music Texas is known for its character, flavor and attitude, not just in the people but also in the culture of Texas. There’s an unrivaled state pride and there is such a rich state history. Part of that Texas history, culture and heritage is the music of the state. Texas is where so many music superstars called home — Bob Wills, Buddy Holly, Janis Joplin, Selena, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Nelson, and more. Texans produce music that reflects their unique culture. Today, the Texas music scene is larger, more dynamic and growing faster than ever. But how did Texas Music develop? Gary Hartman explores the subject in the book The History of Texas Music. Hartman is the founding director of the center for Texas music history at Texas State University in San Marcos. His book is published by Texas A&M Press. Show #449, April 3, 2009 Without the blues, we wouldn’t have rock and roll and jazz. It’s a truly American art form that has its roots in African traditional folk music. In Texas, the blues has its own particular story and transformation. From cotton fields and shotgun shacks through the birth of the recording industry, it's exported around the world and finding new enthusiastic listeners with each generation. In the book Texas Blues: The Rise of a Contemporary Sound, music historian Alan Govenar has compiled a deep rich and comprehensive reference about the blues in Texas. It’s published by Texas A&M University Press. Much of the early music in this program is in the public domain and is available for download below.
Show #448, March 27, 2009 Segment 1: The Texas unemployment rate climbed to 6.5 percent in February. That’s still well below the 8.1 percent national unemployment rate according to the Texas Workforce Commission. Although the state's unemployment rate rose slightly from 6.4 percent in January, it was a big leap from the 4.5 percent in February 2008. The Texas Workforce Commission said "Texans are facing tough economic times now with significant statewide job losses." So where will these now unemployed people turn for help? Will there be enough money for their unemployment checks? Daniel Hamermesh is the Sue Killam Professor in the Foundation of Economics at the University of Texas at Austin. He specializes in social programs particularly unemployment insurance. Segment 2: If you are a reporter working on story about misdeeds at a big mysterious company or inside a government agency, one way to get the scoop is by finding a source. Like Watergate’s Deep Throat, the source can help reporters correct an injustice, save billions of tax dollars or even save lives. But under current Texas law, don’t count on this happening very often because the state is without a shield law for reporters to protect their sources. That could change with a bill that’s working its way through the Texas legislature. Michael Schneider of the Texas Association of Broadcasters is doing his part to push the bill in Austin. Segment 3: Martial arts schools in Texas are used to fighting, but their latest battle isn’t with flying fists of fury or bo staffs. It's with something more powerful – words. Martial arts instructors are challenging the wisdom of a proposed state law. Senate Bill 68 and House Bill 601 would require martial arts academies to become certified as day care centers. Gary Schill is the master of Peak Performance Martial Arts in Austin. He testified that if the bill becomes law, thousands of dojos in Texas will have to close. Segment 4: There hasn’t been a new nuclear waste dump in the US for 30 years – until now. In January, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality granted a permit to Waste Control Specialists in Andrews County, which is in West Texas. In most places in the nation, the local citizens would have said “not in my back yard,” but in Andrews County most people are supportive and welcome the radioactive trash that will be buried there. Reporter Forrest Wilder has been covering the developing story of the Andrews nuclear waste dump for the Texas Observer. Show #447, March 20, 2009 Segment 1: Lydia Camairillo is the vice president of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project. She says the whole debate over the voter ID bill in Austin is overly partisan and unnecessary. Segment 2: Grass roots organizations in Texas of every stripe are working to defeat a bill in Austin they say would make getting voter referendums on the ballot next to impossible. The call it the "Anti-petition Bill." Linda Curtis is the director of the group “Independent Texans.” Segment 3: Crowds were bigger than ever at the Austin South By Southwest Film Festival. The movie “MINE” won the audience award for best documentary. The film follows New Orleans residents as they try to reconnect with their lost pets following Hurricane Katrina. Geralyn Pezanoski is the film’s director, and Jesse Pullins is one of the film’s subjects. Also, the comedy “The Overbrook Brothers” premiered this week to a full house at the Alamo Drafthouse on Austin’s Sixth Street. In the movie, two feuding brothers find out they’re both adopted, and embark on a cross-country quest to learn the identity of their birth parents. Texas Public Radio’s Nathan Cone spoke to Austin-based director John Bryant, and the film’s stars, Mark Reeb and Nathan Harlan. More available at SXSW 2009. Show #446, March 13, 2009 Segment 1: Larry Kilgore is seeking the Republican nomination for the Governor of Texas. His main issue is seeking the complete independence of Texas and the establishment of Biblical law in the newly re-minted Republic of Texas. Segment 2: The political fight over building the border fence has transformed the communities along the Rio Grande. They call it the border wall and it’s became a source of tension, anxiety and drama. Attic Rep, a professional theater company in San Antonio, is using improvisation to tell stories about life along the U.S.-Mexico border and the border wall. Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea has the story. Segment 3: Austin’s South By Southwest Film Festival will soon be underway. San Antonio-born writer Rebecca Rodriguez makes her debut as a filmmaker at this year’s festival with “The Better Half,” a 15-minute short film about a man that keeps a mysterious pair of mannequin legs in his bedroom. South By Southwest also offers students across the state an opportunity to get their work in front of fans and industry professionals through the Texas High School Shorts programs. Edward Kelly and Brenden Cicoria are seniors at St. Mary’s Hall in San Antonio, where they both take a digital video course taught by instructor Carol Parker. Their film, “Fresh Fruit” is an animated short starring a pear and an apple. See the film, hear extended interviews and find out more about TPR's coverage of SXSW 2009. Show #445, March 6, 2009 Segment 1: The candidates running for Texas governor aren’t waiting to start slinging the mud. Governor Rick Perry is looking to stay in office by winning a 4th term. But fellow Republican senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson is challenging him and early polls show she is more popular than the governor. To learn more about these developments and more, we turn to Harvey Kronberg editor of the Quorum Report. Segment 2: The Intrepid is an aircraft carrier that sparked the spirits of a nation following the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. Now it is the namesake of the world's most technologically advanced rehabilitation center for America's wounded warriors, the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, Texas. Bill White is the president of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum & Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. He has written Intrepid: The Epic Story of America's Most Legendary Warship, a book about the historic aircraft carrier which has a foreword written by Senator John McCain. Segment 3: A growing number of families are turning their backyards over to chickens. They are looking to save some money and get healthy food. The Rhode Island Red and Jersey Giants produce fresh eggs and meat… and even companionship. So what does it take to raise chickens and is it really worth it? Jennifer Megyesi says “yes.” She’s written the book The Joy of Keeping Chickens: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Poultry for Fun or Profit published by Skyhorse Publishing. Show #444, February 27, 2009 Segment 1: A report finds that only 4 percent of Texas school districts provide sex education beyond abstinence and many give students inaccurate information. The Texas Freedom Network Education Fund produced the report. It found that Texas receives the most federal abstinence funding in the nation, but the state has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates. Public schools in Texas are not required to offer sex education, an option 2 percent take. Under state law, sex education classes must focus on abstinence and information on birth control methods should emphasize the failure rate. Kathy Miller is the president of the Texas Freedom Network. You can read the report on their website www.tfn.org Segment 2: The East Texas Abstinence Program is the only provider of State and Federally funded abstinence services in seven East Texas counties. The East Texas Abstinence Program officially describes itself as an “abstinence only” program. Tonya Waite is a ETAP counselor. You can find out more about the East Texas Abstinence Program on their website www.teach2wait.com Segment 3: Once upon a time, Texas was a dirt poor state with few prospects for economic growth. Cotton was king and had no rivals. But then there was Spindle Top. That Beaumont gusher changed Texas and the nation. Eventually, there became a new class of Texan – the rich, powerful and ultra conservative. Bryan Burrough has written a book about big four Texas oilmen called The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes. It’s published by Penguin Press. Show #443, February 20, 2009 Segment 1: When President Barack Obama signed the $787 billion federal stimulus package into law, there was $8 billion in the measure set aside for high speed rail projects. Some of that money could be coming to Texas to help kick-start the Texas High Speed Rail project. The project is also called the "Texas T-bone” and it could connect Dallas, San Antonio and Houston with a 150 mile an hour bullet train. Gary Fickes is a Tarrant County commissioner and is the secretary of the Texas High Speed Rail and Transportation Corporation. Segment 2: A high speed rail project in Texas is going to end up taking some farm land and that’s a sensitive topic. The state’s agricultural interests were powerful enough to defeat the Trans Texas Corridor and unless they are brought on board with the high speed rail project in the early planning stages, they can do the same to it. Richard Cortese is a farmer and a Bell County commissioner. Segment 3: We have been told that the housing market in Texas has been resilient as other parts of the nation are dealing with a foreclosure crisis. But Texas is now feeling the pinch. There were 96,000 foreclosures statewide in 2008 that number is expected to increase in 2009. David Long is the president of the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation. He says the foreclosure crisis will affect everyone whether you are directly impacted or not. Show #442, February 13, 2009 Segment 1: The state of Texas is preparing for the worst. State officials are working on contingency plans for the potential "collapse" of the government in Mexico. A report prepared for the Pentagon last fall studied potential "threat levels" posed around the world. It found that only Pakistan is in greater danger than Mexico of becoming a "failed state." Texas shares a massive border with Mexico, and any violent turmoil in Mexico would impact Texas. In fact, Texas Homeland Security Director Steve McCraw says it is already happening. Segment 2: Inside of Mexico there is a struggle for power. The drug cartels fight each other and they fight the Mexican government. So far the fight is not political; it’s about money. But what if anti-government forces linked up with the drug cartels and directly challenged President Calderon for control. That’s just one scenario that Stratfor, a private global intelligence agency based in Austin, considers when looking at Mexico. Karen Hooper is a Latin America analyst for the company. Segment 3: If you are looking for an indication that Mexico is in trouble, look for further than the value of the peso.The currency unit for Mexico has lost almost 50 percent of its value in the last six months, and experts predict the peso will continue its slide. This is adding stress to both sides of the Texas-Mexico border, since both sides are dealing with their own effects of the global recession. Rafael Otero is the chair of the business administration department at the University of Texas at Brownsville. Show #441, February 6, 2009 Segment 1: Along with the many brave men and women serving in the armed forces, several thousand dogs are working under the supervision of military officials. They help soldiers on patrol and are trained to sniff out roadside bombs. Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea takes us to the place where their journey begins and where they are treated if injured in combat. Segment 2: Feral hogs are a ferocious bunch. These are the descendants of domesticated pigs who have escaped a farm and then created an exploding population in the wilds of Texas. They are, in fact, "hog wild." But these creatures have few fans. They are as mean and destructive as they are plentiful. State Representative Sid Miller, a republican from Stephenville, has authored House Bill 836 which would make it easier to shoot feral hogs from helicopters. Segment 3: The Texas Humane Legislative Network has taken a look at the Feral Hog Helicopter hunting law. They are working to prevent its passage. Skip Trimble is with the Texas Humane Legislative Network. Segment 4: There is another hunt afoot in Texas. This time it’s for the spotted tail earless lizard. But this hunt is to try and save the vanishing critter. And people across the state are being asked to help spot "Spottie." Mike Durran is a zoologist with the Nature Conservancy of Texas. You can find out more about the elusive lizard by going to online at www.nature.org/texas. Segment 5: Known for their oversized mouths and tenacious fight, largemouth bass are what many anglers dream about. The fish are found in waterways all across Texas. In some spots the size of the bass catch lures fishermen from across the nation. The National Geographic Channel has released a new documentary on largemouth bass and the people who are hooked on fishing for it. Monte Burke is featured in the documentary, he’s a writer for Forbesand the author of Sowbelly: The Obsessive Quest for the World Record Largemouth Bass.
Show #443, February 20, 2009 Segment 1: When President Barack Obama signed the $787 billion federal stimulus package into law, there was $8 billion in the measure set aside for high speed rail projects. Some of that money could be coming to Texas to help kick-start the Texas High Speed Rail project. The project is also called the "Texas T-bone” and it could connect Dallas, San Antonio and Houston with a 150 mile an hour bullet train. Gary Fickes is a Tarrant County commissioner and is the secretary of the Texas High Speed Rail and Transportation Corporation. Segment 2: A high speed rail project in Texas is going to end up taking some farm land and that’s a sensitive topic. The state’s agricultural interests were powerful enough to defeat the Trans Texas Corridor and unless they are brought on board with the high speed rail project in the early planning stages, they can do the same to it. Richard Cortese is a farmer and a Bell County commissioner. Segment 3: We have been told that the housing market in Texas has been resilient as other parts of the nation are dealing with a foreclosure crisis. But Texas is now feeling the pinch. There were 96,000 foreclosures statewide in 2008 that number is expected to increase in 2009. David Long is the president of the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation. He says the foreclosure crisis will affect everyone whether you are directly impacted or not.. Show #442, February 13, 2009 Segment 1: The state of Texas is preparing for the worst. State officials are working on contingency plans for the potential "collapse" of the government in Mexico. A report prepared for the Pentagon last fall studied potential "threat levels" posed around the world. It found that only Pakistan is in greater danger than Mexico of becoming a "failed state." Texas shares a massive border with Mexico, and any violent turmoil in Mexico would impact Texas. In fact, Texas Homeland Security Director Steve McCraw says it is already happening. Segment 2: Inside of Mexico there is a struggle for power. The drug cartels fight each other and they fight the Mexican government. So far the fight is not political; it’s about money. But what if anti-government forces linked up with the drug cartels and directly challenged President Calderon for control. That’s just one scenario that Stratfor, a private global intelligence agency based in Austin, considers when looking at Mexico. Karen Hooper is a Latin America analyst for the company. Segment 3: If you are looking for an indication that Mexico is in trouble, look for further than the value of the peso.The currency unit for Mexico has lost almost 50 percent of its value in the last six months, and experts predict the peso will continue its slide. This is adding stress to both sides of the Texas-Mexico border, since both sides are dealing with their own effects of the global recession. Rafael Otero is the chair of the business administration department at the University of Texas at Brownsville. Show #441, February 6, 2009 Segment 1: Along with the many brave men and women serving in the armed forces, several thousand dogs are working under the supervision of military officials. They help soldiers on patrol and are trained to sniff out roadside bombs. Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea takes us to the place where their journey begins and where they are treated if injured in combat. Segment 2: Feral hogs are a ferocious bunch. These are the descendants of domesticated pigs who have escaped a farm and then created an exploding population in the wilds of Texas. They are, in fact, "hog wild." But these creatures have few fans. They are as mean and destructive as they are plentiful. State Representative Sid Miller, a republican from Stephenville, has authored House Bill 836 which would make it easier to shoot feral hogs from helicopters. Segment 3: The Texas Humane Legislative Network has taken a look at the Feral Hog Helicopter hunting law. They are working to prevent its passage. Skip Trimble is with the Texas Humane Legislative Network. Segment 4: There is another hunt afoot in Texas. This time it’s for the spotted tail earless lizard. But this hunt is to try and save the vanishing critter. And people across the state are being asked to help spot "Spottie." Mike Durran is a zoologist with the Nature Conservancy of Texas. You can find out more about the elusive lizard by going to online at www.nature.org/texas. Segment 5: Known for their oversized mouths and tenacious fight, largemouth bass are what many anglers dream about. The fish are found in waterways all across Texas. In some spots the size of the bass catch lures fishermen from across the nation. The National Geographic Channel has released a new documentary on largemouth bass and the people who are hooked on fishing for it. Monte Burke is featured in the documentary, he’s a writer for Forbesand the author of Sowbelly: The Obsessive Quest for the World Record Largemouth Bass. Show #440, January 30, 2009 Segment 1: On February 3 it will be fifty years since the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly along with fellow Texas music icon J.P."The Big Bopper" Richardson and Richie Valens. They will be remembered and honored in commemoration events across the nation. Lubbock was the hometown of Buddy Holly. The Buddy Holly Center honors his memory year round, but on the anniversary of the fatal crash they will be having special event. Jessica Camacho is with the Buddy Holly Center. You can find out more about the center and Buddy Holly online at www.buddyhollycenter.org. Segment 2: Buddy Holly left his mark on the nation and the globe with his music, and it will never be forgotten that he was a native Texan and developed his musical talent playing in Lubbock. Texas Music Magazine is remembering Buddy Holly with a special commemorative issue. Richard Scance is the editor. Segment 3: J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson is frequently overlooked when it comes to remembering the February 3 plane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa, but there are some who are working to give the Big Bopper his due. Johnette Duff has written a screenplay about the music legend and she’s working on getting the film produced. She says the Big Bopper was more than just a one hit wonder. Segment 4: The Big Bopper did not live to see the birth of his son, Jay Richardson, but Jay has adopted his father’s on stage persona. He performs as "The Big Bopper, Jr." The Big Bopper was born in Sabine Pass, Texas, and was a DJ in Beaumont when he recoded his hit song, "Chantilly Lace." On the 50th anniversary of the plane crash that took his father’s life, Jay will be performing at the Surf Ballroon in Clear Lake, Iowa — the last place his father was on stage. We caught up with Jay as he was on the road to Clear Lake to recreate the last concert of his gather, Buddy Holly and Richie Valens. Show #439, January 23, 2009 Segment 1: Barack Obama is now the President of the United States. About one point eight million people crowded into Washington D.C. on Inauguration Day. The mass of people strained the capital’s transportation system and cell phone networks. Many of those who made the pilgrimage were from Texas. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has the story from Washington D.C. Segment 2: There were two Texas organizations in the Barack Obama inauguration parade. One was Klein Collins High School's Air Force Junior ROTC Flying Tigers Drill Team from Spring. The other was Urban-15 Carnival de San Anto from San Antonio. TPR’s David Martin Davies reports on how Urban-15 reacted after performing for the new president. Segment 3: Tulia, Texas is like many small towns in the state and across the nation. But the small panhandle town is now a symbol for what can go wrong in the nation’s War on Drugs. The arrest, conviction and imprisonment of forty-six residents on drug charges has become a national embarrassment. The controversy is the topic of a documentary called Tulia, Texas. Kelley Whelan is a producer for the film, which premieres on PBS’s Independent Lens series on February 10. Segment 4: Things are always bigger in Texas. But that can’t be said for one of the state’s native landscapes. Vast prairies of tall wildflowers and animals that stretch in a narrow swath from Dallas to San Antonio have become endangered. KUT’s Erika Aguilar reports less than one percent of the Texas Blackland Prairie lands now exist. Segment 5: Texas is in the middle of a terrible drought that has cattle dying and streams going dry. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has produced a new one-hour documentary about the state of rivers and streams in Texas. It’s called The State of Flowing Waterand will air on all Texas public television stations on February 12 at 8 pm. The documentary examines the threats to the state’s water resources and looks at what people can do to protect it. Lee Smith is the documentary’s producer. Show #438, January 16, 2009 Segment 1: As Barack Obama and his family prepare for Inauguration Day and the move into the White House, the current residents are preparing their exit. President and Laura Bush will return to Texas on Tuesday. KUT’s Ben Philpott reports on what comes after Bush leaves office. Segment 2: The San Antonio dance, drum and arts group Urban-15 is working on the last minute details for its trip to the presidential inauguration. On Tuesday the performers will strut their stuff in the inauguration parade and on national television. But they are still looking for supporter to help pay for the trip. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has the story. Segment 3: Forty-six Lake Highlands High School juniors and seniors are about to see their civics textbooks come alive. The Dallas-area students are headed to Washington D.C. for the inauguration of Barack Obama. KERA’s BJ Austin says the Lake Highlands Wranglers dance team will also perform at the famous Texas Black Tie and Boots Inaugural Ball. Segment 4: Political souvenirs are going to be in demand at the inauguration, but for a Longview, Texas man, political trinkets are hot year-round. For Ron Wade, political memorabilia pays the bills. It’s his lifelong hobby and his thriving business. Kate Archer Kent of Red River Radio visited his home office, which happened to be oval-shaped. Segment 5: It’s well known that during WWII the United States government created camps for Japanese immigrants and citizens of Japanese descent. The United States officially apologized and paid reparations to the Japanese for this injustice. But the government also interned some fifteen thousand Germans and German-Americans during the war, many of them in Texas. The U.S. has never officially apologized for that action. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has more on the story. Segment 6: The Houston Symphony Orchestra premieres a new concerto for soprano and harp Thursday January 22. While double concertos aren’t new, this combination is unique. Texas Public Radio’s John Clare has more about Absolute Ocean. Show #437, January 9, 2009 Segment 1: Plans for Governor Perry’s Trans-Texas Corridor are dead. The announcement came at a Department of Transportation forum in Austin. From Dallas KERA’s Shelley Kofler reports state officials killed the unpopular project just as legislators were preparing to debate it again. Segment 2: There is some debate over what words Barack Obama should say when he takes the presidential oath of office on Janusary 20. It is customary for the president to say at the end of the oath, "So help me God." But a lawsuit has been filed by atheists and religious freedom organizations to prevent those words from being part of the official process.Texas attorney general Greg Abbott is taking a lead role in defending the phrase. Segment 3: One of the organizations that are suing to remove the phrase, “So help me God,” is the Freedom from Religion Foundation. Annie Laurie Gaylor is representative of the organization. Segment 4: Oscar Saldaña is a spokesperson for the U.S. Border Patrol which has funded the production of a number of Spanish language songs about the dangers that illegal immigrants face coming to the United States. Segment 5: The 2009 Texas Legislative session is gearing up. Lawmakers will have 140 days to wade through thousands of bills, but the only one they’re constitutionally required to pass is the state budget. From Austin, KUT’s Ben Philpott has a preview of the proposed budget. Segment 6: When the Texas Legislature gathers, it is all but guaranteed that there will be a new man swinging the gavel in the House. Republican Tom Craddick of Midland will not be the Speaker. Instead, it is likely that Republican Joe Straus of San Antonio will be voted into the office by his fellow lawmakers.To learn more about this shift in power, we turn to David Mann of the Texas Observer. You can follow the events under the capital dome from their website www.texasobserver.org. Show #436, January 2, 2009 Segment 1: Even with the falling price at the corner pump, fueling cars with compressed natural gas is still cheaper and burns much cleaner than gasoline. Using it also reduces the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. Many cities across the country and in Texas support programs for consumers to purchase and operate natural gas vehicles, but some cities like San Antonio and El Paso have yet to fully support the concept. Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea has the story. Segment 2: The new year brings a new chancellor to the University of Texas system.Dr. Francisco Cigarroa is the remaining finalist for the job. Cigarroa is a pediatric transplant surgeon and since 2000 was the head of the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio. In October Cigarroa announced he was stepping down from that post to go back to surgery, but he explains this opportunity came along. Segment 3: The Department of Homeland Security has sued The Nature Conservancy to seize land in a South Texas nature preserve for the border fence. The preserve is in the Brownsville area, which in the last year has been the center of much of the opposition against the border fence. In the Rio Grande Valley the structure is more commonly referred to as the border wall. But fence or wall, the Nature Conservancy says they don’t want it on their land. Laura Huffman is the Nature Conservancy's state director. Segment 4: On January 13 the Texas Legislature will convene in Austin, and the first order of business will be to select the House Speaker. But many lawmakers aren’t waiting for opening day to announce their preferences, and current speaker Tom Craddick of Midland appears to be on his way out. But Harvey Kronberg, editor of the Quorum Report,says Craddick still has his loyalists. Show #435, December 26, 2008 Willie Nelson may have turned 75-years-old on April 30, but to borrow a line from another Texas legend, George Jones, he don’t need no rocking chair. Nelson spent his birthday rocking Europe with a string of sold out concerts. Texas writer Joe Nick Patoski made note of the day with the publication of an authorized biography, titled Willie Nelson: An Epic Life. Nelson is bringing his 4th of July picnic back to Texas; this year it will be in San Antonio. In addition, a live album featuring Willie Nelson and jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, titled Two Men With the Blues, will be released on June 10 by Blue Note Records. Patoski’s book is published by Little, Brown and Company. Show #434, December 19, 2008 Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio houses the most advanced burn unit in the nation. Millions of research dollars and the country's most talented surgeons are discovering new ways to treat these debilitating wounds, mainly for America’s soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. These are wounds that were rarely survivable ten years ago. Today, however, surviving the injury means years of painful treatment and learning how to live with the healing. Texas Public Radio's Terry Gildea has spent months inside the burn unit at Brooke Army Medical Center. He brings us stories about the incredible struggles wounded warriors face during a long and painful recovery. He'll also share the stories of the amazing men and women who fight to save the lives of our soldiers gravely wounded in combat. Related Links The Impact of War: Recovering from Combat Burns NPR: Melissa Block 2006 report on BAMC USA Today: Recovery brings stress, bonds at Army burn unit Show #433, December 12, 2008 Segment 1: The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services runs the state school program, Texas' system of institutions for the mentally disabled. That system is the target of criticism by the federal government and by activists. Recently the activists have started to act up. One activist group, Community Now< recently stormed a state meeting and continued to disrupt it and wouldn’t leave until security showed them the door. Jeff Tate Garrison is the leader of Community Now. His group wants to move people with disabilities from large institutions into community-based care. Segment 2: It used to be said that real estate was a safe investment because there weren’t making anymore land, but that was before the mortgage meltdown. Now the mortgage crisis has spread to the rural real estate market. Charles Gilliland, a real estate economist with the Texas A&M Real Estate Center. Segment 3: The Texas Governor’s election isn’t until Nov 2010, and already the race is shaping up to be a bare-knuckle political brawl with the biggest names in state politics. The outcome could decide the future of the Republican Party for Texas and the nation. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has announced her plans to run and she has launched an official exploratory committee. Harvey Kronberg is the editor of the Quorum Report, an online newsletter dedicated to Texas Politics. Show #432, December 5, 2008 During his last months in the White House President Lyndon Johnson can be heard trying to deal with the Vietnam peace talks, and being frustrated that a peace couldn’t be cobbled together. Apparently, it was Richard Nixon, a candidate for president at the time, who was thwarting the efforts to win the war for his own political purposes.This conflict comes to light in a new batch of audio tapes released from the Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library in Austin. The 43 hours of telephone recordings cover the period from May 1968 through January 1969, when Johnson left office. Regina Greenwell is the senior archivist at the LJB Library and Museum. You can hear the recordings via the internet. Go to www.lbjlib.utexas.edu. Show #431, November 28, 2008 Without the blues, we wouldn’t have rock and roll and jazz. It’s a truly American art form that has its roots in African traditional folk music. In Texas, the blues has its own particular story and transformation. From cotton fields and shotgun shacks through the birth of the recording industry, it's exported around the world and finding new enthusiastic listeners with each generation. In the book Texas Blues: The Rise of a Contemporary Sound, music historian Alan Govenar has compiled a deep rich and comprehensive reference about the blues in Texas. It’s published by Texas A&M University Press. Much of the early music in this program is in the public domain and is available for download below.
Show #430, November 21, 2008 Alicia C. Shepard joined National Public Radio in October 2007 for a two-year appointment as ombudsman. In 2000, NPR was the first U.S. broadcast news organization to create an ombudsman position. In this role, Shepard serves as the public's representative, and is responsible for bringing transparency to journalism decision-making processes. She responds to queries and comments from listeners, writes a blog, appears on NPR programs to discuss listener concerns and provides guidance on journalism practices to NPR Member stations. She sees her job as explaining NPR to listeners, and listeners to NPR. Shepard takes comments from listeners at npr.org. Listeners can also call the Office of the NPR Ombudsman at (202) 513-3245. Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies talk to Shepard about her role at NPR. Show #429, November 14, 2008 Segment 1: A staff recommendation from a state-appointed committee says the Texas Youth Commission should be abolished. The recommendation comes two years after the first reports leaked of sexual and physical abuse of young people in custody of the TYC. Lawmakers passed sweeping legislation to reorganizing the agency in 2007, but the report says not enough has been done. From Austin KUT’s Ben Philpott reports on reaction. Segment 2: The new legislative session won’t start until noon on January 13, but already the lawmakers are proposing new laws. But Quorum Report editor Harvey Kronberg says we shouldn’t worry. Segment 3: Communities are looking for ways to save their neighborhoods from being infected with foreclosures during the mortgage crisis. In San Antonio a local university is stepping up and looking to reach out to area homeowners and small businesses. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has the story. Segment 4: There is no question about it; the financial markets are in turmoil. There is plenty of blame to go around, and according to author Robert D. Auerback, a big chunk of it should land at the feet of the Federal Reserve. The nation’s central bank fought for decades to avoid the oversight and regulation the former Texas congressman Henry B. Gonzalez sought. The Fed won those fights, and in the end, it looks like American taxpayers lost, according to Auerback. His book Deception and Abuse at the Fed is published by the University of Texas Press. Segment 5: The corrido is a traditional Mexican ballad that tells a story. It’s a form of news communication as well as entertainment. Many modern corridos tell the stories of the border drug war and are an important source of information for lawmen trying to learn about the inner workings of the Mexican drug gangs. A new documentary called El corrido– the two sides of the song explores this oral tradition. The film is produced and directed by Texas filmmaker Donnie Meals. Show #428, November 7, 2008 Segment 1: An election that is being called a "Democratic Tsunami" hit the nation, but apparently not Texas. Still, there are signs that politics isn’t as red as it once was in the Lone Star State. We look for insight into the election returns from Dave Mann of the Texas Observer. Segment 2: Many Texas border residents felt their rights were under attack by homeland security, seizing land and searching computers and denying passports to border citizens. Now that the nation is gearing up for an Obama administration, the border is wondering if things will change. Congressman Henry Cuellar represents the border region, from Laredo to part of the Rio Grande Valley. Segment 3: President-Elect Obama has stated that alternative energy will be a fuel the new American economy, and Texas is well positioned to plug into that next generation economic engine. Austin is hosting Texas Renewables '08 conference & International Business Connections Forum this week to help move the state in that direction. Taking part is Carlton Schwab, president of the Texas Economic Development Council. Segment 4: Texas is known for many things, but bourbon isn’t one of them. But that could change. A Texas family is setting up the state’s only bourbon distillery and they are taking a shot at making the elixir. Should Kentucky be scared of losing it’s corn squeezing industry? Not yet. Dan Garrison is heading up the Garrison Brothers Bourbon distillery. Show #427, October 31, 2008 Segment 1: When the sun sets on Election Day, Texas is expected to remain a red state. But despite this still being GOP country, voters across the state are wrestling with their decisions about who to gets their vote for president, Republican nominee Senator John McCain or Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama. These often decisions are personal, complex and unpredictable. We have a series of reports from North Texas Public Broadcasting about families and how they decided who they are supporting to be the next president. KERA reporter BJ Austin traveled to Cedar Creek Lake, East of Dallas and the home of Bobby and Mary Doerges and has their story. Segment 2: Fred and Mazzie Moses in Collin County are minorities among minorities as African American Republicans. They are balancing their politics with the desire to see a historic Obama Presidency. KERA reporter Bill Zeeble shows us how they are dealing with this historic election. Segment 3: Nora Villegas has a daughter in Iraq, a husband who works out of state and big dreams for her children. They are dealing with many of the problems facing Americans: no health insurance and few opportunities for economic upward mobility. KERA’s Shelley Kofler has checked in on the Villegas during the past few months, and watched as Nora considers how she’ll vote. Segment 4: This Halloween we remember La Llorona, the spectral, weeping figure from the oral traditions of Mexico and South Texas. She haunts riverbanks and the nightmares of naughty children. La Llorona is a Medea figure who murdered her own children and roams the earth as a ghostly figure. Domino Renee Perez highlights the many manifestations of the weeping woman in film, art and literature in her book, There Was a Woman: La Llorona from Folklore to Popular Culture, published by the University of Texas Press. Perez will be in San Antonio to talk about her book, Thursday, November 6 at 7 p.m. in Providence West Social Room at Our Lady of the Lake University. Show #426, October 24, 2008 Segment 1: Barbeque is big in Texas. But which pit is the best? Houston-based food writer John DeMers went on a fourteen thousand mile journey to find out. His new book Follow the Smoke chronicles his visits to over one hundred nineteen tasty barbeque joints. That’s something best discussed over a plate of barbecue. DeMers joined Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies for a plate at a legendary San Antonio barbeque establishment, The Smokehouse. His book is published by Bright Sky Press. Segment 2: What B.B. King is to the blues, Grammy-winning accordionist Flaco Jimenez is to the world of Tex-Mex Conjunto. Jimenez is recognized as the leading performer of authentic South Texas Conjunto music. Not only is he a master of the conjunto accordion, he has successfully crossed over into rock, country and other mainstream music forms. Jimenez stopped by the studio to talk about his life – career and music. There’s more information about Flaco’s life at his website, www.flacojimenezmusic.com. Segment 3: Poetry is alive and well in Texas. The two new books from John Phillip Santos and Francis Trevino are proof of that. Celebrated author Santos has released the book Songs Older Than any Known Singer and Trevino penned the collection titled Cayetana. Both books are published by Wings Press. Show #425, October 17, 2008 The History of Texas Music Texas is known for its character, flavor and attitude, not just in the people but also in the culture of Texas. There’s an unrivaled state pride and there is such a rich state history. Part of that Texas history, culture and heritage is the music of the state. Texas is where so many music superstars called home — Bob Wills, Buddy Holly, Janis Joplin, Selena, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Nelson, and more.Texans produce music that reflects their unique culture. And today, the Texas music scene is larger, more dynamic and growing faster than ever. But how did Texas Music develop? Gary Hartman explores the subject in the book The History of Texas Music. Hartman is the founding director of the center for Texas music history at Texas State University in San Marcos. His book is published by Texas A&M Press. Show #424, October 10, 2008 Segment 1: Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Democrat Rick Noriega sparred side-by-side for the first time in a debate Thursday night. Also taking part in the debate was the Libertarian candidate, Yvonne Schick. The three are looking for votes in the middle of a historic financial crisis. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has a recap of the debate. Segment 2: The financial crisis and the dropping stock market are shaking up the November 4th election all the way from the President to the local state representative. How could that change the face of Texas politics? We look for insight from Harvey Kronberg from the online newsletter about Texas politics, the Quorum Report. Segment 3: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to stay in office, but term limits are pushing him out. So he’s trying to get rid of the term limits. In San Antonio, term limits are also up for debate. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies takes a look at the issue. Segment 4: There’s a place in Texas where human bodies are left out in fields, in car trucks or dumped in the shallowest of makeshift graves. It’s not the back yard of a serial killer, but an outdoor forensic laboratory created to help students become better crime fighters. KUT’s Erika Aguilar reports from the San Marcos Body Farm. Segment 5: Carmen Tafolla is the author of more than 15 books, seven screenplays and numerous articles and essays. Carmen Tafolla’s latest book is The Holy Tortilla and a Pot of Beans. Dr. Tafolla spoke to us recently from her home in San Antonio. She discussed her writing process, and the optimism that boils over in the simplest of objects in our everyday world. The book is published by Wings Press. Show #423, October 3, 2008 Segment 1: In this critical presidential election should church leaders stay on the sidelines or should they be in the political arena? At least three Texas pastors are shunning the prohibition of preaching partisan politics from the pulpit, and they could run afoul of the IRS, risking the financial stability of their churches. The pastors are taking part in the "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" campaign along with about 30 other pastors across the nation. They are testing the constitutionality of the tax code what says churches as nonprofits enjoying a tax free status are prevented from intervening in election. The Rev. Stephen Broden of Fair Park Bible Fellowship in Dallas is participating in "Pulpit Freedom Sunday." Segment 2: The group Americans United for Separation of Church and State object to preaching from the pulpit and they are filing complaints with the IRS. The Rev. Barry W. Lynn is the executive director of "Americans United for Separation of Church and State." He is a ministry in the United Church of Christ; he is also an attorney. Segment 3: Galveston may have taking quite a punch from Hurricane Ike but the Islanders are not out. The island’s annual holiday event, Dickens on the Strand, will be held this year, as it has for the last 35 years.Dwayne Jones is the executive director of the Galveston Historical Foundation which organizes the annual event. The Dates are December 6 and 7. Information is available at www.dickensonthestrand.org. Show #422, September 26, 2008 Segment 1: The curfew is lifted in Galveston. Residents are allowed to come home and see what Hurricane Ike left them, and what they are finding is literally a disaster zone. Throughout the landfall of Ike, and everyday since, the local newspaper The Galveston County Daily News kept publishing. Leigh Jones is a reporter for the newspaper. You can read her stories and follow the recovery of Galveston by going online to www.galvestondailynews.com. Segment 2: Galveston Bay is one of the most productive areas for seafood harvesting in the state, and some are concerned about the recovery of region. There is worry that Hurricane Ike may have damaged the system. Bill Balboa is the ecosystem leader for Galveston Bay Texas Parks and Wildlife Department coastal fisheries. He says Galveston Bay is bouncing back. Segment 3: While the attention of emergency responders and ordinary people across Texas has been turned toward the Gulf Coast and the devastation wrought by Hurricane Ike, residents at the other end of the state, in Far West Texas, have been contending with a natural disaster of their own. The Rio Grande this month rose to historic levels in the Big Bend region of West Texas and in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. The river inundated hundreds of homes in the Mexican community of Ojinaga. And on the U.S. side of the river, the city of Presidio, Texas is battling to escape the same fate. And while no deaths have been directly attributed to the flooding, an airplane carrying U.S. and Mexican officials to the disaster site crashed in the mountains, resulting in four deaths. From Marfa Public Radio, Drew Stuart reports. Segment 4: As Senators John McCain and Barack Obama try to convince America that one of them should be the next President, President George W. Bush is entering his final days in office. And so are many of the Texans who went with Bush to Washington. Where are they going? Many will be heading back to Texas. Anthony Zurcher writes about this transition in the article "Last Train to Texas" published in the current issue of the Texas Observer. You can read the article online at www.texasobserver.org. Show #421, September 19, 2008 Segment 1: Hurricane Ike was a storm that will join the rankings of other destroyers of the Texas Coast, Claudette, Alicia and Rita. Thousands remain evacuated from their homes, restoration of power and water is still weeks away for the hardest hit places, such as Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula, and the total cost of the storm will be calculated in the billions of dollars. Ike also cost over 50 lives. According to Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Paterson, some parts of the Texas coast will have to find a new normal, as some destroyed homes in damaged areas will not be allowed to be rebuilt. The official has surveyed damaged beaches and is in favor or tougher standards to push development off the eroded beaches. Segment 2: Whatever we rebuild on the Texas Coast, properties will face more frequent and more powerful hurricanes and a rapidly rising sea level. Scientific data is showing an undeniable and alarming trend that climate change is already reshaping the world’s coastlines, including the long Texas coastline from Brownsville to Sabine Pass. John Andersen is a professor of Earth Science at Rice University and author of the book The Formation and Future of the Upper Texas Coast, published by Texas A&M Press. He posits that Hurricane Ike is just a taste of what's in store for the Gulf Coast. Segment 3: The damage of Ike, when added up in dollars, is miniscule when compared to the financial losses on Wall Street, and the market collapse isn’t over yet. Conventional wisdom states the root of Wall Street’s woes was the removal of federal government regulatory oversight. Economist and UT Professor James K. Gilbraith has written about the rupture of regulations and the failure of the conservative economic philosophy in his book Predator State: How Conservatives Abandoned the Free Market and Why Liberals Should Too. Show #420, September 12, 2008 Segment 1: Texas is dealing with Hurricane Ike. The monster storm has hundreds of miles of the state’s coastline either evacuating or hunkering down. For some areas, like in Orange and Jefferson Counties, this is the second time in recent weeks that the mandatory evacuation order was given. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies reports this is putting a big strain on local families budgets. Segment 2: This hurricane season has seen one storm after another aiming for the Texas Coast — and the season doesn’t end until November. The heavy activity is putting considerable stress on the Texas Insurance marketplace, which could result in increased home insurance rates across the state. A serious overhaul and reform of the industry and the way homes are built along the coast could change that. Beaman Floyd is the executive director of the Texas Coalition for Affordable Insurance Solutions. Segment 3: Richard Garriott is a Texan who will some become a resident of the most exclusive government housing in the solar system, the International Space Station. The Austinite is scheduled to become Earth's sixth space tourist, and it’s costing him approximately 30 million dollars to do visit. Garriott is a famed video game designer and is known as Lord British in the online world. We spoke to Garriott from the space training center in Russia. Segment 4: High School football season is now in full swing. It’s not just the heroics on the field that are under the state’s Friday night lights. The cheerleaders shine under the spotlight as well. Thee Texas cheerleader is an American icon, but outside of that pre-fab Hollywood stereotype of the frivolous self-absorbed diva, the Texas high school cheerleader strive to fit in our post-feminist world. They get help from the Texas Cheerleader magazine. Denise Martin is the founder and editorial director of Texas Cheerleader magazine. Show #419, September 5, 2008 Segment 1: Texas scrambled as Hurricane Gustav approached the state´s eastern coastal region, but Gustav kept most of its destructive power in Louisiana. Texas emergency management officials were taking the "better safe than sorry" approach. The Port Arthur/Beaumont region was given a mandatory evacuation order, which meant hundreds of thousands of people needed to leave their homes. Texas Public Radio´s David Martin Davies was in Port Arthur for the evacuation and has this report. Segment 2: While Gustav was making landfall in Louisiana the Republican Party was having its national convention in St. Paul Minnesota. Texas was well represented at the event and at the Ron Paul counter-convention. For insight we turn to Harvey Kronberg – editor of Quorum Report – an online news letter dedicated to Texas Politics. www.Quorumreport.com Segment 3: There is another political celebration underway, the marking of the 100th birthday of Lyndon Banes Johnson. The tall texan who became president was born Aug 26 1908. He led a national war on poverty called the Great Society, and he led the nation into a real war in Vietnam. Ronnie Dugger writes about his memories of LBJ in the Texas Observer. Dugger is the founding editor of the Observer. You can find it online at www.TexasObserver.org. To learn more about the year long celebration of the life of LBJ – you can go online to www.LBJ100.ORG. Segment 4: Sperm whales, one of the world's largest and least-understood creatures, congregate year-round in the Gulf of Mexico, a new study shows. The six-year federal study found that a genetically distinct variety of the endangered species resides in the Gulf. Randall Davis is Texas A&M University at Galveston marine biologists. Segment 5: When you get a new computer, what do you do with the old one? That old PC should not head to the land fill – there’s a new state law that went into effect September first that makes it easier to recycle that old computer. Mike Lindner is a spokesperson for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. To find out where you can recycle your old PC to online to www.texasrecyclescomputers.org. Program Archive: Show #418, August 28, 2008 Segment 1: Hurricane Gustav is churning in the Gulf of Mexico. And Texas is playing it better safe than sorry. Governor Rick Perry has issued a disaster declaration in response to the significant threat posed by Gustav to 61 Texas counties. The governor’s declaration allows the state to initiate necessary preparedness efforts, such as pre-deploying resources requested by local officials to ensure their communities are ready to respond to severe weather. Even if Gustav avoids Texas and lands in neighboring Louisiana our state could be affected, as it was 3-years ago during Katrina. Texas provided shelter to hundreds of thousands of evacuees. Jefferson County, which is on the Louisiana state border, is where Hurricane Rita struck almost three years ago and delivered $11 billion in damage. The residents there fear a repeat of Rita with Gustav. Greg Fountain is the Emergency Manager for Jefferson County. Segment 2: "Be Prepared" is not just the motto for the Boy Scouts; it’s also what the Insurance Council of Texas is telling homeowners along the gulf coast. Unfortunately many Texas families are not ready when a hurricane hits, according to Mark Hanna, spokesperson for the Insurance Council of Texas. Segment 3: During the National Democratic Convention in Denver, the Texas delegation sometimes grumbled about being booked into the most distant hotel from the convention center, being seated in the nose bleed section at the Pepsi Center and being written off as a red state. But at the same time, there are some Texans at the convention who are getting to shine in the limelight. Texas Public Radio’s Jodi Breisler reports from Denver. Segment 4: For more on how the Democratic Convention could shake up Texas politics, we turn to Harvey Kronberg editor of the online newsletter covering Texas politics, The Quorum Report. Segment 5: The new school year is underway and you may have noticed some changes. School buses are cutting back on their runs. School lunch prices are up and there is extra attention being paid to curbing electricity usage. Just as families are feeling the budget pinch, so are schools. And frequently it’s the teachers who are being caught in the middle of the squeeze. Rita Haecker is the president of the Texas State Teachers Association. Show #417, August 22, 2008 Segment 1: Jefferey Wood was hours from being put to death in Huntsville when a federal judge granted him a delay. Serious questions had been raised about the prisoner’s mental competence. Scott Sullivan is the attorney for Jeffery Wood. Segment 2: There is now a program called TexasSure that could make it harder for non-insured drivers to hit the road. Jerry Hagins is a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety. Segment 3: Facing the prospect of federal action on global warming, burning fossil fuels could require offsets with the large scale storage of greenhouse gasses. Texas could become the global leader in this carbon dioxide disposal business. Susan Havorka, a senior research scientist at the University of Texas Gulf Coast Carbon Center, says this could become a booming business in Texas. Segment 4: Stephen Colbert might be a popular late night comic, but he should avoid going to Canton, Texas. The richly ironic Colbert slammed the northeast Texas town, calling it an “incorporated outhouse.” Canton city manager Andy McCuistion said he wasn’t amused. Show #416, August 15, 2008 Segment 1: How likely are students to act up in a classroom if they know the teacher is packing heat? For the first time in the United States, a school district is going to allow their faculty to carry handguns — Harrold Independent School District in Harrold, Texas, 150 miles northwest of Ft. Worth. David Thweatt is the superintendent of Harrold ISD. Segment 2: There is growing concern over a powerful hallucinogenic herb that legal and widely available in specialty stores in Texas. The drug is called Salvia and has a reality distorting effect similar to LSD, although the effects don’t last as long. Salvia has captured the attention of Waco Republican Representative Charles "Doc" Anderson. In the next legislative session he will try to pass a law making it a misdemeanor to possess salvia. Segment 3: In the Lower Rio Grande Valley the battle over the border fence continues to brew. People there call it "The Wall", and most residents there say it's not wanted or needed along the border. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has a different view. DHS is racing to build the fence by the end of the year, but things are not going according to schedule. Protests, court battles and problems seizing people’s private property to build the fence have slowed things down. David Martin Davies produced three reports about the fence, covering controversy in Los Ebanos, the town of Granjeno and at the University of Texas at Brownsville campus. Focus on the Border Fence: [Part 1], [Part 2], [Part 3] Segment 4: Stephanie Elizondo Griest’s award-winning travel memoir Around the Bloc took readers along to Moscow, Beijing and Havana. In her latest book Mexican Enough, we’re along for the ride again, this time to Queretaro and Oaxaca. Though she is Mexican-American, Griest discovers a crisis of identity on this journey — what it means to live between two worlds. Griest will do reading and book signing on Tuesday, August 19 at Borders Bookstore at the Quarry, in San Antonio. For more information go to www.mexicanenough.com. Show #415, August 8, 2008 Segment 1: It has been over ten years since Texans got the right to carry a concealed handgun. Now Texas gun rights advocates want to pack their heat out in the in the open. Ian McCarthy has started an online petition that he hopes will lead to a new law in Texas granting open carry rights in the state. More information available at www.opencarry.org. Segment 2: For more than a year, oil and gas companies have been approaching North Texas homeowners, looking to buy the rights to natural gas under their property. Some homeowners living over the Barnett Shale formation are cashing in big. Others are signing for a pittance. From Dallas Public Radio KERA, reporter Rachel Stone talked to one group about how it struck a deal for the whole neighborhood. Segment 3: Starbucks isn’t percolating like it used to. The corporate giant is shuttering some of its less popular stores, including the Starbucks in Kingsville, Texas. Kingsville is southwest of Corpus Christi and it’s near the historic King Ranch. Pam Flores is a Kingsville resident and is fighting to save her Starbucks. Segment 4: The legend of the chupacabra, the menacing predator that sucks the blood of its animal victims, has enthralled Texans for decades. Husband and wife authors James Magnum and Sidney Spires have taken this terrifying tale and made it a distinctly West Texas children’s book called "The Fairy and the Chupacabra and Those Marfa Lights." The book is published by John M. Hardy Publishing. Show #414, August 1, 2008 Segment 1: Senator John Cornyn was once heavily favored to reclaim his office. But there are developing signs of vulnerability which are reflective of widespread turbulence for the Republican party this fall. Polling shows that Cornyn’s support in Texas is dropping below 50 percent. But political pundits say it is unlikely he will lose the seat to his democratic challenger, State Representative Rich Noriega. Cornyn has a major advantage in fundraising; Noriega doesn’t enjoy much name recognition across the state. Despite its national ills, the Texas GOP appears to be holding on. But beware of upsets. That is why Cornyn is running hard to keep his senate seat. Recently Texas Matters aired an extended interview with Noriega and now we have a chance to do the same with Cornyn. Segment 2: President George W. Bush is suggesting the possibility of further troop reductions in Iraq as the security situation continues to show improvement. For the last four months violence in Iraq has dropped, declining to its lowest level since early 2004. It has taken five years and hundreds of billions of dollars to get to this point. The cost in lives and taxpayer dollars could have been avoided, according to retired Lt. General Ricardo Sanchez. Sanchez served at commander of the coalition ground forces in Iraq from June 2003 to June 3004. Born and raised in Rio Grande City on the Texas Mexico Border, Sanchez was the highest ranking Hispanic in the Army when he retired in 2006. He retired under a dark cloud he has been called the scapegoat for the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Grabe. Now Sanchez is setting the record straight about his time in command at Iraq. He has written a scathing account of how the administration interfered in command decisions in Iraq. The book is called Wiser in Battle and is published by Harper Collins. Show #413, July 25, 2008 Segment 1: Hurricane Dolly delivered 100 mph winds and extensive flooding. Dolly won't be remembered as a monster storm. It was a Category 2 hurricane when it crashed ashore at South Padre Island. However, the storm could be remembered for its potential for being a mega-disaster. If the storm had been stronger and if the levies had failed the Rio Grande Valley could have been obliterated. Steve Taylor is an editor for the online newspaper that covered the Texas Mexican border, the Rio Grande Guardian. You can find the Rio Grande Guardian online at www.riograndeguardian.com. Segment 2: The American Red Cross is on the scene in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Cynthia Gutierrez White is a spokesperson for the American Red Cross. She spoke to us from Brownsville. Segment 3: Author Sandra Cisneros is one of Texas’ most well known writers, and she is bringing to San Antonio some of the nation’s most exciting literary figures for her annual workshop called Macondo. Though Macondo's workshops are members-only events, these published authors will address the public three times at Our Lady of the Lake University. La Palabra Eléctrica and La Palabra Tremenda Segment 4: One of writers attending the Macondo workshop is the native Texan and internationally acclaimed poet AI. AI is a poet who has won awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and various universities. She won the National Book Award for Poetry and the 1978 Lamont Award. Segment 5: Another writer participating is no stranger to listeners of NPR, Andrei Codrescu. The Romanian born writer and poet is frequently heard on All Things Considered. Show #412, July 18, 2008 Segment 1: Texas is already the nation’s leader in generating wind power, but the state has tapped only a fraction of the wind’s potential. The Texas Public Utility Commission is changing that. They voted to tentatively approve a $5 billion dollar plan to build the needed transmission lines so more wind farms can be built. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has the story from the Abilene area. Segment 2: Austin is home to many of the state’s most well known bloggers, but this week the capital city played host to the nation’s super star bloggers from the left. The Netroots Nation gathering is being held and is shinning a light on the state’s fledging progressive political effort. To learn more, we turn to Harvey Kronberg, editor of the non-partisan political newsletter the Quorum Report. Segment 3: In this election season, the race for senator is heating up. We’ll be talking to both major candidates. This week, we get some time with Democrat Rick Noriega. Noriega, a state legislator from Houston, will need money for television advertising throughout the huge state before November. However, because of all the negatives associated with the Republican Party these days, some political polls show Noriega within striking distance of John Cornyn, but still he has a lot of ground to make up. Noriega has faced another challenge in his election bid. In June, he had to stop campaigning for two weeks while fulfilling his duties with the National Guard. Show #411, July 11, 2008 Segment 1: Tough economic news in Texas. This week Toyota announced it was idling its Tundra pick-up truck factory in San Antonio for three months. Local officials voiced a strained optimism telling the community not to worry. Meanwhile in the Dallas-area, a General Motors factory is looking to hang on. The GM Arlington plant is being handed what is perhaps the company’s toughest assignment: become the sole producer of full-sized SUV's at a time when owners are fleeing to more fuel efficient cars. KERA's Shelley Kofler has more on how auto workers are hoping to meet the challenge. Segment 2: The shake-up at the auto manufacturing plants will also be felt at area suppliers who work with the factories. But despite this dose of scary news the job picture for Texas still looks solid according to the most recent figures from the Texas Workforce Commission. The Texas Unemployment rate is at 4.5 percent, which is better than the national unemployment rate of 5.5 percent,s according to the U.S. department of Labor. Veronica Downey is a labor market analyst for the Texas Workforce Commission. Segment 3: Despite the solid job figures people are feeling insecure about their economic future.If you want to know why , check out the check-out line at the grocery store. Rising food and fuel prices aren’t just taking a big bite out of your family budget; they're also taking their toll on local food banks. Barbara Anderson is the executive director of the Texas Food Bank Network. Segment 4: Managing your family budget is tough enough but what about the challenge of working over the state’s finances. Well, now its easier, if you’ve got access to the internet. The Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, has posted a web feature called the Texas Budget Source which allows users to get information about the spending of the state and local governments. Former state representative Talmedge Heflin is the director of the foundation’s center for fiscal policy. The Texas Budget Source can be found at www.texasbudgetsource.com. You can also try your hand at balancing the federal budget with Budget Hero, our online interactive game. Segment 5: Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced this week that his office can't guarantee that elective Bible courses taught in Texas high schools will be constitutional even though state standards for those classes "appear" to be in compliance with the First Amendment. There is disagreement about what the Abbott letter means. Supporters of classroom bible literacy interpret this as a green light from Abbott but with a cautionary flag. But supporters of the separation of church and state, like the Texas Freedom Network, say this means tougher guidelines and guarantees need to be in place to protect children from religious indoctrination while in the classroom. Dan Quinn is with the Texas Freedom Network, a liberal organization that works to counter the religious right in Texas. Segment 6: As the Department of Homeland Security finalizes the plans for building the border fence, communities in the fence’s path are dealing with the uncertainty that the structure presents. In Brownsville, community and business leaders are trying to find a way to move forward on a major plan to revitalize downtown. The problem is, that’s where the federal government wants to build the fence. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has the story from Brownsville. Show #410, July 4, 2008 Segment 1: Only two Texas high school athletes were found to be taking steroids. The bad news is this is costing the state of Texas 3 million dollars a year to find out. The program was pushed by Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, and he still defends it. He calls it a useful deterrent to prevent high schoolers from using the dangerous chemicals to bulk up. However, some Texas senators like Dan Patrick, a republican from Houston, say the program is a waste of Texas tax dollars and should be scrapped. Segment 2: Students aren’t just being tested for steroid use; they are also being examined for their physical fitness. The first round of tests show that Texas children are in sad shape; the assessments show that the older the children get, the flabbier they become. The testing program is the brain child of Dr. Kenneth Cooper. He also raised most of the funds for the program. Dr. Cooper spoke to us from the Dallas based Cooper Institute, a nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to preventive medicine. Segment 3: For many the 4th of July isn’t complete without a slice of watermelon. And now a Texas researcher has discovered that watermelon has a natural ingredient that can trigger a “Viagra” effect. Doctor Bhimu Patil is the director of Texas A&M's Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center. Segment 4: Record high gas prices are putting the brakes on many family vacation plans this holiday. So if you cant fly off to a far-flung shore, why not hit one of the many Texas state parks and historic areas that are less than a tank of gas away? There is a new update to the Official Guide to Texas State Parks and Historic Places. Laurence Parent is the photographer and author of the book, published by the University of Texas Press. Show #409, June 27, 2008 Segment 1: 2007 was a wet year for Texas but not so for 2008 — it’s so dry. About 95 percent of Texas is now in some stage of drought, with a sliver of two northwestern Panhandle counties garnering the worst status - "exceptional" - on the U.S. Drought Monitor map released this week. For agriculture, the heat and lack of rainfall this year could spell record losses. In 2006, the state sustained $4 billion in losses to crops and livestock. This year that loss could be higher as framers also are footing the bill for higher fuel and fertilizer costs.Travis Miller is a professor and agro-economist at Texas A&M University. And he is on the Texas Drought Preparedness Council. Segment 2: The San Antonio area is classified "extreme drought." Just under 4 inches of rain has fallen since the start of the year. That is the driest ever for that time span, according the National Weather Service. This week the Edwards Aquifer Authority, which serves 1.7 million people, declared the first stage of mandatory water rationing. The purpose of the cutbacks is to preserve the flow of the aquifer at the historic springs the Texas Hill Country. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has the story. Segment 3: It's times like these that remind us that Texas has a limited supply of fresh water. If we are not smart with our water, we are going to have big problems. To help educate the public about our resources, Andrew Sansom has written the new book Water In Texas: An Introduction.The book is part of the Texas Natural History Field Guides, published by the University of Texas Press. Segment 4: It’s not always hot and dry in Texas. Other times it’s wet and wild with storms that give birth to tornados. There was once a legend about tornados and Waco, attributed to an old native American folktale. It said the community was protected against tornados. That unfortunately isn’t true. In May 1953 Waco was hit by an F5 Twister. It is the worst tornado disaster in Texas and is the tenth deadliest in U.S. history. And it was just one of many terrible tornadoes that hit that year. Even though the Waco Tornado hit 55 years ago, it is still talked about in that central Texas city. Waco Singer and songwriter Shane Howard has written a song about that deadly twister. Show #408, June 20, 2008 Segment 1: The Democrats gathered in Austin — the Republicans in Houston. They flocked together for their state political conventions in this critical presidential election year. Both big parties were trying to mend their grassroots efforts and unite behind their big candidates. Did they succeed? We'll find out by checking in with Harvey Kronberg, editor of the online newsletter that covers Texas politics, The Quorum Report. You can find it at www.quorumreport.com. Segment 2: Look out John Grisham, there is a new challenger to the mantel of "Master of the Modern Legal Thriller." Carlos Cisneros is a Rio Grande Valley-based lawyer who has written The Case Runner about a young lawyer in the valley who comes in contact with an unethical practice that is common in the legal world. Cisneros said you do not have to look far in Texas courthouses to find case runners. The Case Runner is published by Arte Publico Press. Segment 3: Manuel Pena is an anthropologist and ethnomusicologist. He takes a turn in his latest book at memoir. In Where the Ox Does Not Plow: A Mexican American Ballad he offers twenty-six vignettes that deal with his childhood, family, migrant farm labor, discrimination that was rampant and unapologetic, and his transformative journey from farm laborer to college professor. The native Texan started life in Weslaco and the surrounding area. He spoke to us from his home in Fresno, California. The book is published by University of New Mexico Press. Show #407, June 13, 2008 Segment 1: Scorched walls, charred debris, water soaked floors and a collapsed ceiling. The 152-year old Texas Governor’s Mansion looks almost beyond repair, but it's not. Restoration experts say the building can be saved; much of the building original fabric wasn’t damaged. The fire broke out before 2 a.m., Sunday June 8. Surveillance video shows someone igniting something, possibly a Molotov cocktail, and hurling it onto the front porch of the mansion. Governor Rick Perry and his family were not living at the mansion at the time because it was undergoing renovations. That also means all historic furniture and Texas relics had been removed and are safe. Perry spoke to reporters at the scene on Wednesday. Segment 2: Texas came very close to seeing the Governor's Mansion completely lost to the fire. So many in the state have toured the mansion and have fond memories of their visit. Jane Hampton Cook is a historian and worked in the Mansion with then-governor George W. Bush. She is the author of Stories of Faith and Courage from the Revolutionary War and Maggie Houston. Segment 3: At the battle that won Texas its independence from Mexico – San Jacinto – there was a famous battle cry: “Remember the Alamo. Remember Goliad.” But how much do we remember about Goliad? The southeast Texas town was also the scene of a bloody battle, a terrible massacre that happened Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836. It’s an act that remains controversial even today. Military Historian and Marine Corp Fight pilot Jay A. Stout has written a book about this episode called Slaughter at Goliad”. Its published by the U.S. Naval Institute. Segment 4: Go to the grocery store and get ready for the sticker shock. Food prices are climbing higher and higher. But some shoppers are finding a way to fight back. They are growing their own fruits and vegetables. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has the story. Segment 5: Community garden programs are sprouting across the state. If want to check the greenness of your own thumb, Texas Gardener Magazine promises it’s not to difficult. Chris Corby is the editor and publisher of Texas Gardener Magazine. He says when the economy starts to slump, it's typical for gardening to get popular. There are tips for gardening in Texas on their website Texasgardener.com. Show #406, June 6, 2008 Segment 1: The cost of tuition at a Texas public university has shot up an average of 112 percent in the last five years. In 2003, public universities in the state were given the freedom to set their own tuition rates — previously the state legislature had that authority. But since state tuition deregulation many Texas lawmakers say the cost of higher education has risen beyond the reach of the middle class. Representative Garnet Coleman (D-Houston) is renewing his call to repeal tuition deregulation. Segment 2: Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott says voter fraud is an epidemic in Texas and its infesting the electoral process. Lt. Governor David Dewhurst agrees. He will likely declare a Texas voter ID bill an emergency in order to help push it through the legislative process. But if election fraud is rampant in the state, where is it? And where are the prosecutions? A recent study suggests that claims of widespread voter fraud in Texas are overblown and politically motivated. Anthony Zurcher has written about the issue for the Texas Observer. He is the editor-in-chief of Supreme Court Debates magazine. Segment 3: Small businesses in Texas are dealing with the rising cost of fuel and other commodities. And there’s another rising cost: state taxes. This month a new business margin tax goes into effect that was designed to provide property tax relief. Many of the business owners say they are going to have to raise their prices to pay for the new tax. Bill Hammond is the president of the Texas Association of Business. Segment 4: George Jones is a Texas music legend, but for the last 46 years he has been missing his guitar. Larry Berry had it. Berry is a retired oil man and he has been trying to give the guitar back to Jones with little success until now. Berry will give the guitar back to George Jones on June 14 at the Diamond Jack Casino in Bossier City, Louisiana. Show #405, May 30, 2008 Segment 1: On Wednesday a federal judge struck down a Farmers Branch, Texas ban on apartment rentals to illegal immigrants. The Farmers Branch council passed the ordinance last year. It would have barred apartment rentals to illegal immigrants and required landlords to verify legal status. The passing of that ordinance has brought to light another problem in Farmers Branch — the total absence of Mexican American representation on the local city council. Now there is a lawsuit underway alleging that Farmers Branch is violating the voting rights act, in order to prevent Mexican Americans from winning a seat on city council. From Dallas Public Radio KERA, Shelly Koffler has more on the story. Segment 2: Texas ranks 48th in the nation in funding mental health treatment. But a new trend in helping the mentally ill help themselves is spreading across the state. Its called Our House and this week the San Antonio Our House held an open house. Texas Public Radios David Martin Davies has the story. Segment 3: From 1987 to 2006 the Federal Reserve was under the chairmanship of Alan Greenspan, and it achieved near mythical status for its part in managing the economy. But today with a crumbling economy, falling dollar, a home mortgage crisis and looming inflation, there is a re-evaluation underway of Greenspans fed. Did he keep interest rates artificially low to benefit the powerful and ignore the costs that the US economy is paying today? At the time, few seemed to notice or care that Fed officials operated secretly with almost no public accountability. There was a courageous exception to this lack of oversight, however: Henry B. Gonzalez, Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee. In Deception and Abuse at the Fed: Henry B. Gonzalez Battles Alan Greenspan's Bank, author Robert Auerbach, a former banking committee investigator, documents major instances of Fed mismanagement and abuse of power that were exposed by Congressman Gonzalez. The book is published by the University of Texas Press. Show #404, May 23, 2008 Segment 1: Being locked up in a Texas prison is hell, and it is even worse when you are locked up and innocent. Due to the work done by the Texas Innocence Project 33, wrongfully convicted men have been identified and proven innocent by DNA or other new evidence. Critics of the Texas justice system say theres a pattern of wrongful convictions and more needs to be done to find, exonerate and free the innocent. State Senator Rodney Ellis of Houston recently held a summit to look at other ways to change the system to prevent more injustices. Segment 2: Texas has a new problem with ants. There is a mystery species of the little critters that some people are calling Crazy Ants. They got that nickname because of the seemingly manic way they scurry. And they are swarming; they have spread to 5 Houston area counties. Jason Meyers a Texas A&M University entomologist is studying the ants. Segment 3: When people think of Texas they think Corral — not coral. But there are coral reefs just off the coast of Texas. These hidden underwater treasures are rich with bio-diversity, home to hundreds of kinds of fish and other tropical sea life. One reef is called the Flower Garden Banks. The reef is 120 miles south of the Texas-Louisiana border and is a national marine sanctuary. Jesse Cancelmo is a Houston-based diver and underwater photographer he has written the book Texas Coral Reefs, published by Texas A&M University Press. You can see Cancelmos photos online at his website www.cancelmophoto.com. Show #403, May 16, 2008 Segment 1: Texas has a new sales tax holiday — not for school supplies, but for Energy star rated appliances and products. The energy saving sales tax holiday is over the May 24 through 26 — Memorial Day weekend. The holiday offers sales tax exemptions for Energy Star refrigerators under $2,000, air conditioners under $6,000, dishwashers, ceiling fans and compact fluorescent light bulbs. Houston State Senator Rodney Ellis helped pass the law that created the sales tax holiday. The other annual tax-free holiday for back-to-school items falls on the weekend of August 15 thourgh 17 this year. Segment 2: There is another way to shop without paying sales tax thats by going on line. But will it stay that way? One of the nations biggest online retailers Amazon.com could be forced by Texas to start charging Texans 6.25 percent sales tax. R.J. DeSilva is a spokesperson for the Texas Comptrollers office. Segment 3: Jim Hightower is a political pundit, populist and former Texas Agriculture commissioner. Known for his quick wit and liberal point of view, Hightower is now challenging Americans to give up the mainstream. His new book is called Swim Against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go with the Flow. For more information on Jim Hightowers work and to subscribe to his award-winning monthly newsletter, "The Hightower Lowdown", visit www.jimhightower.com. Segment 4: Houstons art community is mourning the loss of one of its leaders. Art Car Museum curator Tom Jones was killed by a suspected drunk driver Sunday May 11. Jones had just taken part of that days art car parade. He was 51-years old. Nicole Strine was a friend of Jones and is the President of the Houston Art Car Klub. There is a memorial for Jones on Sunday, May 18 at 3 p.m. at the Art Car Museum located at 140 Heights Blvd. Show #402, May 9, 2008 Segment 1: Dolph Briscoe was governor of Texas from 1973 to 1979 and is the largest individual landowner and rancher in the state. He is also a well respected businessman with interests in banking, oil and agriculture. Now he’s telling his own story in the book Dolph Briscoe: My Life in Texas Ranching and Politics. A rancher, politician, businessman and philanthropist, Governor Briscoe is all those things, but he says what he’s proudest of is being a Texan. Segment 2: The Texas Supreme Court is the highest court in the state for all civil and juvenile cases. The Court is composed of a Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. Each one is elected to office. But according to the group Texas Watch, a growing number of opinions issued last year by the Texas Supreme Court were anonymously written. Alex Winslow is the executive director of Texas Watch. Segment 3: The State of Texas has a large system of institutions which was designed to care for mentally retarded patients. It’s called the state school system, but these are not schools. It’s turned into a warehouse for patients for mental illness. While underpaid and overworked staffers deal with the problems, there is a flood of accusations of abuse. Texas Observer reporter Dave Mann covers the story in the current issue of the Texas Observer. Segment 4: Normally Yvette Benavides is the host of Texas Matters, but this week, she was sidelined when Our Lady of the Lake University suffered a horrific fire. The four-alarm blaze swept through the main building on the OLLU campus. The dramatic video of the fire was played and re-played on newscasts across the country. The hundred-year-old main building housed dorms, class rooms, computer labs and faculty offices, and one of those offices belonged to Yvette. Like many, she lost years of work and writings. But as she tells us in this commentary, the campus fire is also fortifying the bonds and faith of that unflappable San Antonio Westside community. Show #401, May 2, 2008
Extended Interview with Joe Nick Patoski
Show #400, April 25, 2008 Segment 1: All is right again in the South Texas city of Alice. Puddles is back home with his family. Puddles is a cute little dog who was snatched by the town’s former mayor Grace Saenz-Lopez. The story became an international sensation and brought some unwanted attention to Alice. Nicole Perez is the editor of the local newspaper, the Alice Echo-News Journal. Segment 2: Do you surf the internet to check out political blogs for the latest information on Texas politics? If you are conservative or liberal, chances are you’ve gone over to burntorangereport.com. It’s one of the most read Texas political blogs and this weekend, it is marking five years of posting it’s spin from a democratic party point of view. Matt Glazer is the editor of the Burnt Orange Report. Segment 3: Pam Johnston is the author of Little Lost River: A Novel. From alternating narrators, we learn about the deeply conflicted and complicated relationships between mothers and daughters. Cindy's mother, Alice, suffers from a debilitating depression that squeezes the life out of her small family. Helen Rogers, likewise, sets up seemingly oppressive expectations for her daughter Frances. A tragic happenstance brings the two girls Cindy and Frances together on a night that would forever alter the course of their lives. Together, they embark on a new transformative path unfettered to the past but now inextricably linked to each other - this time in a role that helps them begin to understand their own mothers and the disappointments and sorrows that come with the otherwise fulfilling joys of parenting. Little Lost River: A Novel is published by the University of Nevada Press. Segment 4: Texas has been home to so many colorful characters that many out-of-staters might have wondered if any normal people live here. Author Gene Fowler has collected the stories of many of these Texas oddballs in a book called Mavericks: A Gallery of Texas Characters published by the University of Texas Press. Show #399, April 18, 2008 Segment 1: With the cost of a barrel of oil reaching unheard of heights and natural gas prices also fetching a pretty penny, there’s fresh monetary motivation in Texas to drill for hydrocarbons. But that is also causing a conflict from Texas residents who don’t want to have drilling right next to their homes. Rusty Middleton writes in the Texas Observer about this collision and how the Texas Railroad Commission is failing to protect Texas homeowners. Segment 2: A wildfire burned at least six homes Thursday in west Texas and forced the evacuation of about 150 residences, the Texas Forest Service said. The fire, fueled by winds of nearly 40 mph, has consumed about 50 acres. This is just a precursor to what Texas is in store for. It looks like it's going to be a big summer for wild fires and the state is urging residents to get fire wise in order to protect their property. P.J. Pearson is with the Texas Forest Service. Segment 3: Fiesta is underway in San Antonio - the time when the Alamo city basicly shuts down for parades, parties and over indulgences. But what do you get if you look at Fiesta from a cultural anthropological point of view? What does it say about the city? Laura Hernández-Ehrisman wanted to find out. She wrote the book Inventing the Fiesta City: Heritage and Carnival in San Antonio. It’s published by the University of New Mexico Press. Segment 4: While we’re on the subject of Fiesta, a big factor in the 10-day party is music and the San Antonio Symphony is looking to shake things up with a hot band from Cuba via Miami, Tiempo Libre. Show #398, April 11, 2008 Segment 1: A March 31 phone call from a scared 16-year-old girl triggered the chain of events that would eventually become the largest child custody case in the nations history. The girl is not identified, but according to the affidavit which gave the state the authority for the raid, she claimed that she was beaten so hard her ribs were broken and that she was being forced to have sex with a man who was her spiritual husband.After the Texas department of Child protective services completed their raid, they discovered that the girl on the phone wasnt the only child in danger. The state took custody of all the children on the YFZ Ranch, a total of 416 boys and girls. About 300 welfare workers, representing 7 percent of the staff of Texas Child Protective Services, have been dispatched to the makeshift shelters in San Angelo to interview the children from the compound. Darrell Azar is the spokesperson from the Texas Department of Child Protective Services. Segment 2: The San Angelo Standard Times has been covering the YFZ ranch and polygamist compound for some time. Warren Jeffs and his followers showed up in Eldorado, outside of San Angelo, about 4 years ago. When the raid happened the Standard Times found itself covering one of the nations biggest news stories. Tim Archuleta is the editor of the paper. Segment 3: Visitors to Big Bend National Park can now hike into the rugged Christmas Mountains, guns and all, while state officials continue to look for a federal agency to take over the property. Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson had been behind an effort to sell the land to a private developer for more than a year, saying the state doesn't have the resources to properly care for it. Commissioner Patterson says that remains the case. Visitors would be able to hike to the mountains through Big Bend only, and could camp there, but deed restrictions prevent motorized vehicles, so activities are limited. Show #397, April 4, 2008 Segment 1: Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff announced that he is nullifying over 30 environmental laws and government regulations in order to build the border fence in Texas. Chertoff released a statement supporting the action saying "Criminal activity at the border does not stop for endless debate or protracted litigation." Under the Real ID Act, Congress gave Chertoff the authority to waive laws at his discretion. The elimination of the environmental laws spells almost certain closure for two major nature preserves that support a growing ecotourism business in a struggling lower Rio Grande Valley area. Oliver Bernstein is a spokesperson for the Texas Sierra Club. Segment 2: The Texas democratic presidential primary was supposed to be a Texas Two Step, but there was a third step: the county delegate conventions, held last Saturday. The conventions were where Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were going to firm up their Texas delegate count. So who really won Texas? To get a straight answer we turn to Harvey Kronberg of the online newsletter dedicated to Texas Politics, the Quorum Report. Segment 3: Once upon a time, Texas was a haven for Democrats. The state was under one-party rule, but it was not a democratic utopia. But relatively quickly the state flipped to being the republican stronghold that it is today, where not one democrat can claim a statewide office. How did that happen? The political switch is told in the book Twilight of the Texas Democrats: The 1978 Governors Race By Kenneth Bridges. The book is published by Texas A&M University Press. Show #396, March 28, 2008 Segment 1: They say, Make hay while the sun shines. You can also make energy while the sun shines. The U.S. Department of Energy is naming one dozen U.S. cities Solar American Cities. Houston and San Antonio made the cut. Andy Karsner, the Department of Energys Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, has details. Segment 2: In Amarillo, an HIV-positive patient who uses medical marijuana won an acquittal on possession charges. 53-year old Tim Stevens was defended by Jeff Blackburn, a lawyer known for his role in cracking the Tulia drug scandal.Stevens says he needs the marijuana to deal with his HIV symptoms. Segment 3: Four Texas metropolitan areas are among the biggest population gainers in the nation, according to U.S. Census Bureau. Dallas-Fort Worth is number one. Houston, Austin and San Antonio also cracked the top 10. Karl Eschbach is a state demographer at the University of Texas at San Antonio discusses the population growth. Segment 4: We frequently hear about studies giving Texas schools failing grades. One group called Raise Your Hand Texas is trying to boost the states education system. Former Texas Lt. Governor Bill Ratliff is the groups chairman. To learn more about the non-profit, go to www.raiseyourhandtexas.org. Segment 5: If you follow the development of schools in the state and you will trace the growth and progress of Texas. Thats what Mary S. Black discovered when she wrote the text for the photography book Early Texas Schools. Bruce F. Jordan is the photographer. The book is published by the University of Texas Press. Show #395, March 21, 2008 Segment 1: Racism in America: presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama says we need to have a serious national conversation concerning our feelings about ethnic tensions. But you might be thinking, “Not me. I’m not a racist, really."Texas State University sociology Barbara Trepagnier says you probably are. Her book is Silent Racism: How Well Meaning White People Perpetuate the Racial Divide. Segment 2: If theres a beautiful art deco building that you love in Houston go take a picture of it, because theres little historic preservation protection for those angular asymmetrical concrete structures. David Bush examines Houston's rich but underappreciated art deco architecture through more than 100 color photos in a book called Houston Deco. Bush is Director of Programs and Information for the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance. He worked with freelance writer and photographer Jim Parsons to create the book. You can view the photographs on the web at www.houstondeco.org. Show #394, March 14, 2008 Segment 1: Governor Rick Perry is blasting a newly announced EPA air quality standard that reduces the acceptable level of ozone allowable under federal regulations. Texas has 22 of the 345 counties nationwide that the Environmental Protection Agency will require to step up efforts to reduce smog. Perry said the changes will be a burden on the Texas economy, but environmental activists are critical of the EPA for not following the advice of their own scientists and cut the standards even more. Luke Metzger is the director of Environment Texas. He believes the EPA’s lowering of the ozone standard will show health benefits and save lives. Segment 2: Kathleen Hartnett White of the industry friendly Center of Natural Resources has a different view. She says the EPA ruling is based on flawed science and will hurt the Texas economy. She is also the former director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
While at South By Southwest, Texas Public Radio’s Nathan Cone spoke to the film’s director, Houston-based David Pomes, and star, Anson Mount. Listen to the Extended Interview with David Pomes and Anson Mount SXSW Screening Time: Related links: Show #393, March 7, 2008 Segment 1: After weeks of campaign ads, speeches and celebrity endorsements, the 2008 Texas primaries are in the books. But to figure out what happened and who benefits were going to need some expert help thats why we got Quorum Report editor Harvey Kronberg on the line. You can find it on the web at www.quorumreport.com. Segment 2: Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's camps are accusing each other of influencing the Texas Caucus process. The Clinton people say they could take the issue to court to challenge how the caucus delegates are allocated. Texas Observer write Forrest Wilder attended two caucuses in Houston and said the process was not pretty.
Listen to the Extended Interview with David Modigliani SXSW Screening Times: Related Links: Watch the Trailer Show #392, February 29, 2008 Segment 1: The March 4 primary in Texas is turning into a make-or-break state for Senator Hillary Clinton. She struggles to remain a viable political alternative to Senator Barack Obama. As the two candidates campaign in South Texas, they are unintentionally giving a curious spectator an up-close view of presidential politics - American style. From Texas Public Radio David Martin Davies reports that Mexico also has a lot riding on this election. Segment 2: It is not unusual for politicians who looking for votes to turn to endorsements to gain support. Hillary Clinton was able to Ugly Betty star America Ferrea to campaign for her in Texas and other key states. But Barack Obama is able to match her with the endorsement of comedian George Lopez. We caught up with Lopez via cell phone while he was campaigning in McAllen. Segment 3: In this sizzling primary season, the economys among the hottest issues in Texas. While parts of the state are more economically insulated than the rest of the country, job losses and especially home foreclosures remain serious concerns in the Lone Star State. From Dallas KERA Public Radio Bill Zeeble reports. Segment 4: Republican presidential hopeful John McCain visited San Antonio on Wednesday. He spoke to supporters and picked up what could become a key endorsement for some Texas Primary voters. Texas Public Radio's Terry Gildea has more. Segment 5: Democratic Presidential candidates have sparred over health insurance more than any other issue. Voters are paying close attention to the issue in Texas which ranks first for the number of uninsured people. From Dallas KERA Public Radio Shelley Kofler reports on what patients are facing and what the candidates say they will do. Segment 6: The Texas Secretary of States office estimates that over a million people will have voted early by the March 4 primary date, a record for a primary election in Texas. Experts state the high voter turnout for the primary indicates a record turn out on election day. Harvey Kronberg of the Quorum Report is one of those experts. Hes the editor of the online newsletter dedicated to covering Texas politics. Show #391, February 22, 2008 Segment 1: Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are crossing Texas looking for votes. Early voting has already begun and the Texas Primary is March 4. But only one candidate will leave the state with the majority of the delegates. Senator Clinton is banking that the Latino vote is going to give her the victory that she needs to bounce back from a string of defeats. We caught up with Clinton as she was stumping in Laredo Thursday morning. Segment 2: Sen. Obama appears to have a insurmountable tactical advantage in Texas. He has broad and deep support in the big cities where most of the delegates are. Texas Public Radio’s Celina Montoya was able to talk to Obama about his plans for Texas. Segment 3: Voters in the Texas primary won’t just be casting votes for presidential nominees. Republicans in the 23rd Congressional District will decide who takes on freshman iIncumbent Democratic Congressman Ciro Rodriguez in November. Two candidates are dueling it out for the privilege: Lyle Larson and Quico Canseco. Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea profiles both of the candidates – we start with Lyle Larson. Segment 4: Larson will have to get passed Quico Canseco before he can challenge Democratic congressman Ciro Rodriguez in the general election. Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea continues with the profiles with a look at Canseco. Segment 5: As more is learned about the construction of the border wall, some people are noticing a pattern of where it could be built. Texas Observer staff writer Melissa del Bosque writes that it appears the wall will be planted on the property of the border’s poor – while those with wealth and influence are being overlooked. The article is available at texasobserver.org. Segment 6: Sunday is Oscar® night and of the five films nominated for best picture two were shot in Marfa, Texas. No Country for Old Men and There will be Blood make good use of the big blue sky and distinctive wide open landscape of the west Texas community. Marfa bank president and cattle rancher Chip Love was recruited to play the memorable role of a murder victim in No Country for Old Men. Show #390, February 15, 2008 Segment 1: For the last 30 years, only one name filled Texas politicians with horror -Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earl. But now Mr. Public Integrity is retiring and the big question is who will take his place? Four Austin Attorneys are looking for enough votes to get the office. Dave Mann of the Texas Observer is following the democratic primary for Travis County District Attorney. and he points out that all of Texas should be following this local political contest that’s not so local. If you’d like to read his story on the Travis county District Attorney’s race visit texasobserver.org. Segment 2: Before the presidential election season, few people outside of the 14th Congressional District of Texas were familiar with Congressman Ron Paul. Now he’s become a household name. Paul didn’t win many votes but he did win national attention. He’s still in the race for the Republican presidential nomination even though conventional wisdom has given it to Sen. John McCain. But while many in the nation were getting their first look at Ron Paul, voters in his home district were seeing Paul with fresh eyes, and some didn’t like what there were seeing. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies reports. Segment 3: The U.S. Mexico Border was an area largely ignored by Washington D.C., but those days are over. National hysteria over the immigration issue turned the border region into the center of a national political debate. “Secure the border” is the rallying cry for many, but what does that mean? The Mexico side of the border equation is a vibrant part of the border economic function. To gain a better understanding of this part of the world – Joan B. Anderson and James Gerber wrote Fifty Years of Change of the U.S. – Mexico Border – Growth, Development and Quality of Life. Professor Gerber says Washington D.C. doesn't understand the border. Fifty Years of Change of the U.S. – Mexico Border – Growth, Development and Quality of Life is published by the University of Texas Press. Show #389, February 8, 2008 Segment 1: Politics in Texas has never been appropriate conversation for the squeamish and now more than ever, you need a cast iron breadbasket to stomach some of the developments. While the Republican party has more or less settled on Arizona Senator John McCain to be their presidential nominee, the Democrats are locked in a brawl which appears only to get uglier the closer they get to a national convention. But will Texas deliver for Illinois Senator Barack Obama or New York Senator Hillary Clinton? For insight, I turned to Harvey Kronberg, editor of the online Texas political newsletter The Quorum Report. Segment 2: When you go to the Governor of Texas website you can communicate with the Governor’s staff with an e-mail. That e-mail is public information. But what about the e-mails between the governor’s staff when dealing with issues facing the state? Or what about cookie recipes that seem to so delicious to the governor’s staff? Is that public information? The Texas Attorney General’s office is taking a look at the question, but public information advocate John Washburn says the taxpayers have a right to know what’s going on in the governor’s office. Washburn is preventing the routine deletion of the e-mails and is requesting copies of the e-mails under the Freedom of Information Act. The Governor’s office has been less than cooperative and says many of the e-mails are privileged. Below are some links if you would like to see what he’s unearthed so far. Segment 3: Texas is known for its tough independent-minded Congressmen from the right and the left. Bob Eckhardt falls into the category on the left. From 1967 to 1981, he represented Houston with the 8th Congressional District of Texas. Gary A. Keith has written a book about the man called Eckhardt: There Once Was a Congressman from Texas. It’s published by the University of Texas Press. Show #388, February 1, 2008 Segment 1: StoryCorps founder and MacArthur "Genius" grant recipient Dave Isay talks with David Martin Davies about StoryCorps arrival in San Antonio on February 7. The nationwide oral history initiative, heard on Morning Edition will be in the Alamo City for six weeks to capture the stories of area residents. Isay also discusses his book, Listening is an Act of Love, which features some of the most remarkable stories collected by the project over its four-year history.
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Show #387, January 24, 2008 Segment 1: The war on drugs in the United States is generally limited to police raids of drug dealers. But in Mexico – just 150 miles south of San Antonio – the war of drugs isn’t just a catchphrase. The Mexican army is engaged in combat in the streets of northern Mexico against the powerful and ruthless drug cartels. Now the Mexican army is digging in along the southern banks of the Rio Grande. From Nuevo Laredo, Mexico - TPR’s David Martin Davies has the story. Segment 2: While the Mexican Troops were sweeping into the border cities – U.S. congressman from Laredo Texas, Henry Cuellar was meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. The topic was the need for a $1.4 billion aid package to Mexico, which will help our southern neighbor fight their war against the drug cartels. Cuellar is pushing the aid package through Congress with the support of the White House. Cuellar said while in Mexico City he was able to see first hand Calderon’s commitment to taking back the border from the drug lords. Segment 3: Spaniard Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca was the ultimate survivor. In 1528 he left Spain and eventually ended up a castaway on a beach in Texas. Over the next 10 years he was a slave, a healer, an explorer and a humanitarian. Cabeza de Vaca was the first European to see the interior of Texas and his amazing story is being retold in the new book, A Land so Strange. Author Andres Resendez says he was able to discover new information about Cabeza de Vaca’s journey. Resendez will have a book reading in San Antonio on Tuesday January 29 at the Twig Bookstore. Segment 4: Bob Bullock was the Lieutenant Governor of Texas from 1991 to 1999. But his guidance of Texas lawmakers is still being felt today. Bullock preached a style of politics that demanded a thick skin and a devotion to Texas. His successes and failures are documented in the new book, Bob Bullock, God Bless Texas. Dave McNeely is known as the dean of the Texas Capital Press Corps and the political writer for the Austin American Statesman for 26 years. The book is published by University of Texas Press. Show #386, January 18, 2008 Segment 1: Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina was indicted on charges of tampering with evidence in connection with the arson fire his Houston area home. However, the Harris County District Attorney is refusing to prosecute the charges. That has a member of the grand jury saying there is a political cover-up in the Harris County courthouse. Jeffrey Dorrell served as the assistant foreman of the grand jury that indicted Justice Medina. The fire broke out the night of June 28 in the garage of Medina's home near the Houston suburb of Spring. It also destroyed one neighboring home and damaged a third. The Medina's deny any wrongdoing. Segment 2: The border city of Eagle Pass had stood firm against the border fence. Mayor Chad Foster refused to give the Department of Homeland Security access to 233 acres of city property, but now it doesn’t matter what Mayor Foster wants. In a move that stunned the border – a federal judge quickly and without a hearing – gave the Department of Homeland Security access to that land. The Army Corps of Engineers can now being surveying it for the border fence. There are about 100 private landowners on the border waiting for word they are next to be sued by Homeland Security. Rebecca Webber of Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid is representing many of those border residents. Segment 3: January 19 is Janis Joplin’s birthday – she would have been 65 years old. Her hometown of Port Arthur is throwing the rock legend a party. They are unveiling a state historical marker at her childhood home and remembering when Janis was a local girl who grew up to rock the world. Sam Monroe is the president of the Port Author historical society and was a childhood friend of Janis Joplin’s. Segment 4: A Texas museum that teaches creationism is counting on the auction of a prehistoric mastodon skull to stave off extinction. Joe Taylor, the founder of the Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum, which rejects evolution and claims that man and dinosaurs coexisted, said it will close unless the Volkswagen-sized skull finds a generous bidder. Segment 5: Now is not a good time to break into the housing market but the University of Texas has a deal for someone looking for a state of the art solar house. Michael Garrison is with the UT school of architecture. Show #385, January 11, 2008 Segment 1: Violence along the Texas Mexico border exploded this week. There were two major battles between the Mexican Army and footsoldiers of the drug cartels in the Mexican towns of Rio Bravo and Renoysa – which are across the border from the McAllen Texas area. Steve Taylor is the editor of the Rio Grande Guardian – an online newsletter that covers news on the border. You can find it online www.riograndeguardian.com. Segment 2: A state watchdog group is asking the Internal Revenue Service to investigate a nonprofit organization they say violated state law by involving pastors in Governor Rick Perry's re-election campaign. The group charges that several Perry contributors funneled money through a Houston-based nonprofit organization to bankroll the Texas Restoration Project. The group asking for the investigation is the Texas Freedom Network – which monitors church state issues – Dan Quinn is a spokesperson for the Texas Freedom Network. Robert Black, a Perry spokesman, said neither the governor nor the group had done anything inappropriate. Segment 3: Texas is mothballing parts of a state prison in the Panhandle because there were not enough guards to properly run it. At a unit in East Texas, prison officials recently relocated nearly 300 high-security convicts and replaced them with lower-risk convicts who take fewer correctional officers to supervise. This comes as a group of officers went public with concerns that staffing shortages in Texas prisons have reached dangerous levels. The situation is being called scary and getting worse by correctional officers. Bill Beucler is the head of the Huntville local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municpal Employees Union. He’s also a prison guard. Segment 4: The Texas Attorney General's office has agreed to investigate whether Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal should be thrown out of office over sending and receiving inappropriate e-mails on his county account. The investigation follows the release of hundreds of his e-mails, including love notes to his secretary, racist jokes and pornographic videos. He also used the county e-mail account to plan his now-terminated re-election campaign. Houston Chronicle reporter Matt Stiles is covering the scandal. Show #384, January 4, 2008 Segment 1: On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will examine lethal injection, the method used by Texas and 35 states to carry out capital punishment. Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea looks at how the case could change the way the state administers the death penalty. Segment 2: 2008 will be the year that the border fence comes to Texas, this is if Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff gets his way. And he normally does get his way. But residents and political leader along the Texas Mexico border are hoping they will be able to change that. Anti-border fence activists are finding allies in Washington D.C. that could keep the fence from getting built. Segment 3: Never has the price of oil looked so crude, $100 a barrel. That’s going to hurt at the gas pump. But will it hurt the Texas economy? The Lone Star State was once a powerhouse producer of petroleum. Could today’s high price of oil be good for Texas? "Don’t get your hopes up" says Bill Sirakos, the chief economist at Frost National Bank in San Antonio. Segment 4: They say birds of a feather flock together and that means those birds could all be flocking to trouble if wind farms along the Texas Coast are built. The wind farms could generate needed electricity, clean and cheap, but Jim Blackburn, the founder of the Coastal Habitat Alliance, says there is another cost. Blackburn says coastal wind farms would be deadly to thousands of migratory birds. Segment 5: If not wind power, how about nuclear energy? But then there’s the riddle of what to do with the radioactive waste. After decades of wrestling with that critical question, the answer could be in west Texas. However, many experts say that’s the wrong answer. Texas Observer reporter Forrest Wilder has been studying the issue and exposes flaws in the plan that could be driven more by politics and profit than sound science. You can read his story online in the Texas Observer. Show #383, December 28, 2007 Segment 1: An arsonist’s fire damaged the Odessa home where former President Bush and his family lived in during the late 1940s. The home sits behind the Presidential Museum and Leadership Library in Odessa and was rented by George H.W. and Barbara Bush when they lived there along with a young George W. Bush. Museum administrator Lettie England said the damage, mostly to the front-porch area of the green-shingled house, can be repaired. Segment 2: This week, Texas said goodbye to Lydia Mendoza. She died last Thursday at the age of 91. Mendoza, who scored her first big hit, Mal Hombre, in the 1930s, became one of the first Mexican-American superstars by singing to the poor and downtrodden. Her memorable musical style earned her a National Medal of Arts and a National Heritage Award fellowship. She was also asked to sing at Jimmy Carter’s inauguration in 1977. Texas Public Radio’s Yvette Benavides produced this story about Mendoza as her fans were preparing to celebrate her 90th birthday. Segment 3: Gospel music blossomed in the South, but has its roots in New England. Texas did much to popularize the sacred singing style and help it transform into blues, rock and roll, and jazz. The San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble, called SAVAE, is preserving that tradition with a release of a CD titled Revival Tonight. Covita Moroney and Tanya Moczygemba are members of SAVAE. A longer version of the SAVAE interview and links to purchase the CD are available online in Texas Matters #378 below. Show #382, December 21, 2007 Segment 1: There was a special election held recently in Texas for the state representative seat for District 97. We didn’t know how special that election would be. Almost all the predictions about its outcome turned out to be wrong. Harvey Konberg of the online political newsletter the Quorum Report explains why the election results were so surprising. Segment 2: The pecan tree is the official tree of Texas, but it’s the nuts that we are nuts about. With its rich buttery flavor, the pecan can be used in sweet deserts, but also in some hot and spicy savory dishes. What’s even better is that pecans are a rich source of protein and unsaturated fats and research shows they are a natural way to lower your cholesterol. Plus, if you’ve got a pecan tree in your yard, they’re free for the taking if you don’t mind the shelling. June Jackson has written a cookbook and history of the pecan called In Praise of Pecans: Recipes & Recollections" published by Bright Sky Press. Show #381, December 14, 2007 Segment 1: In the 1930s, Texas was a very different place than it is today. Instead of the land of abundance we are now blessed with, there was the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Many people were wondering if capitalism had failed and if the solution was a stronger labor movement. From that time came Emma Tenayuca, a San Antonio teenager who was a powerful voice for change. She was a labor organizer who led a successful strike for cigar workers, then for pecan shellers. Almost all of these workers were Mexican-American women who were seeking social justice. She also organized protests against the beating of migrants by US Border Patrol agents. To call Tenayuca controversial would be an understatement. She was the Texas Communist Party chair; she challenged the status quo and won. Later, she was all but forgotten until she was nominated for induction to the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame. Now Texas author Carmen Tafolla is writing a series of books about Tenayca. The first is a children’s book called That’s Not Fair! Pre-publication copies of the book will be available Saturday, December 15 at a gala at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. Segment 2: Today in Texas, more than 7,000 individuals are waiting for organ transplants and about 96,000 nationally. A single donor's organs can benefit up to nine people, and up to 50 people if you add in tissue. In 1994, 7-year-old Nicholas Green was on a family vacation in Italy when the family was caught in the middle of gunfire. The child was struck in the head with a bullet and died. But the story didn’t end there. Nicholas’ organs were donated to seven Italians. Nicholas’ father, Reg Green, still continues to work to promote organ donations. He has written a book called The Gift That Heals. Texas Public Radio’s Deirdre Saravia spoke to Reg Green about his son and organ donations. To learn more about becoming an organ donor and the laws that apply in Texas, go to www.organ.org. Segment 3: It’s the pride of East Texas, a 25 mile run of train track called the Texas State Railroad. And for the last two years, it looked like the old train sytem was running out of steam and money. Established in 1881, the Texas State Railroad links between Palestine and Rusk. These two communities fought to save their train and now it appears that the Texas State Railroad is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Show #380, December 7, 2007 Segment 1: Are you ready for a new car? The State of Texas might be able to help you out. There is a new state program that offers vouchers of up to $3,500 for the purchase of a new car. The objective of this program is to get old polluting cars and trucks off the road. Drew Campbell is the president of the Texas New Car Dealers Association and helped develop the accelerated vehicle-retirement program. For more information, visit www.driveacleanmachine.com. Segment 2: The deep woods of East Texas is a forest that’s as big as New England's. And, it could become a player in the efforts to capture carbon and beat global warming. But if you are looking to get rich quick in the East Texas carbon trading market, you are going to be disappointed. The market is just now sprouting up, but it could grow as fast as those East Texas pines. Stayton Bonner writes about these developments for the Texas Observer. Segment 3: Genes passed down through generations of people show the necessity of physical and mental attributes. But where does creativity fall in? As part of Texas Public Radio’s DNA Files series, Celina Montoya examines the necessity of creativity and its genetic basis. The DNA Files is a product of SoundVisions Productions. You can download and listen to The DNA Files radio documentaries from www.dnafiles.org. Segment 4: Chronic hunger is not extinct in Texas. In fact, it’s growing across the state and children are feeling the brunt of poverty's consequences. That’s the result of a year long study by the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities. Frances Deviney conducted the study called “The State of Texas Children 2007.” Show #379, November 30, 2007 Segment 1: Half of the nearly 3.5 million immigrants living in Texas are in the country illegally. That’s according to a report compiled by the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonpartisan think tank that advocates reductions in immigration. Based on the latest Census Bureau data, the report said Texas has one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations of any state. The report is called “Immigrants in the United States, 2007: A Profile of America's Foreign-Born Population” and it was written by Seven Camarota, research director for the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies. Segment 2: It’s being called a national disgrace. One out of every four homeless person is a veteran. That’s according to a recent study by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. To find a solution to that problem, there will soon be a congressional hearing on homeless veterans in Washington D.C. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies reports on a San Antonio homeless shelter just for veterans that will be held up as a model for the nation during those hearings. Segment 3: Next year, the State Board of Education begins a review of the state science curriculum, which will set standards for classroom instruction and textbook selection. Already, the fight over allowing intelligent design and creationism into the textbooks is heating up. Chris Comer, The Texas Education Agency’s former director of science curriculum, says she is a victim of that fight. She says she was recently forced to resign from her post due to the controversy. Commer is not commenting to the media at this time, but Eugene Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, says Commer’s firing is a bad sign for teaching science in Texas. The TEA will not comment on the matter saying it is a personnel issue. Segment 4: Texas is home to big land, big sky, big cars and, consequently, even bigger amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, the highest of any state in the nation. National Public Radio’s Austin-based correspondent John Burnett did a radio Carbon Crawl Across Texas to explore the impact climate change is having on the cities, businesses and residents here. These three reports are part of “Climate Connections,” a year-long, multiplatform initiative between NPR and the National Geographic Society, exploring how people change climate, and climate changes people. Show #378, November 23, 2007
Show #377, November 16, 2007 Segment 1: The once robust national housing real estate market has taken a turn for the worse. Its bubble has burst and you can blame it on the sub-prime lending mess. States like California and Florida are on the slide. Home values are falling so much that the mortgage debt is greater than the property’s now assessed value. But what’s happening in Texas real estate? We asked Jim Gains from the Texas A&M University Real Estate Center for his thoughts. Segment 2: Police officers are the foot soldiers in the U.S. war on drugs, but one former Texas lawman has changed sides. Barry Cooper was once assigned to the Permian Basin Drug Task Force, but now he is selling a DVD that tells drug runners how to avoid the law. The DVD is called Never Get Busted Again Volume 1: Traffic Stop, and in the DVD Cooper teaches how to avoid arrest, seizure, stay out of jail and how to exercise your civil rights. Segment 3: In the book The Tecate Journals: Seventy Days on the Rio Grande, Keith Bowden describes his canoe trip down the Rio Grande from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico. Show #376, November 9, 2007 Segment 1: Is it “no child left behind” or “no child left to teach?” A startling number of Texas high schools are hemorrhaging so many students they are being labeled “drop out factories.” Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, who did the study for the Associated Press, labeled high schools with an attrition rate of at least 40 percent a “drop out factory.” In Texas, 185 high schools earned that title. That’s 18% of the state’s schools. 42 of those schools are in the Houston area. 15 are in San Antonio. Bob Balfanz is one of the researchers who conducted the study and said the words “drop out factory” may seem harsh, but it’s accurate. Balfanz is an associate research scientist at the Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University. Segment 2: Graduating from high school with the grades to make it to a college or university is one thing. Having the financial resources to pay for skyrocketing tuition is quite another. But to help forward thinking parents who can afford to save for their child's education, the Texas Comptrollers office is revamping its Tomorrow College investment plan. R.J. DeSilva is a spokesperson for Texas Comptroller, Susan Combs. Segment 3: Politics never sleeps, especially in Austin. If you don’t believe me, just ask Harvey Kronberg, the editor of the Quorum Report, an online newsletter dedicated to covering Texas politics. Show #375, November 2, 2007 Segment 1: November 6 is election day for Texas and on the ballots are propositions. Lone Star voters are not too excited about that. Across the state early voting turn out is tracking about 1 to 2 percent of registered voters. The Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson is predicting that only 9.5 percent of registered Texas voters will participate in the entire election. That’s unfortunate since among the 16 proposed changes to the state’s constitution, there are numerous items that will significantly impact the daily lives of Texans. There is the approval of new state prisons, crime labs and water for colonias. One of the critical issues is Prop 2 which seeks funds to provide student loans. As Arturo Alonzo of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board explains, the passage of Prop 2 will not increase taxes. Segment 2: The propostion that asking for the most money is Prop 12. The measure would allow the state to take out 5-billion dollars in bonds to pay for highway improvements. From Austin's KUT, Matt Largey reports. Segment 3: Not all state propositions are what they appear to be. Looking back at a controversial state constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2003, Prop 12 asked voters to limit the money patients or their survivors could recover in a medical malpractice lawsuit. The propostion was sold to Texans as a way to prevent doctors from fleeing the state and to bring new doctors to the rural areas. But did that work? Journalist Suzanne Batchelor probes the question for the Texas Observer. You can read the article on the Texas Observer web site at texasobserver.org. Segment 4: A recent, extensive national survey which assessed awareness and attitudes toward asthma shows Texas residents are less aware of asthma and have less knowledge aboutits triggers and risks then the national average. The survey was sponsored by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Its findings reveal that there is a concerning difference between how well patients feel and the impact asthma actually has on their daily life. They might feel like they have the disease under control but in fact they do not. Several Texas cities have been rated as some of the most difficult places to live for asthma sufferers. San Antonio ranks as the 11th “Most Challenging Place to Live with Asthma.” Other Texas cities include McAllen (#20), Dallas-Ft. Worth (#36), Houston (#38). Dr. Bob Lanier founded Fort Worth Allergy and Asthma Associates. Segment 5: The drop in temperature and the shortening of days is a signal for many to stock up on ammo and put on the bright orange vest. It’s white tail deer hunting season in Texas. Whether you root for the deer or the hunter in this ritual, it’s a reality in Texas that many rural communities depend on for income. And with the unusually mild and wet summer that south Texas experienced, the native deer population is growing beyond the sustainability of their habitat. Mitch Lockwood is the deer program leader for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Show #374, October 26, 2007 The Texas constitution has been amended more than 400 times since it was adopted in the years following the Civil War. There could be 16 more changes to the Texas Constitution depending on how voters decide. Election day is November 6, but early voting is already under way. Among the 16 amendments, voters will decide on a total of about ten billion dollars in state bond projects. Segment 1: Proposition 4 is a grab bag of items that would cost a total of one billion dollars. The money would be used for the construction of three state prisons, state park improvements, historic preservation of Texas courthouses, a new Texas Youth Commission facility and upgrades to the state's crime labs. Tom Harvey is the spokesperson for the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife and explains how the money will be spent at state parks. Segment 2: One of the projects that would get the green light if prop 4 passes is the restoration of the Battleship Texas. To learn more about the historic naval attraction docked at San Jacinto, we spoke to Barry Ward, executive director of the Battleship Texas Foundation. Segment 3: Also on the ballot is the request to authorize three billion dollars in general obligation bonds to fund cancer research. Proposition 15 is being touted by Austin bicyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong and by Governor Rick Perry. Also supporting prop 15 is Dr. Karen Fields, the president and CEO of the San Antonio based Cancer Therapy and Research Center. Segment 4: Not everyone is in support of these money spending propositions. The Texas chapter of Americans for Prosperity and other conservative groups are asking voters to say no to Props 2, 4, 12, 15 and 16. Peggy Venable is the spokesperson for Americans for Prosperity Texas Chapter. Segment 5: The constitutional amendments are a statewide issue, but there are also many local elections underway in Texas including the question of wet versus dry. It appears that prohibition is still kicking in Texas. Of Texas's 254 counties, about 40 are completely dry and 169 are partially dry or "moist." There are alcohol elections in Buffalo Springs, as well as Plainview and in Mesquite, Texas, which is just outside of Dallas. Sue Ann Mackey is the spokesperson for the Mesquite group fighting against allowing alcohol sales in her town. She explains it is possible to get a glass of spirits in Mesquite, but it’s not easy. Segment 6: Greg Nochese is the spokesperson for the counter group, “Save our Stores.” He says without alcohol, sales Mesquite’s retailers are at risk. Show #373, October 19, 2007 Segment 1: “What to do about Illegal Immigration” is an issue that cuts across political parties and raises tempers on both sides of the question. Much of talk has been about cracking down on the border and sweeping the nation clean of workers who are here illegally. But one expert in the field offers a very different and controversial approach. Kevin R. Johnson is seeking to re-imagine the meaning and significance of the international border. He has written the book Opening the Floodgates: Why America Needs to Rethink its Borders and Immigration Laws. Johnson makes a case for eliminating the border as a legal construct. He offers an alternative vision of how U.S. borders might be reconfigured. Segment 2: The Texas Observer has a reputation for being a small magazine that breaks big stories. The Observer broke the story of a crooked narcotics investigation in Tulia, Texas, which led to front-page coverage in The New York Times. The Observer recently was first to publish accounts of sexual abuse at the Texas Youth Commission which led to the recent and ongoing overhaul of the TYC. Now the Texas Observer is making news again with a public information request. They filed a public information request with the Texas Department of Public Safety to get access to a security video tape and the DPS has spent $165,000 dollars fighting that request. Jake Bernstein is the executive editor of the Texas Observer. You can read the Texas Observer online at www.texasobserver.org. Segment 3: You might think of video games as a trivial diversion. But what started as a leisure activity for a technological generation has turned into a billion dollar industry that is influencing everything from entertainment to medicine and national defense. But how did gaming evolve and how were the earliest games developed? From Austin, Texas, David Martin Davies reports on how a video game archive is created at the University of Texas. Show #372, October 12, 2007 Segment 1: Mayors of some Texas cities along the Mexican border are standing up against plans to build hundreds of miles of wall and fence along the U.S./Mexico border. The Department of Homeland Security says the barrier is needed to stem illegal immigration from Mexico. The Texas mayors are refusing to allow the fence to be built on their city property. They say they are willing to find other ways of securing the border. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies reports from Eagle Pass, Texas. Segment 2: Teens in Texas are getting pregnant and having children at an alarming rate. What is the scope of the problem? What are our lawmakers and health officials doing to educate teens and help those who keep and parent their children? Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea reports on the problem of teen pregnancy in our community. He found a missed opportunity in the last legislative session that could have provided more resources for teens and parents, looks at one program trying to prevent unintended pregnancy through education and access to health care, and highlights one program designed to help young moms with financial and emotional support. Segment 3: Lonesome Dove has grown from being a Larry McMurtry western novel to being a beloved TV mini-series to something much more. Bill Wittliff adds again to the mythos of Lonesome Dove with a collection of photographs from the set. Wittliff was also the screen writer and co-executive producer of the TV mini-series Lonesome Dove. A Book of Photographs from Lonesome Dove is published by University of Texas Press. Show #371, October 5, 2007 Segment 1: A report released by the environmental group Defenders of Wildlife names the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge as “at risk.” The report says the construction of a border wall would divide the natural habitat of the endangered ocelot and a number of birds and exotic butterflys. But the proposed wall is having another unintended impact on the Rio Grande Valley. It's uniting residents who are fighting against its construction. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies reports from Brownsville. Segment 2: In 1994 there was a horrific outbreak of racially motivated genocide in Rwanda. Hutus were killing Tutsis and hundreds of thousands more people were raped and mutilated. Paul Ruseabagina’s experience saving more than 1200 people was told in the film Hotel Rwanda, which starred Don Cheadle. But that was only half the story. Next to Rwanda is Burundi and there the turmoil was just as deadly, but reversed. In Burundi, it was the Tutsis massacring the Hutus. It was where Bob Krueger was assigned as the United States Ambassador. Bob and his wife Kathleen documented the blood shed and pleaded for international intervention. The Kruegers, who live in New Braunfels, have written a book about their experiences called From Bloodshed to Hope in Burundi: Our Embassy Years during Genocide. It's published by the University of Texas Press. They join us on Texas Matters along with Paul Ruseabagina. Show #370, September 28, 2007 Segment 1: The Ken Burns documentary The War has sparked a battle beyond the focus of World War II. The 900-minute PBS documentary was trumpeted as the ultimate re-telling of the second world war. But Burns neglected to include the stories of Latino veterans. When some Latino activists heard about this oversight, they wanted this fixed. After a lot of complaining, protests and meetings, additional footage was added that included Latinos. Maggie Rivas Rodriguez, a University of Texas journalism professor, lead the fight for the correction. There’s more information at her website, www.defendthehonor.org. Segment 2: Goliad, Texas is rich in uranium and that’s not a good thing. The Uranium Energy Corporation is looking to mine the uranium and residents say that will destroy their groundwater, quality of the environment and public health. They are fighting against giving the uranium miners the state permit to move forward. But Donna Hoffman of the Texas Sierra Club says they are fighting an up hill battle. Segment 3: The biggest myth when it comes to building green is that it’s more expensive than traditional building methods. Another big myth is that building green means using new technology. As Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies reports, sometimes old tech works best. Segment 4: High school football is back in action in Texas and that means Friday night lights, pep rallies, feats of glory and mums. Homecoming mums is a Texas high school football tradition that is still blooming. Jennifer Horst has made a documentary about the Texas legacy of giving, receiving and wearing of homecoming mums. It’s called MUM-A-MIA! The History of a Texas Tradition. Segment 5: Now for the news you don’t hear about in Texas. Stories of dead people leaving their graves, haunted houses and jackalopes. These are the stories packed into the book Hidden Headlines of Texas: Strange, Unusual, & Bizarre Newspaper Stories 1860-1910. The book of strange and mysterious newspaper clippings is researched and compiled by Chad Lewis, a paranormal researcher. Show #369, September 21, 2007 Segment 1: It’s not unusual for Port Arthur, Texas to be used as a toxic dumping ground for the nation. It’s an area filled with chemical plants and refineries. But there’s a new noxious process underway at this costal community. Port Arthur is the dsposal site for the waste product of VX nerve agent. Freelance reporter Rusty Middleton writes that some of the basic safeguards needed for the disposal are not in place. Segment 2: Polling and election trends show that the Democratic Party is growing in strength. You could argue that the party has nowhere to go but up since it holds no statewide offices and is the minority in both houses. But one Texas Representative is getting ready for a reversal of fortune for the Dems. State Representative Kirk England of Grand Prairie is switching from Republican to Democrat. Segment 3: Is there a larger story to the England switch? Is Texas ready to become a blue state? Political watcher Harvey Konberg is monitoring the political re-alignment. Harvey is the editor of the online political newsletter, the Quorum Report. Segment 4: The State of Texas is trying to sell the Christmas Mountains, a small range of peaks in West Texas near Big Bend National Park. Recently, the sale was about to go through when it was discovered that there was a problem with the official map. That has bought some extra time for those against the sale of the public lands. But Luke Metzger of Environment Texas says this is a temporary reprieve. Segment 5: You know you are a redneck when... That’s the opening line of about a gazillion Jeff Foxworthy jokes. Being a redneck is no longer something to be shy about. It’s going from being a social outcast to a proud member of the counter-to-the-counter-culture cool. John MacCormack explores the redneck phenomena in the current issue of the Texas Observer. Show #368, September 14, 2007 Segment 1: It’s estimated that there are 10 million Mexican citizens living in the United States and every one of them has a story to tell. Journalist Sam Quinones has captured a few of those stories in the book Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream: True Tales of Mexican Migration. It’s published by the University of New Mexico Press. Quinones will be in San Antonio for a book reading on September 19 at the Twig book store. Segment 2: Many Americans grow up in love with the game of baseball. They dream of hitting it out of the park turning a big double play, but how many dream of standing behind the plate and doing perhaps the toughest job in the game? Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea profiles three umpires from the Texas League and their quest to wear blue in the big leagues. Segment 3: Governor Pat Neff held office for two two-year terms from 1921 to 1925. But should Governor Neff be remembered as a prohibitionist reformer who pointed Texas in the right direction or as an ineffectual leader whose reforms turned out to be weak tea? A new book examines Neff’s life called The Land, the Law and the Lord: The Life of Pat Neff. It’s written by Dorothy Blodgett, Terrell Blodgett and David Scott. Terrell Blodgett will be reading from his book at the Twig book store in San Antonio on September 18. Show #367, September 7, 2007 Segment 1: When the attacks of September 11 hit America, the nation appeared draped in Red, White and Blue. Breaking out Old Glory was a way for the nation to unite during the time of mourning. But Bob Flournoy, the city attorney for Lufkin, Texas, took it one step further. He donned a red, white and blue necktie and he’s worn it ever since. Now six years later, he’s ready to retire the tie. Segment 2: When Texas went to war with Mexico for independence, the battle lines were not racial lines. Many of those fighting for Texas liberty were Tejanos, native born Texans with a heritage that reached back to Mexico and Spain. But have the Tejano heroes been marginalized when it comes to writing the history of Texas? During Hispanic Heritage Month, some in Texas want to highlight the sacrifices of Tejano heroes. Rudy Rodriguez is the founder of texastejano.com. Segment 3: The fast growing demographic labeled Latino has grown to be 44 million people in the United States. How is corporate America trying to reach this market? Can they reach this market? Maybe the Latino market doesn’t really exist because it is as complex and diverse as America itself. That’s what documentary film maker Phillip Rodriguez explores in his new film “Brown is the New Green; George Lopez and the American Dream.” The program will be broadcast on PBS Wednesday September 12th. Segment 4: Marga Gomez is an actress, comedian, writer and more. She’s in San Antonio for a performance at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center on September 7 and 8. Gomez will perform a one woman show about her show biz parents called “The Family Comica.” Segment 5: In the month of September, five people are scheduled to die on Texas' Death Row. They were all convicted in a jury trial, had their automatic appeals and were convicted then sentenced to die. But some still wonder “does Texas execute innocent people?” There have been some cases on Texas death row that have raised that question. TV journalist Dan Rather explores that issue on his HDNET news program. Show #366, August 31, 2007 Segment 1: Singer-songwriter Terri Hendrix is celebrating the release of her new album The Spiritual Kind, this week. 2007 also marks a decade for Hendrix of running her own record label, Wilory Records. She stopped by our newly refurbished studios to play a few tunes with her musical partner, Lloyd Maines, and she spoke to Texas Public Radio's Nathan Cone about her record, life on the road, and her eclectic musical style. Hendrix was born in San Antonio, and currently lives in San Marcos. Segment 2: The University of Texas is one of the nation’s great public institutions of higher learning. It also has a football team that some people think is the real reason why UT exists. If football in Texas is a religion, then going to a UT game is a sacrament and those true Burnt Orange believers have a new bible, Longhorn Football: An Illustrated History. Bobby Hawthorne is the author and a big Longhorn fan. It’s published by UT Press. Segment 3: A new Hollywood movie is hitting the silver screens of America’s multiplexes this weekend. What's different about this film is that it’s in Spanish. The film is called Ladrn que roba a ladrn, which means “a thief robs a thief.” Jo Jo Henrickson, a native of McAllen, Texas, penned the screenplay and plays a small part in the movie. Show #365, August 24, 2007 Segment 1: The planned border wall is not welcomed along the Rio Grande, so says the organizers of a protest that stretches all across the Texas-Mexico border. The protest is called “Hands Across el Rio” and both sides of the river are taking part in the demonstration that participants hope will sway Washington D.C. to drop it’s plan for the wall. The first protest is this Saturday in El Paso and every subsequent weekend the organized outcry will move down the border till it reaches Boca Chica. Jay J. Johnson Castro is the lead organizer of “Hands Across el Rio.” There’s more information about the protest on the web at borderambassadors.com. Segment 2: When you ask for a catalog of presidents who hailed from Texas, you’ll get George W. Bush and Lyndon Johnson. But add Dwight Eisenhower to that list. The 34th president was born in Denison, Texas. And while he grew up in Abilene, Kansas, the future president did spend some significant later years in Texas. It’s part of the story told by William and Sue Wills in their show “Ike and Mamie Eisenhower.” The couple portrays the President and First Lady and more. The Wills perform 31 presidential couples bringing to life the history, the personalities and the romance that occupied the living quarters of the White House. But it’s the Eisenhower’s story that resonates with Texas audiences because their story had its genesis in the streets of San Antonio. Segment 3: The pecan tree is the official tree of Texas, but it’s the nuts that we are nuts about. With its rich buttery flavor, the pecan can be used in sweet deserts, but also in some hot and spicy savory dishes. What’s even better is that pecans are a rich source of protein and unsaturated fats and research shows they are a natural way to lower your cholesterol. Plus, if you’ve got a pecan tree in your yard, they’re free for the taking if you don’t mind the shelling. June Jackson has written a cookbook and history of the pecan called In Praise of Pecans: Recipes & Recollections published by Bright Sky Press. Show #364, August 17, 2007 Segment 1: The United States continues to develop plans for a massive border wall that would stretch 854 miles. Along the U.S. banks of the Rio Grande River, the wall would also eliminate tall growing plants, the Carrizo, which could provide hiding places for would be wall jumpers. But environmentalists say that would be a disaster. Martin Hagne is the executive director of the Valley Nature Center in Weslaco, Texas. Segment 2: With illegal immigration, drug trafficking and a wall, the Texas/Mexico border is a hotbed of news. And if Americans are to make decisions about these problems, they are going to need reliable reporting from the border. But that information is getting harder to come by because journalism on the border is becoming an ever increasing dangerous occupation. As part of Texas Public Radio’s series “Focus on the Border,” David Martin Davies traveled to Laredo, Texas to find out more. Segment 3: Believers in a conspiracy to create a North American Union see next week’s summit between the U.S., Mexico and Canada in Quebec as evidence that the union is coming. President George W. Bush, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be there. Officially the three heads of state will discuss a “security and prosperity partnership.” Howard Phillips is a former member of the Nixon administration. He is the chairman of the conservative Caucus and he warns that Security and prosperity partnership is quote “part of a treacherous scheme” to unify the three nations. Show #363, August 10, 2007 Segment 1: The wide open spaces of West Texas. There’s Big Bend National Park, big blue skies and an amazing attitude of the folks out there. No where else in Texas will you find a landscape with such an emotional connection with people from all across the state. But the peacefulness of that northern Chihuahua desert could become a thing of the past because of a plan called La Entrada al Pacífico. Sterry Butcher writes about the truck route plan for the Texas Observer and the Big Bend Sentinel in Marfa. Segment 2: Texas has the largest HIV population in the country with the lowest reimbursement rate for Medicaid. Experts say that’s part of the reason only a small number of doctors are willing to treat AIDS patients. From North Texas Public Broadcasting, KERA in Dallas, Catherine Cuellar explains what some patients go through to get treatment, especially if they live in rural areas. Segment 3: Higher taxes and tuition rates may be the only answer for future funding of community colleges. An unexpected veto by Governor Rick Perry forces legislators to reconsider how to fund benefits for community college employees across the state. Texas Public Radio’s Celina Montoya has more. Segment 4: No more jerking around beef jerky. The dried smoked meat is moving out of the category of items barely recognized as food to fine cuisine. And the best beef jerky is found at Texas A&M University at the Rosenthal Meat Science and Technology Center. It was the New York Times that singled out the gig’em jerky as the best. Ray Riley is the A&M meat center manager. Segment 5: It’s the cute little critter that many associate with Texas. The armored covered armadillo goes about its business looking for bugs, grubs and worms for its movable feast. But how much do you know about the lovable dillo? W.R. Klemm, Ph.D. has written the book Dillos: Roadkill on Extinction Highway? Show #362, August 3, 2007 Segment 1: The quinceañera, a long-standing tradition in the cultures of Latin American countries, has grown over the last several decades from an elaborate 15th birthday party replete with rituals and traditions to an eye-popping extravaganza rivaling the weddings of the rich. In her new book, Once Upon a Quinceañera: Coming of Age in the USA, author Julia Alvarez researches the quinceañera as a more general indicator of the state of the Latino community in the United States. Alvarez will be in San Antonio for reading and book signings on Wednesday, August 8 at the HEB Plus store on South Zarzamora at 3:30 p.m. and at the San Antonio Central Library at 6 p.m. Segment 2: San Antonio is set to host a gathering of official Latino geniuses. Writer Sandra Cisneros announced that the 18 Latino MacArthur Fellows are coming to San Antonio for a historic melding of minds. Texas Public Radio’s Yvette Benavides has the story. Segment 3: In the era when Texas was being settled by American frontiersmen, the pioneers had to generate their own music and the popular instrument of the day was the banjo. The compositions were crude, yet retained haunting qualities worthy of being remembered today. And that’s what Ben Bowen King is doing. He has researched and is authentically recreating the music that was popular in Texas during the war for independence. Ben will be performing these songs and more at the Alamo on August 4th at 11 a.m. We've included three bonus tracks below and there are many more of his recordings on the web at talkingtaco.com. Show #361, July 27, 2007 Segment 1: When a child is killed in San Antonio through abuse or neglect, you would assume that would make the nightly news. But most times these children are killed and their stories are not told. And sometimes the deaths are not even listed as deaths in the state’s Child Protective Services statistics. But a recent San Antonio Express-News probe into these untold stories shows that the city is full of tragedies. And the silence surrounding these cases might also be silencing the question: How can we prevent this from happening again? Nancy Martinez, the social services reporter for the San Antonio Express-News, along with Arthur Santana, the assistant city editor for the Express-News, have investigated the child deaths in San Antonio. Their reports are running in the Express-News series: "Four Feet Under." Segment 2: The Express-News series raises some interesting questions for policies at the beleaguered Texas Child Protective Services agency. Daryl Azar is the communications manager for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Segment 3: Texas Senator Carlos Uresti spearheaded the wide scale reform of Child Protective Services. The reforms boosted the budget of CPS and added thousands of additional staffers to the state agency. Show #360, July 20, 2007 Segment 1: The U.S. Mexico border has also become the front line in America’s growing predicament over illegal immigration from Mexico into the United States. But how did this border come to what we know it today? It's a demarcation of sovereignty between these two nations, but why does this all important line include one part of the Chihuahua Desert and not another. The book The Imaginary Line: a history of the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey sheds new light on the original expedition that first plotted the border. Professor Joseph Werne is the author of the book published by TCU Press. Segment 2: It happens when you drive across Texas. You wiz past buildings or even entire towns that have been left to the ghosts. These are the ruins of a Texas that used to be made up of agricultural communities and they took pride in their small towns. During the golden age of Texas architecture, between 1880 and 1930, many magnificent buildings were constructed in towns, but since then, Texas towns with names like Carlton, Perry and Streetman went into decline. Now as you drive past the now roofless limestone structures you might slow down long enough to feel a twinge of nostalgia. Richard Payne set out to preserve these buildings with his architectural photography. Texas Towns And the Art of Architecture: A Photographer's Journey is published by Texas A&M Press with The Texas State Historical Association. Segment 3: There are dozens of Mennonite communities in Texas. They are scattered across all corners of the state. They are living in solitude and deliberately shy away from our normal hustle and bustle. The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabapist denominations who to an outside might appear to be stuck in a time warp. In the book, Mennonites in Texas: The Quiet in the Land, two photojournalists documented the lives of two different Texas Mennonite communities separated by 450 miles. Susan Gaetz Duarte focused on the Beachy Amish Mennonites of Lott, a small community of approximately 160 people in Central Texas. Mennonites in Texas is published by Texas A&M Press. Show #359, July 13, 2007 Remembering the life, legacy and public service of Lady Bird Johnson. Segment 1: Lady Bird Johnson will be remembered first and foremost as the first lady to one of the most complex men to ever occupy the White House. Historians say it was Lady Bird that made the political ascendance of Lyndon Johnson possible. Randall Woods is the author of LBJ: Architect of American Ambition. Segment 2: Lady Bird Johnson frequently had to play the role of peacemaker for her volatile husband Lyndon Johnson. He’d frequently explode in the face of whoever was in his proximity and Lady Bird would use her mannered charm to make thing right again. Broadcast journalist Dan Rather saw Lady Bird Johnson do this first hand. Segment 3: Jan Jarboe Russell wrote Lady Bird: A Biography of Mrs. Johnson. She says there was a secret side to Lady Bird that few people got to know. Segment 4: Lady Bird Johnson left behind a substantial legacy, but she will always be associated with her love for the natural beauty of wild flowers. It was in 1982 that Lady Bird Johnson founded the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower center in Austin. It is dedicated to protecting and preserving North America’s native plants and natural landscapes. Flo Oxley is the director of conservation at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Show #358, July 6, 2007 Segment 1: There is a Texan running for the Republican nomination for president. Ron Paul is a ten-term congressman representing Victoria. He doesn’t have a massive multimillion dollar war chest or national name recognition, but he has a point of view that is attracting attention. He's an old-school conservative who is a sometimes libertarian. He wants to abolish the IRS, end the War on Drugs, and he opposes any federal regulation on abortion, gun control, capital punishment, gay marriage and education. Representative Paul started his presidential run as a long shot and now has become the dark horse candidate. Segment 2: July is Contemporary Art Month and the San Antonio Museum of Art is celebrating by re-opening its contemporary art galleries. It’s all become a launch event for SAMA’s new curator of contemporary art, David Rubin. Segment 3: The nation has lost one its greatest advocates of contemporary art. Linda Pace died this week after a short battle with breast cancer. She was 62. Pace founded Artpace, a downtown San Antonio contemporary art gallery along with an education and artist residence program. Matthew Drutt is the executive director of the Artpace artist-residency program. Segment 4: A San Antonio artist is inspiring all those he meets. Not just with his talented work on canvas, but also with his amazing attitude and indomitable spirit. Robert Rehm is paralyzed from the neck down, but he isn’t letting that stop him from painting. Thursday night Rehm opened his first art exhibition called “Hot Wheels and Hot Lips.” Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has the story. Show #357, June 29, 2007 Segment 1: Texas is dealing with a strange weather pattern. It’s raining and raining and raining. Parts of the state have seen deadly floods and destruction and the severe weather shows no sign of letting up. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is joining local officials in conducting damage assessments. Dave Passey is a FEMA spokesperson. Segment 2: On July 1st the resignation of Texas Commissioner of Education becomes effective. Shirley Neeley was appointed to the top state education post by Gov. Rick Perry in January 2004. But when it became known that Perry was not going to re-appoint Neeley, she resigned. Perry is putting Deputy Education Commissioner Robert Scott temporarily in charge of the Texas Education Agency despite questions about no-bid TEA contracts that went to Scott’s friends. To learn more about the departure of Commissioner Neeley, we turn to the Texas State Teachers Association President Donna New Haschke. Segment 3: The 75th conference of mayors wrapped up this week in Los Angeles and one of the hot topics was global warming. Austin Mayor Will Wynn chairs the climate control committee of the mayors group. Wynn says many U.S. cities are interested in passing an ordinance like the one passed in Austin that required homeowners to make certain green energy upgrades before their property can go on the market. Wynn says U.S. cities are having to take the lead in climate policy because the federal government is lagging behind. Segment 4: It’s never too late to explore the failures of the 80th Texas Legislature. The Texas Observer examines the lack of accomplishments of the lawmakers and blames the problems on the Texas leadership. Jake Bernstein is the executive editor of the Texas Observer. Show #356, June 22, 2007 Segment 1: The United States continues to tighten security along its southern border, but undocumented migrants continue to come north. These people are being squeezed onto fewer, more dangerous and isolated pathways into America. In sparsely populated Brooks County, Texas, everyone is being affected by this flow of humanity. Mary Jo McConahay spent time in Brooks County. She writes in the Texas Observer about her findings and provides a frightening picture of how immigration policy is affecting Mexicans and Americans alike. You can read the story and see the photos on the Texas Observer website at www.texasobserver.org Segment 2: On June 13th, Governor Rick Perry signed a bill into law that creates the Texas Cancer Prevention and Research Institute. To fund it, voters will be asked in November to approve 3 billion dollars in general revenue bonds. That will provide 300 million dollars a year for 10 years to be distributed to Texas Cancer Research Institutions. Dr. Karen Fields was present when Perry signed the bill. Dr. Fields is the president and CEO of the Cancer Therapy & Research Center in San Antonio and is urging Texans to vote in November for the cancer bonds. Segement 3: The new Patriot Group is an Austin lobby and consulting firm with some old familiar names. It has strong ties to heavyweight groups, including Tom DeLay's indicted Texans for a Republican Majority PAC and Texans for Lawsuit Reform. Andrew Wheat, research director for Texans for Public Justice, has traced the intricate political and personal ties between the many players in these powerful groups in the Texas Observer. You can read the entire commentary and more on the Texas Observer website at www.texasobserver.org Show #355, June 15, 2007 Segment 1: It’s the last ritual of the end of a Texas Legislative session, the crowning of the best and worst lawmakers in Austin. Texas Monthly magazine gets to decide who are the hot shots and low performers. Texas Monthly Senior executive editor Paul Burka sorted out Texas Reps and Senators and in this year's list, he fingered the leadership of Texas for the worst list including Governor Rick Perry.
Segment 3: They say if you’ve got your health, you’ve got everything. But are you doing all you can to stay healthy? Health care costs continue to skyrocket. It’s the number one reason why American’s declare personal bankruptcy. So, it just makes sense for people to become savvier when it comes to managing their health, their health insurance and their family doctor. To do that San Antonio doctor Joseph Marotta has written an easy to read guide for patients. It’s called Dr. Marotts’s Organized Approach to Optimizing You Health. Dr. Marotta will have a book reading and signing at the Twig Book Store on Wednesday evening June 20th from 5 to 7. Segment 4: What would the world be without the person dreams and aspirations of people? These dreams give people the necessary vision to see beyond the struggle and then accomplish what may have been considered impossible. One documentary maker is working to capture those inspirational stories. Josh Golder is the executive producer of Let You Dream Begin. You can find out more about the film project and how to get involved by going to their web site letyourdreambegin.com. Show #354, June 8, 2007 Segment 1: Stephen Harrigan is the author of the Gates of the Alamo, the book selected for the 2007 “1 Book. 1 San Antonio.” project. “1 Book. 1 San Antonio” is a city wide effort to promote reading organized by the San Antonio Public Library Foundation. Harrigan’s storytelling transports the reader to 1836 Texas, immersed in the characters with their desperate attempts to survive this brutal and bloody battle. Show #353, June 1, 2007 How much power does the Texas House Speaker hold? And has Tom Craddick crossed over the line? In the last days of the 80th Legislative Session, lawmakers staged a rebellion against Speaker Craddick. They failed to remove Craddick from the Speaker's chair and in the process Craddick claimed new powers. Craddick told the members he had the right to ignore any member who wanted to make a motion. He said there is no such thing in House rules as a motion to vacate the chair. Craddick also said members have no right to appeal the ruling of the presiding officer in such situations by a vote of the full House. Segment 1: San Antonio Representative Mike Villarreal is a Democrat and says House Speaker Tom Craddick is unfit to hold the office. Segment 2: San Antonio Republican Representative Frank Corte, Jr. continues to support House Speaker Tom Craddick despite the attempted house mutiny and claims that Craddick violated house rules to stay in power. Representative Corte says Craddick demonstrated the strong leadership that Texas needs. Segment 3: San Antonio Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro continues to call for Speaker Craddick to resign. Segment 4: San Antonio Democratic Representative Ruth Jones McClendon was a Speaker Craddick supporter during his re-election bid at the start of the session and during the recent attempt to throw him out of the chair. She says it was a compromise she made in order to pass legislation that her voters wanted. Segment 5: Dave Mann is the assistant editor of the Texas Observer. Mann watched the historic events from the House gallery and provides his point of view about the historic events. Show #352, May 25, 2007 Segment 1: University of Texas professor Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez heads a Latino and Latina World War II Oral History Project. She is pushing PBS and acclaimed documentary maker Ken Burns to include Latino stories in his epic 14-hour documentary "The War," scheduled to air on PBS in September. Segment 2: The Agriculture Commissioner of Texas, Todd Staples, announced gas stations will receive harsher penalties than ever before if they attempt to give consumers less gas than they pay for. Segment 3: Rising gasoline prices have Texans worried about their pocketbooks this summer. San Antonio Democrat Trey Martinez Fischer had hoped his proposed suspension of the state gas tax would offer some relief. But with only a few days left in the legislative sessions, the chances of a tax break becoming law are slim. Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea has more. Segment 4: Congress is reauthorizing the controversial No Child Left Behind Act this year. A major battle looms over children with limited English skills and whether they should be tested in their own language. One in five Texas schools failed last year’s tests and schools will have to find a way to balance the regulations with students’ needs. Texas Public Radio’s Jodi Breisler reports from Capitol Hill. Segment 5: A San Antonio pediatric dental clinic is being held up as a national model. The Ricardo Salinas Clinic on the city’s west side is a place where children can receive needed free or low-cost treatment. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has the story. Segment 6: Fernando Botero is one of Latin America's most celebrated artists. His retrospective, The Baroque World of Fernando Botero, will feature various stages of his work. Texas Public Radio's Abra Schnur has more on the story. Show #351, May 18, 2007 Segment 1: For over 20 years we’ve been hearing the promises of solar energy. And even today as America searches for alternative renewable fuel sources, solar finds itself in the shadow of wind and bio energy. Nevertheless solar energy is still hot and getting hotter. New discoveries continue to bring down the cost and boost the efficiency of sun power. And dire concerns about global climate change has generated even more demand for the clean power source. But for San Antonio’s Bill Sinkin this is all old news. The 94-year-old businessman has been a driving force in local civic initiatives for over 70 years including pushing solar power. Sinkin founded Solar San Antonio in 2000. This Saturday is the San Antonio Solar Fest at Maverick Park. Segment 2: Recent food safety scares in America highlight another vulnerability we have to terrorism: agroterrorism, an attack on the nation’s food supply. Can we trust that our groceries will be safe and what’s being done now to protect the agriculture industry from an attack? Jason Moats has written a book about the threat called Agroterrorism: A Guide for First Responders. Moats is the training coordinator for the enhanced incident management/unified command program at the Emergency Services Training Institute at Texas A&M university. The book is published by the Texas A&M University Press. Segment 3: Before the legal case Hernandez vs. Texas, Mexican-Americans were considered White under the law, yet they faced routine discrimination. The bigotry was evident throughout society and at the hands of the government. San Antonio lawyer Gus Garcia was willing to change that and he won the case before the United States Supreme Court. Still, the prejudices and unfairness of social order continued, but it was a major historic step that set the stage for the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and 70’s and the struggle that continues even today. Carlos Sandoval is producing a documentary about Hernandez vs. Texas, called A Class Apart. It’s being funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and, when completed, it will air on PBS. Sandoval is also looking for people who have direct knowledge of the case, Gus Garcia, and others who fought these early fights for Mexican-American equality. Show #350, May 11, 2007 Segment 1: It's crunch time under the capital dome. Texas lawmakers are dealing with looming deadlines and Governor Perry's own agenda. To get an update on the legislative session, we turn to Harvey Kronberg. He is the editor of the Quorum Report, an online newsletter that follows Texas politics. Segment 2: Global warming, that argument is over. The climate is changing, getting warmer overall for the planet, and people are to blame. So how will Texas be impacted? Expect a drier Lone Star State. That’s according to Yochanan Kushnir, a scientist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. He has been studying the effect of global warming on climates around the world. He says Texas is due to get very dry and the effects will become apparent by the year 2021. Show #349, May 4, 2007 This I Believe is an NPR radio series that is engaging millions of people to write, share and discuss their own core values that guide their daily lives. Since April 2005, they’ve been airing them on Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Jay Allison, the series host and producer, freely admits he didn’t come up with the idea. It was first done by broadcasting legend Edward R. Murrow. Because the series has been so popular that across the nation, Texas Public Radio also will produce a bi-weekly series. We are calling it This I Believe/Esto lo creo. The first essay, is by Joe Sanchez a student from Antonian College Preparatory High School. |
Asleep at the Wheel has seen miles and miles of Texas. They've waltzed across Texas, this way and that. And, now the band clicks another milestone on the odometer — their 40th anniversary. This calls for a celebration. Asleep at the Wheel will be calling up old friends and bandmates for a special reunion performance concert Friday, November 5 at the Long Center for the Performing Arts, in Austin. Ray Benson is the band's frontman and founder. For more information about the reunion concert go online to 
It was in 1990 that the Tejano rock super group Texas Tornados was formed. Doug Sahm and Augie Myers had played together for decades in the pioneering rock band The Sir Douglas Quintet. Baldemar Garza Huerta also known as the singer Freddy Fender joined the group. And push button accordion master Flaco Jimenez also came on board.
Segment 3: This weekend the Battleship Texas celebrates it’s 100th birthday. 
Segment 3: How much would you pay for the personalized Texas License plate that reads "COWBOYS?"
The state of Texas is betting that it’s going to be in demand so it's going up for auction. Kim Miller Drummond is the spokesperson for 
Segment 3: In these tough economic times a growing number of Americans are losing their jobs. Many are looking for work as day laborers. Little is known about the world of the day laborers and their working conditions. Journalist Dick Reavis decided to write about the day laborer experience when he found himself looking for work as a day laborer himself at the age of 63. His book is Catching Out: The Secret World of Day Laborers.
Segment 1: President Barack Obama’s education program, called "Race to the Top," is putting billions of dollars up for grabs for states.
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Segment 3: The San Antonio-based band The Krayolas toured the state in the 1970s and 1980s, recording a string of regional hits in the process. But after a time, the band dissolved, and the various members moved on to other projects. Now, with the help of Texas Music legend Augie Myers, after a 20-year hiatus, The Krayolas are back with a new album, 
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Segment 3: On Saturday, December 12, Houston elected Annise Parker mayor, making it the largest city in the United States to elect an openly gay candidate. 
Segment 1: Changing players in the Democratic primary. Harvey Kronberg of 
Molly Ivins was a Texas based populist newspaper columnist, best selling author, political pundit and humorist.
Extended interview with Athens v. Sparta
See photos of the Athens v. Sparta session at TPR
Willie Nelson may have turned 75-years-old on April 30, but to borrow a line from another Texas legend, George Jones, he don’t need no rocking chair. Nelson spent his birthday rocking Europe with a string of sold out concerts. Texas writer Joe Nick Patoski made note of the day with the publication of an authorized biography, titled 
Segment 3: After a week of nearly non-stop screenings at locations throughout Austin, the South By Southwest Film Festival wraps up this weekend. On Saturday, there’s a good opportunity to see some Texas home-grown cinematic fare. At the Alamo Drafthouse on S. Lamar, you can check out a program of Texas Short Films beginning at noon. Then stick around for Cook County, written and directed by Houston-based filmmaker David Pomes. The movie stars Xander Berkeley as an absentee father attempting to reconnect with his son Abe (Ryan Donowho) while struggling with his meth-addicted brother Bump (Anson Mount) and battling his own addiction.
Segment 3: Just before George W. Bush formally announced he was running for the President - he bought a ranch in tiny Crawford, Texas. And Austin director David Modigliani decided to follow the towns story.Later Crawford exploded with protesters on both sides of the Iraq War. His documentary, Crawford, is screening this weekend as part of the South by Southwest film festival.Texas Public Radios Nathan Cone spoke to Modigliani by phone.
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Watch a clip of MUM-A-MIA!