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The locally produced program features co-hosts David Martin Davies and Yvette Benavides. The husband and wife team talk directly with policymakers and newsmakers in a lively discussion designed to shed light on issues too often overlooked by other media. About the Hosts David Martin Davies, Texas Public Radio’s news director, is a veteran journalist with almost 20 years experience covering Texas, the border and Mexico. In 2008, he won three regional Murrow Awards for stories that aired on Texas Matters. He was named the 2007 Radio Journalist of the Year by the Houston Press Club and was awarded a 2007 Lone Star Award for his feature reporting. He co-produces "Texas Matters" with Yvette Benavides which was named the Best Radio Talk Show and Best Pubic Affairs Program by the Houston Press Club. Texas Matters is carried weekly by 10 radio stations in Texas. Davies was also recognized by the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters for his coverage of the U.S.-Mexico border. Davies has filed radio reports for NPR's Morning Edition, APM's Marketplace and BBC's The World. He is also a weekly columnist for the San Antonio Express-News. Yvette Benavides is co-host and co-producer of Texas Matters. She is also an English professor at Our Lady of the Lake University, where she teaches creative writing and Mexican-American literature. Yvette has had her poetry published in journals such as The Americas Review, Texas Observer and Mothering magazine, among others. Her articles have appeared in the San Antonio Express-News and Latina magazine. She is also a regular book critic for the San Antonio Express-News. Benavides has been a frequent contributor for NPR's Latino USA. Comments about the program or inquiries may be directed by e-mail to . Airs: 12:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Friday and 6:30 a.m. Saturday on KSTX 5:30 a.m. Saturday on KPAC and KTXI. See the stations list (right) for other air times around the state. Program Archive: 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 |
Texas is a big state with a growing, diverse population and as the population grows, the issues and challenges facing its residents multiply. Texas Matters is a locally produced news show that spends half an hour each week looking at the issues, newsmakers and culture of Texas.
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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.
Related links:
Official Buttercup website www.buttercult.com
Watch a clip of MUM-A-MIA!