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Texas Matters is co-hosted by 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 over 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. 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 . Program Archive: 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?  |
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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 statewide news program that spends half an h our each week looking at the issues, newsmakers and culture of Texas.
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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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