With Texas reporting new record high numbers of Coronavirus cases, a warning from Washington that more needs to be done, we’ll have details. Also, as the fight against COVID-19 continues, setbacks reported in the war against human trafficking in Texas. Plus high hopes versus realistic expectations: with change at the White House, what Texas immigrant…
Texas Standard: November 4, 2020
A new political landscape in Texas? Not quite. On the day after the general election, what has changed, what hasn’t, any why? The dominant narrative in the run up to election day was how an historic turnout in a state seldom considered in play in recent years might change the political map of the Lone…
Tags: 2020, art, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Democrats, Donald Trump, Election, House, Joe Biden, Latino, Republicans, Senate, Stories From Texas, Vote, W.F. Strong
Texas Standard: October 7, 2020
A democratic presidential campaign raising the stakes big time in Texas. We’ll follow the money and what its telling us. Also, imagine dropping your absentee ballot in the mail, and a few days after the election finding something unexpected in your mailbox: your unopened ballot. Concerns grow in Dallas county over problems coping with mail…
Tags: 2020, Advertising, Austin American Statesmen, Ballot, Breast Cancer, Check, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Dallas, Democrat, Donald Trump, Election, Fact, Political, Politifact, Republican, Stories From Texas, Treatment, W.F. Strong
Texas Standard: September 23, 2020
Less than 3 weeks until early voting in Texas and already some numbers are in: registration shatters records. Jeremy Wallace of the Houston Chronicle with more on voter registration records being set, what it tells us and what it doesn’t when it comes to the election outcomes. Also decriminalizing homelessness: one year on after a…
Tags: austin, Austin American Statesmen, Check, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Dallas, Evict, Eviction, Fact, Fatalities, Fort Worth, Homeless, Police, Politifact, Registration, Rent, Stories From Texas, Texans, texas, traffic, Voter, W.F. Strong
The Tragic Story of Dora Hand
My friend, Jac Darsnek, owner of the always remarkable Traces of Texas webpage sent me a message recently. He asked if I had ever told the story of Dora Hand on the radio. I said, no, but I will. Thanks for the suggestion Jac. Here we go: Dora Hand, many said, was the most beautiful…
Filed in Stories from Texas /
written by Leah Scarpelli Comments Off on The Tragic Story of Dora Hand
Tags: cowboy, Dodge City, Dora Hand, Stories From Texas
Texas Standard: August 12, 2020
Historic: Vice President Joe Biden picks his own VP. Senator Kamala Harris and the intersection of race and gender in American politics. Also, back to school this year is filled with stress and anxieties for all. A conversation about the challenges in special education during this pandemic. Plus, what is the recovery rate of COVID-19…
Tags: Austin American Statesmen, Check, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Democrat, Donald Trump, education, Election, Fact, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Lubbock, Politifact, Remote Learning, Republican, school, severe weather, Special Education, Stories From Texas, Tornado, W.F. Strong
Texas Standard: June 3, 2020
Though a more peaceful evening across Texas, voices continue to rise over police force against African Americans and people of color. Amid days of demonstrations over policing, a former Texas mayor and one-time presidential candidate decides it’s time for a full throated endorsement of Joe Biden. Our conversation with Julian Castro on what was, for…
Tags: 5G, A&M, Brown Beret, Check, Desert, Fact, George Floyd, Houston, Julian Castro, Politifact, Rally, Stories From Texas, TAMU, texas, W.F. Strong
Texas Standard: April 22, 2020
50 years ago today, what many people mark as the start of the modern environmental movement. What is the state of the Earth today? During a time of global pandemic, a pause to reflect on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Also, testing for Coronavirus ramping up in the most populous counties, whats holding back…
Tags: Check, Coronavirus, County, COVID-19, Dairy, Deepwater Horizon, Earth Day, energy, environment, Fact, Gas, music, oil, Politifact, Rural, Stories From Texas, Symphony, Testing, W.F. Strong
Texas Standard: April 8, 2020
If you’re a nonessential worker and you’re out for a drive, what happens if you get pulled over? The realities of police work during a pandemic. Today, our conversation with the chief of police of the Texas Capitol City on enforcement of stay at home orders, and how police are dialing back some of what…
Tags: APD, Austin Police Department, Bear, Brian Manley, Check, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Equipment, Fact, Houston, Hunt, Personal, Police Chief, Politifact, PPE, Protective, SB4, Stories From Texas, W.F. Strong
Texas Standard: February 12, 2020
Iowa? Check. New Hampshire? Check. Brace yourself for Super Tuesday where Texas is sure to shine, we’ll have all the details. Also Food safety, food labels, small producers and big producers. A roundtable with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And what’s the meaning of a warrant forgiveness? We’ll explore. Plus how artificial intelligence is inspiring…
Tags: 2020, Caucus, Check, Democrat, Democratic, diversity, Fact, Flores Mexicanas Exhibit, Food safety, forgiveness, Fort Worth, New Hampshire, Plant, Politifact, Presidential Election, Stories From Texas, texas, Valentine, W.F. Strong, Warrant
Texas Standard: January 22, 2020
Just ahead of Super Tuesday, voter registration hits an all time high in Texas. We’ll look at what the new record setting numbers add up to. Other stories we’re tracking: governor Abbott’s decision to stop accepting refugees, widely panned by big city mayors and major newspaper editorial boards. We’ll hear why its playing out in…
Tags: Check, Democrat, Fact, grocery, Indigenous, myths, Politifact, Primary, Puerto Rico, Ranch, Registration, Republican, Stories From Texas, texas, Voters, W.F. Strong
Texas Standard: January 17, 2020
As the senate takes up impeachment, it takes up something else in the spirit of bipartisanship with major implications for Texas, we’ll hear all about it. Also, Texas among the states becoming magnets for people from Puerto Rico. As the territory hits population lows, who’s left? And remembering a moment that made Barbara Jordan a…
Tags: Alamo Drafthouse, Barbara Jordan, Dead in the Desert, film, House, Houston, immigration, Labor, Migrant, movies, poetry, politics, Puerto Rico, restaurant, Senate, Stories From Texas, Stuck on VHS, Trade, USMCA, VHS, W.F. Strong
Texas Standard: December 11, 2019
The house moves closer to impeachment, but any closer to the removal of the commander in chief? We’ll do a breakdown of the next steps in the process. As members of the house prepare to vote on the removal of a president, they also hand him a political victory on trade. One that will have…
Tags: #Surveillance, allergy, Asylum, Canada, Check, Democrat, Donald Trump, Dr. Gorgas, Fact, food, immigration, Impeachment, incarceration, Jail, Mexico, Politifact, President, Prison, Republican, Stories From Texas, Trade, United States, USMCA, W.F. Strong
Texas Standard: October 30, 2019
It’s not pay for play, but college athletes won’t have to turn away endorsement dollars. A shakeup in the big buck business of college sports? We’ll have the story. Also a shortage of water at an ice detention center. What we know about conditions and what we don’t…and why. And the latest numbers on Texas…
Tags: AR-15, Beto O’Rourke, Check, children, college, Compensation, Democrat, Dr. John Zerwas, Fact, Fort Bend, Fort Worth, Ghosts of Jefferson, guns, Inclusion Director, Insurance, NCAA, Pay, players, Politifact, Republican, Sam Houston, Sierra Blanca, Special Election, Stories From Texas, W.F. Strong, Water
Texas Standard: October 2, 2019
Guilty. A jury has convicted a former Dallas Police officer of murdering her neighbor in his own apartment. We’ll have reaction and a look ahead to sentencing. Also, Texas State University under scrutiny for under-reporting sexual assaults on campus. We’ll take a look at what happened and why. Meanwhile, the state’s first black city is…
Tags: Amber Guyger, Athlete, Books, Check, college, Constables, Dallas, Fact, Fort Worth, Gina Hinojosa, higher education, Library, Officer, Police, Politifact, Public, Reading, Sexual Assault, sports, Stories From Texas, Texas State, W.F. Strong
Texas Standard: August 21, 2019
A major rule change for migrant families in detention just announced which some say could mean families held in detention indefinitely. We’ll have details. Other stories were tracking, a new spring in the step of Texas Democrats. A closer look at a possible shift in the political psychology of the Lone Star State. Also, water…
Tags: Blue-Green Algae, Border, Dan Patrick, death, Detention, education, El Paso, immigration, Infant, Ingersoll, Migrant, Political, Politifact, Prayer, Psychological, pyschology, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Schools, Shooting, Stories From Texas, texas, Vaccine, W.F. Strong
Remembering The Summers Of My Youth
Now that we’re in the dog days of summer, I’ve been thinking about the long summers of my youth. We had longer summers then. It’s not just an idealized memory. Schools would dismiss us in late May and we wouldn’t return until September 2nd or so, generally the day following Labor Day. What I remember…
Filed in Stories from Texas /
written by Laura Rice Comments Off on Remembering The Summers Of My Youth
Tags: boyhood, Childhood, enjoy, Generation, History, kid, memory, Rattlesnake, school, Stories From Texas, summer, texas, Weather, WF Strong, youth
Texas Standard: August 7, 2019
A presidential visit to El Paso and a rejoinder from a Texas representative: no thank you Mr. President, we don’t want to hear from you. We’ll have more on Mr. Trump’s visit to El Paso and our conversation with Texas state representative from El Paso, César Blanco. Also the latest from a city still in…
Tags: 8chan, César Blanco, Check, Donald Trump, El Paso, Fact, Free Range, gun, Hemp, illness, Industrial Hemp, Law, marijuana, Mass, Mental, Politifact, protest, Redistricting, Shooting, Stories From Texas, Violence, W.F. Strong
Texas Standard: July 24, 2019
Have you been living in the U.S. for at least 2 years? Can you prove it on demand? We’ll look at what new rules on expedited deportation could mean for Texas. Also, as Washington focuses on the Mueller report, many in Texas talking about the 18 year old Dallas born U.S. citizen, detained by border…
Tags: Border, Cancer, Check, Cooking, Dallas, Deport, Deportation, Detained, Detainee, Fact, Food Stamp, Gunsmoke, I.C.E., immigration, Lone, Operation, Patrol, Politifact, Psychosis, Rural, STAR, Stories From Texas, W.F. Strong
Gunsmoke & Texas
By W. F. Strong Ever heard of the Gunsmoke Rule? It was created several years ago by TV ratings guru Bill Gorman. He noticed that sports cable channel shows like ESPN’s “First Take” were being beaten by Gunsmoke reruns. In fact, Newsday found in a sample a few years ago that all but seven of…
Tags: Bill Gorman, CBS, cowboy, Gunsmoke, Gunsmoke Rule, James Arness, John Wayne, Matt Dillon, Ratings, Stories From Texas, television, texas, TV, TV Land, Western, WF Strong, William Conrad