Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, Dec. 23, 2024:
Behind the scenes of The Texas Newsroom
We’re looking back at 2024 through the lens of reporting by the stations who collaborate with us within The Texas Newsroom, a partnership of public media outlets statewide.
Rachel Osier Lindley, senior editor for The Texas Newsroom, kicks things off with a look at how the collaboration works and what’s on the priority list heading into 2025:
Dallas ISD program is getting more Black, Latino men into classrooms
As of 2023, only about a quarter of teachers in Texas are men, according to state data. And the number of those who are Black or Latino is even smaller.
KERA’s Zara Amaechi reports on how a residency program in Dallas ISD is helping to bring more men of color into the classroom.
The word “maverick” gets tossed around a lot – but there was a real Maverick who was known for being a political wildcard from San Antonio in the 1930s.
Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies shows us how Maury Maverick was a national celebrity in the heyday of radio.
MobileOp4 presents new opportunities to rural health
Texas has lost more rural hospitals than any other state in recent years, and many counties lack adequate primary care services.
In response to the challenges faced by rural communities and disaster-stricken areas, mobile health clinics are rolling out to provide vital medical services where they’re needed most. KACU’s Alexsis Jones reports.
A visit to the traditional Mexican rodeo in San Antonio
There’s a rodeo happening in San Antonio that’s hundreds of years in the making – one that has little to do with country music and BBQ and everything to do with a Mexican tradition that’s taken deep roots in the American southwest.
Texas Public Radio’s Jack Morgan reports from the charreada.
In Presidio, the effort to preserve an Indigenous cemetery is finally complete
A small cemetery in far West Texas has held the remains of Indigenous residents for centuries – but until recently, it was nearly abandoned. In 2021, the city and county of Presidio made the historic decision to give the land to the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas.
Since then, a coalition of conservationists, descendants and architects has worked to create a memorial at the burial ground. Marfa Public Radio’s Annie Rosenthal reports.
There used to be a pet cemetery in Pflugerville, but it’s gone now. What happened to the animals?
What happens to our pets when they die? Many are cremated, while some are buried in the backyard.
KUT News’ Stephanie Federico reports some pets are given a burial in a proper cemetery, but one resting place in Central Texas didn’t prove as permanent as some hoped.
Meet the chirping frogs of Austin. They’re all around, but you never see them.
Even in the city, wildlife surrounds us. Sometimes it’s obvious, but sometimes, we’re only reminded by a fleeting glimpse or a sound.
It was that last thing that started KUT’s Mose Buchele on this report. It’s about a nearly invisible creature you’ve probably never seen but have most definitely heard.