Search results for

There's a short list of things health experts have implored everyone to do: Wear a mask, wash your hands, and stay home. On this episode of The Shakeout, we explore the ramifications of that last point. Every industry that caters to travelers is facing a huge, growing shortfall, particularly in Texas, home to two major airlines and a sprawling tourism sector. With outbreaks of the virus still rippling across the United States and the rest of the world, the public remains justifiably wary of getting on a crowded plane or checking into a hotel. That wariness translates to a deep uncertainty among workers whose jobs in those industries are on the line, while those who already lost their jobs are trying to figure out what happens next.

The sheer scale of the other economic damage of the pandemic has led some to call for equally large-scale reforms. For instance, Universal Basic Income. Paul calls in San Antonio Express News financial columnist Michael Taylor to break down the pros and cons of Universal Basic Income. Small-scale studies show that providing cash directly to people impacted by disasters is efficient and effective. But critics of Alaska's long-running Permanent Fund Dividend, America's largest experiment in UBI, will attest to the unforeseen political challenge of balancing a state's budget around an annual cash giveaway. The permanent fund is the closest thing to UBI America has tried, and its been going on for nearly 40 years.

In the first episode of the Shakeout, a podcast about the economic fallout of the pandemic, Paul Flahive tells the stories of Texans waiting in line at food bank events throughout the summer in San Antonio, where more than 10,000 cars lined up for a single food drive in April. One woman brings the food back to her apartment parking lot to share with her neighbors. A hairstylist worries about feeding family members who moved in with her. A young father turns to the food bank to feed his sons after the pandemic forced him to quit his job.

The coronavirus pandemic has left a crater in the U.S. economy and the real, human consequences are just becoming clear. From food lines to oil fields to airports, reporter Paul Flahive takes stock of the economic damage and the bold new ideas that are emerging in this upcoming series from Texas Public Radio.

Deborah Paredez’s new poetry collection is a haunting collage of photographs and poems that carry us from 1970 to the present. This daughter of the…

Jacob Soboroff was working as a correspondent for NBC and MSNBC at the end of 2015, covering immigration on the US-Mexico border. On the occasion of a…

Part 1 of Fire Triangle drops on January 24, the one-year mark of a toxic explosion in a Houston neighborhood that killed three fathers, injured dozens and tore apart hundreds of homes as residents slept in their beds. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR One, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

When Hurricane Harvey unleashed record amounts of rainfall on the Houston area, it took out the power needed to keep chemicals cool at an industrial plant. A fire broke out that burned for days, causing 200 people to evacuate their homes and 21 first responders to seek medical attention. The flooding from Hurricane Harvey was unprecedented, but climate change is bringing bigger, wetter storms with more flooding. The nation’s largest petrochemical complex is vulnerable, and experts say we aren’t doing enough to protect it. In the final episode of Fire Triangle, we look at what Texas is — and isn’t — doing to prepare the Gulf Coast for a major hurricane.

Eight years ago, one of the worst chemical disasters in state history ripped apart a small town in Central Texas, just outside Waco. It killed 15 people. The fallout reached the highest levels of the United States government, affecting regulations for nearly every hazardous chemical facility in the country. But eight years later, many improvements have been stalled or rolled back. Ironically, some of those policy rollbacks were caused, in part, by a federal investigation into this very explosion. The story of this disaster is foundational to understanding the present-day chemical regulatory framework in the United States.

A massive chemical fire near the Houston Ship Channel led to shelter-in-place orders, closed schools and polluted the area's air and water. It took days to extinguish and impacted hundreds of thousands of people. Part two of Fire Triangle explores what the State of Texas is — and isn't — doing to prevent chemical disasters. When state regulatory agencies and companies don't do enough to prevent chemical disasters, community members are forced to take action. We meet two advocates impacted by the fire who are fighting back against pollution in their communities.