Texas
Texas Standard for July 24, 2024: Texas teen Sam Watson sets speed climbing records ahead of Paris Olympics
Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Wednesday, July 24, 2024. Check back later today for updated story links and audio.
Texas Republicans scramble to rethink strategy as Kamala Harris gets Democratic support
The political world is still adjusting to the seismic shift that Vice President Kamala Harris will likely assume the Democratic presidential nomination, instead of incumbent President Joe Biden.
How will Texas Republicans change campaign strategy in a post-Biden election cycle? Public affairs expert and consultant Brendan Steinhauser has worked with several Texas GOP candidates and joins the Standard with more.
Sheila Jackson Lee’s death leaves a void in Texas’ 18th District. Who will fill it?
Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee served Texas’ 18th District from 1995 until her death on Friday. She was a familiar face at community events in Central Houston and northern Harris County and was expected to win another term this November.
Her passing now raises questions about who will take her place. Houston Chronicle state bureau reporter Taylor Goldenstein joins the Standard with more.
Rio Grande Valley faces unprecedented water crisis as drought intensifies
Fresh water is about as scarce as it’s ever been in the Rio Grande Valley, with water levels in the Rio Grande and its reservoirs nearing historic lows.
The RGV has certainly faced droughts before, but this one has taken on a more dire feel. University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley associate professor Jude Benavides joins the Standard with more.
Texas teen Sam Watson sets speed climbing records ahead of Paris Olympics
Speed climbing was introduced to the Olympics at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo and consists of two competitors racing up identical 15-meter walls.
The fastest climbers can do it in under five seconds – including Sam Watson, an 18-year-old from Southlake who holds the three fastest times ever in speed climbing. Ahead of his 2024 appearance in Paris, Watson joins the Standard today.
San Antonio’s Rivercenter to get culinary makeover celebrating local and Mexican flavors
From tequila to tortillas, a new concept coming to downtown San Antonio will revitalize the food court of the iconic Shops at the Rivercenter to honor the culinary history and culture of the city and Mexico.
Texas Public Radio’s Marian Navarro spoke with the San Antonio chef who is leading the new multi-concept shopping experience coming to the mall next year.
Her brother passed away on death row, but Delia Perez Meyer’s continuing her fight against the death penalty
Delia Perez Meyer’s brother Louis Castro Perez was sentenced to death in 1999 for the brutal murders of two women and one girl. He maintained his innocence and died in May on death row.
Although her brother is gone, Delia continues to fight for his exoneration and the end of the death penalty.
Legal battle intensifies over Blaine Milam’s death row case due to intellectual disability claims
Blaine Milam is on Texas’ death row for the 2008 beating death of 13-month-old Amora Carson. His execution, set for 2021, was stayed by a Texas appeals court due to claims of “significant limitations in intellectual functioning.” The U.S. Supreme Court barred executions of individuals with intellectual disabilities in 2002 but allowed states some discretion.
Last week, The Arc of the United States and other groups filed an amicus brief with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Arc legal director Shira Wakschlag joins the Standard with the latest developments.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
Texas Tech welcomes Sofie Jones as the new Masked Rider
Watch Texas Tech University formally welcome Sofie Jones as the 65th Masked Rider.
When it comes to training the doctors and researchers who will staff hospitals, Texas holds its own on the world stage.
Several Texas health and medical institutions landed on U.S. News and World Report’s 2026-27 Best Global Universities list, with three cracking the global top 500 — led by UT Southwestern Medical Center at No. 113.
The list considered 13 indicators and weights to measure global research performance and reputation, ranking the world’s 2,250 top universities.
Here’s a look at how some major public and private health care and medical universities in Texas fared on the list.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Global Ranking: No. 113.
Location: Dallas, Texas.
Type: Public university.
Baylor College of Medicine
Global Ranking: No. 144.
Location: Houston, Texas.
Type: Private university.
University of Texas Health Science Center — Houston
Global Ranking: No. 324.
Location: Houston, Texas.
Type: Public university.
University of Texas Medical Branch — Galveston
Global Ranking: No. 599.
Location: Galveston, Texas.
Type: Public university.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Global Ranking: No. 1,871.
Location: Lubbock, Texas.
Type: Public university.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
AUSTIN – Texas officials are rolling out a new online hub aimed at helping residents spot and report the New World screwworm, a pest Gov. Greg Abbott says threatens livestock, wildlife, and the state’s rural economy.
Abbott announced the launch of screwworm.texas.gov, an enhanced website housed in the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s Disaster Portal that he described as a “one-stop shop” for information and resources tied to the state’s response.
The New World screwworm poses a direct threat to Texas livestock, wildlife, and our rural economy,” Abbott said. “This new website puts essential tools in the hands of our producers, veterinarians, and families. Screwworm.texas.gov delivers the facts, maps, identification methods, and certification resources Texans need to detect problems early and report cases without delay. Now every Texan has the information to act. Texas will protect our land, our animals, and our way of life from this pest.
According to the governor’s office, the site is designed to provide “actionable and reliable multimedia information” about the New World screwworm, including fact sheets, videos, and educational materials.
The portal includes background information, guidance on how to spot the pest, sample collection procedures, Texas Animal Health Commission New World screwworm zone maps, the U.S. Department of Agriculture case dashboard, links to best practices for livestock and wildlife, and details on registering for a new no-cost New World screwworm Certified Inspector Training.
The governor’s office said state and federal partners are working together to detect, control and contain the spread, and that expanding public outreach and providing clear information is a key part of reducing risk.
Abbott’s office also highlighted actions taken by the governor in response to the pest, including:
- Directing the creation of a joint Texas New World screwworm Response Team
- Joining USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to announce a $750 million investment in a new sterile fly production facility in Edinburg
- Issuing a statewide disaster declaration ahead of the first detection
- Deploying state resources and activating the State Emergency Operations Center after the first confirmed Texas cases
- Visiting the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville for a briefing
- Launching a free online training course to certify more inspectors
- Announcing federal funding to strengthen inspection capacity.
Texans are urged to inspect livestock and pets for wounds and report suspected cases immediately, including in wildlife.
For livestock and pets, suspected cases should be reported to the Texas Animal Health Commission’s 24-hour veterinarian call line at 1-800-550-8242.
For wildlife, reports should be made to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s 24-hour biologists’ call line at 512-389-4505. Officials also warn people not to move affected animals.
More information and updates are available at screwworm.texas.gov and screwworm.gov.
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