Ever since the pandemic hit, days, weeks and months have gone by in a blur.
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Since social distancing, Zoom meetings, and facemasks became a part of our everyday conversation, days, weeks and months seem to have gone by in a blur. This time one week ago, "Team Texas Standard" was figuring out how best to cover a Category 4 hurricane threatening catastrophic damage to the northern Gulf Coast of Texas. Although the eye of the storm made landfall in Louisiana, many in Texas' Golden Triangle shared the sense that they dodged a bullet, and attention has returned to the much discussed but long delayed "Ike Dike" idea designed to help protect much of the gulf from massive storm surges. Forecasters say we likely haven't seen the last of the hurricane threat this year. Now here we are in September and as many students, parents and teachers struggle with issues of connectivity, we find ourselves just 60-odd days away from what promises to be one of the most contentious political moments in American history – an election day like no other in recent memory. And as of this moment, there are still many questions (and lawsuits) outstanding about who gets to vote where, when and how. We encourage you to explore the latest at TexasStandard.org, and in the meantime, get caught up on some of the most popular stories of the past week below. Make sure not to miss our special report on Labor Day: "Overlooked No More: How Asian Texans Shape the State." Until next Wednesday, we'll see you on the radio.
- David Brown
Work safe, Texas. Texas Work Comp Insurance

A Push For Diversity Among Deaf Interpreters


Black American Sign Language developed independently from American Sign Language because of public school segregation. Today, a disproportionately small number of deaf interpreters are people of color.
 
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Why Harvard Is Calling Bull On Texas A&M-Linked Beef Research


The two universities are accusing each other of conflict of interest when it comes to studies on the health effects of eating red meat – and the food fight is getting ugly.
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‘The 24th’ Illuminates Historic Houston Riot


Director Kevin Willmott says members of an all-Black Army regiment reached a breaking point after being harassed by white police officers. He tells the story from the soldiers’ perspective.
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El Llano Estacado: The Vast, Staked, Palisaded Plain


Explorers and settlers allegedly found the vast, sparse area of northwest Texas so disorienting that they needed to leave stakes in the ground to navigate in a straight line.
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  • After A Close Call From Hurricane Laura, Houston Renews Calls For A Storm Barrier (Houston Public Media)
  • Bexar County DA Drops Charges Against Misidentified Black Jogger, Bodycam Footage Released (Texas Public Radio)
  • Irving Police Investigate Racist Hate Mail Sent To Resident (KERA News)
  • Odessa Reflects On The First Anniversary Of The August 31st Mass Shooting (Marfa Public Radio)
Hello, I’m Camille Phillips, Texas Public Radio’s education reporter. I primarily cover San Antonio’s schools and colleges. That’s a lot to juggle in a normal year – and 2020 is not normal. We have 15+ school districts, a massive community college system, two public universities, four private universities and almost two dozen charter schools. But TPR is also committed to covering the Rio Grande Valley and other swaths of South Texas as much as we can, so when a teacher from Chicago emailed me to tell me her sister in the Valley was put on leave for posters supporting Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ students, I knew I needed to find out more. Taylor Lifka’s story ended on a high note. She’s headed back to the classroom, and has been allowed to keep her posters up. But it’s also a good example of how politicized education is right now. Decisions about reopening schools have been placed on the shoulders of school administrators, with conflicting messages and directives handed down from the federal, state and local level. That’s left parents, students and teachers with no clear, easy options to take. Both in-person and remote instruction have risks and drawbacks. And like everything in education, that’s left the students who are the most vulnerable the most at risk. Low-income students in high-poverty neighborhoods often live in areas with spotty internet even when their families can afford it, making distance learning difficult. But families in those same areas of San Antonio have been hit hard by COVID-19, and they have reason to be afraid to send their kids back to school. In a normal year, I would be visiting schools and writing about the jitters and excitement of a new school year right now. But even schools that are open right now have strict limits on visitors because of the coronavirus. I’m more reliant than ever before on tips from sources – so please keep the Twitter DMs and Instagram messages coming. Like you, I miss the classroom and hope we can all safely return to learning the way it should be soon.
- Camille Phillips
@cmpcamille
“Texas Standard” Labor Day special explores the fastest-growing population in Texas: Asian Americans.
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