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The fallout from the blackout was inevitable, but it seems to be moving rapidly. Item No. 1: Five members of the board of directors of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) are
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set to resign today , and a sixth has withdrawn his application to the board. A big asterisk here: none of those resigning members live in Texas – missing out on the personal effects of rolling outages that stayed still, dropping more than 4.5 million residents of the Lone Star State in the dark and the cold. It is also worth noting that there are no plans to immediately fill those vacancies, as if ERCOT might not look quite like the entity it is for much longer. Item No. 2: Local governments are getting ready to flex their own muscles. Some officials in Houston are exploring
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getting off the ERCOT grid and finding an alternative source for power. Also, Travis County's district attorney says his office will be
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conducting an investigation of its own. Since much of ERCOT's business with the state is conducted in the capitol city, and Austin is the Travis County seat, it would be a logical jurisdiction for criminal charges. (Not that any have been brought. Yet.) Item No. 3: Gov. Greg Abbott is set to make a televised address to the state at 6 p.m. central. And there are plenty of Texans wondering why they haven't heard more from the governor before now. We'll have more on that part of the story in our broadcast tomorrow, but for now, we encourage you to learn more about the ripple effects of the winter storm in our coverage below. And I hope you'll join me in thanking the indefatigable members of the Texas Standard production team for refusing to let the show go dark during a week when the rest
of the state needed the light that the news can provide during such emergencies. Until next week, we'll see you on the radio.


- David Brown

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With Winter Storm, The Pandemic And More, One Psychologist Warns Of Effects Of Compounding Trauma

If you’re a Texan who’s feeling overwhelmed right now, you’re not alone. Here are some suggestions to help.

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Read More




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Texas Public Utilities Commission Fired Electric Monitor 3 Months Before Storm

The Public Utilities Commission, whose members are appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, oversees ERCOT and utilities in the state.

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Read More




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Surprise Electric Bill? An Attorney Offers Tips For Texans Who Need Relief.

Some electricity customers who signed up for variable rate plans as a way to save money now face staggering bills in the wake of last week’s winter storm.

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Read More




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‘Self-Sufficient’ And Upgraded: How El Paso’s Electric Grid Weathered The Storm

Snow fell and temperatures dropped, but only a few thousand people in the city lost power for a short time.

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Read More




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Plumbers Work To Get Water Moving Into Homes Again After Storm Causes Countless Busted Pipes
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(KUT Austin)
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San Antonio Mayor Creates Special Committee To Analyze City’s Response To Winter Storm, Energy Crisis
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(Texas Public Radio)
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Racial Inequities Emerge As Houston Recovers From Last Week’s Winter Storm
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(Houston Public Media)
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'Where Everybody Could Be Somebody': North Texans Share How The Black Church Shaped Their Lives
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(KERA News)

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- Shelly Brisbin

@shelly

Last week’s winter weather forced a few of the
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KUT Austin (and sister music station
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KUTX 98.9 ) on-air staff to shelter at a hotel across the street for the duration of the freezing storm. Given that 95% of our office has been working remotely for the past 11 months, you’d think it would be pretty easy to adjust to the latest crisis. But like so many of you, reporters on our team and across Texas were left without power, electricity and water for varying lengths. And also like so many of you, they had to deal with the mental trauma that emerges from a situation as grave as the one we were facing last week, and frankly, the one that lays ahead of us. Still, I was buoyed by their efforts to keep people aware of the the most up-to-date information possible. They worked long days, staring endlessly at Twitter for the latest updates on outages, boil water notices,
bottled water distribution sites to keep listeners and followers informed. I’ve heard from many listeners who said that their radio became a vital lifeline when power remained out for days on end. If you can, now would be a great time to support
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the station you depended on to keep you informed throughout it all. Take care y’all, and thanks for reading.
- Jerry Quijano

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@jerryquijano

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