Good morning. Here's a look at today's show. Below, David Brown reflects on the ongoing confusion surrounding the police response in Uvalde.

In the days and weeks since the mass shooting in Uvalde, as the spotlight here and nationwide has turned to gun control, the public has been focused on another aspect of that awful massacre: the lack of focus when it comes to understanding what actually happened.

The first news most Texans heard confirming their worst fears came from Gov. Greg Abbott that afternoon. The next day, Abbott, flanked by law enforcement and other top state officials, held a news conference describing the awful minutes before the shooter entered the school and appeared to hold police at bay for 90 minutes or more (the timeline, even then, seemed to expand and contract).

Abbott claimed police officers with the Uvalde school district had “engaged with the gunman” outside the school before the shooter entered through a back door. He would later claim the information he had was false, saying he was "livid" about being "misled." But misled by whom? Where did the governor get his information? It's a story we're delving deeper into today.

So far, the governor has declined to say where he got his initial (mis-)information, but the confusion surrounding law enforcement’s response, the back-and-forth over how the shooter managed to get into the building, the crushing news that students inside the school were making 911 calls that were not relayed to officers outside, and much more reveals a communication breakdown that persists – even now.

The team of journalists here at the Texas Standard is committed to the search for answers, and we will bring them to you as we get them. No matter how long it takes.

We want to hear from you. Reach out through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And on Instagram, you can listen to mourners describe what brought them to Uvalde.

- David Brown

Families of transgender children, in lawsuit against Texas, detail how state’s child-abuse policy has affected them

One family says their son attempted suicide the day Gov. Greg Abbott directed the state to investigate the families of transgender children who are accessing gender-affirming care.

Here’s what you need to know about the heat wave gripping Texas

As a statewide heatwave strains on our infrastructure, will Texas get a break anytime soon? It depends on how you define "soon."

When it comes to Texas housing prices, you can toss historical data in the trash

Austin buyers are paying nearly 70% more than historic prices would have suggested. Prices are also way up in San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston.

‘An act of sacred resistance’: Dallas church self-appoints two LGBTQ pastors after bishop denies them positions

The conflict comes as conservatives in the United Methodist Church have broken away to form their own denomination.

Widespread water outages plague Odessa as crews rush to fix major water line break (Marfa Public Radio)
Austin becomes the first Texas city to pass a law prohibiting discrimination based on hair (KUT Austin)
Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax is on the hot seat. What led up to this? (KERA)
Houston SpongeBob SquarePants restaurant operators owe $6 million to Paramount (Houston Public Media)

A faded postcard of an open road with a Texas Standard sticker, It reads: Tour the 254! A trek through Texas' 254 counties.

The Talk of Texas is running down the state’s entire 254 counties – Anderson to Zavala – with points of interest pulled from the Texas Standard archives.

Is there a can't-miss attraction in your area? Drop us a line and let us know.

Bastrop County

Founded: 1836
County seat: Bastrop
Population: 102,058

Forged in Flames: Central Texas’s Bastrop County is famous for its “lost pines,” famously cut off from East Texas’ pine curtain of loblolly trees. Many of those old-growth pines were lost back in 2011, in what became the most destructive wildfire in state history. The fires, sparking over Labor Day weekend , ultimately claimed two lives and over 1,600 homes. Since the 2011 wildfire outbreak, Bastrop County has embraced a wildfire mitigation method known as “controlled” or “prescribed” burning. This is when a team of trained wildland firefighters occasionally burn off vegetation on public land that could be fuel for wildfires. However, in early 2022 a prescribed burn in Bastrop State Park grew out of control, burning more than 800 acres and prompting evacuations.

Lights, Camera, Bastrop: Rural, historic Bastrop may not leap to mind when you think of film and TV, but an L.A. film production company is making an investment in the Hill Country. As we reported last year, the Bastrop 552 Development will include massive soundstages, production office space and more.

One last thing: Back in 2015, we reported on an area of Bastrop where chickens had flown the coop . On Bastrop’s aptly named Farm Street, chickens were allowed – neigh, encouraged! – to roam freely. As we wrote, the city’s mayor then “didn’t give a cluck” about calls to end the fowl free-for-all amid mounting complaints from neighbors. Well, just three years later, the chickens came home to roost: The Bastrop City Council repealed its chicken sanctuary ordinance in 2018. As one resident complained, roosters crowed all day long, animals messed with landscaping, and “chicken poop [was] everywhere.”

We are already in a period in which pregnancy has been extremely criminalized. And after Roe goes, it will be even more so,”

- Dr. Carole Joffe

Texas Public Radio spoke with Dr. Joffe, a professor that specializes in reproductive sciences, as part of their report looking at abortion services before Roe v. Wade.

Listen to stories from Texas with W. F. Strong

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