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Good morning. Here's
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a preview of today's show . Below, host David Brownhas more and highlights some great stories you might have missed.








When Texas makes headlines, folks in other parts of the country are sometimes left scratching their heads. Why is a "Railroad Commission" deciding rules to prevent future statewide power emergencies during bad weather? One might also reasonably wonder why Texas insists on not being part of a national power grid, or why it has taken 18 months since Texas' devastating and deadly winter blackouts to come up with new rules for energy providers.


Some answers are easier than others (the Railroad Commission moniker is an artifact of the Progressive Era – it was one of the few Texas agencies with resources to deal with an oil price crisis in the early 20th century, and it took on oil and gas regulation in the aftermath), but now we know how regulators plan to prevent future shortages. On Tuesday, the commission voted to force Texas gas companies to properly prepare for extreme weather or
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face fines up to $1 million .


Better late than never? Critics are skeptical the new rules will do what they're intended to, but Texas has something of a reputation for going light when it comes to regulation. This can prove to be a matter of life and death: According to the state's official numbers, 246 people died in the winter storm and blackouts of 2021 – though that is considered by many researchers to be a severe undercount.


When it comes to the regulation of firearms, a federal judge
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has struck down a ban on Texans under 21 carrying handguns – this coming just a little over two months after an 18-year-old shooter attacked a school in Uvalde, killing 19 children and two teachers. There's more on that story in this week's newsletter, as well as a closer look at
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how Texans may be affected by President Joe Biden's plans for student loan forgiveness.


On the lighter side, make sure to check out Michael Marks'
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conversation with comedian Mo Amer about his new Netflix series, which has been described as one of the sharpest and most accurate depictions of modern Houston to hit the small screen in some while.


And as always, we invite you to keep up with the next 24/7 at
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TexasStandard.org , and let us hear what's happening in your neck of Texas. 'Til next week, we'll see you on the radio.

- David Brown

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How Biden’s student loan forgiveness impacts Texans

Texans owe roughly $120 billion in student loans, with an average student loan debt of $33,000. "It certainly will have a big impact for Texans who have student loan debt. It will be a sort of a wait and see in terms of the broader effects."



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What’s next after judge strikes down law that bans Texans under 21 from carrying handguns?

U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman said the law violated the Second Amendment.




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Houston oozes through the screen in Mo Amer’s new Netflix series

Actor and comedian Amer, who grew up the Bayou City, plays a version of himself in the eight-episode series. "It was so important to me, like right out of the gate, boom, you’re in Houston."



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The new business of college football: How NIL has changed the landscape

The off-field world of college football is completely different now that players can legally profit off their name, image and likeness. Some boosters are pushing the limits of what's allowed.




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Texas laws protecting gun and oil industries are costing Texans hundreds of millions of dollars
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(Texas Public Radio)
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Person with monkeypox dies in Harris County; health officials investigating cause of death
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(Texas Newsroom)
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Austin Mayor Steve Adler celebrates mobility, equity and housing wins in final State of the City
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(KUT Austin)
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Those who have paid off student loans could get refund under federal forgiveness plan
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(Houston Public Media)
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?
mailto:[email protected]?subject=I'm%20touring%20the%20254
Drop us a line and let us know.



Brazoria County

Founded: 1836 (one of the original 23 Texas counties)

County seat: Angleton

Population: 372,031


Slow down: While it’s part of the Greater Houston metropolitan statistical area, Brazoria County moves at a decidedly slower pace. Its largest city, Pearland, numbers about 130,000 residents compared with Houston’s 2.3 million. Still, Pearland has proven to be one of the fastest-growing cities in the Houston MSA, and
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as we reported in 2019 , many Houstonians have moved to the area’s “far-flung” suburbs in search of a better (and cheaper) quality of life. We wouldn’t be surprised if the pandemic has accelerated those trends.

Trail to freedom: Like Texas itself, slavery is deeply intertwined in the history of Brazoria County; one researcher found that as much as
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70% of its population was enslaved. The county was the “crux of the slavery empire,” according to Naomi Mitchell Carrier, CEO of the Texas Center for African American Living History. Her research could now form the basis for
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a new National Historic Trail : the Emancipation Trail, which newly emancipated African Americans followed from Galveston to Freedmen’s Town in Houston after Juneteenth.

One last thing: Admission is free at Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Sea Center Texas in Lake Jackson, where visitors
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can explore underwater life .

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Haley Hickey, a recent law school graduate, plans to open her own law practice in her hometown of Lubbock. She also wants to start a family with her wife. But after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in June, she says her life is in flux.
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Read more here.

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