Just in time for the holidays, we've wrapped up some of our favorite stories from 2019 for you.
No matter where you are – are you feeling that holiday spirit? A few days ago – over miles and miles of doughnuts and other seasonal treats – the Texas Standard staff assembled some of its favorite stories from the past year. (Eggnog was not involved in this effort, we promise.) The result was a list of goodies we couldn't keep to ourselves. After making that list – and checking it twice – we can now share some of our favorites from the past 12 months with you in today's newsletter. Of course, there are many more to choose from on our website
, and we'd be delighted to hear which stories were among your favorites. So on behalf of the entire crew at the Texas Standard, we send you our warmest wishes for a joyous and peaceful season. And until next Wednesday, we'll see you on the air – or is that "in the air?" (Ho-ho-ho!)
- David Brown
Take A Texas Presidential Quiz
A presidential historian shares trivia about Texas-born presidents, and those who encountered the Lone Star State during their travels. Listen along, and see how well you do!
On The Border, A Family Of Matadors Tends A Bloodless Bullfighting Tradition
When Fred Renk discovered bullfighting, he knew he wanted to be a matador. Through joy and pain, he and his sons promoted the bloodless version of the sport for 19 years.
This Podcast Wants To Turn Your Stories Into Songs
What if a song was written just for you? That’s the idea behind this new Austin-based podcast: people volunteer to confess something anonymously, then a band writes a song about the confession.
Some stories feel better to report than others. Talking to flood victims in southeast Texas is vital, for example, but I took no pleasure in their plight. The same is true of this piece on
sky-high loan delinquency rates among Texas farmers and ranchers. But there are few stories I’ve enjoyed working on more than my piece on West Texas identity
, which is featured in this year’s “Best Of” show. I (like many of you, I’m sure) am obsessed with West Texas. Its draw is both obvious – the landscape, the history, the people – and impossible to wholly articulate. I spend more time than I should plotting ways to get dispatched down I-10, which turns into stories about where it starts, the fate of the region’s favorite fried snack
, and efforts to revitalize iconic West Texas wildlife (that one’s coming soon). Each of these offers an opportunity to ask questions about the unique relationship between the place and the people who populate it. I feel lucky that I get to answer them.
