How seriously are presidential contenders taking Texas? Turns out they're paying close attention.
There’s a set of mental gymnastics we here at the Standard often find ourselves engaging in: something happens on the national stage, and each of us, in our own way, starts flipping it around to consider the implications closer to home. (It is the “Texas” Standard, after all!) And so it was last night – watching the Democratic presidential contenders engage in their final debate before voting. Does such a spectacle move the needle here? Consider the road taken by another Democrat, billionaire and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg who, LBJ-style, launched
a bus-tour through Texas last weekend trying to garner votes. Is that style of retail politics still effective here? How seriously are the presidential contenders taking the Lone Star State? Judging from some things we’ve learned this week, it seems that they are paying close attention
. Still, they may find some surprises, should they drill down a bit further to the local level: look no further than our conversation about marijuana laws with an Austin city council member, below. We hope you enjoy our hand-picked selection of stories this week, and, until next Wednesday, we’ll see you on the radio!
- David Brown
Austin Could End Arrests For Low-Level Pot Possession
Saying it's about allocating resources, a city council member says Austin shouldn’t buy expensive equipment to differentiate between hemp and pot. Instead, he wants to end ticketing and arrests for personal amounts.
As Caddo Mounds Reopens, Tornado Survivors Heal Together
The Caddo people left a conspicuous legacy in East Texas: earthen mounds. But three sites were damaged last year when a tornado ripped through – during a Caddo celebration.
Austin Police To Get More Mental Health Training After Audits Raise Concerns (KUT)
As associate producer-director for Texas Standard, I’m responsible for the audio presentation of the show. That mainly means I direct the live broadcast, a job I learned how to do during my old gig at NPR’s Morning Edition. I make sure all segments stop and start within a specific time frame, and that our host David Brown knows what he has to do next, like read a live intro to a story. I also listen to every story or interview before it airs to make sure it’s the best audio quality possible; I often “EQ”
guests we record over the phone or through FaceTime, for example. But my favorite part of the job is choosing the music at the end of stories and segments. And if you hear something you like, I make a Spotify playlist for every show; you can check out the music I used yesterday, for example (just scroll down). I’m always on the lookout for new instrumental music, so you can reach out to me on Twitter with your suggestions. Thanks for listening!
