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Texas Matters #484 - December 4, 2009

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Molly Ivins was a Texas based populist newspaper columnist, best selling author, political pundit and humorist.She died of cancer in 2007 after charting a career of helping the rest of the nation understand Texas and notable Texas politicians.

Texas Matters #483 - November 27, 2009

Fri, Nov 27 Listen

The holidays are a time of stories. There is the divine story of the birth of Jesus and the almost infinite volume of personal stories from each of our families. There’s the story of the magic of Christmas seen a child’s eyes, then told many years later after that child became an adult. We at Texas Matters are pausing to listen to those stories and we encourage you to tell your stories to your loved ones.-- Segment 1: Benavides - Laredo Christmas Story -- Segment 2: The Mujeres writers group...

Texas Matters #482 - November 20, 2009

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Segment 1: The race for the Republican nomination for governor is turning into a civil war in the Texas GOP. The party is being torn between support for Governor Rick Perry and for Senator Kay Baily Hutchison. Now we learn that Hutchison isn’t going to resign her seat in Washington until after the March primary. To explain what this means we turn to Harvey Kronberg of the Quorum Report, an online newsletter that tracks politics in Texas. -- Segment 2: Matthew Gardner is with the Institute on...

Texas Matters #481 - November 13, 2009

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Segment 1: Funerals will be held this weekend for some of the thirteen people murdered in the Fort Hood shootings. Among those will be a service for 62-year-old Mike Cahill. He was the only person from Central Texas to die in the attack, and the only civilian killed. KUT's Nathan Bernier takes us on a trip to Mike Cahill's home in Cameron, Texas. -- Segment 2: As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq rage on repeated deployments are taking a toll on Military families. As service members fight...

Texas Matters #480 - November 6, 2009

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Segment 1: Republican political in-fighting cost the GOP the 23rd congressional district in New York. That race is an example of larger problems with the party of Lincoln. If those same Republican fractures rip Texas apart, there is one party that could benefit: the Libertarians. Patrick Dixon is the chair of the Libertarian Party of Texas. -- Segment 2: When someone drops out of school, they increase their odds of going to prison, going on welfare. Plus, there is an increased chance that...

Texas Matters #479 - October 30, 2009

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Segment 1:According to a study by The Brookings Institute and Business Week Magazine, Texas is leading the nation's economic recovery. The Metro Monitor study of the 100 biggest cities in the nation found that Texas cities had the strongest local economies. Alan Berube is a senior fellow and research director for the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institute. --

Texas Matters #478 - October 23, 2009

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Segment 1: Mark White is a former governor of Texas. He is calling for a legislative review of the use of capital punishment. -- Segment 2: Terry Hall is the head of Texans United for Reform and Freedom (TURF). The political group is fighting toll roads and the TransTexas Corridor. She is urging Texans to vote No on prop 11. --

Texas Matters #477 - October 16, 2009

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A Focus on Texas Constitutional Amendments -- Election Day is November 3. Early voting begins Monday Oct 19.-- To learn more about all the proposition the League of Women voters has created a voters guide – you can find it on line at lwvtexas.org. -- Segment 1:San Antonio Republican State Representative Frank Corte is the author of four of the eleven propositions that are before Texas voters. They are Prop numbers 1, 4, 6 and 11. -- Segment 2:Tony McDonald is with the Young Conservatives of...

Texas Matters #476 - October 9, 2009

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Segment 1: Among the many questions in the health care debate is how much should the government do to care for those who don't have the money or insurance to get care themselves. Traditionally state governments have that responsibility, but in Texas, each county must pick up the tab for those costs not covered by other programs. Texas Public Radio's Terry Gildea looks at a program in Bexar County trying to meet the healthcare needs of the working poor. --

Texas Matters #475 - October 2, 2009

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Segment 1:Questions are being raised about the timing of the replacement of three members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission. The commission was set to hear a critical report about a high profile arson case that led to the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham. There are doubts about arson investigator’s case against Willingham. A report that was due to be presented to the commission would have confirmed those doubts. Dave Mann is a reporter for the Texas Observer. He’s been writing...

Texas Matters #474 - September 25, 2009

Fri, Sep 25 Listen

Segment 1: Hank Gilbert has announced that he is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor. Texas Matters is interviewing candidates from both parties.Next week we’ll feature Republican candidate Deborah Medina.-- Segment 2: Are you ready to give up your car for the daily commute and jump on public transportation? According to a new report by Environment Texas – a growing number of Texans are already doing just that. Gerri Witthuhn is a spokesperson for Environment Texas. --...

Texas Matters #473 - September 18, 2009

Fri, Sep 18 Listen

Segment 1: Ginny Goldman is the head organizer of ACORN’s Texas operations. The U.S. House and Senate voted to pull funding after a hidden camera video was made public this month showing ACORN workers giving advice on how to evade the law. Goldman says ACORN will still survive. --

Texas Matters #472 - September 11, 2009

Fri, Sep 11 Listen

Segment 1: Kinky Friedman is seeking the democratic nomination for Texas Governor. Other candidates running for the nomination are businessman Tom Schieffer and rancher Hank Gilbert. There’s also speculation that former Travis County DA Ronnie Earle could still jump in the race.-- Segment 2: Somehow President Barack Obama’s speech to America’s school children became a political mess. Fringe opponents to President Obama branded the stay-in-school address as trouble and many school districts...

Texas Matters #471 - September 4, 2009

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Segment 1:The health care debate in America has become less of a debate and more of a loud war of words. At an August 29 rally in Austin – forces on both sides of the debate clashed. From Austin Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has the story. -- Segment 2:Questions are being raised about a Texas death row case. But no matter what the answer is its going to be too late to set Cameron Todd Willingham free; he was already put to death. Willingham’s case is the subject of a New Yorker...

Texas Matters #470 - August 28, 2009

Fri, Aug 28 Listen

Segment 1: Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies reports the drought is having a devastating effect on area ranchers. -- Segment 2: Is this prolonged drought the new normal for Texas? In his essay Blanco County Farmer and Rancher Mike Paterson isn't giving up hope. -- Segment 3: Hand-in-hand with the Texas Drought comes a protracted and historic heat wave and high energy bills. Texas Public Radio's Jessica Gonzalez reports. -- Segment 4: The State Board of Education is no stranger to...

Texas Matters #469

Fri, Aug 21 Listen

Segment 1: As Texas high schools reopen for a new school year, they will have to contend with a new state law requiring all public schools to offer information relating to the Bible in their curriculum. The courses are elective, not mandatory, and are supposed to focus on how Christianity has influenced American history and society. Mark Chancey is an associate professor in religious studies at Southern Methodist University.-- Segment 2: There are some who stick to the disputed story that...

Texas Matters #468 - August 14, 2009

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Segment 1: Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea spent some time inside the San Antonio Express-News to see how one of the state’s major newspapers is retooling itself to stay alive. -- Segment 2: Luis Vera is the council for LULAC. The civil rights organization is suing the Texas Democratic Party over it’s Texas Two Step primary system. --

Texas Matters #467 - August 7, 2009

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Segment 1: While some parts of Texas are green and moist, a substantial part of the state is dealing with a crippling drought. South and central Texas are not able to get a break from the triple digit heat and lack of rain. Water restrictions are common, and it’s not just lawns that are turning brown. Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist Mike Krueger says the drought is having an impact on the wildlife. -- Segment 2: Wind energy is seen as a savior for parts of west Texas and the panhandle,...

Texas Matters #466 - July 31, 2009

Fri, Jul 31 Listen

Segment 1: Alberto Gonzalez resigned from the U.S. Attorney General’s office on September 17, 2007. He left under a dark cloud resulting from the possible illegal firing of 9 U.S. attorneys for political purposes. Since Gonzalez left D.C. he’s had no success finding a new job until now. Starting in August Gonzales is scheduled to begin teaching at Texas Tech University. The class is called "Contemporary Issues in the Executive Branch." A petition signed by over 70 Tech university professors...

Texas Matters #464 - July 17 2009

Fri, Jul 17 Listen

Segment 1: Texas lost another 40,000 jobs last month. The Texas seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 7.5 percent in June but remained well below the national rate of 9.5 percent. The Texas unemployment rate was 7.1 percent in May. And there is the question of will there be unemployment checks for those who were laid off? The Texas Unemployment fund is going broke. Ann Hatchett is the spokesperson for the Texas Workforce Commission. - Segment 2: Finding a job in today’s economy is...

Texas Matters #463 - July 10, 2009

Fri, Jul 10 Listen

Segment 1: Throughout the summer, about 3500 soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division will go through training at Fort Hood to help them readjust to life in the United States. The soldiers have recently returned from Afghanistan and many have served multiple deployments. From Austin public radio, KUT's Crystal Chavez reports that army officials are watching closely for any signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. -- Segment 2: In the world of new energy economics, Amory Lovins...

Texas Matters #458 - June 5, 2009

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Segment 1: The Texas House and Senate meet only once every two years for 140 days. In that time the lawmakers are asked to craft laws that will solve problems that face Texans or, at the very least, not mess the state up. At the end of the session, "Texas Monthly" reveals its list of the best and worst legislators. Paul Burka is a senior executive editor, political columnist, and blogger for "Texas Monthly." -- Segment 2: One of the bills that may have been a causality of the fight over...

Texas Matters #356 - June 22, 2007

Fri, Jun 22 2007 Listen

Segment 1: The United States continues to tighten security along its southern border, but undocumented migrants continue to come north. These people are being squeezed onto fewer, more dangerous and isolated pathways into America. In sparsely populated Brooks County, Texas, everyone is being affected by this flow of humanity. Mary Jo McConahay spent time in Brooks County. She writes in the Texas Observer about her findings and provides a frightening picture of how immigration policy is...

Texas Matters #355 - June 15, 2007

Fri, Jun 15 2007 Listen

Segment 1: It’s the last ritual of the end of a Texas Legislative session, the crowning of the best and worst lawmakers in Austin. Texas Monthly magazine gets to decide who are the hot shots and low performers. Texas Monthly Senior executive editor Paul Burka sorted out Texas Reps and Senators and in this years list, he fingered the leadership of Texas for the worst list including Governor Rick Perry. -- Segment 2: Although many movie fans are familiar with Mexico's "Golden Age" of cinema,...

Texas Matters #354 - June 8, 2007

Fri, Jun 8 2007 Listen

Segment 1: Stephen Harrigan is the author of “Gates of the Alamo,” the book selected for the 2007 “1 Book. 1 San Antonio.” project. “1 Book. 1 San Antonio” is a city wide effort to promote reading organized by the San Antonio Public Library Foundation. Harrigan’s storytelling transports the reader to 1836 Texas, immersed in the characters with their desperate attempts to survive this brutal and bloody battle. -- Segment 2: George Guidall is the voice of “Gates of the Alamo” audiobook...

Texas Matters #353 - June 1, 2007

Fri, Jun 1 2007 Listen

How much power does the Texas House Speaker hold? And has Tom Craddick crossed over the line? In the last days of the 80th Legislative Session, lawmakers staged a rebellion against Speaker Craddick. They failed to remove Craddick from the Speaker's chair and in the process Craddick claimed new powers. Craddick told the members he had the right to ignore any member who wanted to make a motion. He said there is no such thing in House rules as a motion to vacate the chair. Craddick also said...

Texas Matters #352 - May 25, 2007

Fri, May 25 2007 Listen

Segment 1: University of Texas professor Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez heads a Latino and Latina World War II Oral History Project. She is pushing PBS and acclaimed documentary maker Ken Burns to include Latino stories in his epic 14-hour documentary "The War," scheduled to air on PBS in September. -- Segment 2: The Agriculture Commissioner of Texas, Todd Staples, announced gas stations will receive harsher penalties than ever before if they attempt to give consumers less gas than they pay for. --...

Texas Matters #351 - May 18, 2007

Fri, May 18 2007 Listen

Segment 1: For over 20 years we’ve been hearing the promises of solar energy. And even today as America searches for alternative renewable fuel sources, solar finds itself in the shadow of wind and bio energy. Nevertheless solar energy is still hot and getting hotter. New discoveries continue to bring down the cost and boost the efficiency of sun power. And dire concerns about global climate change has generated even more demand for the clean power source. But for San Antonio’s Bill Sinkin...

Texas Matters #350 - May 11, 2007

Fri, May 11 2007 Listen

Segment 1: It's crunch time under the capital dome. Texas lawmakers are dealing with looming deadlines and Governor Perry's own agenda. To get an update on the legislative session, we turn to Harvey Kronberg. He is the editor of the "Quorum Report," an online newsletter that follows Texas politics. -- Segment 2: Global warming, that argument is over. The climate is changing, getting warmer overall for the planet, and people are to blame. So how will Texas be impacted? Expect a drier Lone...

Texas Matters #349 - May 4, 2007

Fri, May 4 2007 Listen

"This I Believe" is an NPR radio series that is engaging millions of people to write, share and discuss their own core values that guide their daily lives. Since April 2005, they’ve been airing them on "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered." Jay Allison, the series host and producer, freely admits he didn’t come up with the idea. It was first done by broadcasting legend Edward R. Murrow. Because the series has been so popular that across the nation, Texas Public Radio also will...

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