Texas Public Radio - Texas Matters
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Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Texas Matters
Texas is a big state with a growing, diverse
population and as the population grows, the
issues and challenges facing its residents
multiply. Texas Matters is a statewide news
program that spends half an hour each week
looking at the issues, newsmakers and culture
of Texas.
Texas Matters is co-hosted by David Martin Davies and Yvette Benavides. The
husband and wife team talk directly with policymakers and newsmakers in a lively
discussion designed to shed light on issues too often overlooked by other media.
About the Hosts
Classical Music
The World
3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Classical Music
David Martin Davies, Texas Public Radio’s news director, is a veteran journalist
with almost 20 years experience covering Texas, the border and Mexico. In 2008, he
won three regional Murrow Awards for stories that aired on Texas Matters. He was
named the 2007 Radio Journalist of the Year by the Houston Press Club and was
awarded a 2007 Lone Star Award for his feature reporting. Davies was also
recognized by the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters for his coverage of the U.S.Mexico border. Davies has filed radio reports for NPR's Morning Edition, APM's
Marketplace and BBC's The World. He is also a weekly columnist for the San
Antonio Express-News.
Yvette Benavides is co-host and co-producer of Texas Matters. She is also an
English professor at Our Lady of the Lake University, where she teaches creative
writing and Mexican-American literature. Yvette has had her poetry published in
journals such as The Americas Review, Texas Observer and Mothering magazine,
among others. Her articles have appeared in the San Antonio Express-News and
Latina magazine. She is also a regular book critic for the San Antonio ExpressNews. Benavides has been a frequent contributor for NPR's Latino USA.
Comments about the program or inquiries may be directed by e-mail to
[email protected] .
On The Air (by city)
KVLF - Alpine
"The Voice of the Last
Frontier" 1240 AM
Saturday 10:05 a.m.
KFNC - Beaumont
"The Ticket" 97.5 FM
Saturday 5:30 a.m.
KETR - Commerce
"Your Station" 88.9 FM
Friday 9:30 a.m.
KEDT - Corpus Christi
"Public Broadcasting for
South Texas" 90.3 FM
Sunday 6:30 a.m.
KIKT - Greenville
"Kick FM" 93.5 FM
Sunday 10 a.m.
KMBH - Harlingen
"Classic 88" 88.9 FM
Sunday 3:30 p.m.
KTXI - Ingram
"Words & Music"
90.1 FM
Saturday 5:30 a.m.
Airs: 12:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Friday and 6:30 a.m. Saturday on KSTX 89.1 FM in
San Antonio. Also at 6 a.m. Saturday on KPAC 88.3 FM in San Antonio and KTXI
90.1 FM in the Hill Country. See the stations list (right) for other air times around the
state.
KHJK - La Porte
"Houston’s Adult
Alternative" 103.7 FM
Sunday 5:30 a.m.
Program Archive:
KRTS - Marfa
Marfa Public Radio
93.5 FM
Tuesday 9:30 a.m.
Show #508, May 21, 2010
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Segment 1: Citizens gathered at hearings this week in the run up to the State
Board of Education's vote on adopting new social studies curricula standards. Many
spectators and participants at this week's hearings spoke with KUT Austin.
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KHID - McAllen
"Classic 88" 88.1 FM
Texas Public Radio - Texas Matters
Sunday 3:30 p.m.
Segment 2: Peggy Venable is the state director for Americans for Prosperity She
supports the republican majority on the Texas State board of Education as they push
for a more politically conservative social studies curriculum.
KOCV - Odessa
Permian Basin Public
Radio 91.3 FM
Monday 3 p.m.
KDCD - San Angelo
"True Country" 92.9 FM
Sunday 5:30 a.m.
Segment 3: State Representative Mike Villarreal is a democrat from San Antonio.
He is an outspoken critic of the conservative changes the state board of education is
adopting for the social studies curriculum.
Segment 4: Ron Kendall is the Director of the Texas Tech University Institute of
Environmental and Human Health.They have developed a special cotton material that
will be used to clean up the BP oil spill.
Segment 3: Becky Moeller is the president of the Texas AFL-CIO. The labor union
is offering Rick Perry to rent their mobile home in downtown Austin for one dollar per
year.
Show #507, May 14, 2010
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Segment 1: While the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico continues to gush,
threatening coastal areas and the fishing industry, there is a bright spot of energy
news for Texas -- wind is thriving. Later this month, the American Wind Energy
Association will convene more than 20,000 wind industry leaders, government
officials, and business executives in Dallas for the Windpower Conference &
Exhibition.Denise Bode is the CEO of the American Wind Energy Association.
Segment 2: Grab a bottle of water or can of soda, and when you’re done
quenching your thirst, you’ve still got that empty bottle or can to deal with.Many do
the responsible thing and drop it in the recycling. Even still, far too many bottles and
cans end up in the landfill, along the highway or in our waterways. But what if Texas
had a deposit system in place? Patsy Gilham is a coordinator for the effort to pass a
Texas Bottle deposit bill. There’s more information online at texasbottlebill.com.
KMDX - San Angelo
"106-1 MDX" 106.1 FM
Sunday 6 a.m.
KPAC - San Antonio
"Classical Oasis"
88.3 FM
Saturday 5:30 a.m.
KSTX - San Antonio
"News & Views"
89.1 FM
Friday 12:30 p.m.
Friday 8:30 p.m.
Saturday 6:30 a.m.
KVRT - Victoria
"Public Broadcasting for
South Texas" 90.7 FM
Sunday 6:30 a.m.
KWBU - Waco
"Understand Your
World" 103.3 FM
Saturday 1 p.m.
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Segment 3: It has been unreal what’s happened to the real estate world these past few years.Houses have been
turned upside down and underwater. But living in a house is more than wondering if you are going to make the next
mortgage payment. It’s part of the American Dream, and it can be a nightmare. Still LA Times columnist Meghan
Daum maintains that there's no place like home. She writes about it in her memoir, Life Would Be Perfect If I Lived
in That House.
Show #506, May 7, 2010
Download Entire Program
Texas Matters
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Texas Public Radio - Texas Matters
The women of the Mujeres writing group in San Antonio share their Mother’s Day stories with
women recently published their third anthology including stories of family and faith.
. The
Segment 1: Belza Elia Ramos – “Boundless Mother Love”
Segment 2: Teri Flores – “Finding Love in Abuelita”
Segment 3: Arleen Garza – “Side-by-Side”
Segment 4: Vangie Alaniz – “My Quest for Knowledge: A Mother’s Day Tribute”
Segment 5: Lupe M. Gonzalez – “The Only Title that Ever Mattered”
Show #505, April 30, 2010
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Segment 1: Debbie Riddle is a republican Texas state representative for District 150 northwest of Houston. She
will sponsor a bill in the coming legislative session that could create a Texas law similar to the controversial antiillegal immigration law now in place in Arizona.
Segment 2: Texas State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte is a Democrat from San Antonio. She is joining in a boycott
against Arizona in protest against the new law there that cracks down on illegal immigrants by requiring all noncitizens to carry documents that prove they are in the country legally.
Segment 3: David Spener is a professor in the department of sociology and anthropology at Trinity University in
San Antonio.He has written Clandestine Crossings: Migrants and Coyotes on the Texas-Mexico Border, published
by Cornell University Press.
Show #504, April 23, 2010
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Segment 1: Financial forecasters are predicting a slow but steady recovery in most sectors of the Texas
economy. Even though we fared better than other states, lawmakers face a budget shortfall of $10 billion or more
when they return to Austin in 2011. In a series of special reports KUT and Texas Tribune reporter Ben Philpott take
a look at the big budget buster and some proposed solutions.First up – How Texas got in this fiscal ditch.
Segment 2: When the recession hit Texas many people put away the credit cards and stopped shopping. That
quickly dried up state and local sales tax dollars, and it is a big reason Texas is facing a multibillion-dollar budget
shortfall. State lawmakers are asking what can they do. And they could be thinking the unthinkable. Ben Philpott of
KUT News and the Tribune contemplates a hugely unpopular alternative.
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Texas Public Radio - Texas Matters
Segment 3: Texas lawmakers head back to Austin in January and they will be looking at several options to cover
a $10 billion dollar-plus biennial shortfall. Politics aside, it's pure math, the state government has to reduce spending
and/or make more money. But increasing the state’s cash flow is never simple in tax-averse Texas. Ben Philpott is a
political reporter for KUT Austin and the Texas Tribune.
Segment 4: Legislative leaders are not expected to push new taxes as a cure for the coming multibillion-dollar
busted budget. Cutting state social services could be too painful. Advocates for the impoverished say the Texas
safety net is already too thin. So where might new money come from? Texas could be willing to roll the dice on a
gambling.
Segment 5: There’s no hiding from the ten billion dollar Texas budget shortfall. The state was in a similar sticky
situation in 2003. Lawmakers did a little bit of everything to patch up that $10 billion hole. They raided the so-called
Rainy Day fund, used some accounting tricks, raised some fees and jacked up the tax on a pack of cigarettes. They
also cut spending by billions of dollars. Ben Philpott wraps up his special series with a look at what cuts could be in
store this time around.
Segment 6: Texas ranks among states with the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the nation, but recent data
shows that unintended pregnancies among women in their twenties is also a growing concern. More than seventy
percent of pregnancies among Texas women between the ages of 18 and 29 are unplanned. That’s according
statistics released by the Department of State Health Services.
These pregnancies often occur when women are at critical point in their lives, trying to pursue an education or job
training to secure their financial futures.
State officials estimate unplanned births in Texas cost Medicaid over $1.2 billion annually. But a new campaign
launched by national and state organizations is designed to reduce the number of unexpected pregnancies among
this group of young women.
Bill Albert, the chief officer of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, and Dr. Janet
Realini with Healthy Futures of Texas were in San Antonio this week to launch the program. Texas Public Radio’s
Terry Gildea sat down with them to learn more.
Show #503, April 16, 2010
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Segment 1: This is the time of year that tomato plants go on sale, and many folks take up the yoke to plant that
backyard garden. But something goes wrong and the expected bumper crop gets bumped. The Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension Service has created a new free online course about growing tomato that will help gardeners get better
results. “Tomato 101: The Basics of Growing Tomatoes” was prepared by Extension Specialist Joseph
Masabni.
Segment 2: Growing big veggies and beautiful flowers depends on the quality of the soil. It’s not that hard to
improve your soil the natural way with some help from the Dirt Doctor. The Dirt Doctor is Howard Garrett who has
been researching and teaching organic gardening across Texas for over 20 years. He’s written seventeen books on
organic gardening, and you can find him online at dirtdoctor.com.
Segment 3: Texas has always been about producing oil, but there’s a new oil in Texas that comes from the
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Texas Public Radio - Texas Matters
ground – olive Oil. California has a successful olive industry and now some are hoping the business can take root in
Texas. Jim Henry is the president of the Texas Olive Oil Council.
Segment 4: Normally when you have a garden you are trying to keep the insects away from your plants, except
when it comes to bees. Honey bees have had a tough year, but this spring it’s hoped the hives will bounce back.
Paul Jackson is the state’s chief apiary inspector. An apiary is a place where bees are raised. He’s with the Texas
A&M department of Entomology.
Show #502, April 9, 2010
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Segment 1: Tuesday is the run-off election for the primary races where no candidate received the majority vote.
Without a high profile contest for the media to focus on there hasn’t been much attention in the news and early
voting turnout has been meager.
On the ballot there is only one state-wide race, the republican primary for Texas Supreme Court place 2. The two
candidates appear as different as night and day. Former state representative Rick Green is closely tied to the Tea
Party movement and a conservative christian effort to erode the separation of church and state.
His opponent is Judge Debra Lehrmann. She is a legal scholar and pushing her experience in the courtroom. In the
past weeks Lehrmann has received support from Texans for Lawsuit Reform and a number of former Supreme
Court Justices. Green is endorsed by Chuck Norris. We’ll talk to both candidates. We caught up with Green as he
was driving to Dallas for a campaign event.
Segment 2: Judge Debra Lehrmann is also busy on the campaign trail. We contacted her while she was riding in a
taxi in Lubbock where she was meeting voters.
Segment 3: The winner of the Green-Lehrmann April 13th runoff will face Democrat Jim Sharp in November for a
seat on the nine-member court.To get some perspective about this race for Texas Supreme Court we turn to Harvey
Kronberg editor of the online newsletter about Texas politics, The Quorum Report.
Segment 4: Texas author John Phillip Santos has written the long-awaited companion to his critically acclaimed
memoir, Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation. His new book is called The Farthest Home is an Empire of
Fire.In the book the San Antonio-native goes on an adventure of self-discovery that drives to the fore questions of
identity, race and origin.
Segment 5: Dorothy Allison is best known for her novel, Bastard Out of Carolina which was nominated for a
National Book Award in 1992 and was later translated to a dozen languages and adapted to a film directed by
Angelica Houston. In 2007 she was awarded the Robert Penn Warren Award for Fiction. She is currently the McGee
Professor Writer in Residence at Davidson College in North Carolina. Her latest novel, She Who, is forthcoming.
Dorothy Allison will have a reading and book signing on Wednesday, April 14 at 7 pm in Thiry Auditorium on the
campus of Our Lady of the Lake University.
Show #501, April 2, 2010
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Texas Public Radio - Texas Matters
Texas Dance Hall Memories
Texas dancehalls like Club 21 once peppered the farming communities of Texas. The German and Czech
immigrants brought the dance halls with their old world customs. The dance halls were the original community
centers of the original European settlements of Texas. They were a focal point for the men and women, when they
weren’t trying to survive and conquer the Texas wilderness. Now the classic Texas dancehalls are in trouble. Many
have been lost. Can they be saved for future generations? [Original Airdate: December 25, 2009]
Show #500, March 26, 2010
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Segment 1: Although the Health Care Reform bill is law, the issue isn’t settled. Republican congressmen and
senators,including some from Texas, are calling for the repeal of the law. Attorneys general from 13 states, including
Greg Abbott from Texas, are challenging the law in court. We spoke to Attorney General Abbott about why he’s
fighting the health care reform law.
Segment 2: Barbara Ann Radnofsky is the democratic nominee for Texas Attorney General. She supports the
health care bill and says its constitutional and good for Texas.
Segment 3: The largest group of women veterans today served in the early campaigns of Iraq and Afghanistan.
More than 40 percent of them have enrolled with VA health care. But the battle for many female vets continues on
the home front when seeking care at VA hospitals. Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea brings us the story of a
decorated female veteran and her struggle to find care after being diagnosed with PTSD.
Segment 4: He was due to be executed on March 24. One hour before he was to receive the lethal injection the
U.S. Supreme Court intervened.
Show #499, March 19, 2010
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Segment 1: Hank Skinner, who waits on Texas Death Row, is hoping his life will be saved by DNA evidence, but
the state’s judicial system is so far refusing to test that evidence. Skinner was convicted and sentenced to die for the
murder of his live-in girl friend Twila Busby and her two adult sons. Skinner has maintained he is innocent of the
crimes, but time is running out for him.He is scheduled to be executed Wednesday, March 24.
Segment 2: Rob Owen is the director of the Capital Punishment Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law.
He’s the attorney for Hank Skinner, who is scheduled to be executed on March 24.
Segment 3: In 1957, two weeks before Barbara Smith Conrad was to debut on stage in a University of Texas
student production of Henry Purcell's opera "Dido and Aeneas," Conrad was pulled from the production, not because
she couldn't sing, but because of the color of her skin.
Some Texas legislators objected to an African-American woman being paired as the love interest on stage of a
white singer. The lawmakers pressured UT to pull Conrad from the cast and the university did so. However, over the
next 40 years, Barbara Smith Conrad became one of the premiere mezzo-sopranos in the country.
Conrad's story is told in the new documentary When I Rise, which premiered to a sold-out house at Austin's
Paramount Theatre during the South By Southwest film festival. Nathan Cone spoke to Barbara Smith Conrad in
Austin.
Related Links:
TPR SXSW Coverage
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Texas Public Radio - Texas Matters
Show #498, March 12, 2010
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Segment 1: The Texas National Guard is on a five-year mission in Afghanistan to help farmers build a sustainable
agricultural economy.The men and women of the Texas National Guard Agribusiness Development Team are trying
to win the war by helping Afghan farmers with agriculture, irrigation, and animal breeding projects. In the process,
the Texas ADT soldiers are also trying to survive in a place where danger lurks around every corner.Reporter
Douglas Wissing was embedded with the Texas ADT forces in Afghanistan. Reporting for KUT in Austin Douglas
Wissing brings us a four part series on the team’s mission in Afghanistan’s complicated war zone.
Related Links:
Photo Slideshow of Texas ADT in Afghanistan
More reporting from Douglas Wissing
Segment 2: A national conservation group is suing Texas environmental regulators. The Aransas Project filed the
federal suit to protect endangered whooping cranes. Jim Blackburn is the attorney for the Aransas Project.
Segment 3: For over 100 years the Historic Herff Farm survived hostile attacks and Mother Nature’s fury.But now
the old homestead in the Hill Country is facing a tougher battle against the developer’s bulldozer. Texas Public
Radio’s David Martin Davies has the story.
Show #497, March 4, 2010
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Segment 1: After months of speeches and millions of dollars spent on political advertising, primary day has come
and gone. But it was all just a warm-up for the general election campaign, which is now underway. So what did we
learn from the election tallies? Let’s check in with Quorum Report editor Harvey Kronberg to find out.
Segment 2: Texas is the nation’s top producer of oil. But what would happen if suddenly every drop of the sweet
crude just vanished? Not just from Texas but from the entire world. That’s a question explored by the National
Geographic Channel in a special program called “Aftermath: World Without Oil.” Author Richard Heinberg is featured
in the program.
Segment 3: Texans are wild about wildflowers and this spring it looks like we are in for a treat. The forecast from
the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin is for a colorful explosion of native blooms. Andrea DeLongAmaya, is the director of horticulture at the Wildflower Center.
Segment 4: Twisting rock and roll, country and conjunto music, the Texas Tornados produced an infectious
sound. But can that magic be recreated now that two key performers have passed on? The surviving members of
the Tornados announced yesterday they are giving it a spin with a new CD. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin
Davies has the story.
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Texas Public Radio - Texas Matters
Show #496, February 26, 2010
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Segment 1: It won’t be long now before it’s time to stop the speeches and start the counting of ballots. We’ll finally
know who the winners are in the party primaries – unless there’s a run-off. Then the speeches will start again. Bob
Moser is a political junky and is enjoying every minute of it. Moser is the editor of the Texas Observer, a magazine
that specializes in investigative, political and social-justice reporting. You can read his blog and other Texas
Observer articles online at texasobserver.org.
Segment 2: Incumbent Lt. Governor David Dewhurst has no challenger in the Republican primary, but the
Democrats have a battle royale going on. One leading candidate is Linda Chavez-Thompson. She is a retired labor
organizer and a former leader of the AFL-CIO.
Segment 3: Also seeking the democratic nomination for Lt Governor is Ronnie Earle, the former Travis County
district attorney. Earle earned a national reputation for fighting for justice. His most notable and controversial case
was the prosecution of former Sugarland congressman and U.S. House Majority Leader Tom Delay.
Segment 4: Kathryn Borel set out with her father on a road trip through the finest French vineyards. The trip was
an education about wine, as well those wonderfully complicated people: our parents. She documents the trip in her
book, Corked: A Memoir. It’s published by Grand Central Publishing.
Show #495, February 19, 2010
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Segment 1: This week, Governor Rick Perry, Attorney General Greg Abbott and Agricultural Commissioner Todd
Staples held a joint news conference where they announced a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency.
The lawsuit is a bid to stop the EPA from regulating global warming pollution using the so-called “climate-gate”
hacked e-mails to discredit the EPA. Supporters of climate change say the e-mails are disgraceful, but the science
is sound. We will hear from both sides of the debate. First, we talk with Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd
Staples.
Segment 2: The Texas League of Conservation Voters is one of many organizations critical of Texas for filing the
lawsuit. The TLCV is the state’s leading environmental organization dedicated to electing pro-conservation
candidates. David Weinberg is the director of the TLCV.
Segment 3: The Texas EPA lawsuit wasn’t the only climate change battle in the state this week. On Thursday,
the conservative think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, issued a scathing review of possible cap and trade
federal legislation that seeks to limit carbon emissions. The report says cap and trade will have a harsh negative
impact on Texas industries, jobs and economy. Kathleen White is with the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Read
the report.
Segment 4: The liberal organization, Environment Texas, is firing back. Saying the Texas Public Policy Institute is
only telling their side of the research. Alejandro Savransky is an organizer for Environment Texas.
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Texas Public Radio - Texas Matters
Show #494, February 12, 2010
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Segment 1: Harvey Kronberg,editor of the Quorum Report discusses, the latest polling in the primary races for
Governor. The Quorum Report is an online newsletter dedicated to following Texas Politics.
Related Link: Quorum Report
Segment 2: When Dallas public broadcaster KERA held a statewide televised debate for democrats running for
governor, only two candidates met their requirements. That left lesser-known democrats who are on the ballot out of
the big debate. Four candidates who were excluded are now suing KERA for $400 million dollars.Lawsuits like this
are not uncommon, and legal precedent gives the debate host the ability to choose the candidates. Clement Glenn is
one of the four candidates for governor left out of the democratic debate.
Segment 3: When republicans begin casting votes in the primary, in addition to deciding what candidates should
run in the general election, they also are deciding five critical policy questions. Brian Preston is a spokesperson for
the Republican party of Texas.
Segment 4: Texas has what it takes to be a national leader in solar power – but the state losing out on jobs and
energy to other states in the Sunbelt. The Go Solar Texas coalition says the state needs leadership to take solar
power forward. Lucy Midelfort is with the Go Solar Texas Coalition.
Segment 5: This year, the Chinese New Year will welcome the Year of the Tiger. Animal conservationists are
hoping they can use the year to help save the tiger, an endangered species that’s plentiful in sanctuaries across the
state. Sybille Klenzendorf is director of the World Wildlife Federation species conservation program.
Show #493, February 5, 2010
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Segment 1: Early voting in the Texas primaries begins February 16, and candidates are looking to persuade
voters anyway they can, but does that include lying? The Austin American-Statesman is putting claims to the test
using the truth-o-meter. Gardner Shelby is the editor of Austin American Statesman’s Politifact Texas.
Related Link: Politifact Texas
Segment 2: This week President Barack Obama released his proposed budget for the federal government. One
item caught the eye of the Texas energy industry – dropping federal subsidies for exploration, drilling and extraction
of oil and natural gas. Texas Rail Road Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones says if congress follows this
recommendation it will have a negative impact on Texas.
Segment 3: In these tough economic times a growing number of Americans are
losing their jobs. Many are looking for work as day laborers. Little is known about the
world of the day laborers and their working conditions. Journalist Dick Reavis decided
to write about the day laborer experience when he found himself looking for work as
a day laborer himself at the age of 63. His book is Catching Out: The Secret World of
Day Laborers.
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Texas Public Radio - Texas Matters
Show #492, January 29, 2010
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Segment 1: Andrew Wheat is a researcher at Texans for Public Justice and author of the study “Watch You
Assets,” which examined the track record of job creation of the Texas Enterprise Fund. He found that the TEF is
coming up short in the number of job corporations promised Texas they would generate after taking taxpayer dollars.
Segment 2: Texas is missing out on billions of dollars from the federal government to develop a network of high
speed rail systems. Out of $8 billion in federal rail funding, it seems Texas is getting just $4 million. Peter LeCody is
the Executive Administrator for Texas Rail Advocates. He says in order for Texas to get billion dollar grants we need
to follow the example of other states that are serious about rail like California and Florida.
Segment 3: Vicki Muller is a wildlife specialist at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. She is monitoring the
endangered whooping cranes. There is an annual Whooping Crane Festival at Port Arkansas,February 25 though
28.
Show #491, January 22, 2010
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Segment 1: President Barack Obama’s education program, called "Race to the
Top," is putting billions of dollars up for grabs for states.
The states have to compete for the money and if Texas had decided to apply it could
have received up to $700 million.
But Texas is sitting this one out.
Perry explains his position at a January 19 press conference at Cole High School in
San Antonio. Also speaking to reporters is Texas Commissioner of Education Robert
Scott.
Segment 2: Michael Kirst is Professor Emeritus of Education and Business Administration at Stanford University.
He is a former president of the California State Board of Education.
His book is titled From High School to College: Improving Opportunities for Success in Postsecondary Education.
Professor Kirst says for the majority of states "Race to the Top" makes a lot of sense.
Segment 3: Rick Perry says he’s getting a lot of support from Texas teacher organizations for his decision not to
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Texas Public Radio - Texas Matters
apply for “Race to the Top” funds. This is a new development, because the two haven’t seen eye to eye on
education reform in the past. Holly Eaton Texas Classroom Teachers Association Director of Professional
Development and Advocacy.
Segment 4: While some are opposed to the Race to the Top because they see more regulation in the classroom
as impractical, others are against the program for ideological reasons. Michael Quinn Sullivan heads Texans for
Fiscal Responsibility.
Show #490, January 15, 2010
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Segment 1: The Texas GOP gubernatorial debate was held Thursday night at the Murchison Performing Arts
Center in Denton. The candidates participating were the incumbent Rick Perry, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
and Deborah Medina. Here is a sample of the debate highlights.
Segment 2: Whoever wins the primary could face democrat Bill White, the former mayor of Houston, in the
general election in November. We wanted to see what he thought of the Republican debate.
Segment 3: Paul Burka is a reporter and blogger for Texas Monthly magazine. He writes in the February issue
that Rick Perry is gearing up for a run for president in 2012.
Show #489, January 8, 2010
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Segment 1: Attorneys general in 13 states are objecting to the U.S. Senate’s version of national health care
reform. And Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot is among that group who sent a letter to Speaker of the House
Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid saying changes needed to be made to the bill or face legal
action. Abbott is also running for re-election in Texas.
Segment 2: Abbott is facing challenger Democrat Barbara Ann Radnofsky in the general election. We spoke to
her about why she’s running to be the state’s top lawyer.
Show #488, January 1, 2010
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Segment 1: It would take you a lifetime to explore all of the sights, scenes and historic points of the Unites States.
Author Gary McKechnie only had 4 years to do it so he had to makes some tough choices – he picked the 101 most
interesting places in the nation. He’s the author of the book USA 101: A Guide to America's Iconic Places,
Events, and Festivals .
Segment 2: One of the many festivals that’s not covering in the book USA 101 is the International Festival at
Round Top. Which is located half way between Austin and Houston. Texas Public Radio’s John Clare has more on
the cultural festival.
Segment 3: The San Antonio-based band The Krayolas toured the state in the
1970s and 1980s, recording a string of regional hits in the process. But after a time,
the band dissolved, and the various members moved on to other projects. Now, with
http://www.tpr.org/programs/texasmatters.html[5/25/2010 3:42:50 PM]
Texas Public Radio - Texas Matters
the help of Texas Music legend Augie Myers, after a 20-year hiatus, The Krayolas
are back with a new album, Long Leaf Pine (No Smack Gum) .
Texas Public Radio’s Nathan Cone brought the band into our studios recently to play
some tunes, and talk about how the effort to preserve their recorded past brought
them back to the present.
Extended interview with Hector and David Saldaña of the Krayolas:
The Krayolas Perform "Marie Leveau" in the Texas Public Radio Studios:
"Marie Laveau" by The Krayolas from KSTX on Vimeo.
Download songs from their TPR studio session:
The Krayolas - "Corrido: Twelve Heads in a Bag"
The Krayolas - "Catherine"
The Krayolas - "Hurtin’ Me Baby"
The Krayolas - "Little Fox"
The Krayolas - "Marie Laveau"
The Krayolas - "Your Doorway Darlin’"
Photos of The Krayolas in-studio performance:
http://www.tpr.org/programs/texasmatters.html[5/25/2010 3:42:50 PM]
Texas Public Radio - Texas Matters
Show #487, December 25, 2009
Download Entire Program
Texas Dance Hall Memories
Texas dancehalls like Club 21 once peppered the farming communities of Texas. The German and Czech
immigrants brought the dance halls with their old world customs. The dance halls were the original community
centers of the original European settlements of Texas. They were a focal point for the men and women, when they
weren’t trying to survive and conquer the Texas wilderness. Now the classic Texas dancehalls are in trouble. Many
have been lost. Can they be saved for future generations?
>>> Find earlier programs in the Texas Matters archive
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