For more than two centuries, individual colonies and states celebrated days of Thanksgiving, but that all changed during one of the most divisive periods in American history. It was the middle of the Civil War, 1863, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. Many people have been comparing today's political divisions to those of 160 years ago … but as the team at the Texas Standard pondered how to mark this occasion, one idea was to focus on the things that brought people together. A little further down in today's newsletter, Rhonda Fanning, our executive producer, has more on the three Texas Standard specials we'll be sharing this week. 'Tis the season for reflections on gratitude, and I can't say enough about how grateful I am to be part of one of the best news teams in the business. You've heard some of these folks on the air, like our in-house expert in politics, Jill Ament, who keeps finding smart and fresh stories and interesting newsmakers to talk with (usually at the top of our program). Producer Kristen Cabrera has a knack for finding the unexpected, and amplifying voices across Texas less often heard elsewhere. Alexandra Hart is a top-notch producer and an incredibly adept editor who stays on top of some of our favorite recurring features – and has a gift for spotting smart and clever stories (and short readers). Michael Marks keeps track of what's happening in rural Texas, and has a unique storyteller's sensibility. Shelly Brisbin stays on top of technology and is our in-house web wizard, while Caroline Covington somehow manages to wrangle our radio broadcast into the beautiful stories you see online while still finding time to report and discover new story ideas. Most here know Wells Dunbar as our social media editor, but he also puts together this newsletter each week and does much more bringing the voices of listeners into the mix. Director Leah Scarpelli is our 'air traffic controller,' preparing our daily rundowns, managing the time constraints, directing the show each day and deftly making the show flow, picking music and smoothing out the sound of the broadcast. Meanwhile, Casey Cheek, our technical director, is everyone's hero, running the board and connecting us to our many guests each day while managing the (often daunting) task of getting the broadcast on the satellite each day. We're blessed to have such a talented journalist as Laura Rice as managing producer and backup host and the aforementioned Ms. Fanning at the helm, assigning, editing, and moving the program forward day by day. We're also very thankful for our two talented interns, Glorie G. Martinez and Sara Hutchinson, who have eagerly jumped right in to help us book guests, produce stories, and share it all digitally. What an incredible crew. And we are especially grateful to you – our listeners – who are always front and center in our thoughts as the program comes together each day. We hope you enjoy the highlights of our recent coverage below and, until next week, we'll see you on the radio.

- David Brown

Work safe, Texas. Texas Work Comp Insurance

Small towns around Austin struggle with big-city housing costs

With the pandemic surge in housing prices, rural communities are grappling with urban issues like affordability and gentrification.

Why some Texas pastors are leading Christian congregations to speak out on abortion restrictions

Rev. Amelia Fulbright grew up in Southern Baptist churches. Now she helps lead a group which trains clergy members to advocate for progressive issues, including abortion access.

City of Presidio returns cemetery land to Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas

The move, following two years of debate, was a victory for a movement which aims to return land to Indigenous people.

Hey, Jim Bob: How long until we get a navigation app with a Texan accent?

Our commentator W.F. Strong thinks the voice on Google Maps should come with Texas expressions and colloqualisms too.

Feeling cranky? Impatient? The pandemic may have ushered in an insensitivity epidemic. (KUT Austin)
Rittenhouse verdict weighs heavily on Houston organizers (Houston Public Media)
At a Thanksgiving turkey giveaway in Fort Worth, inflation is on everyone’s mind (KERA North Texas)
Thanksgiving will be rainy for much of Texas (Texas Public Radio)

Hi there. I’m Rhonda Fanning, executive producer of Texas Standard. Most of my work happens behind-the-scenes, making editorial decisions about the show, booking guests, and helping to edit everything that goes on air. The past couple of weeks I’ve also been planning ahead for the Thanksgiving holiday. I’ve been organizing the pre-production of three special shows in lieu of our regular format in an effort to give our hard-working staff time off to rest and spend with families and friends. Today, we’re featuring work spearheaded by our partners at the Texas Newsroom, NPR, and Columbia Journalism Investigations. The series they put together on worker heat deaths came a month before an announcement from the Biden administration about new protections for workers. On Thanksgiving, we’ll highlight stories from the past year that have continued to resonate with us. And on Friday, we’re bringing you the best of our coverage of Texas books and authors from so far in 2021. I hope you’ll enjoy this special content and, if you’ve got friends and family in the house, I hope you’ll share your Texas Standard listening experience with them. Happy Thanksgiving.

- Rhonda Fanning
@rhondafanning

Listen to stories from Texas with W. F. Strong

Thank You to our Sponsors

The Texas Standard is a partnership of

No matter where you are,
you're on Texas Standard Time

Connect with The Texas Standard

512-471-1631 | Contact Us

This email was sent by: KUT and KUTX Public Radio
300 W. Dean Keeton, A0704, Austin, TX, 78712-8546 US

A Partnership of
Texas Public Radio San Antonio, KERA Dallas, KUT Austin, and Houston Public Media

A service of the Moody College of Communication at The University of Texas at Austin

Subscription Center | Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy

©2020 Texas Standard