Texas Standard

From Houston Public Media: Gov. Greg Abbott has named Robert S. Howden to succeed Jane Nelson as the next Texas secretary of state. The office’s main responsibility is overseeing elections, and Howden takes up the post less than four months ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Howden has served as Abbott’s legislative director since September 2024. He previously worked in the administrations of Republican Governors Rick Perry, George W. Bush and Bill Clements.

The physical destruction was immediate, but the emotional toll would take much longer to surface. After months of rebuilding, Guillén would eventually seek treatment for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. “It took a while, in my case, to realize that I needed some help,” Guillén said. “I have a great team of doctors. They have helped me this whole year to get through it.” Along with the RV park, the flood also forced Guillén and Canales from the home they had lived in beside the bar.

From KERA News: A Kerrville man was killed early Thursday morning after flood waters swept away his home, his family confirmed. John Mark Steward was inside his home when it was overtaken by water Thursday, his wife Jennie Steward posted to social media. She had asked for help finding her husband in a Facebook post at 9 a.m. on Thursday. She was in Dallas during the flooding, she said. Hours later, she announced he had been found dead.

Well, Wes Anderson doesn’t live in Houston anymore, but it sounds like he still really values what the city can be for artists. Do you think that’s true? I think that is true. And he doesn’t love to travel, especially I think by plane. So he doesn’t come home as often as he did. Well, his mother passed not too long ago. But his early life, his very deep friendships and family connections here… I think there is part of Houston that will always be home for him. So the event is tonight. What’s happening?

In the American Canning Machines facility in southeast Austin, silver drink cans jitter in what looks like a miniature cattle corral. The machine in front of me dances to an alien tempo. It whirrs and pops in 6/8 time. With a forest of spinning limbs, it plucks each can out of the corral and lines them up. David Racino, co-founder of ACM, said the scene reminded him of Willy Wonka. “Remember when they’re on like that train,” he said.

Long before he ever immortalized him in song, Frutty Villarreal first stepped into the McAllen record shop of Don Ramiro Cavazos because he wanted music to be more than a hobby. It was the 1980s, he’d been playing for a few years, and the R y N Music Store was the place to be if you wanted to rub shoulders with popular musicians. Ruben Vela, Joe Lopez and Jimmy Gonzalez are just a few names that stepped through those doors. “All the musicians would hang around in that place,” Villarreal said.

Her story isn’t unique: With prices of groceries rising because of inflation, many families are struggling to bring food to the table, especially during the summer, when kids are out of school. About 1 in 4 kids in the Metroplex are considered food insecure, said Ashley Douglas, a vice president with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, which partnered with DISD on the event.

Here’s what’s coming up on Texas Standard for Friday, July 17, 2026. Listen on your Texas public radio station, or ask your smart speaker to play Texas Standard. Check back later today for updated story links and audio. The latest in the wake of South Central Texas floods Heavy rainfall led to major flooding across the South Central Texas region yesterday, with at least two confirmed dead as of this morning.

Friday’s additional rainfall risk comes after it was confirmed two people died in floods that struck the Kerrville and Uvalde areas. Thursday’s flooding led to evacuations, hundreds of rescues, and damage to roads and buildings. Some cities in Texas, including Ingram, Uvalde and Kerrville, have seen more than 20 inches of rain between Monday and Thursday, according to preliminary NWS data.

Today, many think of Texas as a Christian state. While Christianity has been in the state for a few hundred years, people have been here for much longer. Many of them, from 13,000 years into our past to the modern day, have practiced faiths beyond the two modern Protestant lines.