Howdy, Texas! Wells Dunbar here.

It’s all-eclipse-all-the-time over here at Texas Standard HQ; David Brown has the latest on that score below, including our special broadcast from the Kerrclipse Music Festival in Kerrville on eclipse day, Monday, April 8.

Speaking about eclipses: Waylon Jennings’ “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)” blotted out ZZ Top’s “La Grange” in the Standard’s Music Madness tourney picking the top song about a Texas place.

I wanna extend a big thanks to all the folks who voted, plus those who sent in their reasons why. This lovely recollection from Amy in Conroe really captures how music can always take you back home, even when you’re literally half a world away.⁠

On with the show!

Texas reports case of bird flu passed from sick cattle, but risk to the public is still low

The Texas Department of State Health Services tells the Standard that the person who tested positive for bird flu is already improving.

El Paso and Ciudad Juárez formalize soccer rivalry while celebrating the border

In front of a sold-out crowd, El Paso Locomotive FC had an international friendly against FC Juárez.

Alejandro Escovedo ‘won’t write a song just to write a song – I really want to have something to say’

One of the most highly regarded musicians in the Lone Star State revisits his catalog in “Echo Dancing.”

Why you should consider an LCRA park for your next outdoor adventure

The Lower Colorado River Authority operates upwards of 15 parks throughout Central Texas and the Gulf Coastal Plains region.

What will the eclipse forecast bring?

If all goes as planned, by the time you receive next Wednesday’s newsletter, the once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse will be one for the history books. And the sun and moon seldom change plans.

As we've heard from recent guests like Bill Nye (you know, the “science guy”) and UTSA astrophysicist Angela Speck, it's not just the visuals that will be spectacular during totality. The sounds will be something to experience, too, as the birds settle in for a premature evening and the winds begin to shift directions and pick up speed from rapid temperature drops.

But there are also some rather big unknowns at the moment. Forecasters are warning of more than a torrent of tourists; there’s also the potential for some Texas-sized storms statewide. Houston meteorologist Anthony Yanez told the Standard yesterday that two weather models show a low-pressure system could bring overcast or rainy weather – but that conditions remain slippery to predict.

One thing we've noticed is that hotel rooms along the path of totality, once booked solid, are showing unexpected vacancies. Whether it's a result of the weather forecasts leading guests to cancel, or whether hotels were inexplicably canceling confirmed reservations – as some on Reddit were complaining – is hard to say. But last night, I was able to find vacancies in Kerrville that were simply unobtanium a week ago. (Mind you, the prices were nonetheless … ahem … astronomical.)

The Texas Standard team will be heading out this weekend to the grounds of the world-famous Kerrville Folk Festival, where it's still all systems go for the “Kerrclipse.” It’s one of the Hill Country's biggest viewing events, accompanied by family-friendly music performances, science presentations and camping. Something tells me a bit of rain won't keep too many Texans away from that party.

In case you can't make it, make sure to tune in to our all-eclipse live broadcast from the festival grounds on Monday. In the meantime, you can follow all our eclipse-related coverage online – and until next time, we'll see you on the radio.

—David Brown

‘Stripped away’: Students of color, DACA recipients see resources ebb after DEI ban takes hold (Denton Record-Chronicle)
Black drivers were pulled over and searched at higher rates last year in the Houston area (Houston Public Media)
A federal judge says migrants can sue the company that flew them to Martha’s Vineyard (NPR)
World's first ultra-accessible theme park in Texas expands to adaptive salon and hotel (Texas Public Radio)
Tainted water flowed to these Texans’ homes for three years. No one told them. (Texas Tribune)

A faded postcard of an open road with a Texas Standard sticker, It reads: Tour the 254! A trek through Texas' 254 counties.

The Talk of Texas is running down the state’s entire 254 counties – Anderson to Zavala – with points of interest pulled from the Texas Standard archives.

Is there a can't-miss attraction in your area? Drop us a line and let us know.

A locator map of Hansford County in Texas

Bowled over: What was life like during the Dust Bowl? Elder residents of Hansford County could likely tell you.

The county, at the northern edge of the Panhandle, suffered some of the era’s worst soil erosion, sending dirt and dust everywhere.

Hear from a longtime Panhandle resident about what those times were like.

Milling around: Looking for something to do? The J. B. Buchanan Windmill Park looks like your best bet.

Its collection of antique windmills – and its rural location – are a reminder of how windmills helped settle the Texas plains. Learn how here.

One last thing: County seat Spearman voted in 2011 to become a “wet” city in a dry county. Learn more about Texas counties with “dry” liquor laws.

“He basically said, ‘a venue is not a continental breakfast. You cannot pick and choose on a plaintiff’s whim where or how a lawsuit should be filed.’”

Banking lobbyists filed a lawsuit against a federal regulatory board in Texas’ Northern District – but the judge told them the case had no relevance there. Learn more.

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