KERA
Poverty’s Effects on Children
One in five North Texas children live in poverty and more than a quarter million are hungry. A recent report by Children’s Health, a hospital network in Dallas, found that children living in poverty are seven times more likely to be in...
KERA
Texas' Shifting Demographics Preview Changes in America
The demographic shifts in Texas may preview changes in all of America. More Americans being born and growing up in Texas today are people of color. These populations have experienced economic inequality and lack of opportunities. Making...
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Teens in Agriculture
In Texas, vast expanses of farmland have been converted to urban land over the last several decades. As farmland changed to cityscapes, children growing up in these areas have had fewer and fewer opportunities to interact with nature....
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Testing COVID-19 Vaccines on Humans
In the race to create a vaccine against COVID-19, several drug companies have moved into the final stages of development, which involves human testing. Thousands of Americans have volunteered to receive trial vaccines to help test their...
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Dallas Holocaust Museum and Senator's Family
The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum recently opened with the help of former Texas Senator, Florence Shapiro. Shaprio is a first-generation American whose family faced tragedy throughout the Holocaust. As she grew up, Shapiro...
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Barbershop Promotes Reading
Schools are finding creative ways to encourage kids to read. In Fort Worth, Texas, barbershops are giving kids a chance to read while they get their hair cut. Some barbers are doubling as reading coaches—asking kids if they understand...
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Financial Simulation of Poverty
A workshop in North Texas aims to give people who have money the experience of what it’s like for people who live in poverty. Whether it's cashing a check, sending money to family, or trying to borrow money, people living in poverty have...
KERA
Refugee Children Found a Home in Dallas
A young Dallas couple has decided to open their doors to refugee children in their neighborhood. They don’t run a daycare or an afterschool program, but host refugee children at their home for games, movies, and even homework. Their home...
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Museum Truck Celebrates the Magic of STEM
A traveling museum is inspiring future scientists, engineers, and innovators. When the Perot Museum of Nature and Science sent their Tech Truck to visit a Texas high school, it brought learning stations and “wonder kits” that provided...
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How Zebra Finches Learn to Sing
Humans and baby birds appear to be very different creatures, but scientists are studying certain birds because they learn their songs in a similar way that humans learn speech. A new study from University of Texas Southwestern Medical...
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Student Juggles Classes, Work and Softball Team
A high-school senior at Duncanville High School in Texas is juggling classes with a part-time job and her role as manager of her school’s softball team. At home, she helps her mother pay the bills and cares for her younger brother. After...
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The Last Baseball Glove Factory in America
In a small town in Texas, near cattle pastures and crop fields, is the Nokona baseball glove factory. The family-owned business is now the only baseball glove manufacturer left in the U.S. While Nokona gloves are not as well known as...
KERA
Painting as Relationship
Art can be a helpful outlet for self-expression. This is the case for Texas-based artist Arthur Peña, who found that art offered him a safe retreat while growing in a community that could be dangerous. His mother, who was also an artist,...
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3-D Printed Arms and Legs Help Kids Play Sports
People who are missing an arm may use a high-tech artificial limb to help them with everyday activities such as eating or writing. These prosthetic limbs are very expensive, however, which means that it does not always make sense to use...
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A Good or Bad Apology
Everyone makes mistakes they need to apologize for in order to repair their relationships. Public figures like politicians and celebrities also have to say sorry publicly for inappropriate behavior, as we have seen more often recently....
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Ida O’Keeffe Escapes Her Sister’s Shadow
Artist Georgia O’Keeffe is famous for her paintings of flowers and southwestern desert landscapes. Few know, however, that her sister Ida O’Keeffe was also an artist. Ida’s work is being exhibited at the Dallas Museum of Art. Listen to...
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A Safe Place for Homeless Teens
Homelessness is increasing in the U.S., and those impacted include children, teens, and young adults. A steering committee of high school students in Dallas, many of whom have experienced homelessness themselves, helped design the Fannie...
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Paying the Bills on $10 an Hour
Making ends meet is something that many families in the United States struggle with. As the cost of living, day care, food and other essentials become more expensive, it is much harder for parents to provide for their kids. MIT has...
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University Students Invent Special Space Shirt
Some students at Texas Woman’s University have won a NASA-sponsored design competition aimed at solving problems related to space travel. The students tackled a problem that astronauts have a lot–lower back pain. They created a shirt to...
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Seniors Prepare for Virtual Graduation
To keep students and families safe during the coronavirus pandemic, school leaders are looking for alternatives to traditional, in-person high school graduations. Some are delaying graduation, while others are strictly limiting...
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Dinosaur-Eating Crocodile
A teenager recently discovered what turned out to be the fossil of a large, dinosaur-eating crocodile in northern Texas. Many amateur fossil hunters enjoy looking for ancient animals’ bones in this rocky area. At the site, for example, a...
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Wet Wipes Clogging the Sewers Leads to a Court Battle
Wet wipes began as baby products, but now people use them for many things including makeup removal and applying insect repellent. As more people find uses for disposable wet wipes, more of them end up in the toilet. However, even if the...
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Diapers Make a Difference After a Hurricane
After Hurricane Harvey in Texas, many people evacuated their homes and are now living in shelters. Leaving home during an emergency was especially difficult for parents of small children. Even though they brought supplies when they left...
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White Off-Duty Police Officer Shoots Black Man at Home
A 26-year old black man was shot and killed in his own Dallas apartment by a white off-duty police officer who told investigators that she mistakenly entered his apartment, thinking it was her own. The officer was arrested for...