The top local stories this evening from KERA News:
Early voting has begun for the 30-plus races across Texas where no candidate captured 50 percent of the votes cast in crowded fields during the March 6 primary – forcing runoff races. Democratic gubernatorial candidates Lupe Valdez, a former Dallas County sheriff, and Andrew White, a Houston businessman, are competing for the right to face Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in November.
That's the only statewide race requiring a second round of voting. In North Texas, voters will choose both the Democratic and Republican candidates for Congressman Joe Barton's seat, and decide the Republican candidate vying for Jeb Hensarling's spot in Congress. Voters will also choose the Democratic challenger to take on Dallas Republican Congressman Pete Sessions.
Other stories this evening:
- Around 3.8 million Texans rely on the federal food stamp program – also known as SNAP. But the program that helps feed low-income Americans could soon be going through some big changes. In Austin, KUT’s Ashley Lopez reports.
- Texas has a teacher diversity gap – meaning students of color are rarely taught by teachers who look like them. Michael Hansen is the director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution. He talked with KERA's Krys Boyd about the effect this gap has on students, and what it will take to narrow the divide.
You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM.
