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Top Stories: Texans Lag Behind In Health Insurance; Poll Finds Strong Support For Public Schools

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The top local stories this afternoon from KERA News:

Texas still has more residents without health insurance than anywhere in the country, and the state has the highest uninsured rate, according to Census Bureau data. Last year, 16.6 percent of Texans were not insured, almost double the national rate of 8.6 percent. In recent years, the Texas uninsured rate has gone down, and the number of people without health insurance continues to decline. 


 
Other stories:

  • A new poll out today finds strong support for public schools among parents in Texas, and beyond. Nearly eight-out-of-10 parents say they're satisfied with their kids' public schools. That's according to a nationwide poll conducted on behalf of the American Federation of Teachers. The poll surveyed 1,200 parents across the country, including Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. 

  • On Tuesdays, KERA’s One Crisis Away series examines life on the financial edge. This hurricane season has shown everyone the devastation floodwaters can cause, only two-in-10 homeowners in Harvey’s path had flood insurance. KERA’s Courtney Collins sat down with insurance expert Burl Daniel at his office in Fort Worth to talk about the importance of coverage in North Texas.

  • For decades, Americans have argued about the effectiveness of affirmative action. And some of the loudest complaints about the policy come from those who claim affirmative action has subjected white Americans to "reverse" discrimination. Today on Think, Krys Boyd talked with Texas A&M professor Michael S. Collins about whether the program hurts white students. 

 You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM.

Gus Contreras is a digital producer and reporter at KERA News. Gus produces the local All Things Considered segment and reports on a variety of topics from, sports to immigration. He was an intern and production assistant for All Things Considered in Washington D.C.