Watching the world watch Texas.

December 7, 2022

In this issue of Branding Texas: National news covers the Texas midterms, Uvalde is back in national news, Astros win the World Series, Big Bend national park is named one of the top places to visit and a Texas family fights to keep their family together.


Thomas Graham

 

Midterm Elections Had Media Turn Their Eyes to Texas

The 2022 Midterm election was a strong topic in major news across the U.S., and Texas was a forefront for many of the conversations and articles published about the midterms. Major topics ranged from voting rights, the governor race and Hispanic voters.

The Washington Post highlighted voting rights in Harris County and the New York Times reported on the Hispanic voters in Texas. The Texas governor race between Beto O’Rouke and Governor Greg Abbott also had national news media reporting on it. The Washington Post, New York Times and the Washington Times all reported on the race. The Washington Times articles commented on how states who opened faster after COVID-19 had governors who were reelected.

The election was widely reported on and had opinions range from good to bad. However, the eyes were surely upon Texas.

 

Uvalde Back in the News

Uvalde, TX, was back in major national news this month due to the resigning of the police chief who was active during the tragic shooting in May. News included The New York Times, The Guardian and CNN reporting on the resignation of the police chief and how the community is still healing after the tragedy. Sports Illustrated also reported on Uvalde this month, highlighting the University of Texas at Austin women’s basketball team hosting a pre-season fundraiser for Uvalde.

Uvalde has been in and out of major news ever since the tragedy, but the resigning of the police chief had Uvalde being in the spotlight again.

 

Houston Astros Win World Series

The Houston Astros won the 2022 world series this month and was majorly reported on from national news. The team won despite heavy criticism from major news following the cheating scandal from a few years ago. This is the second World Series title the Astros have won in the past five years,  the first being in 2017.

ESPN and CNN reported on the games and how they won the series in game 6. The New York Post covered the celebrations in Houston following the win. And The New York Times shared a heartfelt story on Yordan Alvarez and his family attending the series. Texas sports are always at the forefront of news topics and the Astros win is no different.

 

Big Bend National Park Named Top Place to Visit

Big Bend National Park was named one of the top places to visit by National Geographic. USA Today covered the piece by the National Geographic and highlighted the attention the Texas will get. Fox News also reported on Big Bend National Park where they highlighted the natural beauty of the park.

Big Bend National Park has been a well-kept secret in Texas. It’s striking beauty and rivers have been an attraction for years but is now getting the national attention it deserves.

Texas Family Fights for Adoption

A Texas family has made national news for their fight to keep their family together. The Brackeen family have brought their case to the supreme court over their adoption of their two Native American children.

ABC News and The New York post have both covered the story and has also been featured in other major national news including The Huffington Post and CBS News. The supreme court ruling should come out in June and if ruled in the Brackeen’s favor could change over 40 years of adoption rules for Native American tribes.

 

Loggerhead Turtles Rescued on Texas Beach

Since August hundreds of loggerhead turtles have appeared randomly on Texas beaches. The turtles were malnourished and dehydrated and admitted to the Texas State Aquarium rescue program. In November, the Texas State Aquarium has started to return the turtles to the Gulf of Mexico. Researchers are still wondering why the turtles began showing up on the beaches and what is causing their dehydration and malnourishment.

The news has reached national attention with media coverage from Fox News. Fox News highlighted the quick action the Texas State Aquarium took to take care of the turtles. The turtles have been safely returned to the gulf and researchers expect more turtles to appear stranded on the beaches throughout the winter.

 

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