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Top Stories: Dallas Lawmakers Spar Over Tough Issues; Impacts Of Solitary Confinement

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The top local stories this evening from KERA News:

Two North Texas lawmakers took a break from the legislative session to share a stage in Dallas Friday morning. Republican Senator Don Huffines and Democratic Representative Rafael Anchia debated a range of hot button issues being considered in Austin.

Over the hour-long event sponsored by the Texas Tribune, neither Huffines nor Anchia shied away from the controversial topics swirling under the capitol dome – like immigration, sanctuary cities, Obamacare and the state’s troubled Child Protective Services agency.

They also debated the so-called bathroom bill. Huffines is a sponsor of the effort to bar governments and public schools from letting transgender people use the restrooms that match their gender identity. Anchia called it discrimination, saying it will hurt the state’s economy and make Texas the laughing stock of the nation.

Other stories this evening:

  • In the U.S., prisoners in solitary confinement spend 23 hours a day in cells with no human contact. And some of those prisoners can spend years in isolation. Today on Think, Krys Boyd talked with law professor Keramet Reiter about the long-term effects of solitary confinement on inmates. Reiter is the author of "23/7: Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary Confinement."
  • Theater companies plan their seasons months, even years in advance. But on North Texas stages, the past month and incoming months, drama after drama suddenly seems relevant – even provocative. Justin Marin sat down with Art&Seek’s Jerome Weeks to find out why audiences have been talking about these plays.

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

Former KERA staffer Stephanie Kuo is an award-winning radio journalist who worked as a reporter and administrative producer at KERA, overseeing and coordinating editorial content reports and logistics for the Texas Station Collaborative – a statewide news consortium including KERA, KUT in Austin, Houston Public Media and Texas Public Radio in San Antonio.