Think from KERA

[2016-04-19 12:00:00] In December 1884, Austin became the stalking ground for one of America’s most vicious serial killers. Over the next year, “The Midnight Assassin” stalked women of all backgrounds, leading to more than a dozen arrests as police tried in vain to stop the rampage. This hour, we’ll talk about terror in the Texas capital with Texas Monthly’s Skip Hollandsworth, author of “The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer” (Henry Holt and Co.).

[2016-04-18 12:00:00] Many poor families spend more than half of their income on rent. That means even a short period of unemployment can lead to homelessness in a hurry. As part of the KERA series One Crisis Away, this hour, we’ll talk about what it’s like to live life so close to the margin with Matthew Desmond, co-director of Harvard’s Justice and Poverty project and author of “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City” (Crown).

[2016-04-18 13:00:00] Fifty years ago this August, Charles Whitman ascended UT-Austin’s iconic tower and unleashed a shooting spree that left 14 dead and more than 30 injured on the mall below. This hour, we’ll revisit that day and hear the stories of ordinary people who displayed extraordinary courage, the subject of the documentary “Tower.” The film screens Tuesday night at the Dallas International Film Festival, and we’ll be joined by its director, Keith Maitland, and Claire Wilson, who was struck by one of Whitman’s bullets.

[2016-04-14 12:00:00] The public television series “Stories of the Mind” explores depression, PTSD, anxiety and other conditions that can keep us from living our best lives. This hour, we’ll hear about everyday people who are overcoming these mental hurdles with producer Harry Lynch. “Stories of the Mind” airs Sundays at noon on KERA-TV.

[2016-04-14 13:00:00] Infidelity touches couples of all ages, races and orientations. But it doesn’t have to mean the end of a relationship. This hour, we’ll talk about how couples can rebuild trust and turn a crisis into an opportunity with therapist Esther Perel. She’ll conduct a workshop called “The State of Affairs: Re-thinking Infidelity,” on Friday at SMU-in-Plano.

[2016-04-13 13:00:00] It seems a new high-rise apartment building is going up along every street in central Dallas these days. So how will all of this new construction affect the overall look of the city? This hour, we’ll find out with Dallas Morning News architecture critic Mark Lamster and Eric Nicholson of the Dallas Observer.

[2016-04-13 12:00:00] On Sunday, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth will unveil a comprehensive survey of American artist Frank Stella’s work. The show is a co-production of the Whitney Museum of American Art and features 100 of his paintings, sculptures and drawings. This hour, we’ll talk with Stella and Modern chief curator Michael Auping about “Frank Stella: A Retrospective,” which is on display in Fort Worth through Sept. 18.

[2016-04-12 12:00:00] Alzheimer’s disease afflicts more than 40 million people worldwide – a brain condition that’s puzzled neuroscientists for decades. This hour, we’ll talk about major drug trials and new research that could hold the key to unlocking how the disease works with Sarah Holt. She’s the director of the NOVA documentary “Can Alzheimer’s Be Stopped?” which airs Wednesday night at 9 on KERA-TV.

[2016-04-12 13:00:00] One of the dirtiest words these days in Washington is “compromise.” Yet the unwillingness for politicians to negotiate is a major threat to our democracy. This hour, we’ll talk about how we got here – and about if there’s any hope for a change in attitude – with Thomas Mann, senior fellow at Brookings Institution and resident scholar at the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley. He’s co-author of “It’s Even Worse Than it Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism” (Basic Books).

[2016-04-11 12:00:00] An estimated 400 trafficked teens walk the streets of North Texas each night. This hour, we’ll talk about why these kids become trafficked, how to recognize them and what can be done to help with New Friends New LifeCEO Katie Pedigo; the organization’s clinical director, HaeSung Han; and Amanda Jones, who was once trafficked herself.