TexasObserver

TexasObserver, 2 days ago to politics

From our magazine: Ken Paxton joins a very exclusive club. https://www.texasobserver.org/loon-star-state-the-above-the-law-society/

#politics #USpol #Texas #KenPaxton #Trump #corruption #comics

TexasObserver, 2 days ago to Texas

The titular character of Daniel Chacon's new short story collection, The Last Philosopher in Texas: Fictions and Superstitions, came to him as he was walking his dog in Pecos, the windblown West #Texas town where his father once lived. https://www.texasobserver.org/the-chicano-time-traveler/

#fiction #culture #WestTexas @bookstodon #books #bookstodon

TexasObserver, 2 days ago (edited 2 days ago) to news

“The Board and the Governor have put their politics over justice and made a mockery of our legal system.”

Yesterday, Governor Greg Abbott issued a full pardon for Daniel Perry, who killed Garrett Foster, a protester at a Black Lives Matter march in 2020. Special Investigative Correspondent @stevanzetti explains all the context the governor ignored: https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-pardon-daniel-perry-garrett-foster/

#news #politics #USpol #GregAbbott #BlackLivesMatter #protest #GunViolence #Texas

TexasObserver, 2 days ago to politics

“Your biggest thing is, you want to have your kids safe. So when your house is not safe anymore, you’re like, ‘Well, that sucks. I failed.’”

From the archives, by correspondent Eva Ruth Moravec: Temporary #housing platforms create drama—and put money in the coffers of Texas cities. https://www.texasobserver.org/short-term-rentals-airbnb-vrbo-neighborhoods/

#politics #USpol #AirBNB #news #Texas

TexasObserver, 4 days ago to news

Earlier: “The indictment is spectacular. It’s one of those things that is shocking for the magnitude and shocking for the unprecedented nature.” https://www.texasobserver.org/henry-cuellar-indictment-bribery-azerbaijan-mexico/

#news #politics #USpol #democracy #Democrats #corruption #Texas

TexasObserver, 4 days ago to news

“We want to pray for immigrants and refugees who seek a better life in our country.”

From Reporting Fellow Francesca D'Annunzio in our magazine: In Eagle Pass, the faithful gather in state-occupied Shelby Park to mourn migrants who have died trying to reach the United States. https://www.texasobserver.org/mourning-migrants-with-the-militarys-permission/

#news #politics #religion #border #immigration #USpol #Texas #SouthTexas

TexasObserver, 5 days ago to news

Featured: “Arrests are going to become the weapon of choice for all city officials. We just can’t have a system that treats arrests more leniently than other ways of punishing your critics.” https://www.texasobserver.org/small-town-politics-national-consequences/

#news #politics #USpol #CriminalJustice #Texas #SouthTexas #SCOTUS

TexasObserver, 5 days ago to Texas

From our magazine: “This is all we have. This is our only window that’s left into this part of our history that’s not well understood. It’s our only chance to find out about ancestors.” https://www.texasobserver.org/forgotten-keepers-of-the-rio-grande-delta/

#Indigenous #Texas #politics #USpol #environment #SouthTexas #ClimateChange #HumanRights

TexasObserver, 5 days ago (edited 5 days ago) to news

“For him to turn our concerns into satire is really insulting. It reeks of propaganda.”

From the archives: Hundreds of parents took the streets yesterday to protest Mike Miles' mass-firing of teachers. Let's look back at the time he forced staff to watch a musical about how awesome he is. https://www.texasobserver.org/houston-isd-takeover-the-musical/ via @josephinelee

#news #politics #USpol #education #GulfCoast #Houston #schools #Texas

TexasObserver, 5 days ago to news

“If it’s selective, then the park is not really open, is it?”

Officials at the Texas Military insist Eagle Pass’ Shelby Park is open—but residents have said they’ve been turned away or threatened with arrest. From Reporting Fellow Francesca D'Annunzio https://www.texasobserver.org/eagle-pass-shelby-park-abbott-military-closed-open/

#news #politics #SouthTexas #border #USpol #Texas #HumanRights #military

TexasObserver, 6 days ago to ukteachers

Featured: The Remnant Alliance has united several powerful conservative Christian groups under the banner of Christian Nationalism, and they're going to have an even bigger impact on public #education than ever. From Correspondent @stevanzetti ... https://www.texasobserver.org/christian-schoolboards-education-k12/

#news #politics #USpol #Texas #Christianity #religion #extremism

TexasObserver, 6 days ago to FreeSpeech

Last week: “The undisputed facts show that the outdoor grounds of the campus such as the sidewalks and plazas are designated public fora for the speech of university students.”
https://www.texasobserver.org/a-lawsuit-30-years-ago-affirmed-free-speech-on-texas-college-campuses/

#FreeSpeech #politics #USpol #news #UTAustin #Texas #history #law

TexasObserver, 6 days ago to Texas

“They almost annihilated us, and that genocide continues. To destroy the environment you have to destroy the people who protect it.”

From our magazine: An industrial buildout on the southern tip of #Texas is erasing the last traces of an ancient world that still hasn’t died. From Correspondent Dylan Baddour: https://www.texasobserver.org/forgotten-keepers-of-the-rio-grande-delta/

#news #politics #USpol #environment #ClimateChange #Indigenous #SouthTexas

dancingdogs, 7 days ago to random

In the Texas Panhandle, which produces a fifth of the U.S. beef supply, communities are being choked by fecal dust from nearby feedlots. The state’s regulatory agency isn’t doing anything about it—and it’s about to get a whole lot worse.

https://www.texasobserver.org/cafos-panhandle-tceq/

TexasObserver, 8 days ago to politics

From Thursday: “I want people to know that they’ve got a nurse in that chamber, who has had an #abortion, and who is going to fight tooth and nail for common sense health care policies for all Texans.” https://www.texasobserver.org/molly-cook-senate-special-election/ via @josephinelee

#politics #Texas #democracy #election2024 #Houston #GulfCoast #nurses #healthcare

TexasObserver, 8 days ago to Texas

“We just can’t have a system that treats arrests more leniently than other ways of punishing your critics.”

This week's top story: A small-town #Texas dispute that spiraled out of control has landed at the U.S. Supreme Court, with potentially widespread consequences. https://www.texasobserver.org/small-town-politics-national-consequences/

#SCOTUS #politics #USpol #News #CriminalJustice #law #SouthTexas

TexasObserver, 9 days ago to news

From yesterday: ”Every race is different. We knew that going from a six-way primary to a head-to-head special election is a completely different dynamic.” https://www.texasobserver.org/molly-cook-senate-special-election/ via @josephinelee

#news #politics #USpol #election2024 #Houston #GulfCoast

TexasObserver, 9 days ago to photography

From the archives: The Ms. Texas Senior America pageant celebrates Texan women aged 60 and older living through what the organization’s website calls “the age of elegance.”

An essay from photojournalist Shelby Tauber ...https://www.texasobserver.org/ms-texas-senior-america-photo-essay/

#photography #aging #culture #beauty #fashion #Texas

TexasObserver, 9 days ago to Texas

“If you’re calling for the arrest of protesters who are simply engaging in First Amendment activities on public space, then you’re exposing yourself as a partisan ...”

New today: The University of Texas’ fixation on protesters “not affiliated with UT” calls to mind when Southwest #Texas State University tried to ban an independent newspaper. https://www.texasobserver.org/a-lawsuit-30-years-ago-affirmed-free-speech-on-texas-college-campuses/

#news #politics #history #FreeSpeech #USpol #Palestine #protest #UTAustin

TexasObserver, 9 days ago to Texas

The powerful Laredo congressman is indicted for allegedly acting as a foreign agent for Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank in exchange for at least $600,000 in bribes. New today from Lise Olsen and Justin Miller ... https://www.texasobserver.org/henry-cuellar-indictment-bribery-azerbaijan-mexico/

#Texas #corruption

TexasObserver, 10 days ago to politics

”My organizing background is the reason that a bedside emergency room nurse ... was able to break onto the political scene and move into the electoral space with success in a brief period of time.”

New: The ER nurse and community organizer wants to bring “the Capitol to the people and the people to the Capitol.” From Reporting Fellow @josephinelee ... https://www.texasobserver.org/molly-cook-senate-special-election/

#politics #USpol #election2024 #Houston #EastTexas #democracy #healthcare #activism

TexasObserver, 10 days ago to Houston

Just an hour north of the traffic and skyscrapers of downtown #Houston is the 96-mile Lone Star Hiking Trail, the longest footpath in #Texas.

From our archives: Writer Sergio Chapa recounts his experience walking every mile of this unique green space. https://www.texasobserver.org/lone-star-hiking-trail-houston/

#culture #nature #environment #walking

TexasObserver, 10 days ago to news

“Hobbyist distillers should just be left alone.”

New today: Modern moonshiners are caught between the interests of the federal government, spirits industry bigwigs, and even the Federalist Society. From Reporting Fellow @josephinelee https://www.texasobserver.org/distillers-decriminalize-home-booze/

#news #politics #USpol #Texas

TexasObserver, 11 days ago to Texas

Previously: Perry was routinely pilloried by critics as a glad-handing good ol’ boy whose good looks made up for his lack of smarts. But his effects on #Texas politics can still be felt ... https://www.texasobserver.org/rick-perry-biography-governor-politician/

#USpol #Books #history #politics #news #Republicans