Texas Observer

Founded in 1954, the Texas Observer is a #progressive #nonprofit news outlet and print #magazine covering the Lone Star State.

Follow Interim Editor-in-Chief @gusbova
Senior Politics Writer @justinmiller
McHam Investigative Reporting Fellow @josephinelee

Become a member and support our work: https://texasobserver.org/join

#Texas #Politics #Culture

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Last Notes

2024-08-19 19:39:15

Last week: Fifty years ago last month, prisoner Fred Gomez Carrasco and an accomplice, Rudolfo Dominguez, died in a shoot-out during an attempted prison break at the Huntsville “Walls” Unit. https://www.texasobserver.org/prison-break-san-antonio-podcast/
#Prison #history #prison #CriminalJustice #news

2024-07-19 18:38:46

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@npub1pcg…9h92 It is appalling! But thank you for reading, this was months of effort by our team to put together.

2024-07-19 16:48:41

This week's top story: “Individuals who are incarcerated [are] being guarded by people who are wearing the same color clothing as during the Confederacy. The South really did not lose when it came to maintaining this form of free labor.” https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-prison-plantations/
#prison #HumanRights #history #racism #slavery #news #Texas

2024-07-17 16:02:32

Yesterday: An investigation by the Texas Observer raises serious questions about whether the #Houston ISD superintendent followed laws that apply to nonprofit organizations and to charter schools. https://www.texasobserver.org/hisd-houston-mike-miles-tea-public-schools-texas/
#politics #USpol #news #education #schools #Texas #Colorado

2024-06-22 20:25:47

The State of Texas plans to execute 41-year-old Ramiro Gonzales next Wednesday, June 26. Not for the first time, his lawyers are pleading with Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles for clemency. https://www.texasobserver.org/ramiro-gonzales-clemency-2024/
#DeathPenalty #prison #CriminalJustice #news #politics #USpol #Texas #HumanRights #religion

2024-06-19 15:41:34

“We were all gathered in the auditorium of Beaumont’s Millard Elementary School when the windows began rattling, a strong enough vibration that 71 years later I remember the moment. ...”
From the archives: Grappling with the damage wrought by the Texas City disaster, more than 70 years later. https://www.texasobserver.org/the-day-the-windows-shook/
#history #news #Texas

2024-06-17 15:09:24

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@npub1pak…jkzf Thanks, as always, y'all!

2024-06-07 15:05:46

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@npub1pak…jkzf Thanks for sharing!

2024-06-01 16:32:17

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@npub1pak…jkzf Thanks, y'all!

2024-05-24 21:04:12

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One judge wrote, "The reporter appropriately weaves her biography ... within detailed, dogged reporting to tell a complex story in a most approachable and inviting way. It’s told with insight yet without journalistic pathology, it’s told unsparingly but with warmth."
3/10

2024-05-24 21:03:59

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The winner of the 2024 MOLLY Prize is Searchlight New Mexico reporter Alicia Inez Guzmán for her powerful investigation, "Buried Secrets, Poisoned Bodies,"
https://searchlightnm.org/buried-secrets-poisoned-bodies/
2/10

2024-05-24 21:03:24

We're excited to share the finalists and winner of the 2024 MOLLY National Journalism Prize! The MOLLY Prize honors former TXO editor/columnist Molly Ivins’ legacy, and awards the best investigative journalism in the U.S. This year's judges had their work cut out for them!
1/10

2024-04-24 18:09:46

From yesterday: Environmental advocates called it “a land grab of Boca Chica State Park land for a private space corporation that is clearly not in the public interest.” So why is the state parks agency seemingly so eager to work with #SpaceX? https://www.texasobserver.org/spacex-tpwd-park-land-musk/
#politics #ElonMusk #news #USpol #Texas #corruption #environment #pollution #SouthTexas

2024-04-10 14:26:23

From our magazine: The latest from Texas Observer political cartoonist Ben Sargent.
Read more from the March/April 2024 issue: https://www.texasobserver.org/issues/march-april-2024/
#politics #USpol #Trump #Republicans #comics #democracy #election2024
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2024-01-31 21:18:38

“This is very, very unsettling ... because they are basically saying you can’t do certain things that are obviously something you would do as a journalist.”
Featured story: The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in the case of the reporter known as 'La Gordiloca' raises major First Amendment concerns, according to experts we spoke with. https://www.texasobserver.org/priscilla-villarreal-journalist-la-gordiloca-fifth-circuit?utm_campaign=mastodon
#journalism #news #politics #Texas #Laredo #FreeSpeech #SCOTUS #media #police

2024-01-30 15:31:57

“The American Indian Native studies course that we’ve developed is heavily focused on modern #indigenous people, both in #Texas and beyond because we do still exist.”
But a Republican has blocked these new teaching standards were about to be implemented, reports McHam Investigative Reporting Fellow @npub1dtj…4htu:
https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-appointee-slams-breaks-on-k-12-native-studies-course?utm_campaign=mastodon
#education #schools #PublicSchools #NativeAmerican #history #culture #News #politics #USpol

2024-01-25 19:04:06

From yesterday: Priscilla Villarreal, the controversial citizen journalist from #Laredo, promised to appeal her case to the Supreme Court after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals said it was legal to jail her just for releasing public information received through unauthorized channels. Experts suggest it would hurt everyday #journalism if upheld:
https://www.texasobserver.org/priscilla-villarreal-journalist-la-gordiloca-fifth-circuit/
#news #politics #USpol #Texas #media #police #FreeSpeech #Louisiana

2024-01-18 18:28:00

”Organized crime has now extended its tentacles throughout #Mexico. Going down the list of the 32 states, at least half of them are wracked by #crime and violence at the highest levels we have seen in a century.”
Our neighbor to the south will elect a new president this year. Will a new leader bring a safer nation? We spoke to an expert about the coming year: https://www.texasobserver.org/mexico-election-2024-obrador-border?utm_campaign=mastodon
#election2024 #voting #democracy #immigration #border #corruption #news #politics

2024-01-10 17:28:55

"I don’t recall nearly the hate for public school districts the way there is now. There’s nothing quite like today."
From the archives: Our deep dive into the Republican plan to undermine #education, which is currently playing out nationwide ...
https://www.texasobserver.org/disrupt-deplete-destroy?utm_campaign=mastodon
#PublicSchools #elections #Texas #democracy #Republicans #news #politics #USpol

2024-01-09 19:42:06

Earlier: Ted Cruz is sacrificing his presidential ambitions (hey, there’s always 2028) to secure a third term in the tony confines of the U.S. Senate. But a pair of Democrats are becoming the most likely opponents ... https://www.texasobserver.org/ted-cruz-roland-gutierrez-senate?utm_campaign=mastodon via @npub1pn3…khxu
#TedCruz #politics #USpol #Democrats #election2024 #democracy #Texas

2023-12-28 15:57:25

Don't miss the email: Our members just received the digital edition of our January/February 2024 issue. Print editions are arriving in mailboxes and at select newsstands soon!
Don't miss another issue, become a member today: https://texasobserver.org/join
#nonprofit #journalism #CriminalJustice #police #history #culture #news #Texas #politics #USpol
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2023-12-26 20:05:19

There's still time to support our work, and get your gift matched!
We only survived 2023 with your help, now you can help us start the new year strong. Donate now: https://donate.texasobserver.org/b/5kA9EteqHerB5kkbII
#Texas #journalism #nonprofit #fundraising
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2023-12-20 15:59:21

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@npub1qag…9gyn @npub1dtj…4htu Eric Adams was talking a good game about accepting the new arrivals at the beginning but he's changed his tune more recently. You're right about the Dems actions on immigration: https://www.texasobserver.org/the-biden-administration-is-still-separating-kids-from-their-families/

2023-12-20 15:47:29

Remember the immigrants bused into New York and other liberal cities? In recent months, Democrats have started to sound more like Republicans when discussing the "migrant crisis."
Investigative Reporting Fellow @npub1dtj…4htu interviewed two #immigration activists for the real story of what's happening at the #border, in NYC and beyond: https://www.texasobserver.org/working-class-perspectives-on-the-migrant-crisis?utm_campaign=mastodon
#news #politics #Mexico #Biden #EricAdams #GregAbbott #Texas #USpol #HumanRights

2023-12-06 16:39:27

In the new #Uvalde documentary from @npub16nx…rj8k and FRONTLINE, they emphasize that the doors of the Robb Elementary classroom were unlocked on that tragic day.
Here's our investigation of the frequent problems surrounding locking the doors in #Texas schools:
https://www.texasobserver.org/uvalde-locks-security-missing-keys?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=audience
#news #politics #USpol #GunViolence #schools #PublicSchools #education #children #teachers

2023-12-04 22:19:43

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@npub1xcu…p3mq then what happens to all the regular people here who aren't nazis though? All the #LGBTQIA+ Texans?

2023-12-04 21:19:09

When it came to banning association with #nazis, antisemites, and holocaust deniers, even watered down language was too much for a key #Texas Republican committee, according to the latest from #Politics Reporter @npub1pn3…khxu. Justin explains how the state party is increasingly aligned with #extremism: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-gop-extremism-nazi-ban-policy-language?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=audience
#news #fascism #USpol #GOP #Republicans #NickFuentes #antisemitism #TXlege

2023-11-15 16:47:37

“This legislation makes our communities less safe, codifies racial profiling, and will cost our counties millions in unfunded mandates.”
A major U.S. Supreme Court case could be on the horizon as the Lone Star State lege votes to pass SB 4, a precedent shattering #immigration bill, during the latest special session. From Senior Staff Writer @npub1046…0vq8:
https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-legislature-votes-to-seize-immigration-authority-from-feds/
#TXlege #politics #USpol #Mexico #border #SCOTUS #law #racism #news #police

2023-11-06 23:09:30

Featured Story: Timothy Murray, the 11-year-old #Brownsville honor student who spent 3 days in solitary confinement after his arrest at the orders of the principal, has a hearing coming up Wednesday to determine if the court will proceed with charges against him. https://www.texasobserver.org/why-was-this-11-year-old-honor-roll-student-put-in-solitary/
#education #Prison #police #Texas #HumanRights #schools #children #news

2023-10-31 18:59:52

Featured story: “If every single person would make a 10-foot by four-foot space and dedicate it as a pollinator garden, a bird garden or whatever it is, with native plants—whatever floats their boat—then we are doing our part to put the diversity back into natives that are being eradicated because we, as a human species, just keep taking the [native] landscapes away.”
https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-native-plant-tips/
#gardening #nature #environment #Texas #climate #HeatWave

2023-10-26 17:42:08

A fourth #Texas county has adopted a restriction on travel for pregnant residents, based on a model #law drafted by an anti-abortion extremist.
From our friends at Truthout: https://www.texasobserver.org/abortion-travel-ban-lubbock/
#abortion #RoeVWade #health #healthcare #Lubbock #USpol #HumanRights #politics #news

2023-10-17 18:42:58

Featured story: “The problem is the political side of the equation. They’re trying to control the narrative.”
Families and survivors are still waiting for answers from the #Texas Department of Public Safety after the #Uvalde massacre ... https://www.texasobserver.org/dps-still-avoiding-a-public-hearing-on-uvalde-massacre/
#Police #guns #GunViolence #politics #news #TXpol

2023-09-26 17:03:26

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@npub1r42…nw3g Thank you for reading. I hadn't had a chance to read this one till I loaded it on our site yesterday, and it moved me quite intensely.—Kit @npub1m8a…khgv

2023-09-26 15:38:34

What if ... we all took naps? 😴
The practice of taking siestas could make a comeback during extreme #heat and record-breaking summers. From our partners at @grist: https://www.texasobserver.org/siestas-naptime-extreme-heat-climate/
#ClimateChange #environment #HeatWave #summer

2023-09-26 14:08:14

From yesterday: When it came to his father's killer, Mitesh Patel "was a typical Texan who was waiting for him to get executed.” Then they got to know one another and everything changed ...
https://www.texasobserver.org/christopher-young-death-penalty-mitesh-patel/
#DeathPenalty #CriminalJustice #law #USpol #news #Texas #politics #Prison #HumanRights

2023-09-07 19:40:42

In San Antonio, #water main breaks averaged about 470 per month from January to June and then jumped to 725 in July and 1,076 in August as extreme heat bore down.
Dylan Baddour, from our friends at @npub16sl…e3s3, took a closer look at the high cost of the #heat wave on our state's leaking infrastructure: https://www.texasobserver.org/water-repairs-leaks-heatwave-infrastructure/
(📸 Photo by Reginald Mathalone/NurPhoto via AP)
#environment #news #politics #USpol #HeatWave #summer #ClimateChange #infrastructure #Houston
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2023-09-07 18:14:17

Tickets Available Now!
Join the Texas Observer In Conversation with Annette Gordon-Reed, author of "On Juneteenth" and "Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings."
October 19 at the Stateside at the Paramount Hotel in #Austin. Find more information, and purchase your tickets here: https://www.texasobserver.org/agr/
#TexasNeedsAnObserver—all proceeds from this #fundraising event will help keep the Observer alive!
#events #books #Texas #nonprofit #fun #news #politics #USpol #history
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2023-08-31 15:43:32

Earlier: “For 100 years, cities have had home rule powers, the power of self-governance, under the state constitution, that does not require the legislature’s permission to pass laws. The state is trying to turn that on its head.”
https://www.texasobserver.org/judge-strikes-down-leges-power-grab-against-cities-hb-2127/
#news #politics #USpol #Texas #TXlege #law #democracy

2023-08-29 19:51:47

From the Archives: "It’s a safe space to be yourself regardless of who that is. I don’t understand why people want to smother that."
West #Texas Town Comes Out for #Drag Queens
https://www.texasobserver.org/wolfforth-lubbock-drag-queen-story-hour/
#LGBTQIA+ #Lubbock #WestTexas #news #politics #USpol #DragQueens #children

2023-08-21 18:51:48

Earlier: “The central premise is that God wants you to be healthy and wealthy.” And that Christian nationalists should rule the world, of course.
From Special Investigative Correspondent @npub18l5…2jgj https://texasobserver.org/these-christians-think-god-needs-you-rich-and-to-rule-the-world/
#Extremism #religion #news #politics #USpol #Fascism #Christianity

2023-08-21 14:37:08

From last week: New superintendent Mike Miles put on a play to inspire teachers. Not everyone was amused.
McHam Investigative Reporting Fellow @npub1dtj…4htu continues to follow the #Houston ISD Takeover:
https://www.texasobserver.org/houston-isd-takeover-the-musical/
#schools #Texas #TXlege #politics #USpol #news #education

2023-08-10 16:45:24

"Even when people in this group knew they weren’t the best off, what kept them from feeling that they were at the very bottom was the color of their skin."
In our magazine, a thought-provoking and disturbing look at the effect of #poverty on the growth of #racism in small-town America in this excerpt from Forgotten Girls: A Memoir about Friendship and Lost Promise in America: https://www.texasobserver.org/white-people-rural-arkansas-recession-forgotten-girls/
#culture #books #politics #USpol #economy #inequality

2023-08-02 17:25:26

How do you fight back against a policy that doesn't exist?
Data shows that the #Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has rejected dozens (perhaps hundreds) of citizens' complaints due to the 1-Mile Rule, despite officially denying its existence. An important new investigation from Dylan Baddour at @npub16sl…e3s3:
https://www.texasobserver.org/1-mile-rule-tceq-citizen-complaint/
(📸 #Photography by Dylan Baddour)
#environment #ClimateChange #GulfCoast #Houston #pollution #OilAndGas #energy #LNG #politics #USpol #news
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2023-07-18 15:00:27

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In the words of a botanist Youtuber who visited a Starr County site being cleared for Greg Abbott's #border wall: "This is fuckin’ morbid man. #Texas just does not give a fuck.”
Read more in the cover story from our July/August 2023 magazine: https://www.texasobserver.org/abbotts-billion-dollar-barrier/
#GregAbbott #immigration #politics #pollution #news #USpol #TXlege #Mexico #environment

2023-07-12 14:26:14

The July/August issue is reaching mailboxes and select newsstands now!
Digital subscribers: Watch your email for your copy, coming later today. Enjoy, and share it with a friend who needs to discover why #TexasNeedsAnObserver!
Become a member to get our magazine 6 times per year: https://texasobserver.org/join
#nonprofit #journalism #news #politics #culture #Texas
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2023-06-30 21:40:18

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“You’re left to languish in the waiting room not knowing if you’re going to walk out alive. No one is paying attention. Nobody’s coming to check on you.”
We'd also like to highlight @npub1e2c…xwvg's report on Greg Abbott's pointless cruelty against sickle cell disease sufferers, (mostly #Black people). The governor vetoed a bill which would have aided lifesaving treatment: https://www.texasobserver.org/sickle-cell-registry-bill-veto-abbott/
#Healthcare #news #Politics #TXLege #USpol #racism #medical #HumanRights #Texas #Newstodon

2023-06-30 21:35:29

For #Newstodon Friday, we're sharing @npub18l5…2jgj's visualizations of the latest hate crime data from #Texas,
Incidents targeting #LGBTQIA+ people occur at nearly 4 times the rate of all other incidents: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-sets-new-hate-crimes-record-dps-data-show/
#HateCrime #homophobia #transphobia #queer #Racism #Islamophobia #WhiteSupremacy #Fascism #extremism #dataviz #news

2023-06-28 21:20:01

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Naomi Shihab Nye served as our #Poetry Editor for 28 years. As a going-away present in honor of her retirement, we let her have a space in our magazine to share anything she wanted from her career.
For Naomi, the most important thing to talk about was inspiring #children: https://www.texasobserver.org/naomi-shihab-nye-public-poetry/
#education #books #poems #writing #CreativeWriting #Texas #culture #kids #schools

2023-06-13 21:06:20

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Sharron Stewart's defended the Brazos River, against Dow Chemical since 1971. Since then, some things have changed—like the passage of the Clean #Water Act—but some haven't, including the waterway's top polluter.
Outgoing #Environment Reporter @npub1y4f…8trx Erdenesanaa takes us down the Brazos to look at the damage done, and what some folks are trying to do about it: https://www.texasobserver.org/dow-brazos-river-pollution-nurdles/
(#Photography by Meridith Kohut)
#environment #pollution #new #politics #Texas #history #ClimateChange #Dow
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2023-04-24 19:38:53

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UPDATE—We've added more from the leaked #[0] Department of #[1] dress code to Kit #[2]'s story. Specifically the closing section where standards for men and #[3] are outlined as well as penalties for violating the policy. This should add more context to discussions: https://www.texasobserver.org/sid-miller-department-agriculture-dress-code-transgender/
#[4] #[5]+ #[6] #[7] #[8] #[9] #[10] #[11]
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2023-04-24 15:19:31

”Employees are expected to comply with this dress code in a manner consistent with their biological #[0].”—#[1] Department of #[2] memorandum
Ag Dept employees received an unwelcome surprise in a new dress code issued last week that seems aimed at oppressing #[3] and #[4] workers, reports Digital Editor Kit #[5] based on a document leaked to us:
https://www.texasobserver.org/sid-miller-department-agriculture-dress-code-transgender/
#[6] #[7]+ #[8] #[9] #[10] #[11] #[12] #[13] #[14]
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2023-04-13 16:24:13

The fediverse saved the Texas Observer. We need your help so we last another 69 years.
We're launching our spring membership drive soon, but you can get ahead of the curve and join now: https://texasobserver.org/join/
Can you help us reach 6000 members this spring?
#[0] #[1] #[2] #[3] #[4] #[5]

2023-03-31 14:15:56

Good morning. Our doors would be shutting today and all of us would be out of work, if 1000s of people hadn't come together to say that #[0].
We are so grateful to all of you on this #[1] Friday!

2023-03-29 22:09:50

WE DID IT! The Texas Observer will remain open!
Our board just voted to rescind both the layoffs and the closure. We'll have more news soon, but we believe this is the start of a very positive transformation at our publication—and you were a huge part of it. THANK YOU! You proved to the world that #[0]!
https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-observer-no-layoffs-remains-open-board-vote/
#[1] #[2] #[3]

2023-03-29 21:23:22

“Among the unexpected sources of support for the magazine was the #[0]—the collection of decentralized Mastodon servers that soared in popularity following Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. Many comments on the GoFundMe page mention that the donors learned about the Observer through #[1]—where the Texas Observer was one of the first journalistic outlets to set up its own server, #[2] said.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/29/texas-observer-closing-gofundme via Guardian
#[3] #[4] #[5]

2023-03-29 13:40:09

”This magazine can be saved. Indeed, it must be saved. And the journalists who produce it must be assured the financial security they need to keep speaking truth to power in 2024 and beyond.” https://www.thenation.com/article/society/texas-observer-shutting-down/ via #[0] ❤️
#[1]

2023-03-27 03:35:37

We just found out the Texas Observer is shutting down this week. Unfortunately, we found out via our friends at #[0].
It's been an absolute pleasure interacting with everyone in the Fediverse as the Texas Observer, and we'll miss you.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/26/texas-observer-shutting-down/