YOU WONT BELIEVE: 14 | Mind Blowing Facts

The Adoption Trap

Private foster care and adoption agencies in Texas are brokering contracts for moms to turn over their children in a murky legal world, spawning protracted civil custody battles.

Texas Observer · Jul 21, 2025

How Trump’s IRS May Unshackle Churches from Their Political Restraints

As if everyday life in these United States wasn’t politicized enough, your local house of worship could soon become a part of the campaign battlefield.

Texas Observer · Jul 17, 2025

Robert Roberson Faces New Execution Date in Controversial ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’ Case

The new date comes after Ken Paxton took over the case that could lead to the nation's first execution based on the contested diagnosis.

Texas Observer · Jul 16, 2025

In the Hill Country and Beyond, Rural Texas Counties Lack Resources for Flood Detection

A federally funded project at Rice University is trying to tackle that problem, but in just two counties so far.

Texas Observer · Jul 10, 2025

‘Disasters Are a Human Choice’: Texas Counties Have Little Power to Stop Building in Flood-Prone Areas

Experts suggested that more data and education are needed as Texas and the rest of the country build in known flood plains.

Texas Observer · Jul 9, 2025

I Remember the 2002 Fourth of July Hill Country Floods. This Year, the Water Returned.

These floods do not come from nowhere. They are an effect of larger historical, structural, and environmental processes.

Texas Observer · Jul 8, 2025

Climate Change Helped Fuel Heavy Rains that Led to Devastating Hill Country Flood

Officials are reporting more than 100 fatalities in Kerr County, including 28 children.

Texas Observer · Jul 8, 2025

In Abilene, Stargate Project Puts AI Boom Ahead of Human Health

The first data center for a $500-billion artificial intelligence project arrives in small-town Texas, alongside a potentially harmful natural gas plant.

Texas Observer · Jul 8, 2025

Can a Great Museum City Survive the Censorious Right?

Fear and reticence spread in Fort Worth as Sally Mann’s nude photos of her children were held as police evidence.

Texas Observer · Jul 7, 2025

Trump’s DOGE Cuts Are a Texas-Sized Disaster

Reckless agency layoffs and the dismantling of federal relief programs could leave the Lone Star State in peril.

Texas Observer · Jul 3, 2025