EXPLAINED: 75 | Rare Historical Photos

Loon Star: Make America Sick Again

Ben Sargent's latest editorial cartoon takes on the "stay home" protesters who demonstrated outside of the Texas Capitol in April 2020.

Texas Observer · Apr 22, 2020

COVID-19 Cases Now Tied to Meat Plants in Rural Texas Counties Wracked with Coronavirus

The outbreaks, which are being investigated by the state health agency, represent the first reported cases of the virus inside Texas meatpacking plants, and are in rural areas where medical resources are already stretched thin.

Texas Observer · Apr 22, 2020

Along the Border, Witnesses of Smuggling Crimes Are Being Held in Detention, Despite Coronavirus Concerns

Even as jails across the country release low-level offenders, federal prosecutors in Texas are still asking judges to detain immigrants they want to testify against smugglers.

Texas Observer · Apr 21, 2020

Texas Had a State Office That Could Have Investigated Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Cases. Lawmakers Defunded it Three Years Ago.

While early reports elsewhere show African Americans disproportionately infected and dying from COVID-19, Texas’ data is incomplete.

Texas Observer · Apr 16, 2020

At Least Seven Texas Detention Center Employees Who Tested Positive for COVID-19 Were Not Officially Reported by ICE

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it is not obligated to report contractors’ employees who have tested positive.

Texas Observer · Apr 16, 2020

Houston Is Ground Zero for a Potentially Lifesaving COVID-19 Treatment

A national study examines whether plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients might provide a lifesaving treatment for those still suffering the worst symptoms

Texas Observer · Apr 15, 2020

From Jail to the Streets: One Texan’s Story During COVID-19

The unhoused, who frequently face laws that criminalize their very existence, are 11 times more likely to get locked up than the rest of the population.

Texas Observer · Apr 15, 2020

Greg Abbott’s Power Grab on Bail Reform

Abbott’s executive order blocking jail releases during a pandemic highlights conservative opposition to the growing movement to end wealth-based detention in Texas.

Texas Observer · Apr 14, 2020

The COVID-19 Disaster Has Made a Mess of Texas’ Open Government Rules

Some government officials in Texas appear to be exploiting the pandemic as a way to hide public business from the public.

Texas Observer · Apr 14, 2020

What One Texan Had to do to Get an Abortion During the Pandemic

Republican-controlled Texas is using the COVID-19 pandemic as the latest strategy in their anti-abortion playbook, and it’s affecting people’s lives.

Texas Observer · Apr 13, 2020