DARK SECRETS: 78 | Vintage Vibes

Democratic Voters Surge in Texas Primary, Waiting in Punishingly Long Lines as Officials Struggle to Keep Up

Grueling wait times stretched hours past closing time at polling locations in the Texas primary. One voter waited nearly seven hours to cast his ballot.

Texas Observer · Mar 4, 2020

Texas Prosecutor Races Offer Competing Visions for Criminal Justice Reform

In Harris County, Kim Ogg’s more cautious approach to reform wins big while Travis County’s incumbent DA still faces a challenge from the left.

Texas Observer · Mar 4, 2020

State Senator Eddie Lucio Is Headed to a Runoff

The Texas Senate’s most conservative Democrat may not be invincible.

Texas Observer · Mar 4, 2020

Loon Star: The Lost Treasures of Texas

Ben Sargent on the lost treasures of Texas: Jim Bowie's silver mine, Jean Lafitte's pirate gold, and Ted Cruz and John Cornyn's backbones.

Texas Observer · Mar 2, 2020

The Party Pariah

Henry Cuellar is a pro-gun, anti-abortion, anti-union deficit hawk who has rarely met a regulation he wouldn’t gut or a Republican he wouldn’t work with.

Texas Observer · Feb 28, 2020

In Southeast Lubbock Neighborhood, Residents are Fed Up With a Feedlot

Residents have complained for years about the fecal dust invading Yellowhouse Canyon in Lubbock. But so far, concerns have mostly been ignored.

Texas Observer · Feb 26, 2020

Texas Prisons Ban Greeting Cards, Expand Drug-Sniffing Dog Searches to Visitors

Families of prisoners and civil rights groups call the new policies arbitrary, punitive, and isolating for people behind bars.

Texas Observer · Feb 26, 2020

ACLU Sues East Texas Towns Over ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ Ordinances

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two abortion access groups that were named “criminal organizations” by the local ordinances.

Texas Observer · Feb 25, 2020

In the Trump Era, Practicing Immigration Law is Like ‘Swimming in Molasses’

Veteran attorney Elise Harriger is learning how to lose, but she vows to keep on fighting.

Texas Observer · Feb 25, 2020

‘Trans Pecos’ Is a Beautiful Plea to Protect West Texas

This visually striking film captures the innate beauty of far West Texas and the threats posed to it by oil and gas infrastructure.

Texas Observer · Feb 21, 2020