The Rural Health Care Crisis, Mapped Texas is facing a rural health care crisis. How many doctors are in your county? Texas Observer · Nov 20, 2019
On Rodney Reed Case, Greg Abbott Gets a Political Reprieve A last-minute court intervention relieved political pressure on the Texas governor, who was ultimately able to keep his capital punishment bona fides intact. Texas Observer · Nov 19, 2019
John Cornyn’s Weaselly Immigration Record How to say one thing and do another. Texas Observer · Nov 19, 2019
Texas Congressional Candidate Shannon Hutcheson Defended Corporations Against the Vulnerable. EMILY’s List Endorsed Her Anyway. Shannon Hutcheson has billed herself as a fierce reproductive rights advocate. But the corporate lawyer has papered over a troubling record, including her defense of a prison guard who sexually abused migrant women. Texas Observer · Nov 19, 2019
Activists Rally for the Closure of Hutto Detention Center as Private Contract Rumors Swirl Former detainees were among those criticizing ICE's attempt to secure a 10-year private contract for the facility and two others in Texas. Texas Observer · Nov 18, 2019
Driving My Life Away Two decades ago, 14 of the state’s 254 counties had no doctor. Today, that number has jumped to 33. More than 20 other counties have just one. Texas Observer · Nov 18, 2019
‘You Can Only Take So Much’: Low-Income Hurricane Harvey Survivors Sue Over ‘Discriminatory’ Recovery Process The lawsuit accuses state and federal officials of favoring wealthier, white homeowners over poorer black and Hispanic renters. Texas Observer · Nov 15, 2019
In ‘Yellow Rose,’ the American Coming-of-Age Story Finally Includes Undocumented Youth Set in Austin, the film tracks a Filipina teen dreaming of a country music career—and fighting to keep her family together. Texas Observer · Nov 14, 2019
Rick Perry Exports His Pay-to-Play Politics to Ukraine Perry has talked about his aspirations for Ukraine to become “the Texas of Europe.” On the corporate cronyism front, he may just have succeeded. Texas Observer · Nov 13, 2019
American Cities Weren’t Revitalized by the White ‘Creative Class.’ Immigrants Made Them Great. “Barrio America” weaves together several strands of urban studies to tell a story that transcends what might seem like irrevocable barriers of race and class. Texas Observer · Nov 12, 2019
Having My Period in Prison Was Awful. In Texas, That May Finally Change. When I was locked up, I often had to go without tampons or pads. A new law ensures that the 12,500 women still behind bars won’t have to. Texas Observer · Nov 12, 2019
Scenes from a Rural Hospital’s Final Day Chillicothe Hospital closed its doors on July 22. Its closure reverberated through the community in both expected and surprising ways. Texas Observer · Nov 11, 2019
The Movement to Free Rodney Reed Illustrates the Growing Unease Over Texas’ Use of the Death Penalty Calls to spare Rodney Reed point to a larger distrust in Texas’ use of the death penalty and the justice system that convicted him. Texas Observer · Nov 11, 2019
‘Nobody’s Beating You,’ Trump Assures John Cornyn Our state’s senior senator continues to hitch himself to Trump’s wagon, even as things get rocky. Texas Observer · Nov 8, 2019
Texas Observer · Nov 8, 2019 State Investigators Identify ‘Serious Contractual Violations’ by the Heidi Group A new report from the health inspector general says the Heidi Group, an anti-abortion group tapped to replace Planned Parenthood in state family planning programs, misused taxpayer funds, and calls for an expanded investigation of the group’s contracts.
Texas Observer · Nov 8, 2019 Governor Launches Camp, Backs ‘Mega-Tent’ for Austin’s Homeless, Surprising Advocates The governor and Austin’s business community announced plans for a temporary campsite and a future “mega-tent” shelter for the city's homeless community. They’re working separately from local homeless service providers.
Texas Observer · Nov 7, 2019 Potter County Criminal Defense System is Lambasted in a New Report A 200-page report produced by the Sixth Amendment Center exhaustively shows how the long arm of the law gives poor people in Amarillo the short end of the stick.
Texas Observer · Nov 7, 2019 Rahim AlHaj, Iraqi Oud Virtuoso, on How Music Crosses Cultures AlHaj, who performs in Austin on Friday, is a former political prisoner whose music fuses Eastern and Western influences.
Texas Observer · Nov 6, 2019 When ICE Emptied Out an All-Women Detention Center in Texas, Chaos Ensued Women formerly detained in Karnes County Residential Center have been lost in the shuffle, facing moved or cancelled court dates, high bonds, and legal confusion.
Texas Observer · Nov 5, 2019 Governor Clears Out Camps. Austin’s Homeless Remain Homeless. Greg Abbott began clearing out the camps under Austin’s highways Monday, over the objections of the homeless and their advocates.
Texas Observer · Nov 5, 2019 The Fear—and Hope—of Living in Sanctuary After fleeing domestic violence in Guatemala, I’ve been living inside a Texas church for the last four years. I’m exhausted, but I won’t stop fighting.
Texas Observer · Nov 5, 2019 The Long Battle to Stop the Kinder Morgan Pipeline For months, locals and landowners have tried to stop the Permian Highway Pipeline, a piece of infrastructure connecting West Texas’ prolific oil fields to the state’s Gulf Coast refineries. But they’re running out of options.
Texas Observer · Nov 4, 2019 Critical Condition This series highlights the stories of rural Texans without access to care—and explores what can be done to reverse this troubling trend.
Texas Observer · Nov 4, 2019 A Dying Town When a rural hospital dies, the community around it starts to follow suit.
Texas Observer · Nov 1, 2019 Editorial: Reckoning with El Paso People like to believe things are getting better—but what happened in El Paso underscores just how little has changed.