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The Latest Breaking News from Texas Observer

School Vouchers Take Center Stage in Texas’ Most Flippable State House District

On San Antonio’s South Side, a progressive Democrat faces off with an architect of Texas' private school voucher program.

Texas Observer · 5h ago

Jim Hightower’s Revenge? A Long-Shot Bid Could Restore Left Populism to the Agriculture Commissioner’s Office.

Clayton Tucker is pitching a throwback style of politics the Texas electorate hasn’t embraced in decades. Is 2026 just crazy enough for it to work?

Texas Observer · 7h ago

‘Earth Has No Sorrow’: Visions of a Caldwell County Long Gone

The Observer resurfaces a 50-year-old collection of fine arts photography and unique oral history.

Texas Observer · Oct 13

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A ‘Politically Motivated Cover-Up’: Why the State’s Maternal Death Report Was Pushed Until After Midterms

Advocates and lawmakers warn the state health agency's decision to delay releasing the annual report will further harm women—and make it harder to enact necessary laws in 2027.

Texas Observer · Oct 7

What Will It Take to ‘Get ICE the Fuck Out of Austin’?

Shootings by federal agents are proliferating since Donald Trump took office in 2025, several of them in Texas. To stop it from happening again, local elected officials and prosecutors are hunting for options that aren’t already foreclosed.

Texas Observer · Oct 7

The Distance Between Dying and Death

After a botched execution in Tennessee, Texas is set to kill Jamaal Howard, who has so many mental health problems and intellectual disabilities that he doesn't understand how he will be killed.

Texas Observer · Oct 6

South Texas Is Moving On from Trump

The region looks poised to return to its centrist-Democrat roots, as the president fails to bring down costs and the reality of mass deportations takes hold. But 2028 could be another test.

Texas Observer · Oct 6

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It’s Time for the Catholic Church to Distribute the Loaves

The Vatican holds an estimated $73 billion in assets. That is an institution with the resources to move policy, fund organizing, and match the moral urgency of its own documents.

Texas Observer · Oct 5

Hasan Piker’s UT Appearance Put Campus Protection Act to the Test

Although parts of the state law were ruled unconstitutional last year, key elements created barriers for Democrats and Republicans drawn to the controversial event.

Texas Observer · Oct 5

Angela Paxton’s Message: Elect the Elephant at All Costs

Her appeal to put party loyalty above character and accountability ignores the price women will pay if Ken Paxton becomes a U.S. senator.

Texas Observer · Oct 2

A Blue Wave Could Sweep Greg Abbott’s Handpicked Houston Judges Out of Office

But experts say that, as Harris County judicial seats have swung with the political tides, it’s not partisanship that matters for criminal defendants.

Texas Observer · Oct 1

Texas Tells Students to Report Threats. It Should Give Us a Seat at the Safety Table.

State law requires parents, educators, police, and administrators to be a part of district safety committees, but not the kids who are expected to recognize and report danger.

Texas Observer · Oct 1

Inside Downballot Dems’ Effort to Flip Texas’ Key County Battleground

Amid voter suppression and rampant ideological warfare, Tarrant County Democratic candidates try to capitalize on this surge of local anger.

Texas Observer · Sep 30

Houston’s ‘Living Archive’ of Migration

At Fresh Arts, photographer Violeta Álvarez created a space where immigrant families in Houston can see their own histories reflected back to them.

Texas Observer · Sep 29

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Texas Observer · Sep 28

A Texas Soldier’s Death Casts Doubt on Federal Whistleblower Protections

Adrian Martinez reported a sexual assault two years before he was found dead on a Hawaii Army base. The Vanessa Guillén Act is supposed to protect soldiers like him.

Texas Observer · Sep 25

Corpus Christi Could Owe Texas $235M for Failed Desalination Plant

City leaders hope to revive the twice-rejected project to avoid returning money loaned by the state.

Texas Observer · Sep 24

Did These North Texas Developers Have a Duty to Disclose Oil and Gas Waste History?

A housing development and school was built atop an old drilling waste site in Johnson County. New test results came back safe, but it’s unclear what the homebuyers had a legal right to know.

Texas Observer · Sep 23

‘Up Against a 500-Pound Gorilla’: Can Dems Make Inroads in Deep-Red West Texas?

With a candidate on the ballot in every state and federal race, the minority party is trying hard to gain some ground in the GOP’s electoral firewall.

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Texas Observer · Sep 23

Santa Ana’s Last Stand

Congress repeatedly shielded the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge from the border wall. Now, construction has begun—and an irrigation district lawsuit may be the only option left to buy time for lawmakers to act.

Texas Observer · Sep 22

Does Joe Rogan Care Who Wins the Texas Senate Race?

An exhaustive accounting of the Austin podcast giant's thoughts (and lack thereof) on James Talarico, Ken Paxton, and the electoral contest between them

Texas Observer · Sep 21

70 Years After Mansfield’s Desegregation Crisis, a New Debate over Representation

The time has come for this North Texas school district, and others like it, to move from an all-at-large board to a mix of geographic districts and at-large seats.

Texas Observer · Sep 21

Houston’s Historic Black Theater at 50

For five decades, the Ensemble has brought Houstonians together to laugh, cry, and talk back to plays representing all aspects of African-American life.

Texas Observer · Sep 18

How Texas Can Lead in Fighting Anti-Asian Racism

Rather than demonize immigrants as forever foreigners, the Texan thing has been to document their longstanding commitments to the state.

Texas Observer · Sep 17

The State’s Bible-Only Reading List Is a Disservice to Texas Kids

A new required list doesn't meet the need to learn about the major religious traditions that make up Texas today—and it could impair public schools' ability to serve diverse populations.

Texas Observer · Sep 16

Can We Survive Naomi Klein’s Depiction of ‘End Times Fascism’?

Klein and co-author Astra Taylor’s new book is too bleak and unfocused for our shameless and sharp-edged political moment.

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