The Latest Breaking News from Texas Observer

In the Ogg House: Harris County DA Ousted in Primary

Challenger Sean Teare handily took out the embattled two-term incumbent Kim Ogg.

Texas Observer · Mar 6, 2024

Uninsured Country: Affordable Health Care Eludes Many Family Farmers and Ranchers

Americans who operate small family farms and ranches often cannot get adequate health care and insurance. A journalist who spent her summers on her family’s Texas ranch writes about family members’ struggles and the challenges rural residents face today.

Texas Observer · Mar 4, 2024

Will Cornyn Take McConnell’s Place atop Senate GOP?

Texas’ senior senator re-embraces Trump as he vies to become the chamber’s top Republican. That won’t come easy.

Texas Observer · Feb 28, 2024

‘It’s the South’: Harris County Sends 15 Times More Black Men to Death Row than White

Texas’ largest county remains the state’s deadliest when it comes to capital murder convictions, a new report says.

Texas Observer · Feb 22, 2024

‘Their Knees Are Still on Our Necks’: Black Women in Higher Ed

Female African American scholars still face significant obstacles in academia even without being slapped by Governor Greg Abbott’s regressive reforms.

Texas Observer · Feb 21, 2024

Abbott’s Border Military Base Could Cost Texans $500 Million

Last Friday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott held a press conference in Eagle Pass, the border town he has turned into a militarized staging ground for his standoff with the feds. It was his third such press conference in as many weeks. Flanked by his appointed border czar and the adjutant…

Texas Observer · Feb 20, 2024

Kim Ogg: DA Under Fire

Harris County had big plans to reform its criminal justice system. What went wrong? Houston-area DA Kim Ogg in crisis.

Texas Observer · Feb 20, 2024

‘It’s Time for a Change’: Dem Behind HISD Takeover Faces Challengers

House Representative Harold Dutton Jr. stands behind the state takeover of the district. Can he survive another reelection after its fallout?

Texas Observer · Feb 20, 2024

Poem: Drought

We sit by the window of the nursing home where her face can feel the sun. Poetry by Thomas Mason, a retired environmental lawyer from Austin.

Texas Observer · Feb 16, 2024

Federal Judge Halts Texas Deportation Law

Senate Bill 4, the controversial state immigration law, “slaps the federal immigration law right in the face."

Texas Observer · Feb 15, 2024