The Texas Observer

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Gabriel Arana CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ivan Armando Flores SENIOR WRITER & EDITOR Lise Olsen EDITOR-AT-LARGE Gayle Reaves DIGITAL EDITOR Kit O’Connell SENIOR WRITER & ASSISTANT EDITOR Gus Bova SENIOR WRITER Justin Miller STAFF WRITERS Delger

There is a war on our children in Texas, and it has nothing to do with drag queens or story hours or “critical race theory” or books on library shelves with the words “penis,” “vagina,” or “transgender.” The old, white men who run the state are on a

It’s now been two years since Winter Storm Uri sank Texas into a deep freeze and brought the state’s electric grid to the brink of total collapse. Upon signing into law a series of legislative changes at the end of the 2021 session, GOP Governor Greg

“I think it’s the generator,” said Emily Brindley, the bargaining chair for our union, the Fort Worth NewsGuild. She was sitting beside the rat in the back of a pickup truck. Jess Hardin, a bargaining team member, yanked on the handle of the stalling

Andrew Gonzales never expected his name to be on a ballot. The 30-year-old native Austinite had taught for seven years in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) before quitting in October 2021—joining an exodus of instructors fleeing the pains

At 7:30 a.m. sharp, 19 women scurry into the grand ballroom of the Renaissance Dallas North Hotel. Some have brought their gowns, sparkling with sequins and pearls, to drop off in the designated dressing room across the hall. For this final rehearsal

We Were Once a Family opens with something alarming that a German tourist traveling the scenic Pacific Coast Highway spotted on the rocky shore on March 26, 2018: “a crumpled SUV flipped on its hood, with the vehicle’s undercarriage exposed.” The pas

It’s chill and starless in downtown San Antonio on symphony night. Just past the Express-News offices and across from the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, I arrive at the century-old First Baptist Church building. The ushers’ faces light up as t

He hands me the standard issue American flag variety with its red,its white, its ever-deepening blue. But I am tired, America, tiredof your shouting flags, this flag, all our flags, every—God help us—flag flying, flag lowered, flag bullet-holed and h

An El Paso member gives. A Caddo Lake reader explores our climate change coverage. A whistleblower in Austin leaks proof of corruption. A Molly fan in Mesquite names us in her estate plans. A Houston student peruses at the library. A San Marcos activ