Forrest Wilder, a native of Wimberley, Texas, joined the
Observer as a staff writer in 2005. Forrest specializes in environmental reporting and runs the “Forrest for the Trees” blog. Forrest has appeared on
Democracy Now!,
The Rachel Maddow Show and numerous NPR stations. His work has been mentioned by
The New York Times, the
Washington Post, the
New Yorker,
Time magazine and many other state and national publications. Other than filing voluminous open records requests, Forrest enjoys fishing, kayaking, gardening and beer-league softball. He holds a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin.
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Texas Observer reporter Forrest Wilder provides video stills from The Response, Texas Governor Rick Perry’s, Aug. 6th prayer rally held in Houston. Read more [...] Full Story
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David Passmore likes the flexibility of driving a cab but thinks the city has allowed the drivers to be exploited. Full Story
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Unvarnished homophobia is becoming taboo. But Rick Perry is still at it. Full Story
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Polling indicates that Democrats have no lock on the Latino vote, and that control of Texas may hinge on which Latino voters show up at the polls.
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Every session, Harold Simmons' radioactive waste dump company comes to the Legislature with a new favor to ask. Every session Rep. Lon Burnam, a Fort Worth Democrat with a peace activist pedigree, puts up a spirited protest. And every session, Simmons—one of the state's most generous GOP donors—pretty much gets what he wants.
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If we need more money—and there’s no doubt we do—let’s undo the massive tax breaks, tax abatements, corporate loopholes and big-business giveaways before we start raising the sales tax. Full Story
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Like fellow Lubbock native Buddy Holly, visual artist Dirk Fowler proves that great art is indigenous to the Llano Estacado. Full Story
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We detail a dozen items that deal with the biggest problems in the state. Some of them are liberal fantasies (ahem, income tax) but others are sound public policy ideas that Texans of all ideologies support because they would improve the lives of millions of people. Full Story
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Blessed with the gift of gab, Texans say the darndest things... especially our politicians who’ve been known to offer up an embarrassment of riches. Full Story
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Gulf Chemical may be the most brazen polluter in Texas. An Observer review of thousands of pages of court records and internal agency documents, and interviews with a former company executive reveals a company that operated outside the law for almost four decades, even as citizens, activists and TCEQ’s own investigators pleaded for action. Full Story
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Reporter breaks journalistic convention by sharing entire drafts with ‘customers’ in University of Texas press office.
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