Patrick Michels

Patrick Michels is a reporter for the Texas Observer and a former legislative intern. He has been a staff writer and web editor at the Dallas Observer, and a former editor of the Texas Independent. He has a bachelor's in journalism from Northwestern University, a master's in photojournalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and is a competitive eating enthusiast.

For Tea Party, CSCOPE Stands for WinningMay 20, 2013
At the Capitol this morning, Sen. Dan Patrick made a surprise announcement: "The era of CSCOPE lesson plans has come to an end." Full Story
House Passes Charter School Expansion BillMay 16, 2013
Each of the last two sessions, House members shot down the Senate's proposals for raising Texas' cap on charter schools—but a vote this afternoon put an end to the curse, as the House approved Senate Bill 2. Full Story
House Backs Krause Amendment Letting Student Groups DiscriminateMay 15, 2013
The House approved an amendment allowing college student groups to discriminate in their membership. Full Story
A Bill Dies at Midnight: Overdose Preventions Go Down Without a VoteMay 10, 2013
Joy Strickland, who heads Mothers Against Teen Violence, sat watching video from the House floor Thursday night, praying as the bill she championed slowly died. Full Story
House Votes to Return $667 Million to Businesses in Tax ShakeupMay 07, 2013
House members tried to make sure businesses got some money back from the state this session, passing a proposal to cut $667 million from the franchise tax. Full Story

Photos from the Save Texas Schools RallyFeb 25, 2013
Photos from the Save Texas Schools Rally at the State Capitol, a demonstration for more funding and less testing in Texas' public schools. Full Story
Testing the Limits: A Texas Mother’s Radical Revolt Against Standardized TestsFeb 21, 2013
Edy Chamness and the Facebook group she started last year, occupy the radical fringe in a broad revolt against Texas' testing regimen. Full Story
Tyrant’s Foe: John Kuhn, Standing Tall For Test ReformFeb 07, 2013
“I think there’s a large percentage of teachers who kind of have this quiet angst about how they’re being treated,” he says. “I think I’m fairly typical. It’s just that I’m maybe not smart enough to keep my mouth shut.” Full Story
If It Were Up To Us…Jan 06, 2013
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
Too Heavy to BearDec 30, 2012
At 24, Ray Wauson was thrilled to land a job as an armored-car guard. But he was entering an unregulated world in which the people guarding the cargo are often defenseless against the cargo itself. Full Story