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.

Photos from Dallas’ Rally Against Domestic ViolenceMar 25, 2013
Saturday, thousands of men joined Mayor Mike Rawlings outside Dallas City Hall for a rally to end the city's culture of domestic violence, joined by major figures in the city's business, sports and faith communities. 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

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
Reasoning Mind: How Big Oil and Texas Politicians Came to Love MathApr 25, 2013
The creators of the Reasoning Mind math software have found great success getting funding from the State of Texas. Along with a slick product, they just so happen to have close friends in the highest ranks of big oil. Full Story

Best of The Observer 2012Dec 20, 2012
Read a staff-curated list of the Observer’s top ten stories published this year. Full Story
Blowing the Whistle on El Paso’s Crooked SchoolsDec 18, 2012
In fall 2009, counselor Patricia Scott went to her bosses at El Paso’s Bowie High School with what turned out to be a very dangerous question: Why was somebody erasing credits from the sophomores’ transcripts? Full Story
Too Heavy To Bear: How the Armored Car Industry Leaves Workers UnprotectedDec 05, 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
Election Night RecapNov 06, 2012
During this exciting election night, the Observer has you covered. We will be live-blogging and tweeting the election results starting around 4 p.m. today (November 6th). You can find our up-to-the-minute posts at this very URL. Full Story
In El Paso, Two Democrats Back a Republican for the Texas HouseNov 01, 2012
Texas Republicans are doing pretty well for themselves these days. So you might be surprised to read a flyer from El Paso state Rep. Dee Margo, a Republican, with friendly words from Reps. Naomi Gonzalez and Marisa Marquez, both of whom are Democrats. Full Story