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

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

This Primary Season, A High-Stakes Test for the SBOEMay 15, 2012
This could be the year the State Board of Education turns it all around. No, seriously. The only question is which way they’ll turn. [...] Full Story
Backlogging the BacklogApr 04, 2012
Over the past three years, a series of investigations into major police departments in Texas revealed a shockingly large backlog of untested rape kits—the [...] Full Story
Prescription for ProfitMar 13, 2012
On March 1, Texas ushered in a bold new system to repay pharmacies for their Medicaid customers’ prescriptions. Used to be, Texas reimbursed all [...] Full Story
Starve Our SchoolsFeb 23, 2012
Update on Feb. 24: Sure enough, the suit discussed below was filed on Friday—here’s my post on that. More than half the school districts [...] Full Story
Creating Supportive Housing for WomenFeb 20, 2012
Paula Paust had been in the business of helping homeless women for decades before she led The Women’s Home in Houston on its boldest [...] Full Story