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Strangest State: A Mysterious Monolith and a Fat Cat
The latest from far-flung Texas.
Christopher Collins
Christopher Collins is an associate editor at the Texas Observer. The Wichita Falls native graduated from Midwestern State University in 2012 with a degree in Mass Communication. He previously has worked as a reporter at the Abilene Reporter-News and the Wichita Falls Times Record News, along with running a freelance reporting business.
Articles by Christopher Collins
ERCOT Is Refusing to Release Records On How it Prepared for the Winter Storm
The nonprofit corporation is asking Ken Paxton’s office for permission to ignore requests seeking information on the costliest winter storm in the state’s history.
Biden Plans to Ban All New Fracking Leases on Public Land. Will He Actually Do It?
The federal Bureau of Land Management has a habit of auctioning off parcels of its land to oil and gas developments. For years, Texas cities and environmentalists have sounded the alarm about the arrangements.
Strangest State: Fashionable Critters and Creepy Heirlooms
Plus, a dog from Plano shot his owner in the leg.
A Weird End for a Weird Year: Our Eight Favorite Strange Texas Stories of 2020
A wild horse chase, an alligator with a big appetite, and a cloned cat made this year a little stranger—in a good way.
Strangest State: Everybody Loves Whataburger
Weird news from far-flung Texas.
Rural Voters Stepped on the Gas for Trump Across the Texas Oil Patch
Even in Democratic strongholds, some voters in the state’s vast shale plays were afraid of Joe Biden’s energy platform.
A West Texas Nursing Home Sent Its COVID-Positive Residents Elsewhere. Now Two of Them Are Dead.
Texas allows nursing homes to voluntarily accept COVID-positive patients from hospitals and other nursing homes. But there are no additional safeguards for the people sent there, and some of the facilities have a history of breaking rules.
Strangest State: Mysterious Seeds and a Longhorn on the Moon
Weird news from far-flung Texas.
One of Texas’ Biggest Nursing Home Operators Beset By COVID-19 Cases and Deaths
New data released by the state health agency provides a glimpse into the infections, deaths, and recoveries at Texas nursing homes.