Forrest Wilder
By Forrest Wilder:
Joe Straus and the House Moderates Could’ve Stopped the ‘Show Me Your Papers’ Bill
The 10 Best Observer Stories of 2016: ‘Who Guards the Guardians?’
Texas counties have stripped thousands of elderly and disabled citizens of their rights — and then forgotten about them.
The 10 Best Observer Stories of 2016: ‘Who Guards the Guardians?’ Texas counties have stripped thousands of elderly and disabled citizens of their rights — and then forgotten about them. Editor’s Note: This is a Texas Observer classic — a … Read More
The 10 Best Observer Stories of 2016: ‘Isn’t It Iconic?’
The price tag on a new public sculpture in San Antonio renews a 20-year debate over whether a city program creates art — or just controversy.
Editor’s Note: Robyn Ross’ story on “Liquid Crystal,” a San Antonio art installation that has been called both a bold, progressive sculpture and a “$1 million cheese grater,” goes beyond the immediate controversy to ask hard questions about what public … Read More
The 10 Best Observer Stories of 2016: ‘The First Time Texas Killed One of My Clients’
An attorney pieces together a life cut short.
Editor’s Note: It’s hard to find new ways to write about the death penalty. And in these polarized times, most readers already have their minds made up. One thing I appreciated about this first-person piece by Houston attorney Burke Butler … Read More
Introducing ‘I Have a Name/Yo Tengo Nombre’
‘I Have a Name’ is an online visual database to help identify migrants who died crossing the Texas-Mexico border.
Today, the Texas Observer is launching a project a year in the making. “I Have a Name/Yo Tengo Nombre” is an unusual undertaking for the Observer: Most of the time our job is simply to tell stories, expose injustice and … Read More
What Trump Means for Texas
The mainstream press missed the signs of a rising Trump electorate. What comes next?
The mainstream press missed the signs of a rising Trump electorate. What comes next? Read More
The Trump Tally
Here’s where Texas’ top elected officials stand on the 2016 presidential race. (Hint: it’s mostly with Donald Trump.)
Here’s where Texas’ top elected officials stand on the 2016 presidential race. (Hint: it’s mostly with Donald Trump.) In a few weeks, American voters may very well elect Donald J. Trump as president of the United States. Trump will almost … Read More
Editorial: Pressing On in a Media Landscape Under Threat
Even in these tumultuous times, the Observer hasn’t strayed from its mission to produce truth-speaking journalism that inspires change from the top. Read More
Why I Don’t Own a Handgun
To me, carrying a handgun is an acknowledgement of weakness, not strength. To look at the world through gunsights is a profoundly anti-social posture. Read More
The Things We Feared, 2015
Before we hurtle into 2016, let’s take a look back at everything, and everyone, that terrified us — or was supposed to.
Will the fever subside next year? Highly unlikely. It’s a presidential year, after all, and the clearest pathway to the White House is through the amygdala — light up the lizard brain and the Oval Office may be yours. But before we hurtle into 2016, let’s take a look back at 2015 and the Things We Feared. Read More