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Texas’ First Black Woman Poet Laureate Spreads Poems of Praise
In tough times, Amanda Johnston is creating a community of gratitude with contributions from poets all across the state.
Lise Olsen
Lise Olsen is a Houston-based investigations editor at the Texas Observer. Lise has investigated many twisted Texas tales, including crooked judges, an unjust execution, massive environmental disasters, myriad cases of corporate and public corruption, and unsolved serial killings. Her reports in three states over 20 years contributed to the prosecutions of a former congressman and a federal judge, inspired laws and reforms, helped solve cold cases, restored names to unidentified murder victims, and freed dozens of wrongfully-held prisoners. Her work is featured in CNN's “The Wrong Man” (2015) about the innocence claims of executed offender Ruben Cantu and the six-part A&E series on the victims of a 1970s serial killer, The Eleven (2017). She is the author of Code of Silence: Sexual Misconduct by Federal Judges, the Secret System that Protects Them and the Women who Blew the Whistle.
Articles by Lise Olsen
The Scientist and the Serial Killer: Cracking the Case of Houston’s ‘Lost Boys’
More than 50 years later, some Houston families still wait for confirmation that their sons and brothers were among the victims of serial killer Dean Corll.
Will Texas Secure Its Water Future?
Senator Charles Perry outlines an expansive vision of where Texans will get their H₂O in the coming decades.
Name Games: Trump’s ‘Gulf of America’ Move Flouts History, International Cooperation
The president could just as logically rename the body of water the “Chinese Sea,” one historian argues.
Pipeline Explosion in Deer Park Reveals Hidden Hazards Texans Face
The pipeline’s owner is “the same company that got $2.4 billion richer when Texans froze to death during Uri,” one activist points out.
Lawmen Above the Law
A new book takes aim at the seemingly unchecked power of America’s gun-toting sheriffs.
Bringing Home the Story of Ben Spencer
An innocent Texan was caught for more than three decades in a web of lies and injustice.
A Small-Town Texas Librarian’s Big Stand Against Book Bans
In Llano County, a local librarian fought back against censorship, prompting a federal court fight and national recognition but losing the job of her dreams.
‘You are the best El Jefe!’: Henry Cuellar’s Alleged Brazen Foreign Bribery Schemes
The powerful Laredo congressman is indicted for allegedly acting as a foreign agent for Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank in exchange for at least $600,000 in bribes.
Surviving Baptistland
A well-known warrior in the #ChurchToo movement reveals in a new book how she escaped from an abusive Texas home and an abusive Southern Baptist church.