Rusty Middleton
By Rusty Middleton:
Dateline: Hays County
The Hill Country Sours on Sprawl
In June, the five members of the Hays County Commissioners Court did what, until recently, would have been almost unthinkable: They effectively stopped expansion of a huge, upscale subdivision. For many years, developers have had their way in this booming … Read More
War of the Wells
The Railroad Commission has failed to protect Texans from oil and gas drillers, so citizens are learning to fight back on their own.
Neighbors say they move in quickly. Suddenly a tall, garish, mechanical contraption belching fumes and noise dominates the neighborhood. Heavy trucks pound the streets. These are the signs of the drilling rigs that are spreading across Texas. Depending on how … Read More
A Lot of Nerve
The Army's deadly VX waste is burning in Port Arthur
Once again an impoverished Texas neighborhood, in this case in the town of Port Arthur, has become the disposal point for hazardous waste, only this time the waste is potentially so lethal that a drop the size of a pinhead … Read More
What Lies Beneath
The threat from oilfield waste injection wells
Cecile Carson’s property has an aura of rural homeyness. The neat yard, happy dogs, and blooming flowers along her fence rails suggest a love of place. She’s a high school art teacher who picked a little swath of Wise County … Read More