August 2016 - The Texas Observer

Most Recent in Politics:

1Texas Bill Could Send People to Jail for Driving a Woman to an Abortion, Lawmaker Says

2Bathroom Wars Prove Dan Patrick’s Dominance over Texas Legislature

3After Freedom Caucus Kills Her Legislation, Lawmaker Announces Anti-‘Lunch Shaming’ Campaign

4Two Blatant Lies from Governor Greg Abbott’s ‘Sanctuary Cities’ Op-Ed

5Two North Texas Evangelicals Ask: Who Would Jesus Deport?

6In Passing ‘Bathroom Bill,’ Joe Straus’ House ‘Rolled’ By Dan Patrick

Most Recent in Environment:

1Endangered Science

2After Eight-Year Battle Over Reforming the Railroad Commission, Oil and Gas Industry Wins

3Bill Aims to Protect Communities of Color from Polluting Concrete Facilities

4For Texas Pronghorn, an Unusual 500-Mile Journey

5Lawmaker Hopes Bill Will Encourage Legislature to End Shady Accounting Practice

6Texas Lawmaker Wants to Legalize Hunting Feral Hogs from Hot Air Balloons

Most Recent in Border:

1Activists: Greg Abbott’s SB 4 Pitch to Univision Viewers is ‘Nothing But Lies’

2On Mother’s Day, Hundreds Protest Senate Bill 4 at Governor’s Mansion

3Texas Lege on Farmworker Housing Crisis: Better Luck Next Time

4Texas Senate Votes to License ‘Baby Jails’ as Child Care Facilities

5Without Notice, Texas Governor Greg Abbott Signs ‘Sanctuary Cities’ Ban on Facebook Live

6Controversial ‘Sanctuary Cities’ Ban Headed to Texas Governor’s Desk, Will Likely Become Law

Most Recent in Criminal Justice:

1Texas Bill Could Send People to Jail for Driving a Woman to an Abortion, Lawmaker Says

2Two Blatant Lies from Governor Greg Abbott’s ‘Sanctuary Cities’ Op-Ed

3Traffic Ticketing Program That Feeds Debtors’ Prison Pipeline May Be in its Final Year

4Activists: Greg Abbott’s SB 4 Pitch to Univision Viewers is ‘Nothing But Lies’

5Sandra Bland Act Passes Senate Unanimously After Key Provisions Dropped

6After ‘Unheard-Of’ Momentum, Medical Marijuana Bill Declared Dead by Authors

Most Recent in Education:

1After Freedom Caucus Kills Her Legislation, Lawmaker Announces Anti-‘Lunch Shaming’ Campaign

2Texas’ ‘Lunch Shaming’ Problem and the Fight to Fix It

3CPS Caseworker: Lawmakers Are ‘Shifting the Blame’ by Privatizing Child Welfare System

4‘Academic Freedom’ Bill Provides Cover to Teach Creationism, Climate Denial in Classrooms

5‘Another Book, Another Month, Another Day Closer to You’

6Dan Patrick Offers Vouchers as Solution to Special Ed Failures that He Helped Create

Most Recent in Health Care:

1Texas Bill Could Send People to Jail for Driving a Woman to an Abortion, Lawmaker Says

2Abandoning ‘Women’s Health’ Claims, Texas House Approves Wide-Ranging Anti-Abortion Bill

3CPS Caseworker: Lawmakers Are ‘Shifting the Blame’ by Privatizing Child Welfare System

4Texas Is Seeking Trump’s Approval of its Planned Parenthood Ban. Will Other States Follow?

5We Were the Safety Net

6Sandra Bland Act Passes Senate Unanimously After Key Provisions Dropped

Most Recent in The Interview:

1The Interview: Joaquin Castro Says Texas Democrats are Poised for a Comeback

2The Interview: Beto O’Rourke on Trump, the Border and How to Revive the Democratic Party

3The Interview: Tom ‘Smitty’ Smith

4The Interview: Lupe Valdez

5The Interview: Paul Quinn College’s Michael Sorrell

6The Interview: Judge John Dietz on Texas’ School Finance Crisis

Most Recent in Books:

1We Were the Safety Net

2‘Cornyation’ Celebrates San Antonio’s Most Fabulous Fiesta Tradition

3Valeria Luiselli’s ‘Tell Me How It Ends’ Is the First Must-Read Book of the Trump Era

4In the Age of Trump, the First All-Latino Sci-Fi Anthology Hits too Close to Home

5In ‘Blue Texas,’ a Historical Blueprint for Texas Activists

6Austin Writer Ed Ward Celebrates the Black Musicians Who Made Rock

Most Recent in Postcards:

5Feathering Their Nest

6The Business of Burying Horses

Most Recent in Essay:

1Going It Alone

2The Observer’s Founding Editor: ‘Bring the Fight Back’ to Texas Politics

3A Texan’s Political Guide to Resisting Trump

4The Resistance Against Donald Trump Begins in Texas

5What a 1940 Novel Can Teach Us About Fighting Trump

6A Single Mom’s Search for ‘School Choice’ in Texas

Most Recent in Eye on Texas:

1Eye on Texas: Runners Take on 170-Mile Race in Big Bend

2Eye on Texas: Liberty Hill Hosts Texas Firearms Festival

3Eye on Texas: TX Open Swim

4Eye on Texas: Blessing of the Hands in San Antonio

5Eye on Texas: Austin’s Chapels

6Eye on Texas: Portico Tejas

Most Recent in Poetry:

2Poem: ‘Resistance’

3Poem: ‘Screenplay for a Homemade Movie’

4Poem: ‘To Be One with the All’

5Poem: ‘Whitewashing’

6Poem: ‘Rice and Beans’

The Magazine: August 2016

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March 2015, Texas Observer cover

COVER STORY

‘Just Like Every Other Kid’

by Texas Observer Staff

Tue, Aug 2, 2016 |

Meet five Texas families who say they're tired of Dan Patrick, Ken Paxton and other Texas lawmakers targeting their transgender children for harassment.Read More

In this Issue

Political Intelligence

Medical Abortion Becomes More Accessible in Texas (Again)

by Alexa Garcia-Ditta

With Natural Gas Facilities Coming to Brownsville, Shrimpin’ Ain’t Easy

by Naveena Sadasivam

News

The Last Days of Tent City

by Dick J. Reavis

Strangest State: Prayer Drive-Thru, Hillary Hate, and Bong or Cocktail Glass?

by Patrick Michels

CULTURE

by Patrick Michels

In ‘Houston on the Move,’ the Bayou City Wakes Up

by Nancy Nusser

by Michael Agresta

Poem: ‘Whitewashing’

by Gerard Robledo

Columns

Money for Nothing: D.C. Dems View Texas as an ATM

by Christopher Hooks

Abbott’s Back Alley Abortion Politics are a Texas Tradition

by Andrea Grimes

State of Texas

State of Texas: Abortion Access, by the Numbers

by Naveena Sadasivam

Eye on Texas

Eye on Texas: San Antonio Charro Ranch

by Darren Abate