February 2015 - The Texas Observer

Most Recent in Politics:

1In Washington, D.C., Republicans are Writing the Recipe for a Smoldering Panhandle

2Lawyers Seek to Reform ‘Ethical Minefield’ of Public Defender’s Office Controlled by Texas Prison System

3‘Heart-Wrenching, Gut-Wrenching’: How Child Therapy Providers Deal with State Budget Cuts

4Redistricting Guru Michael Li on Texas’ Gerrymandered Maps

5‘I’m Really Scared Now to Go to School’: Texas Students Lead Walkout to Protest Gun Laws

6Jorge Ramos’ New Book, ‘Stranger,’ is a Journalist’s Manifesto

Most Recent in Environment:

1In Washington, D.C., Republicans are Writing the Recipe for a Smoldering Panhandle

2Despite Trump, Water Agency Fosters Cross-Border Cooperation Between U.S. and Mexico

3Trump’s Border Wall Lands Rio Grande on List of Nation’s Most Endangered Rivers

4Alleging ‘Environmental Racism,’ El Paso Activists File Civil Rights Complaint Against School District

5‘The Natural History of Texas’ Celebrates the State’s Lesser-Known Critters and In-Between Places

6How the Fate of Texas’ Endangered Mussels Could Affect Water Usage Statewide

Most Recent in Border:

1Trump’s Border Wall Lands Rio Grande on List of Nation’s Most Endangered Rivers

2Militarization of Texas-Mexico Border a Sign of Complacency, but Not From Border Residents

3Elecciones presidenciales en México. ¿Finalmente puede ganar la izquierda?

4Will Mexico Elect its First Leftist President Since 1934?

5Courts: Police Can Shoot and Kill People As Long They Are Across the Border

6I Grew Up on the Texas-Mexico Border, but Now I Barely Recognize It

Most Recent in Criminal Justice:

1Lawyers Seek to Reform ‘Ethical Minefield’ of Public Defender’s Office Controlled by Texas Prison System

2Women in Texas Prisons Denied Same Academic, Job Training Opportunities as Incarcerated Men

3Galveston Lawsuit Is Writing on the Wall for Other Counties that Haven’t Ended ‘Wealth-Based Detention’

4Bail Lawsuit Accuses Dallas County of Violating Poor People’s Rights in Secret Hearings

5Courts: Police Can Shoot and Kill People As Long They Are Across the Border

6AG Opinion: Texas Cops Under Investigation Can Watch ‘Any’ Body Cam Footage Before Answering Questions

Most Recent in Education:

1Texas Teachers ‘Blow the Whistle’ After Conservatives Accuse Them of (Gasp!) Getting out the Vote

2Nazis Go To School

3‘I Would Have to Drop Out’: 200 Texas Grad Students Walk Out to Protest GOP Tax Bill

4Homelessness in Texas Public Schools is a Suburban and Rural Problem, Too

5Another Strikeout for Mexican-American Studies in Texas

6Amid Anti-Confederate Push, San Antonio School District Changes Lee High School … to LEE High School

Most Recent in Health Care:

1‘Heart-Wrenching, Gut-Wrenching’: How Child Therapy Providers Deal with State Budget Cuts

3What’s Going on with Texas’ Maternal Mortality Rate?

4In Her Own Letter to Trump Officials, Texas Republican Fact-Checks Ken Paxton’s False Claims on Women’s Health

5Texas AG Ken Paxton is Very Angry About Women’s Health Programs He Doesn’t Seem to Understand

6Anti-Vaxxers are Claiming Victory After Texas Primaries. Will Their Influence Grow?

Most Recent in The Interview:

1Meet Nueces County’s New DA, a Self-Professed ‘Mexican Biker Lawyer Covered in Tattoos’

2The Interview: Joaquin Castro Says Texas Democrats are Poised for a Comeback

3The Interview: Beto O’Rourke on Trump, the Border and How to Revive the Democratic Party

4The Interview: Tom ‘Smitty’ Smith

5The Interview: Lupe Valdez

6The Interview: Paul Quinn College’s Michael Sorrell

Most Recent in Books:

1Jorge Ramos’ New Book, ‘Stranger,’ is a Journalist’s Manifesto

2On Giant’s Shoulders: New Cinema History Dissects Texas Tropes

3In ‘God Save Texas,’ Lawrence Wright Explains the Lone Star State to Outsiders

4‘The Natural History of Texas’ Celebrates the State’s Lesser-Known Critters and In-Between Places

5‘The Red Caddy’ Is Charles Bowden’s Pithy, Witty Posthumous Tribute to Edward Abbey

6Houston Poet Analicia Sotelo’s Debut Smashes Latino Stereotypes

Most Recent in Postcards:

3Field Notes from Santa Ana

4The King of Pulp

5Ride Like a Girl

Most Recent in Essay:

1I Grew Up on the Texas-Mexico Border, but Now I Barely Recognize It

2Somewhere It Hides a Well

3Drinking the Kool-Aid at the Garden of Eden

4The Road to Huntsville

5The Impossible City

6Dear Governor Abbott: The ‘Bathroom Bill’ Endangers Trans Texans Like My Son

Most Recent in Eye on Texas:

1Eye on Texas: Gentrification in East Austin

2Eye on Texas: Transgender Youth in Texas

3Eye On Texas: Hurricane Harvey

4Eye on Texas: Fantastical Taxidermy

5Eye on Texas: Runners Take on 170-Mile Race in Big Bend

6Eye on Texas: Liberty Hill Hosts Texas Firearms Festival

Most Recent in Poetry:

1Houston Poet Analicia Sotelo’s Debut Smashes Latino Stereotypes

2Parallel Planes

4Poem: ‘Resistance’

5Poem: ‘Screenplay for a Homemade Movie’

6Poem: ‘To Be One with the All’

The Magazine: February 2015

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March 2015, Texas Observer cover

COVER STORY

The Holdouts

by Priscila Mosqueda

Mon, Feb 16, 2015 |

These are the stories of three Texas families who were willing to walk away from thousands of dollars—and battle loved ones, their communities and their government—to make a stand, even when facing insurmountable odds. Read More

In this Issue

Political Intelligence

Can Texas Lawmakers Possibly Outlaw Synthetic Drugs?

by Patrick Michels

News

Strangest State: Magic in the Drive-Thru and Farewell to Taco Dogs

by Patrick Michels

CULTURE

Direct Quote: Playing It Forward

Dear White People Tackles Questions About Race Others Don’t Dare Ask

by Josh Rosenblatt

Columns

The ‘Texas Miracle’ Does Little for Women in the Real World

by Michelle Garcia

State of Texas

State of Texas: Government by the Few

by Kelsey Jukam and Patrick Michels

Loon Star State

Ben Sargent’s Loon Star State: Come And Take It

Eye on Texas

Eye on Texas: Coonhounds in Central Texas

by Brandon Thibodeaux