March 2015 - The Texas Observer

Most Recent in Politics:

1Thank You, Matt Rinaldi

2Texas Bill Would Revoke Medical Licenses of Doctors Who Perform Abortions

3Teenage Activists Stage Quinceañera-Themed Protest of SB 4 at Texas Capitol

4Dancing with Denial

5Loon Star State: Rick Perry, Trump and the National Security Council

6‘Bathroom Bills’ Get Second Life in Special Session

Most Recent in Environment:

1Dancing with Denial

2‘The Hour of Land,’ Terry Tempest Williams’ Love Letter to National Parks

3Susan Combs, Fierce Critic of Endangered Species Act, Tapped for Agency in Charge of its Implementation

4Report: Loopholes Allow Polluters to Get Away With Worsening Air Quality

6Getting Wise to Bad Air: North Texans Take Smog Monitoring Into Own Hands

Most Recent in Border:

1Teenage Activists Stage Quinceañera-Themed Protest of SB 4 at Texas Capitol

2Trump Administration Preparing Texas Wildlife Refuge for First Border Wall Segment

3Greg Abbott’s Latino Problem

4Prying Eyes: Border Sheriffs to Use Iris-Scanning Tech in Push for ‘Virtual Wall’

5Despite Push from Democrats, Harris County is Staying out of the SB 4 Lawsuit

6Five New Laws that Will Likely Get Texas Sued (Or Already Have)

Most Recent in Criminal Justice:

1Why We Hired a Civil Rights Reporter

2Five New Laws that Will Likely Get Texas Sued (Or Already Have)

3Protecting Immigrant Families: A Call for an Economic Boycott of Texas

4Después de SB 4, Línea Telefónica de Consulados Mexicanos Presenta un Incremento de Casi 700 por ciento en Texas

5State Attorneys: Senate Bill 4 Is ‘Moderate’ Compared to Arizona’s ‘Papers, Please’ Law

6Attorney: Matt Rinaldi’s Call to ICE Will Likely Be Used Against SB 4 in Lawsuit

Most Recent in Education:

1Dan Patrick Accuses Joe Straus of Ponzi Scheme Ahead of Special Session

2Critics Fear New Texas Law Giving SBOE Wide Discretion Over Textbooks

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

4Texas’ ‘Lunch Shaming’ Problem and the Fight to Fix It

5CPS Caseworker: Lawmakers Are ‘Shifting the Blame’ by Privatizing Child Welfare System

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

Most Recent in Health Care:

1Texas Bill Would Revoke Medical Licenses of Doctors Who Perform Abortions

2Texas Mother ‘Deathly Afraid’ of Medicaid Cuts Under GOP Health Plan

3The GOP Health Plan Would Give Governor Greg Abbott Power Over Your Coverage

4This Week: Texans’ Health Under Attack by Republican Lawmakers

5Who Really Gets Government Benefits In Texas?

6How the Texas Legislature Reached a Dangerous Stalemate on Vaccines

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:

1‘The Hour of Land,’ Terry Tempest Williams’ Love Letter to National Parks

2Announcing the Seventh Annual Observer Short Story Contest

3At Home in the In-Between

4‘The Potlikker Papers’ Wants You to Eat Your Grits with a Side of Discomfort

5We Were the Safety Net

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

Most Recent in Postcards:

1Ride Like a Girl

6Feathering Their Nest

Most Recent in Essay:

1Protecting Immigrant Families: A Call for an Economic Boycott of Texas

2Cut from the Same Cloth: Wearing Hijab in Houston, Post-Trump

3Going It Alone

4The Observer’s Founding Editor: ‘Bring the Fight Back’ to Texas Politics

5A Texan’s Political Guide to Resisting Trump

6The Resistance Against Donald Trump Begins 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:

1Parallel Planes

3Poem: ‘Resistance’

4Poem: ‘Screenplay for a Homemade Movie’

5Poem: ‘To Be One with the All’

6Poem: ‘Whitewashing’

The Magazine: March 2015

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March 2015, Texas Observer cover

COVER STORY

Death on Sevenmile Road

by Melissa del Bosque

Mon, Mar 2, 2015 |

Beefing up border security means an increasingly military-style presence on the ground and in the air. The Observer investigates a surge that puts immigrants in the crosshairs.Read More

In this Issue

Political Intelligence

Bad Bill: You, Me and the Lord Makes Three

by Kelsey Jukam

Open Carry Activists: Not Your Daddy’s Gun Nuts

by Christopher Hooks

Houston Attorney Crusading Against ‘Unconstitutional’ Court Fees

by Emily DePrang

Sid Miller’s ‘Cupcake Amnesty’ Changed Nothing

by Patrick Michels

News

Strangest State: Mickey Mouse Cons, Outerspace Scams

by Patrick Michels

CULTURE

Direct Quote: Digging into Austin’s East Side

Closing Accounts

Integration Hero and Education Legend George I. Sanchez Gets a New Biography

by Ronnie Dugger

by Michael Agresta

Mike Judge and the Duplass Bros. Bring Texas to TV

by Josh Rosenblatt

Columns

Your Brain on the Border

by Michelle Garcia

Hill Country Water Torture

by Forrest Wilder

Dallas Chef’s Beef with Food Critic More than a Little Overdone

by Andrea Grimes

State of Texas

State of Texas: Taking Stock of Prison Reform

by Patrick Michels and Forrest Wilder

Loon Star State

Ben Sargent’s Loon Star State: On To Matamoros

Eye on Texas

Eye on Texas: Marfa

by Allison Smith