Texas Task Force II, which consists of three separate teams of 28 people, went operational in 2007 to respond to man-made and natural disasters in north Texas. Since 2010, they have been using dogs to assist with these searches. Read more about the rescue dogs of Texas Task Force II in “Rescue Dogs: The Canines and Their Handlers Who Search the Aftermath of Catastrophe” by Alex Hannaford.
Jen Reel was an Observer intern before joining the staff in July 2010, first as Web Content Manager, and most recently as Multimedia Editor. She left the Observer in 2017.
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In Texas, One of the World’s Oldest, Weirdest Fish Finally Gets its Due
Long considered “trash fish,” alligator gar have patrolled Texas rivers for millions of years. Now this living fossil may finally be getting its due.
Octavio Solis’ ‘Retablos’ Recounts a ‘Beautiful, Messy’ Youth on the Border
Though its title evokes Mexican folk art, Retablos is closer in effect to that of French pointillism. Its small dabs of vivid color produce a brilliant cumulative effect.
‘When I Spoke in Tongues’ Chronicles a Long Walk Away from the Church
For readers who’ve wrestled with their religious upbringing, Jessica Wilbanks evokes a powerful sense of loss: the loss of the person she used to be, and of the person she might have become, had she stayed inside the fold.
