A Love Letter to the Black Woodswomen of Deep East Texas
Where I’m from, the Afro-Texans who made me know our lives are forever woven into the ecology of the Thicket.
East Texas
Dammed if You Do: East Texas Locals Fight to Stop an Unnecessary Reservoir
In Van Zandt County, a fight over water rights, government transparency, and land ownership came to a head with a proposed dam project.
Pitted Against Waste
East Texans are uniting to fight oil waste pits in bucolic areas near the Louisiana line—all run by an operator who’s been cited for dozens of violations, and a worker’s death.
A New Generation of Industries Emerges in Texas from Federal Push for Mining Revival
The United States doesn’t produce the minerals and metals needed for renewable energy, microchips, or military technology. Authorities want to change that as quickly as possible.
Embattled Texas Oilfield Waste Company Fined After Worker’s Death
A 26-year-old employee at McBride Operating in Waskom was killed when a valve blew off a pump last year. Another worker had sued the company two years earlier after being injured on the job.
The Innocent and the Executed: James Beathard’s Long-Forgotten Story
Beathard was put to death in 1999 for murders that his co-defendant claimed to have committed without him. A new documentary-in-progress seeks to bring his case to light.
Proposed Transmission Line Threatens Texas’ Largest Reservoir
If approved, opponents warn that a massive new utility project could disrupt toxic sediment, and more, in Lake Livingston—Houston’s “most critical” water source.
Get the newsletter
Strangest State: Power, Gators, UFOs, and Cockfights
Only in Texas
Oil and Gas Wastewater Spills Pollute the Lone Star State
Pollution from the energy sector has impacted soil, contaminated water resources and killed wildlife while the state resists new regulations.
Mapping Indigenous Communities of Texas: Atakapa Ishak
The Ishak built mounds tall enough to escape floods and hurricanes in southeast Texas.