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San Antonio

Abandoned Oil Well Spreads Toxic Fumes, Dread Across San Antonio Subdivision

As new neighborhoods are built in Texas, residents don’t always know they are living on top of old oilfields.

by Martha Pskowski

Keep Reading

School Vouchers Take Center Stage in Texas’ Most Flippable State House District

by Eden Shamy

American Skater

by Monse Guajardo

Blue Dog Dem Fends Off Maureen Galindo in Wake of Anti-Zionist Tirades

by Eden Shamy

An image of a street with a bike lane May 02, 2023

Taking Back Texas’ Streets

TxDOT has blocked a plan in San Antonio to turn two lanes of a major thoroughfare into bike paths. What does it mean for other cities?

by Benton Graham

The San Antonio Philharmonic rehearses for an upcoming concert with Conductor Tito Muñoz and violinist Randall Goosby at First Baptist Church in San Antonio, Tx. U.S., on Thursday, January 12, 2023. The Symphony Society which ran the San Antonio Symphony declared bankruptcy in 2022 and dissolved shortly thereafter, canceling its planned season and putting its musicians out of work. The musicians reorganized as the San Antonio Philharmonic which is currently in the midst of its spring season. Mar 15, 2023

The Life, Death, and Life of San Antonio’s Symphony

A decades-long fight for high art is also a fight for organized labor in the state’s second-largest city.

by Gus Bova

A deliberately blurry photo of a coal power plant in San Antonio, Texas, with a cooling pond in front of it. The coal plant is shot at dusk with a moody vignette filter. Jan 26, 2023

San Antonio to End Use of Coal Within Five Years

But CPS Energy’s decision to switch to natural gas highlights the potential and peril of cities’ clean energy transition.

by Delger Erdenesanaa

A white Dallas police officer steps out of the passenger side door of a cruiser, marked with Dallas Police department insignia. In Texas police budgets far exceed those for community services. Jan 03, 2023

Texas Cities Prioritize Police over People

Fort Worth spends six times more on criminal justice than community services.

by Michelle Pitcher

At a protest outside a Christmas-themed drag show in Grand Prairie Texas, an activist holds a trans pride flag, wearing a denim jacket decorated with several patches including an Always Antifascist back patch which includes the red and black antifascist flags. Dec 21, 2022

The War on Christmas Drag Shows

GOP endorsed anti-LGBTQ+ “groomer” rhetoric inspired armed fascist groups to harass queer events, spurring a diverse, celebratory community response.

by Steven Monacelli

Wearing a blue suit and tie, Trey Martinez Fischer speaks at a podium, surrounded by a diverse crowd of supportive activists. Dec 12, 2022

Trey Martinez Fischer Will Helm the Democratic Opposition

The San Antonio political pugilist explains how he'll lead the state House Democratic caucus in yet another bleak year.

by Gus Bova

A mural on the side of the bookstore in Alpine, Texas downtown shows a cowboy reclining on a rocking chair with their feet up on a pile of books, with mountains behind them. Nov 28, 2022

Texas Bookstores Are Writing Their Own Stories

Indie bookshops across the state are embracing change, to thrive and stay alive. But a lot depends on the upcoming holiday season.

by Gayle Reaves and Kit O'Connell

A Black woman with her hands clasped and wearing a serene expression with her eyes closed. She's standing outside in a lush garden. Oct 11, 2022

The Bards of Texas

A look three cities' most passionate writers: local poets laureate from Dallas, San Antonio and Houston.

by Eli Nuñez

A close-up of an emu's open-beaked face, so it seems to have a surprised expression. Oct 06, 2022

Strangest State: Heat Waves, Emus, and Prairie Dogs

Dog weddings, record-breaking temperatures, and creepy dolls on the beach: notes from far-flung Texas.

by Texas Observer Staff

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