Tag Archives: West Texas
Report: Oil and Gas Producers May Be Pushing the Permian Basin Past Federal Air Quality Limits
Sulfur dioxide levels in the vast West Texas region may be hitting dangerous levels. Meanwhile, the state is hardly bothering to monitor the pollutant.
In the Permian Basin of West Texas, there’s something in the air. For the oil and gas industry, it must be the smell of money — lots of it. But for the peop...Read More
Six Stories About Rural Texas You Should Read Before 2018 Ends
From the shuttering of Dairy Queens, driver's license offices and rural hospitals across the state to an only-in-Texas alligator tale, you may have missed this great reporting.
I understand if the wild and weird news cycle of 2018 has got your head spinning. This rollercoaster ride of state and national politics has some reporters near...Read More
Is Texas’ Overcrowded, Underfunded State Parks System Being Loved to Death?
Texans love their state parks. But our state's public lands are overcrowded and rapidly deteriorating. Maybe it's time to take the long view.
by Joe Nick Patoski December 17, 2018 In July, on a 100-degree day in the desert, 562 miles west of Houston, I stood on the concrete bank of the San Solomon...Read More
Ted Cruz Won Because of Rural Texas, but Beto Made Small Gains for Democrats
O’Rourke’s strategy of hitting all 254 counties didn’t win him the race, but it likely gained Democratic ground in small-town Texas, Republicans’ most reliable stronghold.
At first glance, it would appear as if Democrats were dealt a series of miserable defeats in rural Texas Tuesday. Beto O’Rourke, who spent beaucoup time and m...Read More
Pete Gallego and Texas Democrats Once Again Snatch Defeat from Jaws of Victory
In what should have been an easy win in San Antonio, Democrats managed to lose a seat they’ve held for 139 years.
The defining attribute of Trump era special elections has been tectonic shifts from red to blue, fueled by highly energized voters. Democrats have flipped more...Read More
‘Presidio’ is a Beautiful, Atmospheric Texas Novel that Doesn’t Cohere
Randy Kennedy’s debut is packed — sometimes bloated — with rich characters and lovely detail that conjures small-town Texas.
Epigraphs from luminaries like John Ashbery, Clarice Lispector and Robert Smithson hint at the high-art ambitions of Randy Kennedy’s debut novel, Presidio. Th...Read More
In Presidio, a New Public Art Project Crosses Borders
The new mural is a small binational gesture reminding those who reside in the margins that they are not forgotten.
On the northern outskirts of Presidio, a series of modest dirt hills offers a view of the small border town delineated by the meandering Rio Grande. Just beyond...Read More
Rural Poverty, Youth Homelessness Abound in Loraine, Pop. 587
Loraine ISD helps homeless students cope, but few other public resources are available for youth in Texas’ remote Big Country.
Rural Poverty, Youth Homelessness Abound in Loraine, Pop. 587 Loraine ISD helps homeless students cope, but few other public resources are available for youth i...Read More
Big Spring Vs. Big Oil
In the heart of the West Texas oil patch, a new fracking frenzy is putting a strain on groundwater.
In the heart of the West Texas oil patch, a new fracking frenzy is putting a strain on groundwater. – by Christopher Collins @collins_reports December 11, 201...Read More