Indigenous Group Sues to Stop Big Bend Border Wall on Religious Grounds
The lawsuit seeks an immediate injunction, arguing that CBP construction and surveying activities in Big Bend violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
West Texas
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.
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.
‘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.
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.
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.
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 ‘Texas Blood,’ a Ramble Through Borderland History
Texas expat Roger D. Hodge returns home to discover a “palimpsest of lost and vanishing lifeways.”
Destruction of Lizard’s West Texas Habitat 10 Times Worse Than Previously Thought
About 2,700 acres of the lizard’s habitat have been disturbed by oil and gas development and sand mining since 2012.
Introducing the Texas Observer’s Rural Reporting Project
Texas has the biggest rural population in the nation, yet many journalists treat much of the state as flyover country.