News
Is Texas’ Overcrowded, Underfunded State Parks System Being Loved to Death?
Checkpoint Nation
Border Patrol agents are extending their reach deep into the country’s interior.
by Melissa del Bosque October 8, 2018 Laura Sandoval threaded her way through idling taxis and men selling bottles of water toward the entrance of the Cordo...Read More
Stand By Your Man
How the Collin County GOP derailed Ken Paxton’s prosecution and turned him into a right-wing hero.
by Michael Barajas October 1, 2018 Three years ago, just months after being sworn in as Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton’s days seemed numbered. In July 201...Read More
Bordering on Empty
Shallow Waters Shallow Waters is a nine-part series on border water and climate change. Part 5 Bordering on Empty The Rio Grande is one of the most endangered r...Read More
Strangest State: August 2018
Weird news from far-flung Texas.
SAN ANTONIO // A former master plumber put his collection of more than 1,300 decorated toilet seats up for sale. Barney “King of the Commode” Smith has oper...Read More
Will Hurricane Harvey Recovery Sink or Save a Texas City Already Fighting for Survival?
by Michael Barajas and Sophie Novack July 30, 2018 On a Friday morning in mid-May, Beatrice Sanders stepped outside her FEMA trailer to find a port-a-potty park...Read More
Cash-Strapped Rural Texas Schools Look to Universities for Help
From East Texas to the Rio Grande Valley, universities are helping struggling schools train staff, start enrichment programs and expand space for district activities.
On June 20, a few weeks after Commerce ISD released students for the summer, about 10 fifth-grade students gather in teacher Cari Aaron’s classroom, playing m...Read More
Strangest State: June 2018
Weird news from far-flung Texas.
SAN JACINTO COUNTY // A man selling a rifle on Facebook apparently hoped that posting a photo of the weapon next to a live alligator would garner more attention...Read More
Can Texas Oil Money Stop a Blue Gusher?
The PACs responsible for defending GOP majorities in the U.S. House and Senate are already gushing with money from Lone Star energy giants.
In June 2017, Tesoro Corp., a major oil refiner based in San Antonio, bought El Paso-based Western Refining for $5.8 billion and rebranded itself as Andeavor, b...Read More
Tracking DPS Across the Sky: How We Did It
Tracking DPS Across the Sky: How We Did It To find out where the Texas Department of Public Safety flies its two surveillance aircraft, the Texas Observer and t...Read More