Economy
Farmers and Ranchers Take a Hit from Harvey, but the Exact Toll is Unknown
Fanning The Flames
The same conservation efforts that saved Texas from the Dust Bowl may have opened the door to a new man-made disaster.
Fanning the Flames The same conservation efforts that saved Texas from the Dust Bowl may have opened the door to a new man-made disaster. At just past 8 p.m. on...Read More
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.
Trump’s election taught the nation many painful lessons. Among them: the traditional divide between town and country has become a chasm. People in blue, urban...Read More
The Rise and Fall of the ‘Freest Little City in Texas’
How a libertarian experiment in city government fell apart over taxes, debt and some very angry people.
The Rise and Fall of the “Freest Little City in Texas” How a libertarian experiment in city government fell apart over taxes, debt and some very ang...Read More
Over the Wall
After a decade of living in the shadow of the border wall, people in the Rio Grande Valley are ready to move on. But Donald Trump has other plans.
Over the Wall After a decade of living in the shadow of the border wall, people in the Rio Grande Valley are ready to move on. But Donald Trump has other plans....Read More
In Trade War with Mexico, Texas Would Lose the Most
In late January, the White House floated the idea of a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports to fund the construction of Trump’s “big, fat, beautiful wa...Read More
Two House Democrats Vote for Legislation that Would Eliminate Billions from Future State Budgets
Democrats have few ideas for how to replace the missing revenue, even as they complain about the tight budget.
Two Democrats in the Texas House have joined the apparently bipartisan crusade to kill one of Texas’ main sources of tax revenue, potentially wringing billion...Read More
Study: Texas Spent $4.4 Billion Luring Businesses That Were Coming to the State Anyway
About 85 percent of the projects that received tax breaks through the Chapter 313 program didn’t need the incentive, according to a new study.
About 85 percent of the projects that received tax breaks through the Chapter 313 program didn’t need the incentive, according to a new study....Read More
Hundreds of Texas Workers Join National Day of Action for $15 Minimum Wage
More than 2.6 million Americans and 287,000 Texans are paid at or below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Hundreds of Texas workers joined a national day of action for a $15 minimum wage and union representation despite a political climate hostile to labor....Read More
Rationale for Texas’ Largest Corporate Welfare Program was a ‘Typographical Error’
What if Texas blew billions of dollars because someone misread an obscure business report 15 years ago? In March, the Observer took a close look at the state’...Read More