It Was a Very Good Year
Every media outlet on earth is running year-in-review pieces this week. Here at The Texas Observer, we usually don’t follow the media crowd, but in […]
Skeptics Gone Wild: Navigating America’s Conspiracy Theory Culture
There’s no longer anything especially irrational about believing that shadowy actors are subverting American democracy.
Working for Superman: Texas Schools Turn to Hero Superintendents
Struggling school districts often bring in hotshot superintendents to save the day. But is star power what schools really need?
Anatomy of a Tragedy
By the time the Texas Medical Board revoked his license, Christopher Duntsch had left two patients dead and four paralyzed in a series of botched surgeries.
Bloodlines: How the Scion of a Texas Horse Racing Empire Became an Informant on Mexico’s Most Feared Cartel
Unwittingly, Tyler Graham, heir to a Texas horse-racing empire, had become an informant on one of the world’s most lethal crime syndicates.
The Texas Legislature’s Sexist Little Secret
Misogyny, as I had come to learn, is rampant in the Texas Capitol.
New Analysis: Fracking Water Use Underestimated in Eagle Ford Shale
The amount of water used by frackers in South Texas is increasingly coming into focus—and it’s considerably more than official estimates.
Border Law Enforcement Scandal Grows With Recent Arrest
In Hidalgo County, when it comes to law enforcement corruption, the feds like to make their arrests right before the holidays. On Christmas Eve, […]
The Horror Every Day: Police Brutality In Houston Goes Unpunished
The Houston Police Department rarely punishes its officers for excessive force.
Crimes Unpunished
HPD’s discipline process, having evolved over decades of negotiations between the city and police union, now functions like a modern version of the notorious “code of silence.”