Houston’s history as a whole is criminally understudied. Perhaps this is because, as a swampy backwater-turned-transport hub, the city’s greatest historical virtue was always that it could deliver you—or cotton, lumber, sugar, and eventually oil—someplace else.
The Texas Observer
Why Houston’s Urbanist Movement Is Doomed
The unexpected fate of Houston's Northside holds lessons that the city’s boosters may not wish to hear.
 #Houston #books #culture #urban #transit #racism #GulfCoast #Texas #politics #USpol #history
“Because he has access to these dollars, [he] is throwing out these types of consulting contracts to his friends to the detriment of the taxpayer.” New! Governor Greg Abbott used his border grandstanding to give cushy deals to his political allies, Francesca D'Annunzio revealed:
The Texas Observer
Texas Gave $1 Million in Expert Contracts to Defend Border Buoys in Court
Records reveal additional costs of the controversial Rio Grande barrier that the governor describes as “low-cost.”
 #GregAbbott #corruption #border #politics #USpol #news #Texas
In #books: The friends dished about the usual stuff: the latest craziness on TikTok, games they were playing, their sports ambitions, classmates, teachers, and boys—if they were at all interesting. And one other topic, a more haunting and dominating subject: how to cope as a survivor of a mass shooting.
The Texas Observer
Uvalde's Darkest Hour
A new book by the publisher of the Uvalde Leader-News illuminates events that forever altered lives in this small Texas city.
 #bookstodon #GunViolence #schools #children #education #Texas #SouthTexas #Uvalde
Our most-read story of 2024: Under owner Elon Musk, the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, has become a hotbed of white supremacist and neo-Nazi content. We revealed the real identities of four of these hatemongers.
The Texas Observer
Revealed: the Operators Behind Four Major Neo-Nazi X Accounts
Anonymity has long been a tactic used by extremists to spread their ideology while avoiding social consequences, from Klansmen hoods to online pseu...
 #ElonMusk #politics #USpol #extremism #SocialMedia #BestOf2024 #news #antisemitism
“The closet is a very dangerous place for people who use drugs. It’s where stadiums full of people die every year.” In the cover story from our magazine, by Jason Buch: How #Texas' response to substances like fentanyl has deadly consequences ...
The Texas Observer
How Texas’ War on Drug Users Fueled an Austin Overdose Disaster
A mass casualty event last spring lays bare the state’s backward approach to the ongoing crisis spurred by fentanyl and other super-potent substa...
 #WarOnDrugs #politics #USpol #news #health #police #CriminalJustice #law #drugs
We are hiring for a Director of Development! Deadline to apply is Monday, January 6.
The Texas Observer
We're Hiring: Director of Development
Update: We’re no longer accepting applications for this position. Organization Overview The Texas Observer is a nonprofit news outlet and pri...
 #Texas #journalism #nonprofit #jobs #hiring
A Sierra Club and Greenpeace report estimates that air pollution from currently operating LNG facilities nationwide causes $957 million in health costs and 60 premature deaths a year.
The Texas Observer
Brownsville Elected Officials Are Doing PR for Embattled LNG Megaproject
The mayor, county judge, and others are parroting talking points provided by liquefied natural gas developer NextDecade, as the company faces anoth...
 #pollution #environment #ClimateChange #OilAndGas #energy #GulfCoast #Texas #USpol #politics #news
Reminder: We are hiring for a Director of Development! Do you love what we do, and are skilled at helping nonprofits grow? Apply before January 6.
The Texas Observer
We're Hiring: Director of Development
Update: We’re no longer accepting applications for this position. Organization Overview The Texas Observer is a nonprofit news outlet and pri...
 #journalism #media #nonprofit #Texas #jobs
”As a faculty member at the University of Texas at #Austin, each day feels like a precarious game of Jenga, with the iconic tower of our institution at constant risk of collapse.”
The Texas Observer
Monopoly Tycoons in a Game of Jenga: The Censorship of Bodies, Protest, and Speech at UT-Austin
Faculty and students are experiencing profound disruption and distress, which starkly contrasts with the arrogant posture and detached demeanor of ...
 #education #schools #news #politics #USpol #Texas #FreeSpeech #GregAbbott
The friends dished about the usual stuff: the latest craziness on TikTok, games they were playing, their sports ambitions, classmates, teachers, and boys—if they were at all interesting. And one other topic, a more haunting and dominating subject: how to cope as a survivor of a mass shooting.
The Texas Observer
Uvalde's Darkest Hour
A new book by the publisher of the Uvalde Leader-News illuminates events that forever altered lives in this small Texas city.
 #books #Uvalde #GunViolence #education #schools #SouthTexas #Texas