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‘We’re Not Just Some Bureaucrats’: DOE Employees on How Their Work Helps Texas Students

https://www.texasobserver.org/department-of-education-trump-union-cuts/

Published: March 21, 2025 13:54

On March 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to start dismantling the Department of Education (DOE) after moving to cut half of its workforce the prior week. The DOE manages a wide range of…

These Librarians Won’t Let America’s Fever Hit Fahrenheit 451

https://www.texasobserver.org/librarians-movie-sxsw-book-bans/

Published: March 20, 2025 16:28

In Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451, protagonist Guy Montag revolts against his profession of incinerating banned books and the homes of their readers. His intellectual awakening sparks a series of events in which authorities scorch his home,…

Texas’ First Abortion Arrests Stem from Monthlong Attorney General Investigation

https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-first-abortion-arrests-attorney-general-investigation/

Published: March 19, 2025 17:45

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared March 17 and was updated March 18 in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/17/texas-abortion-midwife-arrested/. The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and…

Loon Star State: Trump’s Grocery Run

https://www.texasobserver.org/loon-star-state-constitution-trump-2025/

Published: March 18, 2025 21:27

To see more political cartoons from Ben Sargent, visit our Loon Star State section. Find Observer political reporting here. The post Loon Star State: Trump’s Grocery Run appeared first on The Texas Observer.

The Texas Border Is the New Frontier of Film

https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-border-new-frontier-film/

Published: March 17, 2025 14:09

In the movie The In Between, set in Eagle Pass, a group of five athletic high school boys jog down a dirt road. To their left is a thick brush of reeds that line the Rio Grande. To their right is the steel border wall, looming ominously.  “Hey, the Border…

An Inside Look at Taser Use in Texas Prison

https://www.texasobserver.org/an-inside-look-at-taser-use-in-texas-prison/

Published: March 13, 2025 13:40

Editor’s Note: The Texas Observer sought TDCJ responses to this essay, which were incorporated into the piece in appropriate places with the author’s approval. Author Bio: Xandan Gulley is a transgender (he/him) individual incarcerated under the legal name…

Marathon Hearing on School Vouchers Features Intense Bipartisan Opposition

https://www.texasobserver.org/house-hearing-2025-school-vouchers/

Published: March 12, 2025 15:13

State Representative Brad Buckley, Republican House public education committee chair and author of the chamber’s voucher proposal, opened the hearing on House Bill 3 Tuesday morning, stating: “My intent is to provide families with the opportunity to choose…

Earth Orbit Is Filling Up with Junk. Greenhouse Gases Worsen the Problem.

https://www.texasobserver.org/earth-orbit-satellites-greenhouse-gases-spacex/

Published: March 12, 2025 13:08

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. At any given moment, more than 10,000 satellites are whizzing around the planet at roughly 17,000 miles per hour. This constellation of machinery is…

How Voucher Vendors Could Make Millions from ‘School Choice’ in Texas

https://www.texasobserver.org/school-vouchers-vendors-millions-legislature/

Published: March 10, 2025 20:29

In August 2024, the business magazine Inc. released its annual list of the top 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the United States. At 815th, a burgeoning upstart called ClassWallet cracked the list’s top 20 percent for the third straight year. By…

What Ever Happened to Ethics Reform?

https://www.texasobserver.org/ethics-reform-texas-house-legislature/

Published: March 10, 2025 13:51

In the early 1970s, Texas experienced one of the most explosive political scandals in its history. House Speaker Gus Mutscher was convicted, and several other top state officials were implicated for their roles in a bribery scheme in which they received…

Amid Texas Measles Outbreak, Conservatives Double Down on Anti-Vax Crusade

https://www.texasobserver.org/measles-outbreak-anti-vax-legislation/

Published: March 7, 2025 17:22

Texas is experiencing its largest outbreak of the measles virus in 30 years. As of March 4, the state health agency has identified 159 cases, including 22 hospitalizations and one death. Though centered in Gaines County, cases have been identified in eight…

Loon Star State: Remember When…

https://www.texasobserver.org/loon-star-state-remember-when/

Published: March 7, 2025 13:30

To see more political cartoons from Ben Sargent, visit our Loon Star State section. Find Observer political reporting here. The post Loon Star State: Remember When… appeared first on The Texas Observer.

ICE Raids on Beloved Bakery Reverberate Through Rio Grande Valley

https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-raids-abbys-bakery-valley-los-fresnos/

Published: March 6, 2025 15:45

In recent years, Los Fresnos has changed, much like the rest of the Rio Grande Valley. More retail chains are coming to the town of around 8,400, mostly along Highway 100—called Ocean Boulevard in town. Suburbs expand from that road toward Olmito or…

David Wood, Set for Execution, Says He Was Never the ‘Desert Killer’

https://www.texasobserver.org/david-wood-execution-desert-killer/

Published: March 5, 2025 20:40

Update: On March 11, the Court of Criminal Appeals stayed David Wood’s execution. The court has not yet announced whether it will send the case back to the trial court to review the evidence of Wood’s innocence. Greg Wiercioch, one of Wood’s attorneys,…

What a Drag: Nate Schatzline

https://www.texasobserver.org/nate-schatzline-drag-lege-2025/

Published: March 4, 2025 19:16

Editor’s Note: This article is part of an occasional series profiling the Texas lawmakers who make up the fringe of an already woefully fringe-y legislative body. These are the elected officials who tend to seek out provocation, anger colleagues, and make…