Strangest State: Escaped Exotics, Tariffs, Trickery, and Guns
Fri, 30 Jan 2026 13:10:00 +0000
The post Strangest State: Escaped Exotics, Tariffs, Trickery, and Guns appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/strangest-state-escaped-exotics-tariffs-trickery-guns/
Country’s Largest Air Pollution Permit Issued to Power Plant for Data Centers in West Texas, Developer Says
Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:30:40 +0000
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. Texas’ environmental regulator this week issued the largest air pollution permit in the country to an enormous planned complex of gas power plants and data centers near the oilfields […]
The post Country’s Largest Air Pollution Permit Issued to Power Plant for Data Centers in West Texas, Developer Says appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/developer-gw-ranch-pecos-county-largest-power-project-us/
Austin’s Willy Baltazar Is a Man of Many Masks
Wed, 28 Jan 2026 13:05:00 +0000
On the back porch of his Southeast Austin home, Willy Baltazar displays a vibrant Día de los Muertos-style altar that honors more than just ancestors. Lined up are portraits of legends who have shaped Mexican culture and beyond: Vicente Fernández, Paquita la del Barrio, Frida Kahlo, Bob Marley, and Michael Jackson. Each icon is paired […]
The post Austin’s Willy Baltazar Is a Man of Many Masks appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/a-man-of-many-masks/
In Texas Cities, Let a Hundred Mamdanis Bloom
Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:15:00 +0000
The ascent of Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old socialist Muslim, to New York City’s mayoralty once seemed an almost absurdist dream. Yet, propelled by an army of 100,000 volunteers who took on the city’s political machine from below, the question now is not whether someone like Mamdani can win but whether his victory can carry beyond […]
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https://www.texasobserver.org/let-a-hundred-mamdanis-bloom/
The River and the Fever Dream
Mon, 26 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000
On a hilltop overlooking the Rio Grande, just below a picnic area along Highway 83 in San Ygnacio, there’s an unmarked grave. The river—as well as its new razor-sharp decorations—stretches as far as the eye can see in either direction. Occasionally a car passes, but mostly there’s a quiet stillness. The riverine border between Texas […]
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https://www.texasobserver.org/the-river-and-the-fever-dream-photo-essay/
Trump’s Plan for Venezuelan Oil Raises Prospects of Paramilitary Violence
Fri, 23 Jan 2026 15:13:03 +0000
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy, and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. Editor’s Note: This story illuminates potential push factors that could influence future immigration at the Texas border. There is a sense of deja vu in the jungles of South America to […]
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https://www.texasobserver.org/trump-plan-venezuelan-oil-paramilitary-violence/
In Dallas, Spanish-Inflected Shakespeare Adaptations Experiment with Language
Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:15:00 +0000
In September, two new Shakespeare adaptations used the Bard’s canonical plays as jumping-off points to bring stories infused with Hispanic culture to Dallas audiences. Echo Theatre’s world-premiere production of El Rey del Pollo by Anna Skidis Vargas, an adaptation of King Lear, and Shakespeare Dallas’ The Taming of the Shrew used the Spanish language to […]
The post In Dallas, Spanish-Inflected Shakespeare Adaptations Experiment with Language appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/dallas-bilingual-shakespeare-review/
Uvalde Trial Raises Question of Whether Police Stop School Shootings
Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:17:26 +0000
Earlier this month, a few dozen police officers, school district representatives, and one pro-Trump candidate for Congress crowded together in a room above the cafeteria at Samuel V. Champion High School in Boerne. School was cancelled for the day, but there was activity in the hallways, which was being shown on large TV screens at […]
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https://www.texasobserver.org/uvalde-trial-acquittal-shooting-columbine-police/
Congressman Tries to Cut Pay of ICE Prosecutor with Racist X Account to $1
Wed, 21 Jan 2026 20:59:15 +0000
As a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill works its way through Congress, Congressman Marc Veasey, a Democrat who represents part of Dallas, introduced an amendment in committee Wednesday aimed to reduce the salary of James Rodden, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) assistant chief counsel who acts as a prosecutor for ICE […]
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https://www.texasobserver.org/congressman-veasey-salary-james-rodden-ice-x-account/
‘Black Bird Redemption Song’: A Fort Worth Artist’s Work on Confinement, Freedom, and Fred Rouse
Tue, 20 Jan 2026 22:10:43 +0000
The rolling grounds of the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden and Museum near Austin’s Barton Springs are dotted with bronze pieces, their patinas letting them almost blend in with the scenery. But up close, they’re vividly detailed. A refugee holds a baby in gnarled hands, molded by American artist Charles Umlauf—the garden’s benefactor and namesake—in 1945. John […]
The post ‘Black Bird Redemption Song’: A Fort Worth Artist’s Work on Confinement, Freedom, and Fred Rouse appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/art-umlauf-fred-rouse-sedrick-huckaby/