‘Suicide by Cop’: How a Poorly Defined Term Shifts Accountability for Lost Lives
Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:11:32 +0000
In the early hours of July 24, someone placed a call to Austin’s 911 dispatch. The male caller told the operator he was looking out of his window and saw a teenager who may have had a gun. He wasn’t certain it was a weapon, but the person was “messing with his waistband,” the caller […]
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https://www.texasobserver.org/suicide-by-cop-austin-accountability-police-shooting/
Observer Masthead Additions and a Farewell
Wed, 19 Aug 2026 14:28:38 +0000
I’m proud to announce that the Observer has hired Mary Tuma, a freelance contributor since 2020, as a staff writer covering reproductive rights and politics starting late next month. Mary has been a leading reporter on repro rights in Texas for more than a decade, including during her years on staff at the Austin Chronicle. […]
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https://www.texasobserver.org/observer-masthead-additions-farewell-2026/
What the Data Says About Electricity Shutoffs During Sweltering Texas Summers
Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:48:41 +0000
In July 2024, the city-owned electric utility in Georgetown recorded two disconnections for nonpayment for every 10,000 residential accounts it served. In Garland, outside Dallas, the city-owned utility recorded 250, data shows. Same state, same month. Neither utility was covered by the state rule that restricts cutting off power during a heat advisory. The Public […]
The post What the Data Says About Electricity Shutoffs During Sweltering Texas Summers appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-electricity-shutoffs-data-municipal-utilities/
Texas Maternal Mortality Committee’s Next Report Will Skip Post-‘Roe’ Deaths. Lawmakers Suspect Political Influence.
Mon, 17 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000
Hope Ngumezi never imagined he would be a single father. When he met his late wife Porsha at Lamar University in Beaumont, Ngumezi was instantly enamored of her energy, drive, and compassion. Both Ngumezi and Porsha came from large families and were eager to start their own. After getting married in their late 20s, they […]
The post Texas Maternal Mortality Committee’s Next Report Will Skip Post-‘Roe’ Deaths. Lawmakers Suspect Political Influence. appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/maternal-mortality-committee-roe-deaths-lawmakers-politics/
Indigenous Group Sues to Stop Big Bend Border Wall on Religious Grounds
Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:30:00 +0000
The People of La Junta for Preservation, a nonprofit founded in 2024 that works to preserve Indigenous sites, and two Indigenous worshippers of Lipan Apache lineage are suing the federal government to stop the highly contentious border barrier construction and surveying activities in Big Bend, the Texas Observer has learned. The plaintiffs argue that ongoing […]
The post Indigenous Group Sues to Stop Big Bend Border Wall on Religious Grounds appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/indigenous-group-sues-big-bend-border-wall/
The Takeover Tab: State-Imposed Superintendent Buyouts Cost School Districts Big Bucks
Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:08:25 +0000
The State of Texas’s latest takeovers of four school districts, including Fort Worth, Beaumont, Lake Worth, and Connally Independent School Districts (ISDs) have already had a direct cost to local taxpayers. All four districts were forced to negotiate settlements with superintendents ousted by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), in packages totalling more than $1 million. […]
The post The Takeover Tab: State-Imposed Superintendent Buyouts Cost School Districts Big Bucks appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/the-takeover-tab/
Permian Basin Community Seeks Fix for Radium in Its Drinking Water
Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:31:05 +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. IMPERIAL, Texas—Many residents of this small town drive long distances to buy bottled water instead of opening up the tap. Pecos County Fresh Water, a county-operated utility, provides drinking […]
The post Permian Basin Community Seeks Fix for Radium in Its Drinking Water appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/permian-basin-radium-drinking-water/
Who Pays for the High-Powered Grid that Data Centers Need?
Tue, 11 Aug 2026 19:51:17 +0000
The true scale of prospective projects that want to plug into the Texas grid is hard to hold in your head. As of August 3, the Texas governor’s office put the figure at more than 474 gigawatts of requests to connect, more than five times the grid’s record peak demand, and said roughly 90 percent […]
The post Who Pays for the High-Powered Grid that Data Centers Need? appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/who-pays-for-texas-grid-upgrades-data-centers/
‘Cocks Not Glocks’ at 10
Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:35:33 +0000
Since August 1, 2016—50 years to the day after the UT Tower shooting—it’s been legal to carry concealed firearms into most public university spaces in Texas, including classrooms. When the law went into effect despite opposition from students, administrators, and faculty, University of Texas at Austin students reacted by brandishing dildos in a performance-art-style, nonviolent […]
The post ‘Cocks Not Glocks’ at 10 appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/cocks-not-glocks-at-10/
An Ode to Austin’s Unsung Proletariat
Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:04:57 +0000
I made $7.25 an hour at my first job back in 2015, peddling candles and soaps and other good-smelling baubles at a French boutique near Rice University. It was a good job, as far as first jobs go; I was a junior in high school, and I did my homework behind the counter. I knew […]
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https://www.texasobserver.org/an-ode-to-austin-unsung-proletariat/