Gulf Coast Petrochemical Buildout Draws Billions in Tax Breaks For Polluters

A booming petrochemical buildout on the Gulf Coast has drawn billions of dollars in public subsidies from state tax abatement programs despite regular violations of pollution permits, according to a new report released Thursday.  The Environmental Integrity Project, an environmental nonprofit based in Texas and Washington, D.C., compiled data on all U.S. plastics projects built, […]

The post Gulf Coast Petrochemical Buildout Draws Billions in Tax Breaks For Polluters appeared first on The Texas Observer.

Full Story (Texas Observer)


Mon, 18 Mar 2024 11:06:44 AM CDT


Fort Worth’s Forgotten Lynching: In Search of Fred Rouse

They burned his coat before they killed him. This was in Fort Worth, in 1921, during a strike at a packinghouse: A Black worker, excluded from the whites-only union, crossed the picket line. After his shift, he was confronted by white strikers. What I know of the story comes from century-old newspaper accounts that I […]

The post Fort Worth’s Forgotten Lynching: In Search of Fred Rouse appeared first on The Texas Observer.

Full Story (Texas Observer)


Mon, 18 Mar 2024 08:00:00 AM CDT


The Specter of Disinformation Haunts South by Southwest

When some of the largest newswire agencies in the world had to retract a manipulated photograph of British royal Kate Middleton on March 11, one thing was made clear: Even well-resourced journalistic outlets are ill-equipped to detect technologically advanced fakery.  Counterfeit photos created to deceive audiences have existed nearly as long as photography itself. Joseph […]

The post The Specter of Disinformation Haunts South by Southwest appeared first on The Texas Observer.

Full Story (Texas Observer)


Fri, 15 Mar 2024 08:00:00 AM CDT


‘The Queen vs. Texas’ Revisits the Battle over Lone Star Drag  

When the drag queen known as Hermajestie the Hung reached her breaking point, she transformed into the Joker, becoming the scourge of patriarchy, homophobic lawmakers, and anti-transgender bigots everywhere.  “She’s that queen that’s just had enough,” Hermajestie told the Texas Observer.  In reality, The Queen vs. Texas—a new short film recently screened at the South […]

The post ‘The Queen vs. Texas’ Revisits the Battle over Lone Star Drag   appeared first on The Texas Observer.

Full Story (Texas Observer)


Thu, 14 Mar 2024 08:00:00 AM CDT


‘Puro Pinche Palestina’

On a three-dog January night in southside San Antonio, a brightly painted coffee-and-beer joint burbles to life with a bundled-up crowd, chiefly young and hip, many sporting black-and-white keffiyehs—the scarves that serve as worldwide symbols of solidarity with Palestine. Ringing a spacious side yard, vendors arrange wares on tables. Music equipment for a DJ and […]

The post <i>‘Puro Pinche Palestina’</i> appeared first on The Texas Observer.

Full Story (Texas Observer)


Wed, 13 Mar 2024 08:00:00 AM CDT


Pregnant Workers’ Health and Livelihoods Face a New Threat

In an appalling decision that took effect in March, a federal court in Texas took away the right of Texas state employees to protect women’s health, and enable them to keep their jobs, during pregnancy and while recovering from childbirth.  It is notable that while the court ruled the entire Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 […]

The post Pregnant Workers’ Health and Livelihoods Face a New Threat appeared first on The Texas Observer.

Full Story (Texas Observer)


Tue, 12 Mar 2024 08:33:00 AM CDT


The Booksellers’ Revolt

January 17 was a big day for opponents of book bans in Texas schools. Charley Rejsek, CEO of indie bookstore BookPeople, had just returned home from a routine meeting at the Austin Central Library. She opened her email and screamed with joy: The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled in her favor in […]

The post The Booksellers’ Revolt appeared first on The Texas Observer.

Full Story (Texas Observer)


Mon, 11 Mar 2024 08:56:11 AM CDT


New Lake Will Fuel Petrochemical Expansion

Texas regulators last week approved water rights for a new, 2,500-acre reservoir to meet the growing needs of chemical plants, refineries and other industries on the Gulf Coast.  A draft permit issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality authorizes the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority (LNRA) to divert up to 31 billion gallons per year from […]

The post New Lake Will Fuel Petrochemical Expansion appeared first on The Texas Observer.

Full Story (Texas Observer)


Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:00:00 AM CST


Podcasting’s New Poirot: Broadcasting the Case of the Late Ivan Cantu

Update: On February 28, Ivan Cantu was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville. Ahead of his execution, the Cousins by Blood podcast investigation helped draw in support for Cantu from high profile figures like Kim Kardashian and Martin Sheen. The original foreperson of the jury came forward to say he felt “fooled” by the trial. […]

The post Podcasting’s New Poirot: Broadcasting the Case of the Late Ivan Cantu appeared first on The Texas Observer.

Full Story (Texas Observer)


Thu, 07 Mar 2024 08:00:00 AM CST


A House Defeated? Abbott, Paxton, Patrick Bag Rebellious State Legislators

In one of the ugliest and most contentious Republican primaries in Texas history, an array of insurgent challengers—sent forth into battle by Governor Greg Abbott, his school voucher allies, and a vengeful attorney general with his radical right-wing base—got what they wanted: change, turmoil, and unease.  Come the 2025 legislative session, the Republican-controlled state House […]

The post A House Defeated? Abbott, Paxton, Patrick Bag Rebellious State Legislators appeared first on The Texas Observer.

Full Story (Texas Observer)


Wed, 06 Mar 2024 01:18:40 PM CST




Alternative Players
WMP-QT-Realplayer-Winamp