The Texas Observer

The Texas Observer is an Austin-based nonprofit news organization known for fearless investigative reporting, narrative storytelling and sophisticated cultural criticism about all things Texan.

The Texas Observer • 2021 / VOLUME 4

EDITOR’S NOTE

DRAWING POWER • In a special session for redistricting, expect the GOP to use aggressive gerrymandering to extend the shelf life of its diminishing white base.

BATTLEGROUND PLANT • In Deer Park and other chemical corridor communities, the slow seepage of toxics can affect families like mine for generations.

TEXAS TALLY • THE NEWS, IN NUMBERS

THE PEOPLE’S SCIENTIST • A COVID-19 vaccine developed in Houston is in clinical trials in India and could be ready for global use as soon as late summer.

STRANGEST STATE • NOTES FROM FAR-FLUNG TEXAS

REFORMER SISSY FARENTHOLD IS STILL WATCHING • The former state representative led a revolt against corruption in 1972—and is calling for action now.

LIFE & DEATH IN A TEXAS HOMELESS CAMP • AS THE UNHOUSED POPULATION GROWS, CITIES LIKE AUSTIN TURN TO LEGALIZED CAMPS, WHERE COMMUNITY AND CALAMITY COLLIDE.

THE ROAD HOME • THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION INTENDS TO SPEND $25 BILLION WIDENING HIGHWAYS TO FIX TRAFFIC IN TEXAS CITIES. WHAT IF WE TORE THEM DOWN INSTEAD?

BLOODLINES • Emily Grace Spydell died in adoptive care. Her biological family says the Indian Child Welfare Act could have saved her—but her tribe’s legal code prevented it.

TROUBLED WATER • Four days after 9/11, a towing barge crashed into the Queen Isabella Causeway, killing eight people. Twenty years later, the fishermen who saved three lives are telling what really happened that night.

POWERED UP • A new collection of essays by Larry Goodwyn’s students and colleagues captures the organizer and journalist in all his complexity.

THE STORY OF A FLAWED AUSTIN • In a new memoir, Alice Embree fails to critically reflect on her past, but the broad strokes are worth the read.

A NEW NORMAL FOR LIVE MUSIC • Black musicians were already struggling for resources and recognition before the pandemic. Now, they’re back onstage, championing lasting reform in the live music industry.

A SMALL BIRD IN BIG BEND • In the Chisos Mountains, a search for the famed colima warbler.

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