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Texas Observer
Sophi’s Murder and the Unanswered Calls for Justice
A version of this story ran in the July / August 2023 issue. Articles must link back to the original article and contain the following attribution at the top of the story:. This article was originally published by the Texas Observer, a nonprofit investigative news outlet. Sign up for their weekly newsletter, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.”
God’s Army Gathers in Fort Worth
Self-described Christian nationalist prophets, an election conspiracist, and the wealthiest pastor in America collide for a week of right-wing politics. On the last Sunday of July, an ecstatic crowd of hundreds gathered inside the Fort Worth Convention Center. It was opening night of the Southwest Believers’ Convention, a week-long event that attracts hundreds of members of the fastest-growing Christian segment in the country. And they expected to witness miracles.
Loon Star State: Gutting
A version of this story ran in the July / August 2023 issue. To see more political cartoons from Ben Sargent, visit our Loon Star State section, or find Observer political reporting here. The ‘Death Star’ Bill Is About Kneecapping Democracy in Texas: Senior Staff Writer Gus Bova unpacks House...
Not Your Everyday Snow Cone
An exploration of Bayou City's beautiful diversity through its finest shaved ice purveyors. During World War II, when American planes bombed Taiwan’s sugar mills, my grandfather stashed the sweet gold he’d saved under the floorboards. After the war ended, he took sugar and hefty blocks of ice and set up a tusa bing, or shaved ice stall, in the neighborhood’s open market. Using a machete, he flayed the ice until fine flakes lined the bottom of the bowl. Pouring over syrup made from his treasure trove and topping the frozen treat with sweet red beans, he served it to the locals on Bi Shi Tao Road in Kaoshiung looking to beat the heat.
The ‘Death Star’ Bill Is About Kneecapping Democracy in Texas
House Bill 2127 is the culmination of a years-long fight about centralizing power, not protecting small businesses. On November 3, 2020, as America watched the first results of a fateful presidential contest roll in, voters in a North Texas suburb struck a blow for workers’ rights. Euless residents approved a proposition limiting some large companies’ ability to force employees to work overtime if they didn’t want to.
The Difficulties of Tracking Maternal Mortality After ‘Dobbs’
The case of Mylissa Farmer, a Missouri woman, is one example. Last August, her water broke less than 18 weeks into her pregnancy, when her fetus was not viable. She was at risk for developing a life-threatening infection if she continued the pregnancy. Yet during three separate visits to emergency rooms, she was denied abortion care because her fetus still had a heartbeat. Doctors specifically cited the state’s new abortion law in her medical records and said they could not intervene until her condition worsened. She eventually traveled to Illinois for care.
Will Greg Abbott Keep Losing on School Vouchers?
A version of this story ran in the July / August 2023 issue. Since 1995, the Coalition for Public Schools in Texas has assembled a broad spectrum of religious, child advocacy, and education organizations, now with 50 groups representing some 4 million Texans. Its member organizations range from the American Civil Liberties Union to the Texas Baptist Christian Rights Commission. For 28 years, the coalition has beaten repeated efforts to privatize public schools through a voucher system. This year’s regular legislative session was no different.
Texas Workers, Congressman Launch ‘Thirst Strike’ for Heat Protections
“My brother would still be here if he just had a water break,” said Jasmine Granillo, who’s joining the call for OSHA to save workers from the Texas Legislature. Jasmine Granillo was 11 years old when her family joined other workers in a “thirst strike”—a protest in which participants decline to drink water—on the steps of Dallas City Hall in 2015. For a full day, Jasmine’s father Gustavo Granillo went thirsty to draw attention to the death of his 25-year-old son Roendy Granillo and pressure the city to pass a water break mandate to protect construction workers from heat illnesses. Roendy had died three months earlier from heat stroke after reportedly being denied a break at a residential construction job. After the action, Jasmine and her family continued their activism with the worker rights organization Workers Defense Project, protesting and speaking to city council members. By the end of the year, Dallas passed an ordinance mandating that construction laborers receive a 10-minute rest break every four hours, a policy similar to one passed by Austin five years prior.
Poem: The Pantoum
A version of this story ran in the July / August 2023 issue. Editor’s note: To submit a poem, please send an email, with the poem as an attachment, to [email protected]. We are looking for previously unpublished works of no more than 30 lines by Texas poets who have not been published by the Observer in the last two years. Pay is $150 on publication. Poems will be chosen by guest editors.
After Dobbs, Native People Face a Web of Obstacles to Reproductive Care
The ruling is likely to increase already high rates of pregnancy-related mortality for Native pregnancy-capable people (NPCP) in the U.S., creating “the perfect environment for Native women to die,” Abigail Echo-Hawk, citizen of Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma and executive vice president of the Seattle Indian Health Board, told Truthout.
Teachers Strong-Armed to Get on Board with Houston Schools Takeover
Instructors face job losses for failing to sign up for the New Education System. In the packed cafeteria of Pugh Elementary School Tuesday evening, Houston Independent School District (HISD) Superintendent Mike Miles worked hard to sell his wholesale campus reform program, called the New Education System (NES), to a resistant crowd, some holding signs that read “Our Children, Our Schools.” Miles boasted that 57 campuses had voluntarily opted into the program.
Texas Wastes Renewable Energy During June Heatwave
As a massive heat dome engulfed much of Texas in 100-degree-plus weather throughout the second half of June, breaking temperature records throughout South and West Texas, renewable energy output also set new records. Renewables’ contribution to the Texas grid reached an all-time high on June 28, when 41.6 percent of the electricity on the grid was coming from wind and solar power during peak hours.
Homegrown Neo-Fascist Movement Marches in Austin
Researchers have identified dozens of members of the white nationalist group—and no, they’re not “feds.”. Dozens of members of the neo-fascist, white nationalist group Patriot Front marched through the streets of Austin Saturday. The group did not announce the demonstration in advance, leaving no time for opposition groups to mount a counter-protest. It was the largest public gathering of the group’s members since they held a similar march in Washington, D.C., on May 13.
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