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Despite Racist Jurors, Andre Thomas Remains on Texas’ Death Row
The convicted man’s lawyer called the prospect of his execution “an ugly spectacle.”. When Andre Thomas, a 21-year-old Black man, was sentenced to death in 2005, it was at the hands of an all-white jury—a quarter of whom had openly expressed racist views during the jury selection process. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Thomas’s appeal based on the jurors’ biases.
From World’s Youngest Rodeo Clown to TV Star
Kevin Cahoon talks about his role in the new FOX musical drama Monarch and explains why he’s so grateful for his unique career. One of the most reliable actors on Broadway, he’s appeared in Tommy, The Lion King, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Hedwig And The Angry Inch, and The Rocky Horror Show. Cahoon’s talents have also extended to television, where he’s popped up on Modern Family, The Good Wife, Elementary, CSI, and Law And Order.
The Bards of Texas
A version of this story ran in the September / October 2022 issue. The positions are mostly honorary, usually without assigned duties or salary, and go to poets with extensively published work. Each poet typically receives an honorarium, but the amount varies. Funding may come from local library groups or from a hotel occupancy tax dedicated to the arts. The Academy of American Poets recently announced that it will be awarding a combined total of $1.1 million to its 2022 Poet Laureate Fellows, a list that includes Houston’s poet laureate.
The Voice of Lone Star Poetry
Born to a native Mexican father and a Tejana mother, he grew up in Galveston, where his parents met, and often writes poems relating to being part of an immigrant family. “I can share my poetry with the public because of who I am and my background,” he said. He particularly likes weaving stories about the “idea of a border and two places and how we move in the world.”
Strangest State: Heat Waves, Emus, and Prairie Dogs
A version of this story ran in the September / October 2022 issue. Conventional wisdom among ranchers holds that the prairie dog is a nuisance to be eradicated. The rascally varmints compete with cattle for grass and create potentially hazardous subterranean towns that can cause a cow to break a leg. But new research conducted at the Borderlands Research Institute at Sul Ross State University shows prairie dogs deserve more credit, the Texas Standard reported. Turns out that all of their rooting around encourages different weeds to sprout, which can provide more nutrients for cattle.
Christian Menefee Aims to Bring Polluters to Justice
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Harris County Attorney’s office. 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.”
Celebrating Artistic ‘Symbols of Possibility’
Shepard Fairey's "Backward Forward" and Gabrielle Goliath's "Chorus" carry on an unlikely tradition of cutting edge art in Dallas. The mandatory and thankfully complimentary valet parking outside the Dallas Contemporary museum was a sign—typically, I’m not invited to things like this. But sure enough, my name was on the list for a VIP reception for the two most politically charged and timely art exhibitions I’ve ever seen.
Texas Bloodlust Usurps Prosecutorial Discretion
Until then, Texas law provides elected district attorneys—the prosecutorial authority in the jurisdiction where a capital crime occurs—with the power and the discretion, acting on behalf of the people who elected them, to decide whether or not to seek the death penalty. This time-tested pillar of state criminal...
Dallas’ Gory Punk Scene in Black and White
A version of this story ran in the September / October 2022 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...
Did the Abbott-O’Rourke Debate Change Anything?
One focus group found that the Democratic challenger won over voters at the Texas governor's debate, but it's unclear if most of the electorate paid attention. The conventional wisdom among political observers in Texas about this one and only gubernatorial debate was that Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke needed to somehow, someway have a breakthrough against an incumbent governor who—despite taking a drastic rightward lurch and presiding over an increasingly long list of disasters—has proven resilient in the polls. Governor Greg Abbott, meanwhile, had to simply avoid a major blunder.
Austin Nurses Win Largest Hospital Union in Texas
Kellen Gildersleeve, a labor and delivery nurse in Austin, has just helped birth one of the Texas labor movement’s biggest victories in recent memory. Last week, nurses at Ascension Seton Medical Center voted overwhelmingly to join National Nurses United, the largest nurses’ union in the United States. Approximately 800 nurses will be covered by the union, which is now entering contract negotiations with hospital management.
Alamo Drafthouse: Far from Fantastic
The nationwide dine-in cinema chain remains popular despite accusations of union busting and allegations of sexual assault. Over the years, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has become the multiplex for people who want to see films not only in a safe, comfortable space—but a cool one. The Austin-based, dine-in-theater empire is basically what the Hard Rock Cafe was in the ‘80s and ‘90s—whenever a franchise opens in a new area, it’s like the area has been blessed with a playhouse filled with pop-culture awesomeness.
A Party Built Entirely on Lies
The GOP’s false statements, unethical behavior, and support of unjust laws and policies continue to jeopardize the health and safety of Texans—and everyone else, too—in multiple ways. This article takes an in-depth look at three particularly egregious examples and the irreparable harm they’ve caused:. From their...
Toxic Texas Revealed
Texas is a notably easy place to set up shop for industrial projects with lots of liquid waste and nowhere good to put it. The state’s waterways are open for business, an analysis of Environmental Protection Agency data shows, to send large volumes of discarded chemicals and industrial discharge downstream and out to sea.
Racist Busing Rides Again
Photo credit: (AP Photo/Frank C. Curtin) 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.”
Conservatives Against Conservation
American Stewards of Liberty campaigns against Biden's conservation efforts, and some experts question the legality of their lobbying. The concrete parking lot was radiating heat outside of Mercury Studios in Irving, home of notoriously weepy conservative pundit Glenn Beck’s media empire. A faux colonnade painted on one side of an otherwise unremarkable building presaged the menagerie of kitschy Americana inside, where the far-right True Texas Project was about to hold a meeting. Headlining the event was Margaret Byfield, executive director of American Stewards of Liberty (ASL), a nonprofit based in Georgetown, Texas, that is best known for trying to whittle down the number of animals on the endangered species list.
Criminal Injustice: A View From the Juror’s Box
I reported to the Hays County Government Center in response to a jury summons on June 27, 2022. Little did I know then that I would be selected as a juror on a highly controversial capital murder case, giving me an unexpected and unsettling window into the systemic biases and inequities embedded within the Texas criminal justice system.
Abbott’s Attack Dog
A version of this story ran in the September / October 2022 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...
Arms Makers Target Kids to Boost Sales
In August, authorities in Hondo, Texas, revoked a permit for an NRA-affiliated group to hold its fundraiser on city property. The event featured a raffle for an AR-15, the same assault rifle that slaughtered 21 people in nearby Uvalde last May. At a city council meeting, families of the victims read the names of the slain, cradled their portraits, and denounced the arms lobby’s audacity. “It is a slap in the face to all of Uvalde,” explained Jazmin Cazares, who lost a sister in the massacre.
Trafficking Books and Culture
Author Tony Diaz's new memoir urges readers to wrest language from the establishment. “I remember being at the University of Houston’s Creative Writing Program and the only time aesthetics were brought up was when I dared use Spanish in a story,” Diaz said. “So the rest of the time, you were never supposed to bring up ‘intended audience.’ When I would write in Spanish, the whole class would lose its mind.”
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