‘Earth Has No Sorrow’: Visions of a Caldwell County Long Gone
The Observer resurfaces a 50-year-old collection of fine arts photography and unique oral history.
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A ‘Politically Motivated Cover-Up’: Why the State’s Maternal Death Report Was Pushed Until After Midterms
Advocates and lawmakers warn the state health agency’s decision to delay releasing the annual report will further harm women—and make it harder to enact necessary laws in 2027.
What Will It Take to ‘Get ICE the Fuck Out of Austin’?
Shootings by federal agents are proliferating since Donald Trump took office in 2025, several of them in Texas. To stop it from happening again, local elected officials and prosecutors are hunting for options that aren’t already foreclosed.
The Distance Between Dying and Death
Jamaal Howard is set to die this Wednesday, the first scheduled U.S. execution after one was badly botched in Tennessee. As his spiritual advisor, I’ll be in the room with him.
It’s Time for the Catholic Church to Distribute the Loaves
The Vatican holds an estimated $73 billion in assets. That is an institution with the resources to move policy, fund organizing, and match the moral urgency of its own documents.
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Politics
Hasan Piker’s UT Appearance Put Campus Protection Act to the Test
Although parts of the state law were ruled unconstitutional last year, key elements created barriers for Democrats and Republicans drawn to the controversial event.
Angela Paxton’s Message: Elect the Elephant at All Costs
Her appeal to put party loyalty above character and accountability ignores the price women will pay if Ken Paxton becomes a U.S. senator.
Inside Downballot Dems’ Effort to Flip Texas’ Key County Battleground
Amid voter suppression and rampant ideological warfare, Tarrant County Democratic candidates try to capitalize on this surge of local anger.
Border and Immigration
Santa Ana’s Last Stand
Congress repeatedly shielded the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge from the border wall. Now, construction has begun—and an irrigation district lawsuit may be the only option left to buy time for lawmakers to act.
ICE Contractor for Controversial Camp East Montana Is Trailed by Fraud Allegations
To continue running the deadly El Paso detention center, the feds turn to a company that’s faced numerous lawsuits from labor unions and former employees and is actively fighting a whistleblower in court.
Mexico’s Deportation Capital
Tapachula, five miles from Mexico’s border with Guatemala, has become a principal destination for the world’s deportees. And in a cruel twist, even Mexicans expelled from the United States have found themselves there, regrouping after being deported—not home to Mexico—but first to Central America.
Culture
Houston’s ‘Living Archive’ of Migration
At Fresh Arts, photographer Violeta Álvarez created a space where immigrant families in Houston can see their own histories reflected back to them.
Houston’s Historic Black Theater at 50
For five decades, the Ensemble has brought Houstonians together to laugh, cry, and talk back to plays representing all aspects of African-American life.
Can We Survive Naomi Klein’s Depiction of ‘End Times Fascism’?
Klein and co-author Astra Taylor’s new book is too bleak and unfocused for our shameless and sharp-edged political moment.
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September/October 2026
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