A Trip Through Willie Nelson’s Golf Course, His Unorthodox Rules, and His Uncertain Tribal Identity
Fri, 05 Dec 2025 15:16:50 +0000
In a pre-dawn raid in November 1990, feds armed with warrants, padlocks, and chains seized everything Willie Nelson owned—his golf course, ranches, studio, all of it. Only one thing slipped through the IRS perimeter: Willie’s guitar, “Trigger.” Thirty-five years later, Willie still has Trigger. Oh, and he eventually got back the ranches, studio, and golf […]
The post A Trip Through Willie Nelson’s Golf Course, His Unorthodox Rules, and His Uncertain Tribal Identity appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/willie-nelson-golf-course-essay/
Remembering David Richards, 1933-2025
Thu, 04 Dec 2025 13:15:00 +0000
On November 13, surrounded by family and listening to Guy Clark songs in the capital of the state on which he left such an enormous mark, David Richards left us at the age of 92. How to capture the life of such a man in such a small space? The obituary his daughter, Ellen Richards, […]
The post Remembering David Richards, 1933-2025 appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/remembering-david-richards-1933-2025/
Petrochemical Expansion in Texas Will Fall Heavily on Communities of Color, Study Finds
Tue, 02 Dec 2025 14:15:00 +0000
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy, and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. Researchers at Texas Southern University in Houston have analyzed demographic data around the locations of almost 100 industrial facilities proposed statewide and found that about 90 percent are located […]
The post Petrochemical Expansion in Texas Will Fall Heavily on Communities of Color, Study Finds appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/petrochemical-expansion-harm-communities-of-color-study/
With Primary Field Still in Flux, James Talarico Pitches His Big Tent Revival
Tue, 02 Dec 2025 13:15:00 +0000
Democrats haven’t won a U.S. Senate race in Texas for more than 35 years. In 2018, Beto O’Rourke came the closest when he lost to Ted Cruz by only 2.6 percentage points. In 2024, Cruz, boosted by Donald Trump’s performance in the state, beat then-Congressman Colin Allred by 8.5 percentage points. But, as many Texans […]
The post With Primary Field Still in Flux, James Talarico Pitches His Big Tent Revival appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/james-talarico-big-tent-revival-primary/
The Ballad of Betty Rizzo
Mon, 01 Dec 2025 15:40:22 +0000
The post The Ballad of Betty Rizzo appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/the-ballad-of-betty-rizzo/
‘Mija, Solamente Me Importa Clint’
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 13:10:00 +0000
My dad’s list is short and simple. He loves the Marines, his grandsons, menudo on Sundays, and Clint. If pressed, he’ll own up to loving the Cowboys but admits they’ve lost much of his admiration, largely thanks to Jerry Jones. It’s best not to get him started on Jerry Jones. Daddy is a sentimental man […]
The post ‘Mija, Solamente Me Importa Clint’ appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/clint-father-eye-on-texas/
In Tarrant County, a Grassroots Coalition Pushes Back on Christian Nationalists
Tue, 25 Nov 2025 16:49:28 +0000
Around 30 people recently gathered at a Fort Worth co-working space to discuss ways to build a more inclusive community for all of Tarrant County’s residents. “Welcome to the one-year anniversary of the 817 Gather,” Nydia Cardenas, the event organizer, told the crowd. “Whether it’s your first time or your 12th time, you are welcome […]
The post In Tarrant County, a Grassroots Coalition Pushes Back on Christian Nationalists appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/tarrant-county-redistricting-grassroots-pushback/
Pam Perillo’s Sisterhood of the Condemned
Mon, 24 Nov 2025 16:22:47 +0000
Pam Perillo greets me at the door of her trailer, the yaps of a chihuahua named Peewee nearly drowning out our niceties. Perillo had just been looking for something to put on TV to soothe her animals—the territorial dog, two cats named Karla Faye and Tucker, plus a kitten she just rescued—while she leaves for […]
The post Pam Perillo’s Sisterhood of the Condemned appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/pam-perillo-women-death-row-community/
Loon Star State: Trump’s Derangement Syndrome
Fri, 21 Nov 2025 15:15:22 +0000
To see more political cartoons from Ben Sargent, visit our Loon Star State section. Find Observer political reporting here.
The post Loon Star State: Trump’s Derangement Syndrome appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/loon-star-state-trump-derangement/
Dammed if You Do: East Texas Locals Fight to Stop an Unnecessary Reservoir
Thu, 20 Nov 2025 17:23:46 +0000
Smoke curled lazily from the kitchen, carrying the sweet weight of brown sugar and spice through the room. An elk and two whitetail deer stared down from the wall, their glass eyes fixed above a Texas flag and a scattering of wooden crosses. Around a circular laminate table, the group of locals bent over a […]
The post Dammed if You Do: East Texas Locals Fight to Stop an Unnecessary Reservoir appeared first on The Texas Observer.
https://www.texasobserver.org/east-texas-locals-fight-to-stop-an-unnecessary-reservoir/