The DOJ has been investigating Texas AG Ken Paxton since 2020 on allegations that he misused his position to help a political donor. Under Trump, a Paxton ally, the yearslong investigation could come to an end.
texas
Howdy to Mastodon! I'm still wrapping my head around things here but figured I'd go ahead and do an #introduction.
I'm a #landscape and #nature #photographer based out of Fort Worth, #Texas which means, aside from my local park, I do a LOT of driving for #photography, especially to #utah and the desert southwest.
I produce my own #prints for sale, create educational and in-field videos for YouTube, and also offer workshops.
Learn more about me here: https://www.michaelrungphotography.com
Edited 132d ago
🌤️ FediMeteo weather forecast accounts for #Texas USA 🇺🇸
Follow an account to see forecasts for that town or city:
@abilene__texas
@amarillo__texas
@arlington__texas
@austin__texas
@beaumont__texas
@brownsville__texas
@carrollton__texas
@cedar_park__texas
@college_station__texas
@corpus_christi__texas
@dallas__texas
@denton__texas
@el_paso__texas
@fort_worth__texas
@frisco__texas
@garland__texas
@grand_prairie__texas
@harlingen__texas
@houston__texas
@irving__texas
@killeen__texas
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Texas’ understaffed agricultural, restaurant and elder care sectors rely on workers who are undocumented.
“If you got serious about applying [E-Verify], you would create even worse problems” with labor shortages, said a former GOP state lawmaker.
#News #Immigration #Texas #Labor #Business #Law #USPolitics #GOP
There is a room with three doors. Each bears a label: “Latino Vote,” “Purpling Suburbs,” and “Big City Turnout.” This November, Texas #Democrats opened these three doors, and behind all they discovered a Cerberus from Greek mythology with the heads of Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Greg Abbott. Then the monster ate them.
From Interim Editor-in-Chief @gusbova: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-democrats-lost-decade-2024/
#politics #USpol #news #Trump #TedCruz #GregAbbott #TXlege #Republicans #election2024 #Texas
New today from Francesca D'Annunzio: “This moment calls for compassion and meaningful immigration reform that prioritizes saving lives. The future of humanity depends on our response.”
Texans will be forced to defend their communities from #Trump's attacks ... https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-front-lines-mass-deportations/
#immigration #Border #politics #USpol #election2024 #news #Texas
A post-election message from Interim Editor-in-Chief @gusbova to our members, readers, and the rest of our extended community.
https://texasobserver.fundjournalism.org/donate
#journalism #Media #Texas #politics #USpol #fundraiser #nonprofit #future #immigration #news
Texas Lawmakers Pull Funding for Child Identification Kits Again After Newsrooms Report They Don’t Work
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For the second legislative session, lawmakers have withdrawn funding for a company selling kits that promise to help find missing kids after ProPublica and The Texas Tribune reported there’s no evidence to support that claim.
https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-child-id-kits-funding-pulled?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Texas #Law #Children #Safety #Budget #Government #Policy
We're turning 70, y'all! 🤠
On Tuesday, December 3, celebrate the Texas Observer at the legendary Scholz Garten in downtown Austin! Here's everything you need to know to join the party, and support our work: https://www.texasobserver.org/a-texas-miracle-the-observer-is-turning-70/
Donate at least $25 here to attend: https://texasobserver.fundjournalism.org/70thdonate/?campaign=701UQ00000HQHbJYAX
Photographer Justin Hamel joined Battalion Search and Rescue in their attempt to rescue lost migrants ... or discover the remains of those who hadn't made it through the El Paso desert.
Find his photo essay in our magazine, or on our website: https://www.texasobserver.org/death-in-the-desert/
#SouthTexas #border #immigration #HumanRights #environment #politics #USpol #Mexico #Texas #news
Coming Up: Join Texas Observer's Lise Olsen in conversation with Michelle Pitcher, to celebrate the release of Lise's new book The Scientist and the Serial Killer.
FREE event! April 9, 7pm BookPeople, #Austin, Texas
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bookpeople-presents-lise-olsen-the-scientist-and-the-serial-killer-tickets-1207891188059
#Texas #books #bookstodon @bookstodon #CriminalJustice #journalism #events
Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared.
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Pregnancy became far more dangerous in Texas after the state banned abortion, according to ProPublica’s first-of-its-kind analysis, which found the sepsis rate for women hospitalized as they miscarried in the 2nd trimester shot up by more than 50%.
Welcome to the March/April 2025 issue of Texas Observer magazine! Editor-in-Chief Gus Bova introduces our latest by examining the "biannual dread” invoked by the Texas legislature and what we can do about it. https://www.texasobserver.org/editors-letter-introducing-our-march-april-2025-issue/
Edited 98d ago
This Charter School Superintendent Makes $870,000. He Leads a District With 1,000 Students.
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On paper, Salvador Cavazos earns less than $300,000 to run Valere Public Schools, a small Texas charter network. But taxpayers likely aren’t aware that in reality, his total pay makes him one of the country’s highest-earning superintendents.
https://www.propublica.org/article/valere-public-schools-superintendent-salary-texas?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
Newborn babies have been exposed to measles at a Texas hospital and are receiving antibodies to protect them, NBC reports. The virus was brought into the University Medical Center Children's Hospital by a mother in labor — doctors didn't realize until after her admission that she was infected, and it's unclear when she tested positive. The immunoglobulin injections have been given to babies as young as three days old. A 2021 study found this therapy is highly effective in protecting exposed newborns who are too young to be vaccinated. Emergency masking procedures have also been implemented.
#MeaslesOutbreak #Health #Medicine #Vaccination #Texas #Children
Hi @votevets @TexasObserver @texastribune etc (please suggest ideas) we have outstanding footage of the #VetsMarch yesterday at the #Texas state #capitol and are trying to make sure everyone sees it.
Cc @jik
🦋 ver. https://bsky.app/profile/artact.io/post/3lkg6buapz223
please boost ♻️
Texas Lawmakers Want a Charter School Network to Stop Paying Its Superintendent Nearly $900K. The School Board Says No.
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The rebuke from lawmakers and charter school leaders came after an investigation from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune revealed that Salvador Cavazos, who oversees fewer than 1,000 students, is among the most well-paid superintendents in the country.
https://www.propublica.org/article/salvador-cavazos-valere-pay-pushback?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
The Way Texans Elect School Board Members Plays a Key Role in What Students in Diverse Districts Learn
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In six Texas districts that used at-large voting systems, ideologically driven conservatives successfully helped elect school board members who have moved aggressively to ban or remove educational materials that teach children about diversity.
https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-school-boards-richardson-keller-at-large-voting?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Texas #School #Education #Diversity #Race #Gender #DEI #Student
#BREAKING “New York state court blocked #Texas from filing a legal action against a New York doctor for prescribing and sending #abortion pills to a Texas woman.
The unprecedented move catapults the interstate abortion wars to a new level, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle between states that ban abortion and states that support abortion rights” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/health/new-york-texas-abortion-shield-law.html
Federal Investigators Were Preparing Two Texas Housing Discrimination Cases — Until Trump Took Over
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The government spent years probing allegations that a Dallas HOA created rules to kick poor Black people out and that Texas discriminated against minority residents in Houston after Hurricane Harvey, only to suddenly reverse course under Trump.
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-hud-texas-housing-discrimination-cases-dallas-houston?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
The Texas Observer mourns the loss and celebrates the life of Carlton Carl—longtime board member, fierce supporter, and fighter for progress—who passed away Tuesday. We'll publish more soon, but for now we hope you'll revisit this 2024 interview: https://www.texasobserver.org/carlton-carl-texas-observer-70th/
Texas GOP Lawmakers Propose Amending Abortion Ban Linked to Deaths and a Rise in Sepsis Cases
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The bill comes after ProPublica’s reporting on the deaths of three Texas women. It specifies that doctors don’t need to wait until an emergency is “imminent” to terminate pregnancies but leaves in steep penalties for those who violate the law.
https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-gop-lawmakers-propose-amending-abortion-ban?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
The decision to strip chapters from books that had already won the approval of the state’s Republican-controlled board of education represents an escalation in how local school boards run by ideological conservatives influence what children learn.
https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-cypress-fairbanks-removed-textbook-chapters?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
Looking for some #positivity to end the week? I have recapped 42 notable #positive #environmental and #ClimateChange articles from past month including: the benefits of the #Ulez in #London, #Texas setting a new record for #Renewable #Energy generation and #NewDelhi creating seven new biodiversity parks on previously degraded land.
https://primonatura.co.uk/positive-environmental-stories-012/
Edited 62d ago