Texas Tech University

America's Need for Immigration Reform Is on Display at a Graduation Ceremony Near You

Yesterday when my wife, son and I were driving back from Lubbock, the news on my tablet told me that Phyllis Schlafly, president of the Eagle Forum, Judson Phillips, founder of Tea Party Nation, and Tea Party leaders in 25 states had released an open letter urging congress to dump its immigration re ... More >>

Meet Texas' Six Newest Billionaires

Yesterday, Forbes released the billionaires list, its annual parade of the ridiculously, absurdly super-rich. This year, the list stretches to some 1,426 names worth a combined $5.4 trillion. Texas claims a small if significant portion of that, counting 50 billionaires among its 26 million resident ... More >>

More and More, Texas' Professional Licensing Boards Are Regulating Workers' Private Lives

Over winter break during the 2007-08 school year, Robert Lange, then a social studies teacher at Williams High School in Plano, twice had sex with a high school student at a martial arts studio. The girl was 18, the sex was consensual, and she wasn't his pupil but a student in the Mesquite Independe ... More >>

Considered a Sex Offender Since He Was 12, a Plano Man is Finally Freed from the Registry

In May, the Texas Observer profiled Josh Gravens, a 25-year-old Plano man struggling to find a job and otherwise coping with life on the Texas Department of Public Safety's sex offender registry. His crime? Molesting his 8-year-old sister -- when he was 12. Gravens's case illustrates a flaw in the ... More >>

Jury Convicts Saudi Man Who Plotted to Blow Up Home of George W. Bush

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, a 22-year-old Saudi national and former Texas Tech student, was convicted in federal court today of plotting to acquire a weapon of mass destruction and blow up home of former President George W. Bush, among other targets. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney' ... More >>

The DC9 At Night/Good Records Challenge #2: The Mohicans

Aaaand we are back with the second DC9 At Night/Good Records Challenge. Once again, we're making a sport out of shopping for art, finding any excuse we can to create our own version of Supermarket Sweep. For those who don't remember the rules, we give our favorite artists and Dallas personalities $5 ... More >>

It's all "Fa Shiggadow" to Hip-Hop Duo The Mohicans

Best Local Hip-Hop of 2011

A.Dd When we heard Paris Pershun and Slim Gravy teamed up with super producer PicnicTyme and DJ Sober for When Pigs Fly, we couldn't help but be excited for A.Dd 's 2011. They confidently took the city by storm, and When Pigs Fly achieved local legend status thanks to a Kickstarter campaign. Add t ... More >>

College Football Uniforms Are Outta Control: My Top 10 Observer-ations

​ 10. We've sorta become desensitized to Oregon's smorgasboard of uniforms with different helmets featuring gray, green, yellow and white and neon-green outlined numbers. Blame Phil Knight and Nike for those. But what about the rest of ya? The opening weekend of college football delivered some gr ... More >>

After Raucous Send-Off Last Week, UT Dallas Nabs Second in Final Four of College Chess

Photos courtesy UT DallasSixth-year grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez studies his options against a fellow grandmaster from UT Brownsville on Sunday.​Maybe you've heard, but chess is serious business at UT Dallas. Perennial contenders for the national championship, the Comets are one of three Texas te ... More >>

Texas Aggies Know Their Meat

​A panel of judges at the National Meat Association's second-ever University Cook-off this week was partial to the University of Idaho's bacon sausage, but a stuffed pork loin created by Texas A&M took the people's choice prize. "I ate it, and I liked it," says operations manager Jen Kempis-P ... More >>

The State Never Could Execute Ronald "Buffalo" Chambers. But He's Dead Now.

A then-21-year-old Ronald "Buffalo" Chambers was sentenced to be executed in 1976.​I cannot count the number of stories Observer editor Mark Donald and I have written about Ronald "Buffalo" Chambers, who, on April 10, 1975, kidnapped 22-year-old Texas Tech student Mike McMahan and 20-year-old Dei ... More >>

Whitt's End: 9.17.10

​Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Of all the teams that lost in Week 1 of the NFL season, betcha there's only one that spent the last couple days explaining and defending their organizational flow chart: Your Dallas Cowboys. *On ... More >>

Whitt's End: 9.3.10

​ Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *The Texas Rangers' slogan this season: "It's Time". The Texas Rangers' situation on September 3: "It's Over." With 29 games remaining, the Rangers could go 14-15 and the A's would have to go 24- ... More >>

Hold the Tortillas: A&M-Kingsville Tosses Football Tradition

​Texas A&M University-Kingsville has become the latest institution to clamp down on tortilla tossing. "Over the course of the past year, I wrestled with a difficult issue related to the spirit of the institution," President Steven Tallent explained in a recent statement banning the practice a ... More >>

Cowboys 16, Bengals 7: My Top 10 Observations

​10. Man, what a letdown. You spend all weekend talking about and listening to and watching highlights of Emmitt Smith and Super Bowls and football immortals. Then they kick off the Hall of Fame game and you get Cowboys 16, Bengals 7. It's like going to the theater and being titillated b ... More >>

Day "Off": My Top 10 Observations

​10. Decided to take a day off today. At least from 105.3 The Fan. I'm working on a cover story for next week's Dallas Observer, plus I've contracted some ornery strand of the common cold that has me so congested that diced jalapenos taste like nothing but texture.  Seeing that I spent ... More >>

Healthy Local Runner Drops Dead at 32. Um, Time to take Physical Inventory?

​Mark Austry was healthy. Not an obsessed fitness nut, but healthy. Played baseball at Texas Tech and with the Fort Worth Cats. Was a superb golfer. And, when he found time from being a devoted family man to wife and two kids, he got out and ran. Sunday he dropped dead. At age 32. Literally s ... More >>

We're Six Months Away from Ponying Up, But, Still, SMU to ESPN ... Twice

​SMU just released the 2010 football schedule, and, clearly, the Christmas Miracle in Hawaii meant a little something-something when it came to the Worldwide Leader locking down dates. Because the season opens with a September 5 Sunday-afternoon showdown in Lubbock against Texas Tech -- the first ... More >>

Whitt's End: 5.8.09

Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Looks like The Ticket's parent company - Cumulus Media - is asking forcing employees to take five unpaid days off before June 30. Ouch. Maybe not a big deal to on-air talent with six-figure ... More >>

A Killer F5 Tornado Rips Through Dallas County -- How Ready Are We for this Nightmare Scenario?

Baylor, Texas Tech Are Raiding North Texas!

Courtesy Texas Tech UniversitySo says the Texas Tech athletics Web site this afternoon, as the Red Raiders make it official: Tech and Baylor are moving their next two games up to North Texas sooner than later. As in: This year, on November 28, the Red Raiders and Bears won't play in Waco, as schedul ... More >>

Whitt's End 1.9.09

Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *First things first. If you plan to see this movie, or even think it looks remotely entertaining, please, leave these premises immediately. *Nothing official yet (UPDATE: Now it's official), but I hear E ... More >>

The Top 10 Announcers in Dallas Sports History

In retrospect, Ole Miss and Texas Tech are merely above-average college football teams. Their little clash in Dallas last week, however, was called by two of this area's icons of announcing. Though he's looked better, it was good to see Pat Summerall working the game on TV. And on radio - with his ... More >>

Cotton Bowl Classic, One Last Time

Speaking, as we were yesterday, of Ole Miss-Texas Tech (sorta), David Sanderson was kind enough to provide us with this panoramic farewell snapped during the final Cotton Bowl Classic ever to be played at Fair Park. A much larger version can be found here. --Robert Wilonsky

Texas v. Ohio State: The Siesta Bowl

Was watching the Cotton Bowl with some buddies on lower Greenville when Ole Miss sacked Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell for a game-clinching safety. While most of the joint emitted a primal scream, spiked their red-n-black hats, or ordered another mind-numbing shot, one dude sat and ... More >>

Happy New Year! The Top 10 Most Memorable Moments in Cotton Bowl History

Pass the Advil and crank up the wayback machine. Let's kick off 2009 with one last, long, loving look back at the Cotton Bowl. Oh, the refurbished stadium will still be around, but its namesake game is moving to Arlington after tomorrow's Texas Tech-Ole Miss curtain closer and, other than Texa ... More >>

BREAKING NEWS: Michael Crabtree Coming (to Dallas) and Going (to the NFL)

In news that should surprise no one, Michael Crabtree's last college game will be Jan. 2 in the last Cotton Bowl played in Dallas. No official announcement, but I hear the Texas Tech All-World receiver and two-time Biletnikoff Award winner is making plans for the future. And they include more Dalla ... More >>

Whitt's End

 Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week - even the end of the year -  welcome to Whitt's End: *Hold your horses if you thought tonight's concert by Russ Martin and his band at Joe Avezzano's joint up in Frisco was going to A) turn into a bashfest o ... More >>

Texas Tech v. Ole Miss. One Last Cotton Pickin' Time

So, you jazzed about the old Cotton Bowl's final matchup? The Only Team To Beat Florida vs. The Only Team To Beat Texas. Maybe it's just me, but I'm intrigued by Mississippi vs. Texas Tech.

Video of the Week: Greatest. Weatherman. Ever.

Seriously, how can you not love Texas Tech coach Mike Leach? His favorite weather: “When it rains mud.” His half-ass name for the live radar: “The beam.” His favorite creed: “You’re going to be dead in 100 years anyway. Live dangerously.” Still hope he somehow winds up in ... More >>

You Betcha: Week 11

Pro Football Comes to the Cotton Bowl? Or Close Enough. Maybe. If You Say So.

Picking Cotton

Texas-OU is great and all, but what about the Cotton Bowl's other 51 Saturdays a year?

BREAKING NEWS: T. Boone Pickens Tours Cotton Bowl, Considers Tech-OSU in Big D

Duck For Cover

Mount Righteous Dispatches From The Road: Day Two, Panic! On the Great Plains

Guns Up 49, Pony Up 9

Only One More Shopping Day Till Football Season

Buffalo Chambers Spared, This Time by the U.S. Supreme Court

The Buffalo Will Not Die This Week

Knightmare

C'mon, but Lubbock?

Letters

Born to Run

Lace up, Gramps

The Back Page

I would tell you about the Big 12 tourney, but my stomach hurts

2002 Revealed

An aging Buzz finds little to celebrate in the year gone by. What did you expect?

Odds and Ends

The more things change, the more we try to keep up

The Unbelievers

Minister James Simmons says he awoke from a coma one day to find himself a gay amnesiac. Some of his Dallas parishioners aren't buying it.

Letters