The Observer’s Year in Social Media: 2019

Social media is doing its best to destroy the news industry. Temperamental algorithms shift page views — oxygen for publications like the Observer — up or down, seemingly on a whim. Anonymity means abuse flows freely from trolls to journalists, further wearying reporters working in newsrooms that have already seen their…

Dallas Settles With 2013 Shooting Victim for $610,000

Six years later, the legal battle between Dallas and Kelvion Walker is over. Wednesday afternoon, the Dallas City Council voted unanimously to give Walker $610,000, settling an ongoing federal lawsuit over a 2013 shooting. In December 2013, Dallas Police Department officer Amy Wilburn shot Walker as Walker sat in the…

Trump and Texas: 2019

There’s a condition, one you’ve probably heard of if you’ve happened on any right-wing media over the last three years or have any acolytes of the president in your social circle, called Trump Derangement Syndrome. The idea is that Democrats and progressives have been driven to the brink by President…

Texas Law Professors Sign Letter Calling for Trump’s Impeachment

A group of 16 law professors from Texas universities were among hundreds of legal scholars who signed an open letter stating President Donald Trump has “engaged in impeachable conduct.” The letter, which was addressed to Congress, was posted Friday on Medium. In the letter, the legal experts say they take…

Two Books Offer Light on This Local Trouble We Call School Reform

In a casual conversation about suburban public schools and ethnic diversity recently, I noticed that the person with whom I was chatting did not believe the presence of Asian American students in a school system should be counted toward diversity. In fact, she sort of felt it worked the other…

In Surprise Move, Stars Dump Head Coach Jim Montgomery

This fall, Dallas Stars head coach Jim Montgomery was in trouble. His team, fresh off a surprise performance in the playoffs, began their 2019-20 campaign 1-7-1, striking a blow to their hope of returning to the postseason. Then Montgomery righted the ship, leading his team to a 16-4-2 record in…

Cowboys Find a (Not Unworthy) Scapegoat, Cut Kicker Brett Maher

After months of chronic failure, frustration and inaction, the Dallas Cowboys addressed one of their fans’ biggest issues with the team Monday, firing someone who it’s hard to believe hung on this long. Not that guy. Not the other one either. No, it’s likely the third or fourth guy on…

Quotes of the Year: 2019

The Observer spends a lot of time — perhaps too much time, according to some of you in the peanut gallery — trying to read between the lines. The words that politicians, preachers and Dallas Cowboys owners say often aren’t as important as the subtext. Sometimes, though, when the sun is…