Politics

Dallas-Fort Worth Colleges and Universities Could Get $200 Million for Building and Renovation

Dallas-Fort Worth Colleges and Universities Could Get $200 Million for Building and Renovation

In Texas, the Waitlist for a Bed at a State Mental Hospital Hits an All-Time High

In Texas, the Waitlist for a Bed at a State Mental Hospital Hits an All-Time High

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Delta-8 THC Is Illegal, the Texas Department of State Health Services Says

By Jacob Vaughn
Oct 19, 2021

The Texas Department of State Health Services added a statement to its website that some say put questions over delta-8’s legality to rest.
'We Don't Need Your Lectures, Thanks Mate': Even the Australians Hate Ted Cruz

By Patrick Strickland
Oct 18, 2021

The Observer has a long, storied history of documenting the people out there who take pleasure in blasting U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Now, we’d like to introduce you Michael Gunner, the chief minister of Australia’s Northern Territory. On Sunday, Gunner joined the dearly held tradition. In a statement posted to...
A Spate of North Texas Gun Store Heists Raises Questions About Safe Storage and Security

By Patrick Strickland
Oct 15, 2021

Just past 2 a.m. on Sept. 14, a man wearing a ball cap, glasses and face mask slipped through the back door of Top Dog Gun Range in Krum, around an hour northwest of Dallas, and headed to the display case. Security camera footage shows the man riffling around in...
AT&T Says Its Relationship with Far-Right OAN Isn't a Big Deal. People Have Doubts.

By Michael Murney
Oct 14, 2021

In the months leading up to the November 2020 presidential elections, Fox News recycled then President Donald Trump's baseless claims of an electoral conspiracy against him. But on Nov. 7, Fox reversed course, declaring Joe Biden the winner. As Trump and his supporters railed against Fox, the most-watched network in the...
The Republican Governor's Primary Race Is Getting Real Weird

By Simone Carter
Oct 14, 2021

The candidates are saying some weird stuff ahead of next year's Republican gubernatorial primary.
Years of Harassment Led Up to Neighbors Reporting Crystal Mason for Illegal Voting, She Says

By Michael Murney
Oct 5, 2021

One day in September 2008, technicians from the local water supplier came out to Crystal Mason’s house in a mostly white neighborhood in Rendon, a small community southeast of Fort Worth. Someone had tried to cut off the water supply to their home, Mason said. Before that, the supplier had...
Dallas Attorney Rayshun Jackson Pleads Guilty on Federal Money Laundering Charge

By Patrick Strickland
Oct 1, 2021

Dallas attorney Rayshun Jackson once went to bat for former Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill. He took on the federal government after a teenager, a U.S. citizen, was wrongly deported to Colombia. He was time and again recognized in the local press and even made it onto the DART advisory...
Why People Are Roasting Sen. Ted Cruz for Joining the 'Free Britney' Camp

By Simone Carter
Sep 30, 2021

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said he supports pop star Britney Spears' fight for release from her conservatorship.
Trump Won Texas Last Year, but Republicans Are Auditing the Elections Anyway

By Simone Carter
Sep 29, 2021

Democrats are blasting Texas' forensic audit of the 2020 presidential election.
Activists Wanted a Smaller Police Budget. Now, City Council Has Restored Cut Overtime Funds.

By Jacob Vaughn
Sep 27, 2021

The city gave big money back to the Dallas Police Department in the newly approved budget. Other Items tackle the digital divide, rapid-rehousing to help the homeless, and water infrastructure problems in underserved areas of the city.
The Last Cash Stand: Valet at José Has Genius Idea

By Lauren Drewes Daniels
Sep 27, 2021

COVID-19 helped tilt the scales of a cashless society a little further along. Having cash on hand isn't so much a fact of not having been by the ATM in a while, but more an effort to avoid spreading germs, right? Sure.
The Wire Creator Refuses To Shoot New Series In Dallas Over Texas Abortion Laws

By Liam Gaughan
Sep 23, 2021

One of the greatest minds in the 21st century's world of entertainment isn’t about to start his next project if it's filmed in a state that goes against his principles.
Democrats Want Beto O'Rourke to Run for Texas Governor. But Why?

By Simone Carter
Sep 22, 2021

Democrats insist that as governor, Beto O'Rourke would offer Texans more than just charisma.
Texodus: Chicago Enticing Businesses to Flee Texas' Controversial New Laws

By Simone Carter
Sep 16, 2021

Chicago is attempting to coax businesses to flee Texas over the state's social policies.
Is Delta-8 Unsafe? The FDA and the CDC Have Worries.

By Jacob Vaughn
Sep 16, 2021

Health officials want you to know that delta-8 has not been approved by the FDA, and that they’re concerned about product formulas, labeling, and the way the stuff is marketed.
Dallas Journalist Barrett Brown Went to the U.K. Now, He Wants Asylum.

By Simone Carter
Sep 15, 2021

To a great extent, Barrett Brown is fueled by cheap tobacco and vengeance. The embattled journalist wants to inflict as much damage as possible on America, and recently, he’s broadened his scope to include the United Kingdom. There, Brown is attempting to claim asylum, largely because he says he’s been...
Seeking Justice for Protesters Injured by Dallas PD, Attorneys Say Civil Suits May Be Only Hope

By Jacob Vaughn
Sep 15, 2021

Since Chief Eddie Garcia took over the department, attorneys Daryl Washington and Michelle Simpson Tuegel said they’ve been hopeful for more transparency and a change of culture in DPD. But, they say the jury is still out on whether any of this will happen.
Texas' New Camping Ban May Make Life Worse for Dallas' Homeless

By Jacob Vaughn
Sep 14, 2021

Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a joint letter to the Texas Association of Counties, the Texas Municipal League and cities across the state, reminding them all that the ban must be enforced.
Ethics Complaint Says Tennell Atkins Wasted $20,000 on Grass for Rec Center

By Jacob Vaughn
Sep 13, 2021

In an anonymously filed ethics complaint, Council member Tennell Atkins, a project manager and a program manager are accused of wasting $20,000 of city property and resources on the Singing Hills Recreation Center.
'Designed to Intimidate': Revamped Conservative Watchlist Targets Professors in Texas and Beyond

By Michael Murney
Sep 11, 2021

A few weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, Dr. Robert Jensen, then a professor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, decided to bring the campus’ conservative and liberal factions together. “I got tired of all the right-wing events and all the left-wing events, with the...