AltWeeklies Wire
High-Interest Lending Is a Poorly Regulated, Billion-Dollar Business in Texasnew
In low-income neighborhoods across Texas, payday lenders are popping up on street corners and major thoroughfares at a rapid pace. During the economic downturn, these companies are racking up record profits.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa Del Bosque |
05-13-2009 |
Economy
Texas Whooping Cranes Are a Symbol of Hope and Possibility and an Economic Boonnew
The Aransas whooping cranes, the only wild, migrating flock in the world, numbered 266 this spring. That's not a lot, but considering how close the birds came to extinction—there were only 21 left in 1941—the number amounts to a small miracle.
The Texas Observer |
Jesse Sublett |
05-13-2009 |
Animal Issues
Tags: Aransas whooping cranes, Texas
Looking for Work in South Texasnew
Economists now say the Rio Grande Valley may ride out the economic crisis more comfortably than the rest of the U.S. Despite such optimism, the region is still plagued by the same structural problems that have long depressed its economy.
The Texas Observer |
Kevin Sieff |
05-13-2009 |
Economy
The U.S. Border Patrol Is Getting Lost in the Weedsnew
Border Patrol officials contend that an invasive plant called carrizo cane is blocking their view of the river and of Mexico. The patrol is proposing to spray herbicide along the river from a helicopter to wipe out the cane, angering residents and dividing Laredo's City Council.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
04-08-2009 |
Immigration
The Strange and Scary Story of the North Central Texas Fusion Systemnew
Fusion centers arose amid post-9/11 efforts to get local and state law enforcement involved in anti-terrorism. The meteoric rise of this confoundingly complex and patchwork system has scary implications for privacy and civil liberties.
The Texas Observer |
Forrest Wilder |
04-08-2009 |
Policy Issues
Curtis Severns Is Serving 27 Years for an Arson He Almost Certainly Didn't Commitnew
Over the past 15 years, many unscientific assumptions about how fire spreads have turned out to be wrong. Using newer methods, an arson expert has helped exonerate dozens of people wrongly convicted of arson. He believes Severns was railroaded.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
04-08-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Who's Making Our Medicine?new
To treat everything from allergies to heart problems, half of Americans take a prescription medicine every day. It’s perfectly safe, though, because the Food and Drug Administration regulates the ingredients, right?
The Texas Observer |
Jim Hightower |
03-12-2009 |
Science
Why a Texas County Is So Eager to Get Dumped Onnew
Waste Control Specialists LLC has spent the last 20 years pulling political, business, and regulatory strings to do what no other company in the nation has been able to do in three decades: license and build a new radioactive waste dump.
The Texas Observer |
Forrest Wilder |
03-12-2009 |
Economy
Corn Ethanol is Fueling Controversy ... Except Among Democratsnew
Mounting opposition to corn ethanol, and the spreading global food crisis, pose a serious question for President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders in Washington: Will they attempt to slow or reverse the ethanol mandates?
The Texas Observer |
Robert Bryce |
02-18-2009 |
Environment
Can Janet Napolitano Stop the Border-Fence Boondoggle?new
We talk to border residents and lay bare the private contracts that have soaked up alarming amounts of government money, much of it wasted.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
02-18-2009 |
Immigration
Ike Was Bad for Galveston's Poor, but it Might Get Worsenew
The hurricane devastated the city's North Side, an historic African-American community. Four of the area's six housing projects have been condemned and many residents have lost everything. Will the community be rebuilt or will it suffer the same fate as New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward after Katrina?
The Texas Observer |
Forrest Wilder |
12-17-2008 |
Disasters
The Texas Criminal Justice System is Embracing 'The Life Penalty'new
In the execution capital of the free world, death sentences have declined dramatically, thanks in part to the institution of life-without-parole sentences in 2005.
The Texas Observer |
John Moritz |
12-03-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Asarco's Dirty Moneynew
For more than a century, American Smelting and Refining Co. raked in profits while poisoning poor communities in nearly two dozen states. In 2005, the company filed for bankruptcy, initiating a sprawling case that left many Texas residents wondering who will pay to clean up toxic waste at Asarco's dirtiest plant.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
11-05-2008 |
Business & Labor
Ink-Stained Kvetches: Where Are All the Editorial Cartoonists Going?new
As newspapers cut back on staff, editorial cartoonists are losing their positions at newspapers across the nation. In Texas, only the San Antonio Express-News, the Houston Chronicle, and the Austin American-Statesman still employ staff cartoonists.
The Texas Observer |
Brad Tyer |
10-08-2008 |
Media
After the Flood: Letter From Galvestonnew
As the cleanup continues, Galveston, like Tennessee Williams' Blanche DuBois, must rely on the kindness of strangers. As for those who do come back intending to stay, medical experts say a plague of pestilences, from tetanus to toxic mold, may await them. So does a state of emergency and a dawn-to-dusk curfew with a $2,000 fine for violators.
The Texas Observer |
Tom Curtis |
10-08-2008 |
Disasters
