Tag Archives: Odessa

What happens when there’s no room for the sick people?

It’s already happening in some parts of Texas, mostly out west. Presidio and Brewster counties, home to Marfa and Big Bend, along with nearby Culberson County, lead the state in cases per 1,000 residents in the last two weeks, according … Continue reading

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Counties of interest, part seven: West Texas

Part 1 – Counties around Harris Part 2 – Counties around Dallas/Tarrant Part 3 – Counties around Travis Part 4 – Counties around Bexar Part 5 – East Texas Part 6 – Central Texas Last entry in this series, and … Continue reading

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What kind of laws might have helped mitigate our recent violent incidents?

The DMN asks a good question. Texas politicians are looking anew at ways to reduce gun violence in the wake of the recent mass shootings in El Paso and Odessa. Dozens of policies, from the piecemeal to the comprehensive, have … Continue reading

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Abbott’s gun suggestions

Weak leader makes timid proposals. Film at 11. Gov. Greg Abbott called for the Texas Legislature to consider laws that would make it easier for private gun sellers to perform voluntary background checks on buyers — declining to go as … Continue reading

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Red flag

This seems like maybe it’s a problem. A report out Wednesday by the San Antonio Express-News found that a gun owner in Texas had sent more than 100 pages of racist and violent letters to the Texas Attorney General’s office … Continue reading

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Greg Abbott is not going to take action on gun violence

Why would he? It’s not who he is. When Gov. Greg Abbott first convened the new Texas Safety Commission last month after the El Paso shooting, he brought with him a stack of papers and wasted little time directing the … Continue reading

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The Lege will not take any action on guns

By all means, keep calling for a special session to address the issue. Just do keep in mind who holds all the cards. At least 17 Texas state lawmakers are asking Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to … Continue reading

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Our all-important metro areas

Another look at the trouble Republicans face in Texas now. The key to Texas’ political future is whether it finally follows the geographic realignment that has transformed the politics of many other states over the past quarter century. Across the … Continue reading

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This is our most “run everywhere” election ever

We already knew this, and have quantified it in a number of ways, but it’s still worth taking a moment to marvel at the surge of Democratic candidates this year. Before she could talk about her campaign for the Texas … Continue reading

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Conservation is still the best water plan

The state of Texas needs to do better at it. As Texas recovers from the severe drought of the last two years, water experts say that conservation is the easiest way to ensure that the state will have enough of … Continue reading

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Desalinization and power plants

The Trib has another story about desalinization in Texas, and reading it brings up a point that I don’t think gets enough attention. Interest in desalination surged more than a decade ago, when the technology became more efficient and cost-competitive, … Continue reading

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Dry, not drought

Yippie! It’s official: According to the latest iteration of the U.S. Drought Monitor just released, the drought is over for most of eastern Harris County. Here’s the picture: Compare that to where we were at the beginning of the year … Continue reading

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Still more drought may be coming

Just what you wanted to hear, right? There is at least the chance of some good news, however. The drought that has plagued Texas is virtually certain to continue at least until early summer, climate experts said on Tuesday at … Continue reading

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Not a drop to drink

I have two questions regarding this Trib story about the dire drought situation in Odessa. The city of Odessa, facing a dire drought situation, is looking to an unlikely example for help in finding water: the desert city of El … Continue reading

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