Featured story, from Francesca D'Annunzio: Nearly 1.5M Texans now live in jurisdictions where sheriffs or #police chiefs have agreed to train some of their officers to act as #immigration agents in their communities. These agreements currently cover around 30 Texas law enforcement agencies. https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-task-force-galveston-beaumont-tyler/

Just after sunset. The colors were a bit more subtle in real life. There were lots of little biting bugs out and bats swooping around in the air. #Florida #GulfCoast #Sunset #Nature

“I think it’s my duty, because I look at them as my brothers.”

Now this vet sees 60 patients a day as a VA medical technician, and says the system is struggling to keep up: https://www.texasobserver.org/veterans-texas-healthcare-doge-trump/

“You say you’re going to take care of us when you’re not taking care of us. You’re hurting us.”

From Josephine Lee on Monday: Some vets say they’re being hurt as both workers and patients by #Trump administration staffing decisions. https://www.texasobserver.org/veterans-texas-healthcare-doge-trump/

David Peña sees about 60 patients a day, but he tries to understand each one as a veteran with “their own story.” He says it’s becoming increasingly challenging—worker morale dropped after his department lost two supervisors this year. https://www.texasobserver.org/veterans-texas-healthcare-doge-trump/

Last week: Who judges the judges? Nationwide, more than 1,500 complaints were filed against federal judges in 2023; more than 90% of them were dismissed without any investigation, particularly those made by prisoners or by litigants. https://www.texasobserver.org/disorder-in-the-court/

Our top story from Francesca D'Annunzio: Nearly 1.5M Texans now live in jurisdictions where sheriffs or police chiefs have agreed to train some of their officers to act as immigration agents in the streets of their communities. These agreements currently cover around 30 #Texas law enforcement agencies. https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-task-force-galveston-beaumont-tyler/

Nearly 1.5M Texans now live in jurisdictions where sheriffs or #police chiefs have agreed to train officers to act as #immigration agents in the streets of their communities. These agreements currently cover around 30 #Texas law enforcement agencies. https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-task-force-galveston-beaumont-tyler/

Our top story: Who judges the judges? Nationwide, more than 1,500 complaints were filed against federal judges in 2023; more than 90% of them were dismissed without any investigation, particularly those made by prisoners or by litigants.https://www.texasobserver.org/disorder-in-the-court/

In our magazine: A sharp-eyed retiree uncovered evidence of judicial misconduct by the chief judge of #Houston’s busy bankruptcy court. According to our investigation, this unusual story highlights how frequently complaints against judges go ignored. https://www.texasobserver.org/disorder-in-the-court/

Although Texans have been doing flood-prevention planning, most of those analyses are based on the statistics from past storms without attempts being made to better define the current reality. More importantly, we don’t treat floodplains with the respect they deserve and demand. https://www.texasobserver.org/flooding-houston-hill-country-planning/

ICE Task Force Update: Galveston County, where more than 360,000 people live, just made an agreement to train police in #immigration enforcement, making it the most populous local jurisdiction in Texas to sign up so far. https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-task-force-galveston-beaumont-tyler/

From our magazine: Since 1980, the U.S. federal courts have overseen a secretive system that allows judges to investigate and sanction their own peers under a law called the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act. Nationwide, only a handful of these complaints are ever investigated. https://www.texasobserver.org/disorder-in-the-court/ \

Out today from Lise Olsen: “My hope is there’s going to be some more action from the chief [district] judge, the circuit judge, maybe even the judicial council—and guidelines to judges about what their responsibilities are.”

But right now, there seem to be few consequences for judicial corruption and conflict of interest. https://www.texasobserver.org/disorder-in-the-court/

"Sunsets are proof that no matter what happens, every day can end beautifully."
- Kristen Butler

Sunset skies behind the Sand Island lighthouse near Mobile, Alabama.

Prints on Etsy (US) and Pixels (Most locations and additional options)

Etsy- https://marktisdaleart.etsy.com/listing/1735386011/sand-island-lighthouse-print-historic

Pixels- https://pixels.markonart.com/featured/mobile-bay-sand-island-lighthouse-alabama-mark-tisdale.html

https://www.europesays.com/2274455/ US Gulf refiners seek MidEast, S.American oil to offset Venezuela, Mexico losses #CrudeOil #CrudeOilPrice #GulfCoast #MexicanProduction #MiddleEastern #OilPrice #Petroleum #refiners #U.S.TreasuryDepartment #VenezuelanOil

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department noted that the company had done insufficient work to determine the impact on “important rare or protected species and their associated habitats”—including alligator snapping turtles and other creatures that live in or near the reservoir—along the more than 100-mile route proposal. https://www.texasobserver.org/locals-oppose-lake-livingston-proposed-power-line-project/

The #Texas Parks and Wildlife Department remarked that the company had done insufficient work to determine the impact on “important rare or protected species and their associated habitats”—including alligator snapping turtles and other creatures that live in or near the reservoir—along the more than 100-mile route proposal.
https://www.texasobserver.org/locals-oppose-lake-livingston-proposed-power-line-project/

From Lise Olsen: One of Entergy’s favored pathways for the project would cut across about a mile of the reservoir. And yet Entergy didn’t ever bother to inform the City of #Houston—which gets about 70 percent of the #water produced by the reservoir. https://www.texasobserver.org/locals-oppose-lake-livingston-proposed-power-line-project/

https://www.europesays.com/us/74536/ More tropical activity may brew over Gulf next week #accuweather #AlexDaSilva #Environment #GulfCoast #GulfOfMexico #NextWeek #NorthernGulf #Science #SouthernUnitedStates #TropicalDevelopment #TropicalRainstorm #UnitedStates #UnitedStates #US #WindShear