• As a Doctor, I’m Sick of All The Health Care Freeloaders
   
• Four Things to Watch as Election 2018 Gets Underway in Texas

• Rural Poverty, Youth Homelessness Abound in Loraine, Pop. 587
   
• Imperfect Ten: Taking Stock of the Crowded Democratic Slate for Texas Governor

The Lede
Big Spring Vs. Big Oil

• In the heart of the West Texas oil patch, a new fracking frenzy is putting a strain on groundwater.
   
• Rural reporter Christopher Collins travels to Big Spring, where untold quantities of groundwater are being pumped from the Ogallala Aquifer.
   
• Despite concerns from nearby landowners that their wells could be depleted, the local groundwater district has done virtually nothing to regulate — or even monitor — pumping by West Texas H2O.
   
• “Oil is all right, but the oil isn’t going to do any good if we don’t have water to drink,” resident Charles Phillips said. 

• National Butterfly Center Sues Trump Administration Over Border Wall
   
• What Does Discrimination Look Like to Fifth Circuit Judge Edith Jones?
   
• El Paso Art Exhibit Honors Braceros’ Forgotten Legacy
   
• Eye on Texas: Transgender Youth in Texas

• How Texas Senators Responded to Allegations Against Borris Miles, Carlos Uresti
   
• Austin City Council Takes a Step Toward Police Reform, Rejects Union Contract
   
• Year in Review: Loon Star State

From the archives
Beto Testing

• After a big Senate win for Democrats in Alabama, Texas progressives are hoping Beto O'Rourke can have similar success in the Lone Star State.
   
• We recently profiled O’Rourke's seat-of-the-pants, DIY, break-the-rules campaign for Ted Cruz's Senate seat. It's a longshot – so why is he optimistic?
   
• From the story: "In nearly every conceivable way, O’Rourke is the antithesis of his opponent. Cruz works hard to be liked — he’s carefully machined and makes many of his colleagues uncomfortable. O’Rourke is boyish and handsome, effortlessly charismatic, and seems to hold genuine affection for just about everyone he talks to. In Lubbock, having remembered from earlier that I hadn’t eaten on the drive from Austin, he makes a point of ordering food at the bar."

What’s Happening at the Observer

• The Observer is available on Kindle. Get a free 30-day trial.
   
• Help us close 2017 with a bang by donating to our year-end campaign beginning on Monday! Our goal is to raise $25,000 by December 31, and 100 percent of your tax-deductible gift will go toward producing the ass-kicking, hell-raising journalism you count on from the Texas Observer. The first $5,000 raised will also be matched by a generous anonymous donor, so give early and your donation will go twice as far!