April 2009 Cover

Photographs by Craig Cutler.

April 2009

Table of Contents

Features

It’s easy, really. Just go get yourself some shrimp tacos, a beef-and-cheese cachapa, grilled pork with green papaya, fried chicken, gourmet Frito pie, or any of the 25 finds on this list of my favorite dishes in Texas under ten bucks.

Patricia Sharpe narrates a slide show of images of some of her favorite inexpensive dishes and where to find them.

Was the quaint East Texas town of Mineola home to a horrific child sex ring? Were the three people sent to prison last year for running it guilty? Was justice served? Depends on which district attorney you ask.

A terrible crime was committed in the East Texas town of Mineola. But were the children the victims, or the accused?

Michael Hall interviews Booger Red

The battlegrounds of Texas tell an incredible story of struggle, sorrow, triumph, and terror that is far more complex and surprising than anything I learned in school. All I had to do was get in my car and go see them.

How a nobody became the somebody nearly everybody wanted to replace Speaker Tom Craddick.

Columns

Behind the Lines

Why voter ID is bad for democracy.

Sarah Bird

My trashy, sordid, steamy, decently paid turn as a writer for the pulps.

Sarah Bird reads “Hack Like Me.”

Karen Olsson

Nadine Eckhardt married not one but two legendary figures in the Texas liberal pantheon. And lived to tell the tale.

Jan Reid

One year ago tejano star Emilio Navaira was nearly killed in a tour bus accident outside Houston. What are we still learning about the experimental medical procedure that may have saved his life?

Reporter

In the Chute

Big Bend Open Road Race; Dallas Cup; Texas State History Museum.

The Horse’s Mouth

Ebby Halliday, real estate agent.

Book Review

Music Review

Hollywood, TX

The best new Texas filmmakers.

Texas Monthly Talks

Catherine Hardwicke on growing up in McAllen.

Street Smarts

Alameda Street, Corpus Christi.

Object Lesson

Tyson Cole’s kitchen cabinet.

The Manual

How to chase a tornado.

Watch the team at Tempest Tours intercept a tornado.

Artist Interview

The Working Life

María P. Sánchez, nun.

The Texanist

Must I pose with my kids in the bluebonnets?

Must a man sit in the bluebonnets with his family?

Author Interview

The Filter

Pat’s Pick

Austin

The Filter: Dining

Cava, Dallas and Benjy’s on Washington, Houston

Miscellany

Craig Cutler, Donald M. Yena and Jeff Wilson

Roar of the Crowd

Editor’s Letter

Web Exclusives

Four San Antonio women convicted of sexual assault fifteen years ago maintain their innocence and remain in prison.

Two chic boutiques on Alameda Street in Corpus Christi.

When adults are accused of unthinkable crimes against children, what’s fact and what’s fiction can get lost in translation.

Wes Hurt makes people happy—one cupcake at a time.

How a mother and daughter hired a hit man to kill their husband and father, and why they might just get away with it.

Buying into energy efficiency, one electric bill at a time.

David Hartstein’s film about Kinky Friedman’s 2006 gubernatorial run shows the candidate’s earnest sincerity, a quality frequently obscured by his larger-than-life persona.

Should Texas pay students to learn?

The legendary congressman talks about Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the future of the Middle East.

Childhood memories come to life in the work of Chicana artist Carmen Lomas Garza.

Austin native Ben McKenzie, who starred in the teen drama The O.C., talks about barbecue, Barack Obama, and his new show, Southland.

The DREAM Act may not come soon enough for Benita Veliz.

I used to spend every weekend out by the pool, working on my tan. Now I check my body for changing moles or new spots, and call my doctor.

If UTMB’s trauma center really is slated to reopen, the hospital will have a few questions to answer.

The full-time pre-K bill seems like a slam dunk. The price tag: $300 million.

Multimedia

Christy Hoppe of the Dallas Morning News joins Evan Smith, Paul Burka, and Patricia Kilday Hart to discuss the week in politics, including whether Texas should secede from the nation.

Republican political consultant Ted Delisi joins Evan Smith, Paul Burka, and Patricia Kilday Hart to discuss the week in politics.

Harvey Kronberg of Quorum Report joins Evan Smith, Paul Burka, and Patricia Kilday Hart to discuss the week in politics, including Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s lateness, and the controversial stem cell rider.

March 20: Ross Ramsey of Texas Weekly joins Evan Smith, Paul Burka, and Patricia Kilday Hart to discuss the week in politics.

Dee Dee Myers on The West Wing and why women should rule the world.

Michael Hall interviews Booger Red

A terrible crime was committed in the East Texas town of Mineola. But were the children the victims, or the accused?

President and Editor in Chief Evan Smith talks about Texas Monthly and the future of journalism.

Patricia Sharpe narrates a slide show of images of some of her favorite inexpensive dishes and where to find them.

Sarah Bird reads “Hack Like Me.”

Watch the team at Tempest Tours intercept a tornado.

A terrible crime was committed in the East Texas town of Mineola. But were the children the victims, or the accused?

Must a man sit in the bluebonnets with his family?

Recipes

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