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And now a discussion that really matters (Fri Nov 20 at 5:02 PM)
In the Pink »
The Wrecking Coup (Fri Nov 20 at 1:33 PM)
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New York Times Discovers Marfa. Again. And Again. And Again. (Thu Nov 19 at 4:23 PM)
Eat My Words »
Talking Tamales (Thu Nov 12 at 11:12 AM)
Alan says: I am in favor of limiting the governor to two consecutive terms. But blacklisting someone after eight years altogether, regardless of how good or bad they did their job, can needlessly force an effective public official out of public service. Many state governors throughout history have served well over eight years without their constituents regretting it. I would point out that such a system is wholly unworkable in twenty-first century America: we live in the era of the permanent campaign and the 24-hour news cycle. A governor facing re-election every other year would essentially do nothing but fundraise (which is close to what most do anyway even with four-year terms). (November 19th, 2009 at 11:09pm)
Robert Draper
Features
“I Think We Got Blown Up for Nothing”
What happened to the brave men of Bravo Troop is everything, writ small, that’s gone wrong in our nearly-five-year fiasco of a war in Iraq. (January 2008)
The Evolver
“All you’ve got is a famous name,” a Republican operative told George W. Bush. But six years later he was governor, and six years after that he was president. And six years after that, his place in history—not to mention the fate of the world—is a little uncertain. (October 2007)
Made in America
A generation after he crossed the border to work for my family, Vicente Martinez is the foreman of a ranch in the Hill Country, not far from his kids and grandkids. And yes, they all have their papers. This is an immigration story with a happy ending. (May 2007)
Wheel in the Sky
For the residents of a tiny Panhandle town, a horrific accident at the State Fair fifty years ago reverberates still—and will haunt them forever. (October 2005)
Truth, Justice, and the (Un)American Way
Everyone expected Clark Kent Ervin to parlay his loyal Bush Republicanism into big things in Washington. Which is why his sudden exit from the Department of Homeland Security was so surprising. (April 2005)
Clifford’s Blues
Up on federal drug charges for the second time in fifteen years, the impresario of Antone’s nightclub in Austin may finally have to face the music. (October 1997)
My Favorite Marfa
It’s still the best little town in Texas. (October 1997)
Soldiers of Misfortune
The killing of Ezequiel Hernandez, Jr., by a U.S. Marine in the tiny town of Redford raises many questions—most troubling of all, Why are armed soldiers patrolling the border? (August 1997)
Happy Doomsday
In the wake of Heaven’s Gate, the media marched en masse to Abilene, the home base of the House of Yahweh, whose charismatic leader, Yisrayl Hawkins, was supposed to be the next David Koresh. Not even close. (July 1997)
Big Fish
Galveston native Tilman Fertitta made his share of enemies when he was building his seafood empire in the eighties. These days, though, he’s winning over his hometown, and he’s doing it by taking on the island’s most influential family. (May 1997)
The Crossing
If U.S. officials put an end to illegal trips across the Rio Grande at Boquillas, the enchanting border town will find itself caught between countries and cultures. Of course, that’s where it has always been. (April 1997)
A Shrimp Tale
After nearly fifty years of working Matagorda Bay, Vernon Bates could soon watch his business shut down for good—and so could the thousands of other shrimpers who make their living on the Gulf Coast. (October 1996)
Literature • Mary Karr
Form follows dysfunction. (September 1996)
State Politics • Dan Morales
Courting controversy. (September 1996)
The Last Refuge
For years the dusty outpost of Terlingua has been a magnet for renegades and loners looking for a haven from the modern world. No wonder the brother of the suspected Unabomber holed up there. (June 1996)
The Great Texas Prison Mess
Something stinks in the Department of Criminal Justice, and it’s a lot more than VitaPro. A special report on the worst state scandal in decades. (May 1996)
The Horse Killers
The shocking and sad story of the East Texas kids who beat a horse to death just for the thrill of it. (March 1996)
Spoils Sports
Oilers owner Bud Adams is hightailing it to Nashville; Drayton McLane may move the Astros too—or sell. In Houston and across the country, rooting for the home team is quickly becoming a thing of the past. (January 1996)
Texas Twenty: Richard Linklater
Hollywood’s busiest slacker. (September 1995)
Rudy Awakening
As Houston Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich is discovering, it's one thing to win the MBA title—and quite another to play like champions. (March 1995)
The Sheriff Who Went to Pot
Brig Marmolejo may have been convicted of bribery, but he is more than just another crooked cop in South Texas. His is the story of borders easily crossed—the ageless parable of the Rio Grande Valley. (December 1994)
Charles Hurwitz
A true post-boom-and-burst CEO. (September 1994)
The Capital Call Girls
The shocking story of Austin’s underworld, and how a state bureaucrat got in too deep. (August 1994)
Nouveau Grub
Around the state, a smorgasbord of stylish new restaurants defines the Texas bitegeist. (May 1994)
The Twilight of the Texas Rangers
Are the legendary lawmen necessary? Yes, but their inability to grapple with the modern world threatens to make them irrelevant. (February 1994)
The Great Defenders
Who cares if they dress differently, act differently, and spell their names differently? Brother Dick DeGuerin and Mike DeGeurin are two of the best attorneys in Texas, and for that they can thank their mentor, legal legend Percy Foreman. (January 1994)
Manhunt at Menard Creek
The death of a thief in the Big Thicket has federal officials probing the conduct of local lawmen—and local lawmen complaining about a federal vendetta against the Texas prison system. (October 1993)
O Janis
Janis Joplin’s life was about music, rebellion, and excess—but she was influenced most by her tormented relationship with the people and spirit of Port Arthur. (October 1992)
Lyle’s Style
Nothing about Lyle Lovett suggests he’d ever make it big. That’s precisely why he did. (October 1992)
Elephant Walk Visit
Jim Baker’s boyhood home, take in Robert Mosbacher’s old stomping grounds, and see the Houstonian suite where George Bush slept! (August 1992)
The Blood of the Farentholds
Sissy Farenthold’s family has long battled with its capacity for self-destruction. With the disappearance of her youngest son, the battle is once again joined. (April 1992)
Beware the Grace of God
Troubled boys at this Baptist youth home had to eat soap if they said the wrong thing. And that was one of the milder punishments. (January 1992)
Dan Rather Is a Good Ol’ Boy
But he’d rather not leave CBS to return to Texas, at least not yet. (November 1991)
A Guard In Gangland
Never before had a correctional officer been tried for the murder of an inmate—and never before had such chilling details been revealed about how our prisons really work. (August 1991)
Poor Willie
When the IRS seized all that Willie Nelson had, it was a case of the man who can’t say no meeting the men who won’t take no for an answer. (May 1991)
Columns | Miscellany
State of the Reunion
It was strange enough that I returned to my hated Houston high school after twenty years—but stranger still, I enjoyed it. (October 1996)
Tough Love Story
How tough should our response to juvenile crime be? No less tough than it is now—but no tougher either. (October 1996)
Death of a Fixer
(November 1992)
The Invisible Man
El Paso author Cormac McCarthy has always shunned fame, but his latest novel may nally force him into the spotlight. (July 1992)
Mr. Malcontent
More Lenny Bruce than Jerry Seinfeld, Hicks wins fans by showing them his dark side. (June 1992)
Reporter
Colonel of Truth
My grandfather's Watergate. (November 2003)
Cell-Out
A little-known financial institution could be the future of the war on poverty in Texas. (June 1997)
Donkey Business
Small-town Texas gets a taste of national politics up close. (October 1992)
