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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
My Favorite Marfa
It’s still the best little town in Texas.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Literature • Mary Karr
Form follows dysfunction.
State Politics • Dan Morales
Courting controversy.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Texas Twenty: Richard Linklater
Hollywood’s busiest slacker.
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.
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.
Charles Hurwitz
A true post-boom-and-burst CEO.
The Capital Call Girls
The shocking story of Austin’s underworld, and how a state bureaucrat got in too deep.
Nouveau Grub
Around the state, a smorgasbord of stylish new restaurants defines the Texas bitegeist.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lyle’s Style
Nothing about Lyle Lovett suggests he’d ever make it big. That’s precisely why he did.
Elephant Walk
Jim Baker’s boyhood home, take in Robert Mosbacher’s old stomping grounds, and see the Houstonian suite where George Bush slept!
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.
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.
Dan Rather Is a Good Ol’ Boy
But he’d rather not leave CBS to return to Texas, at least not yet.
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.
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.
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.
Tough Love Story
How tough should our response to juvenile crime be? No less tough than it is now—but no tougher either.
Death of a Fixer
The Invisible Man
El Paso author Cormac McCarthy has always shunned fame, but his latest novel may nally force him into the spotlight.
Mr. Malcontent
More Lenny Bruce than Jerry Seinfeld, Hicks wins fans by showing them his dark side.
Reporter
Colonel of Truth
My grandfather's Watergate.
Cell-Out
A little-known financial institution could be the future of the war on poverty in Texas.
Donkey Business
Small-town Texas gets a taste of national politics up close.
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