Skip Hollandsworth
Skip Hollandsworth has worked as a reporter and columnist for newspapers in Dallas, Texas, and he also has worked as a television producer and documentary filmmaker. Since 1989, he has been a staff writer at TEXAS MONTHLY, where he has received several journalism awards, including a National Headliners Award, the national John Hancock Award for Excellence in Business and Financial Journalism, the City and Regional Magazine gold award for feature writing, and the Texas Institute of Letters O. Henry Award for magazine writing. He has been a finalist four times for a National Magazine Award, the magazine industry’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, and in 2010 he won the National Magazine Award in feature writing for his story about a young man who, after suffering a crippling football injury in high school, spent the next 33 years in his bedroom, unable to move. The 2011 movie Bernie, which Hollandsworth co-wrote with Richard Linklater, is based on a story he wrote in the January 1998 issue of TEXAS MONTHLY titled “Midnight in the Garden of East Texas.”
Features
By Invitation Only
In a city that loves its parties, there’s perhaps none so aesthetically significant as Two x Two for AIDS and Art, Dallas’s most cutting-edge fundraiser—and one hell of a good time.
The Unsinkable Lisa Blue
Her husband, Fred Baron, helped bankroll John Edwards's presidential campaign, only to die of cancer amid the most sordid political scandal in recent history. But before long, Dallas's newest rainmaker had emerged from the wreckage—with every hair in place.
I Shall Never Surrender or Retreat . . .
. . . from teaching my fifteen-year-old daughter about her Texas roots. So when I realized I was failing to accomplish this most sacred of duties, I did what any well-meaning parent would do: loaded her (and her friends, of course) into the car and hit the road.
Reading Along With James Donovan
The latest Alamo chronicler offers a glimpse of his reference library.
Lights, Camera, Carthage!
Nearly fifteen years after Richard Linklater and I started talking about turning a TEXAS MONTHLY story into a major motion picture, it’s finally hitting the big screen, with a little help from Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Shirley MacLaine—and a seventy-year-old retired hairdresser from Rusk named Kay Baby Epperson.
Sex, Lies, and Hit Men!
Yvonne Stern knows that her husband, the wealthy Houston attorney Jeffrey Stern, had a steamy affair with a woman named Michelle Gaiser. And she knows full well that two years ago Gaiser hired a series of men to kill her. But she refuses to believe that Jeffrey was in on the plan.
“If the Serial Killer Gets Us, He Gets Us”
Police had all but given up looking into a pair of assaults against two prostitutes in the Houston neighborhood of Acres Homes. But when a third turned up dead, investigator Darcus Shorten embarked on a search that revealed a brutal reality.
The Girl Who Played With Firearms
Miranda Lambert has a lot to be happy about—she’s recently married, with a brand-new album and a string of hits that has made her the toast of Nashville. So why is she so twangry?
Gary Patterson Is Still Yelling at His Players
Who cares if TCU went to the Rose Bowl last season and shocked the world? If the extremely intense coach of the Horned Frogs is going to keep his thrilling roll going, he’s got to keep! these! kids! focused!
The Lost Boys
It was the most shocking crime of its day, 27 boys from the same part of town kidnapped, tortured, and killed by an affable neighbor named Dean Corll. Forty years later, it remains one of the least understood—or talked about—chapters in Houston's history.
The Great Terquasquicentennial Road Trip
Some people call it a quartoseptcentennial, or a septaquintaquinquecentennial (seriously), but you’d better save your breath. You’ll need it on this wide-ranging 6,000-mile voyage commemorating Texas’s 175th birthday. It starts in Glen Rose, ends in Austin, and stops along the way at 175 places that tell the story of the state, from the grassy field in La Porte where independence was won to the parking garage in Dallas where the Super Bowl was dreamed up; from the Austin dorm room where Dell Inc. was born to the college hall in Houston where Barbara Jordan learned to debate; from the hotel in San Antonio where Lydia Mendoza recorded “Mal Hombre” to the—well, you get the idea. And you’d better get started. The road awaits . . .
In Our Backyard
The faces—and voices—of eighteen Texans who are living the debate over illegal immigration.
That’s Oil, Folks!
Forget the Outer Continental Shelf. There’s a good old-fashioned boom happening in Midland, thanks to a crafty drilling technique that unlocked the secret reserves of the Permian Basin and revived the late, great West Texas oilman.
On the Road—In Tents
Dad wanted us to remember our family camping getaways. After so many disasters, how could I forget?
Patient Observation
Wichita Falls was about as average a town as you could imagine. Except within the gates of the state hospital.
The Bucket List
Driving the River Road, in far West Texas; having a drink at the Mansion on Turtle Creek, in Dallas; fishing for bass in Caddo Lake; eating a chicken-fried steak in Strawn; searching for a lightning whelk along the coast; and 58 other things that all Texans must do before they die.
193
That’s the number of times Harris County housewife Susan Wright stabbed her husband in a brutal 2003 murder that riveted the nation and landed her in prison for 25 years. But should the butcher of the burbs be freed?
Perversion of Justice
Cathy McBroom loved working as a case manager for Samuel Kent, Galveston’s brilliant, charismatic, all-powerful federal district judge. Then he started attacking her.
Bringing Down the Dogmen
The bust that nabbed Houston’s top dogfighters was the work of two gutsy undercover cops who knew that the only way to infiltrate this secret world was to become dogfighters themselves.
Parental Paradise
Still Life
A violent tackle in a high school football game paralyzed John McClamrock for life. His mother made sure it was a life worth living.
Styles and Styles of Texas
The thirty Texans with the most iconic, unforgettable, eye-popping looks, from Davy Crockett to Beyoncé.
The Fugitive
Friends and family knew Deborah Murphey as a mild-mannered nurse and a loving wife and mother. Then a U.S. marshal knocked on her door.
There Will Be Boone
Our most iconic oil and gas man, lately a water marauder and now a celebrated windcatter, has saved himself a couple of times in his eighty glorious years. Who’s to say he can’t save America?
The Killing Field
Before they clubbed two deer to death in their tiny West Texas town, the four high school football stars were treated like royalty. Afterward, when news of their exploits hit the Internet, they were celebrities of a very different sort.
Child’s Play
Summer vacation is right around the corner, but that doesn’t mean you should panic. We’ve rounded up 68 of our favorite things to do with your toddlers, teens, and every kid in between. Dance the hokey pokey. Rope a horse. Eat way too many hot dogs. Zip down a waterslide. And yes, feed the animals.
The Valley of The Shadow Of Death
Did Kari Baker, despondent over her daughter’s passing, commit suicide? Or was she killed by her husband, Matt, a Baptist preacher in Waco and an alleged sexual predator? He says he didn’t do it, but her family insists otherwise—and they say they’ll keep after him until justice is done.
Girl Gone Mild
After spending her adolescence largely out of view (except for a few scrapes with restaurant and bar employees), presidential spawn Jenna Bush is emerging as a public person in her own right. But her return to private life can’t come soon enough.
The Woman On Top
So what if Sandra Brown’s novels have wildly implausible plot twists, banal endings, over-the- top characters, and other literary no-no’s. She’s published nearly 70 of them since 1981, and 55 have gone on to be best-sellers. We’re sure the sex scenes have nothing to do with it.
Angel of Death
What was it, exactly, that caused Vickie Dawn Jackson, a sweet, soft-spoken nurse at Nocona General Hospital, to become one of the most prolific serial killers in Texas history?
The Gang’s All Here
When the rough-and-tumble bikers known as the Bandidos gathered in San Antonio for the funeral of one of their beloved members, they swore a lot, drank a lot, defended themselves against the police and the public’s misperceptions, and—amazingly— let a reporter observe the whole fascinating scene.
“You Don’t Want to Know What We Do After Dark”
The young, tattooed men who are members of the Southwest Cholos, La Primera, La Tercera Crips, Somos Pocos Pero Locos, Mara Salvatrucha, and other Houston gangs are vicious career criminals who regularly rob innocent people in some of the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods. They steal cars and break into businesses. They deal drugs on street corners. And they constantly wage war with one another.
School Of Pop
To Addison they come, tweens and teens with talent in abundance, so Linda Septien can teach them how to be the next big thing. Jessica Simpson is her most famous success story, but there are many others. And more in the making.
Water, Water Everywhere
From kayaking on Town Lake to mountain biking around Joe Pool Lake, from bass fishing on Lake Fork to horseback riding on the shores of Lake Whitney, here are some of our favorite things to do in, on, and around Texas lakes.
The Last Rustler
If he was asked what he did for a living, Roddy Dean Pippin would smile and say something about the cattle business. But he didn’t exactly buy and sell cows. He stole them. And right up until he was caught, he was as good as any such thief had ever been.
Casualty Of War
A real-life G.I. Joe, Master Sergeant James Coons hardly seemed like a candidate for post-traumatic stress disorder. But when his demons got the best of him, there was nothing anyone could do—not that anyone really tried.
Tommy Lee Jones Is Not Acting
On screen and off, his affect is that of someone who should not be disturbed: a crotchety, contentious, impatient, and thoroughly genuine West Texan. That’s what makes his characters—including his latest, the lead in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada— so believable.
The Last Ride of Cowboy Bob
The feds knew him as a prolific bank robber. But the bearded man who eluded them for so long was not who they imagined him to be. And absolutely no one expected the story to end the way it did.
Angie Barrett Does Not Use Butt Cream
She shares that curious fact with you for posterior’s— er, posterity’s sake. What you really need to know about the shopgirl turned shoplifter is that her rehabilitation is continuing apace atop Dallas’ social heap. And thanks to a new reality show about her life, there’s no end in sight.
Since She’s Been Gone
The L.A. life of a girl from Burleson (or, You can take Kelly Clarkson out of Texas . . .).
Good Vibrations
How a woman who sold sex toys in Burleson became public enemy number one and survived the bad buzz.
Wrecked
The car crash that killed four teenage girls in Tatum last September is an East Texas version of a Greek tragedy, one that has forced the tiny town's residents to address some of life's most agonizing questions: When the worst things happen—when the most heartbreaking events come into your life to stay—whom do you blame? Whom should you blame?
Family Man
To his suburban Dallas neighbors, Todd Becker was a doting husband and devoted father. They had no clue that he led a secret, lucrative life as a safecracker.
“Their Last Good Chance to Get Better”
The state's public mental health system was woeful to begin with, and now legislative budget cuts have made it even worse. For thousands of mentally ill kids like Grant Williams, the only place to get treatment is a juvenile prison.
Love Thy Self-Help
America's notoriously needy readers certainly do—and for the robust health of this publishing genre, they have Dallas in general and Phil McGraw's agent in particular to thank.
O Sister, Where Art Thou?
History makes no mention of what was one of the most popular all-female country acts ever. Yet the story of the Goree Girls-inmates who banded together in the forties at Texas' sole penitentiary for women—is worth a listen.
What Does Kay Want?
Good question, and everyone seems to have an answer: To be respected for her accomplishments as a U.S. senator. To help lead the GOP after its Election Day triumph. To be a mom, finally, in her late fifties. To come back home and run for governor—maybe. But, please, no psychobabble.
Suburban Madness
Why did Clara Harris run over her husband with her Mercedes, then do it again and again? Call it the tragic final chapter in an otherwise amusing story—a demented version of Love, American Style starring four unhappy couples and one chatty private investigator.
The Yucatan
Hi, Society!
How did a girl from Harlingen become Houston's hostess with the mostest? Sweetie, Becca Cason Thrash has always been the life of the party.
Maybe Darlie Didn't Do It
Darlie Routier has been on death row for five years now, always insisting that she didn't kill her sons Devon and Damon. And as her lawyers prepare to head into court yet again, new information about her case raises the possibility that she may have been telling the truth all along.
With Envy
Pat Green’s fans—and they are legion—love his songs about the joys of Luckenbach and Lone Star beer. His critics—also legion—think his lyrics are trite. But no matter how you feel about him, there’s no denying that he’s the hottest country music act in Texas. And that he has made the state cool again.
The Day Treva Throneberry Disappeared
The North Texas teenager went missing in the late eighties. For years, no one knew where she was, or even if she was still alive-no one, that is, except a mysterious young woman two thousand miles away.
Hit Man
Psst! Looking to have somebody murdered? You might want to call Gary Johnson, the number one hired killer in Houston. Then again you might not. You see he works for the cops.
Doris Angleton
Her Dark Places
Andrea Yates was a quiet, attentive mother with a generous smile who made her kids costumes from grocery sacks and gave them Valentine’s promising “free hugs.” We all know what happened next, but we may never know why.
The Killing of Alydar
In 1990 the legendary Thoroughbred was put to sleep after his leg was broken—an accident, it seemed, until a tenacious prosecutor linked his death to a Houston bank scandal.
Daddy's Little Girl
LeAnn Rimes was a marshmallow-cheeked thirteen-year-old when she made it big. Now, five years later, she is locked in bitter legal battles with both her estranged father and her Nashville record company, and her life and career are collapsing around her. Can America's country princess get back on track?
I Had a Ball
A passel of Texans invaded the nation’s capital in January, and the town may never be the same. A report from the inaugral front.
The Talented Mr. Wittliff
Can a savvy Hollywood dealmaker also be as down-home and unassuming as an old shoe? He can if he's Austin's Bill Wittliff, an award-winning screenwriter, an accomplished photographer, a collector with a passion for the past—in short, the nicest Renaissance man you'll ever meet.
Child of a Lesser God
It was a modern-day horror story: a little girl hidden away in rat-infested squalor for most of her life. When the authorities took her away from her family, the nine-year-old had never been to school or played outside and could only make squeaking noises. Now dedicated social workers, academics, and foster parents are trying to undo years of unimaginable neglect.
Can't Buy Me Love
Take one of the nation's wealthiest men, the enigmatic, Egyptian-born Fayez Sarofim. Add his socialite first wife and her brassy successor. Stir in River Oaks mansions and greedy lawyers, boatloads of money and oceans of booze. Mix it all together and what do you get? A hell of a mess that's the talk of Houston.
Television • Angie Harmon
Not just a pretty face.
Dance • Deborah Yates
It's all in the gams.
Capital Murder
In a year-long spree that began in late 1884, Texas’ first serial killer butchered seven women and one man in Austin. More than a century later questions about his identity and his motive remain unanswered.
Blood Will Sell
The richest man ever tried for murder has found the Lord, along with a new career peddling hand cream. Are you buying the latest incarnation of Cullen Davis?
The Man Who Loved Cat Burgling
For years Dallas’ most prolific jewel thief robbed the mansions of socialites like Nancy Brinker and Annette Simmons. If not for his girlfriend’s crack use, he might have gotten away with it forever.
Athlete of the Century—Carl Lewis
“When it comes to individual athletic superiority, few people in the world can touch long, lean, impossibly fast Carl Lewis, who came to Texas in 1979, qualified for the Olympics in 1980, and dominated his sport—the world of sports, actually—for the next sixteen years.”
Is Robert Abel Getting Away With Murder?
Investigators in the coastal plain think so, and they’re doing what they can to tie the retired NASA engineer to the deaths of at least four young women there. But thus far the tangible evidence has eluded them. And, consequently, so has he.
Self-help • Phillip McGraw
Oprah’s guru.
How Many of You Have Heard of Zig Ziglar Before—Or Is This Your First Time-uh?
From Harvard to Hesitation Hill, the nation’s most motivated motivational speaker is much in demand. And he’ll still see you at the top.
Younger. Wilder?
Those rumors you’ve heard about him are true. Sort of.
Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Ty Murray is the last pure American cowboy, a throwback to the mythic West. And if you visit him on his Stephenville ranch, you’d better be ready to ride.
“No One Knows What Could Be Happening to Those Kids”
When you’re underpaid, inexperienced, and overloaded with files detailing allegations of child abuse, there is a limit to how well you can do your job. Eight months in the life of an investigative team in the Travis County office of Child Protective Services.
Has Dominique Moceanu Flipped?
Three years after her Olympic glory, the gymnast is once again in competition—only this time, it’s with her parents.
The Real Troy Aikman
His dreams. His fears. The truth about his love life. A candid chat with Texas’ most misunderstood sports hero.
Home Away From Home?
Texas’ largest nursing home chain says it provides a “better place to live” for more than six thousand elderly men and women. State investigators tell a much different story.
BUSINESS • Thomas O. Hicks
Hello, good buy.
When We Were Kings
For the first time in its history, the world-famous King Ranch is being run by someone other than a descendant of its founder. Can the mythic institution survive a changing of the guard?
Honor Thy Father
In suburban Fort Worth the frail psyche of a football prodigy collided with the crazed ambition of his dad, who himself had been a high school football star way back when. The consequences were deadly.
The Starlet—Sandra Bullock
Speeding toward her new life in Austin.
How the West Was Won Over
The verdict is in: Oprah loves Texas—and Texas loves Oprah. The queen of daytime talk swept into the Panhandle, turned the tide of public opinion, and had courtroom watchers asking, Where’s the beef?
Midnight in the Garden of East Texas
In sleepy Carthage a rich, haughty widow disappears, and nobody seems to notice. When she turns up dead, everybody seems to feel sympathy for the nice young man who killed her.
The Bookmaker’s Wife
She had a secret life, and so did her husband. For a while they seemed to have a pleasant existence in the affluent Houston neighborhood of River Oaks. But then she turned up dead.
Sports • Tara Lipinski
The ice girl cometh.
Environment • Phyllis Glazer
Waste not.
Store Wars!
Two luxury retailers: Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. One desirable market: Houston. The fight for the hearts and credit cards of couture clotheshorses like Lynn Wyatt and Carolyn Farb officially begins next month, but already the fur is flying.
The Curse of Romeo and Juliet
The patriarchs of Texas’ leading Gypsy clans have been embroiled in a furious feud for more than two decades. And now that their children are in love, it’s only getting worse.
Babes in the ’Hoods
Thought the competition between Texas cities was over? Until my daughter was born in Dallas and a friend’s was born in Austin, so did I.
Blue Period
Thanks to his wildly popular bluebonnet paintings, Dallas artist W.A. Slaughter is living on easel street.
Vanity Farrah
All she did was walk into the bar, sit down, and smile. But I knew right away why, even at age fifty, Farrah Fawcett is still an angel.
The Killer Cadets
David Graham and Diane Zamora were intelligent, young, and in love. And they shared a secret: They had brutally murdered Adreianne Jones.
Reading Laura Bush
Thanks to her fight against illiteracy, the first lady of Texas is getting more attention than most of her predecessors— and much more than she’d like.
Absolutely Farbulous
Carolyn Farb wrote the book on charity fundraising, so when she calls, the stars come out to play, and Houston�s high society has a ball.
Media Circus • Michael Irvin
Drugstore Cowboy.
Theater • Lou Diamond Phillips
It’s good to be King.
Business • Richard Rainwater
The last tycoon.
Poisoning Daddy
No one ever suspected a thing until she asked her best friend if she could keep a terrible secret: the bizarre story of teenager Marie Robards, the devoted daughter who murdered her father.
The Lawsuit from Hell
How an East Texas attorney spawned the most massive products-liability case ever— one that has cost millions of dollars and involved thousands of plaintiffs and might never end.
Interview With The Vamp
After twenty years as the reigning queen of the soaps, the essential truth about Morgan Fairchild remains: She’s not a bitch, but she plays one on TV.
Big Feud at Cadillac Ranch
Since the day Stanley Marsh 3 finally went too far and locked up George Whittenburg’s son in a chicken coop, all of Amarillo has been abuzz about the bizarre battle between these intractable foes.
Does DaRoyce Mosley Deserve to Die?
A young black man with a spotless record is facing a controversial death sentence for the murder of four whites. An East Texas town remains divided.
Lay’s of Our Lives
Hot Potatoes
Is it possible to have a low-fat chip that tastes good? After three years of top-secret tinkering, Frito-Lay thinks it has hit upon the ultimate snacker’s delight.
Hostile Makeover
Mary Kay Ash and Jinger Heath have made fortunes getting women to buy and sell their beauty proucts. But no lipstick or powder can conceal the ugliness between these Dallas cosmetics queens.
The Many Faces of George W. Bush
He’s part Susan Powter, part David Letterman, part Dagwood Bumstead—and more.
Whatever Happened to Ronnie Littleton?
Twenty-five years ago, in the wake of integration, he was the football star at my mostly white high school in Wichita Falls. Not much has gone right for him since.
The Seduction of Jane Doe
When a teacher romances a student, are school officials to blame? That’s the crux of a case that began in the small town of Taylor and ended up in the U.S. Supreme court.
Born to Run
In the campaign for governor, the Republican nominee is out to prove to voters—and himself—that he’s his own George Bush.
Love and Death on the Third Floor
She was the princess who wore Tiffany perfume. He was the middle-class guy who raced cars. But when they met on the cystic fibrosis wing of a Dallas hospital, romance bloomed.
The Making of a Sex Symbol, 1993
How did Vickie Smith, waitress from Mexia, become Anna Nicole Smith, world-famous face? It’s anyone’s Guess?
See No Evil
Dallas police say Charles Albright is the coldest, most depraved killer of women in the city’s history. To me, he seems like a perfect gentleman. Maybe too perfect.
Hooray for Big Hair!
A strand-by-strand look at the roots of a Texas phenomenon.
The Almost Great Bank Robbery
It seemed like the perfect inside job: A respected cop conspires with his teller girlfriend to pull the biggest bank heist in San Antonio history. If they hadn’t been so careless, they might have gotten away with it.
The Meanest Divorce
When Chuck Smith kidnapped his own small boys to keep them from his estranged wife, a simple divorce case turned into an international family feud.
Possessed by the Devil
The way two mysterious deaths affected the town of Childress says a lot about the lure of satanism and the power of gossip.
Judge Roy Scream vs. The Texas Cyclone
How to beat the heat, find the food, and master the coasters at Texas’ four big theme parks.
Beyond Luxury
God save the queen! A Dallas hotel company has won the right to manage London’s most exclusive property.
Rodeo, Texas, U.S.A.
Rodeo, rodeo, wherefore art thou rodeo? Mary Ellen Mark went to small towns all over Texas to find out.
The Ranger Bandit
Steve Benifiel was an old-fashioned outlaw who practically owned the town of Ranger—until he was busted for running on of West Texas’ biggest drug rings.
The Afrin Affair
A tale of rivalry, intrigue, and foul play in the science lab.
Ad Men at War
How the battle for the Southwest Airlines account turned into a long-awaited showdown between Texas’ two top agencies.
Can Kids On Drugs Be Saved?
Drug treatment seldom works: at many centers, greedy entrepreneurs prey on frightened parents and troubled kids. But one teenager’s parents decided to take one last, desperate step: They sent their son to the toughest program in Texas.
Columns | Miscellany
Playground Rules
The suicides of four Texas teens who were brutally bullied have prompted cries for new legislation. But one lawyer has a different plan: Sue the school districts.
Rich Man, Poor Man
The tragic culture clash that led to the murder of a governor’s son.
Leave It To Bea
One woman’s unlikely crusade to help poor kids succeed—and what Texas can learn from her example.
Sleeping Booty
Has an out-of-work Los Angeles musician discovered a sunken Spanish treasure worth hundreds of millions of dollars in a lake near Refugio? Maybe!
Going Out In Style
A Houston funeral home where the dead do not go modestly into that good night.
Here Comes the Neighborhood
Preston Hollow gets its Bush back.
Don’t Forget Jenny
Why everyone in Dallas is talking about a depressed elephant.
Compound Fracture
Why I have no sympathy for the Eldorado polygamists.
Girl, Interrupted
Houston’s most famous teenage killer is trying to reclaim her life and move on.
The Searcher
When a UFO streaks across our skies— c’mon, the truth is out there!—Ken Cherry gets to work.
The Satanic Versus
Andrea Yates does battle with her demons. Again.
Jessica McClure
Candy Barr
Once notorious, Candy Barr's now anonymous—and happily so.
Change of Routine
Sixteen years after her Olympic triumph, Mary Lou Retton talks about her family, her career, and what she really thought of Bela Karolyi.
School for Scandal
What does the school board scandal say about Dallas?
Doing the Hustle
Today, TGI Friday’s is sedate, but twenty years ago this month, the place started the singles era in Dallas.
Maximum Insecurity
How the Texas Seven will change the state's prisons.
Reporter
Jennifer Walden, 40
Jennifer Walden, plastic surgeon
Doug Ables
Doug Ables, chimney sweep.
Robots
David Hanson on robot love.
Being a Soap Opera Star
As Helen Wagner’s world turns.
Y’all Come Back
Homecoming in the town of Spur means football, the crowning of a queen, parades, pep rallies, barbecue, a bonfire, and so much more.
I Inject, Your Honor
The Panhandle DA known statewide for his zeal in busting drug dealers and abusers turns out to have been an addict. Prosecutor, heal thyself.
Sects With Strangers
Have you heard the one about the Mormon polygamists who descended on a tiny West Texas town? It would be funny if it wasn't so serious. (Okay, it's pretty funny too.)
Tyler Hollandsworth
Three cheers for Tyler Hollandsworth, a stereotypical Dallas girl.
Facing the Music
Michael Morales' guilty plea doesn't answer the most interesting question about his attempted extortion of Tony Sanchez: Who else knew about his cockamamy plot, and when did they know it?
Snow Job
The Dallas Police Department's Sheetrock Scandal.
The Inmate
Vanessa Leggett plots her own true-crime story.
Up in Smoke
Has Dan Morales gone up in smoke? by Skip Hollandsworth.
Hut, Hut, Yikes!
If the Dallas Cowboys thought last season was unpleasant, wait until they open training camp in Wichita Falls.
Oh, Brother
A River Oaks bookie is tried for murder.
Miller Time
After years of attacking members of the Dallas City Council, journalist Laura Miller wants to be one.
Drag Time
The greatest Tuna of all.
King Lear Jet
The feud between billionaire Harold Simmons and his daughters is worthy of Shakespeare.
Wende, Becky, and Kelly Parks
A Ride On the Wild Side
Conquering Arlington’s Texas Giant.
Web Exclusives
Latest News on the Corll Investigation
Researchers have discovered a mistaken identity and another possible victim.
A Closer Look at One of Dean Corll’s Victims
Dorothy Hilligiest's son David disappeared one day in 1971. She spent her days and nights searching for him, following leads, and eagerly awaiting his return. And then she found out about Dean Corll, one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history.
Angels and Devils
CBS’s 48 Hours fills in the final chapters of the notorious Matt Baker.
Witness for the Prosecution
The shocking testimony of Vanessa Bulls against Matt Baker.
Judgment Day
What really happened to Kari Baker? We may be about to find out.
Fight Club
Without the cooperation of Texas law enforcement, the dogfighting subculture will continue to thrive.
X Marks the Spot
Texas is full of buried booty—or, to be a bit more accurate, full of stories about buried booty that no one has been able to find. Here are six of the supposedly greatest Texas treasures still out there. May the hunters strike gold.
The Lost Boys
Can a former member of a vicious Houston gang leave crime behind and build a new life for himself?
The Witches of Garland
How a mother and daughter hired a hit man to kill their husband and father, and why they might just get away with it.
She Got Gamed?
On January 13, the girls’ basketball team for the Covenant School of Dallas, an elite private Christian school in upscale North Dallas, demolished its opponents from the Dallas Academy, a lesser known East Dallas school that focuses on students who face a variety of learning problems.
The Last Pickens Show
When T. Boone Pickens launched his Pickens Plan last summer, crude oil was at $136 a barrel. Now, with crude at or below $40, does anyone care anymore about what Pickens has to say?
The Great Developer
Trammell Crow made millions based on what he called hunches—warehouses, atrium marts, huge hotels—and amazingly, most of his deals he did on a handshake.
Me and Tommy Lee
No Country for Old Men is Tommy Lee Jones’s new movie. I don’t think he’ll be granting me an interview anytime soon.
Blue Notes
Goree prison unit inmate Hattie Ellis had a short-lived recording career, but her music made a lasting impression.
Green's Day
Executive editor Skip Hollandsworth talks about Pat Green and this month's cover story, "With Envy."
Rimes and Reason
Executive editor Skip Hollandsworth tells the story behind this month's cover story about LeAnn Rimes.
The War of the Sarofims
Senior editor Skip Hollandsworth tells the story behind this month's cover story, "Can't Buy Me Love." How he got his sources to talk, what he did when they wouldn't, and other secrets of his reporting.
Best of Texas: Dallas Arts
Thanks to the vision of the Dallas Arts District, the city has finally created a masterpiece in the heart of downtown.
Multimedia
Angel of Death (Podcast)
Skip Hollandsworth reads the cover story.
Texas Monthly Biz
Cat & Mouse With Tom & Jerry
How much do Tom Hicks and Jerry Jones pay themselves for the privilege of owning the Dallas Stars, the Texas Rangers, and the Dallas Cowboys? That and more in a revealing joint interview.
It’s Like, You Know
The man who can read the minds of today’s teens and predict tomorrow’s fashion trends is fifty years old? Gadzooks!
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