Chapter 1We were parked at the curb in Leonard’s car, sitting near a busted-out streetlight. We were looking at a house about a block up. It was a dark house on a dark street next to another dark house, and beyond that was an abandoned baseball field grown up with
Houston
If Tahitian sailors could find Hawaii using only their testicles, I ought to be able to survive the modern world without a computer. But, hell, it looks like I can't.
The event The square-dance social may seem like an antiquated notion, but dozens of clubs in Texas still preserve this pastime. “Square dancing persists because people enjoy the fellowship, the wholesome entertainment, and the exercise,” says Wayne Morvent, who’s been a caller for more than fifty years and currently works
For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by mammoths, those giant, prehistoric creatures that once roamed Texas. So I decided to go looking for them.
Rick Perry's quiet war on higher ed.
Philippe and Haddington's.
Power of AttorneysConcerning your February cover story [“Power Company,” 2011], in which you discuss Texans for Lawsuit Reform, I have three comments: First, Dick Weekley is the primary founder and moving force of TLR. I am proud to have been at Dick’s side at the beginning and throughout TLR’s journey
The first person I think of when it comes to cooking like a Texan is Enrique Madrid. You probably have someone you think of, your father, perhaps, or your grandmother. I think of Enrique, a historian, archaeologist, cook, defender of the borderlands, author, and lecturer whose family has been living
Nicknames, parental discretion, summer camp, and the best way to talk about breast enlargement.
June Naylor, John Burnett, and Al Reinert.
"Readings," by Sandra Scofield with Jessica Scofield.
IntroductionYes, I do have a Texas connection, but, as we’d say in the Midwest, where I grew up, not so’s you’d know it. I come from an immigrant family. Although my father sounded like Harry Truman and freely used phrases like “Haven’t had so much fun since the hogs ate
The Texas Tornados, the Festival of Ideas, Becoming Kinky: The World According to Kinky Friedman, and the Texas Pinball Festival . . .
One Texan’s tribute to Liz.
The Ennis Bluebonnet Trails, the Llano Fiddle Fest, the Poteet Strawberry Festival, and the Kilgore Rangerettes . . .
Ted Nugent, Fiesta San Antonio, the Texas Open, and the Prairie Chicken Festival . . .
Buffalo Gap Wine & Food Summit, George Saunders, the Old Settler’s Music Festival, and the Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival . . .
(Ground beef guru Josh Ozersky, from a 2008 Nightline appearance) Wednesday at approximately 4 p.m., culinary event planner Mike Thelin was driving around Austin in search of hardwood briquettes, trying to fill a last-minute request from one of the many chefs participating in the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food
Last time I tried a sushi trailer, it was mid-June. The air undulated with heat waves, sweat beaded on my forehead, and even clocks melted onto the ground. “Uh-oh,” you say. “Food poisoning?” Surprisingly, no. Sushi A-Go-Go’s rolls were solid then and are now. But before the
“Hugo received a stent after his heart attack and will recover at home for a week or so.”
Buried in the four-inch stack of amendments to the house budget bill is a subtly crafted ambush on the Public Integrity Unit of the Travis County District Attorney’s office. This is the outfit that investigates corruption cases involving public officials, the most famous of which in recent memory was Ronnie
From Sen. Hinojosa’s office: Hugo Berlanga did suffer a heart attack. Good news, he is in Spohn Shoreline Hospital for observation and is expected to recover. This is as of 9 a.m. today (Wednesday). Berlanga is one of a very small group of members who made the Ten Best Legislators
This post marks the first interview of “On the Lege,” our new video series in which Nate Blakeslee and I will interview legislators about the important issues of the session, assisted by our intern, Katherine Stevens. The first interview is with Representative Wayne Christian, of Center, who is the president of
King proposes to shift $1 billion from the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) to the Foundation School Program in HB 1. This will set up a particularly tough generational choice for Democrats, who must elect between health care for the elderly and public education.
The next several days of Texas House budget debate may be as much about the culture wars as state spending. Pre-filed amendments to the three budget-related bills before the House contain limitations on private school vouchers, funding for Planned Parenthood and directives to higher education to fund centers for traditional
From Tom Jensen on the Public Policy Polling Web site: Much has been written about the weakness of the 2012 Republican Presidential candidate field but what I think might be most remarkable about the leading quartet of Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, and Newt Gingrich is that
(Editor’s note: Every week, for the remainder of the legislative session, BurkaBlog will be publishing an original column by R.G. Ratcliffe, who was the state political reporter for the Houston Chronicle for twenty years. During those two decades, I’ve known R.G., who resigned from the Chronicle in February to work
Bill Murchison published this column on Dallas Blog. I am publishing it, with my responses, because Murchison attacks my own writings on the subject as well as making a gratuitous personal allusion. In an earlier version of this post, I erroneously identified Mr. Murchison as a columnist for the Dallas
And the award goes to [drumroll, please] Enrique Rangel of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal for his article complaining about the delaying tactics employed by Democrats during the Voter ID debate. Talk about media bias. Every sentence word is suffused with the implication that the Republicans have the right to pass their
A TEXAS MONTHLY reader e-mailed the magazine about my column that questioned the wisdom of the TPPF-proposed reforms of higher education. I think the correspondent makes an interesting point about Governor Perry’s proposal for a $10,000 degree: I value X so highly that I want it to be priced much
It’s good people, and it’s $15-per-pound good too. Three visits over the last three weeks have confirmed it. Brisket has morphed from very good to nearly perfect over those past three visits since my last review. The sausage just keeps getting better too, although it’s not quite to
The biggest non-story of the weekend. The State Republican Executive Committee is meeting, and on the agenda, I am told, are resolutions supporting the confirmation of Williamson County DA John Bradley for another term as chairman of the Texas Forensic Science Commission and Gail Lowe for another term as chair
You have to feel sorry for the Legislative Budget Board. The LBB came out with a required report titled "Dynamic Economic Impact Statement" on the effect of the House budget, and you have never heard such squealing in the pink building. Among those seeking to apply the Maybelline were David
A bumpy ride for Senator Jane Nelson’s subcommittee on Medicaid came to an end this morning when senators voted 5-2 to move her recommendations on to the full Finance committee. The two “no” votes were Democratic senators Zaffirini and Whitmire, both of whom were spotted huddling with Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst
Fat Tuesday may have already flashed across Sixth Street this year, but you don’t need a holiday excuse to eat at Lee’s Hurricane Party, at the Longhorn Food Court, in West Campus. This Cajun trailer serves up some of the best gumbo and grub in town, year-round.
Anyone who was at the Capitol yesterday is bound to have run into hordes of women in red T-shirts. These were retired teachers who were visiting the Capitol. I happened to decide to watch the Senate from the gallery at the same time as the teachers arrived. Good luck! The
Among the strange developments of this session is the desperate efforts of moderate Republicans in the House to play defense, trying to hold off opposition from the tea party types. This includes some of the chamber’s best members. How do you play defense? You sign on as a cosponsor for
The departure of Rob Johnson to join the nascent Gingrich for president campaign is a certain indicator that Rick Perry is not running for president. Perry never made it to the starting line. His name rarely appeared in early polling. When it did appear, as in the Tea Party convention
I have been told by a source familiar with the issue of SBOE chair Gail Lowe’s confirmation that the Democrats caucused yesterday and “she is busted.” It’s too bad. I wrote a column about Lowe’s appointment as chair in which I expressed my hope that she would lead the board back
I am referring here to the map drawn by redistricting chairman Burt Solomons. The districts are much more compact and contiguous than they are on the 2001 map. There are some substantial changes. District 9, represented by Thomas Ratliff (R-Mount Pleasant) was shifted north and east, so that he no
Kennard died last Thursday after a long illness. He was 81. I remember him as one of the most vibrant senators of his time, a bear of a man who enjoyed a good story and a hearty laugh. Kennard served during the "giants walked the earth" era of the Senate
As they say, there’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news is that three Texas chefs are final nominees for the James Beard Foundation awards for Best Chef: Southwest–they are Bruce Auden (Biga on the Banks, San Antonio); Bryan Caswell (Reef, Houston); and Tyson Cole (Uchi, Austin). That’s
There is an old saying that is applied to diplomacy: "Don't pay attention to what they say. Pay attention to what they don't say." The wisdom of these words could prove to be very important as work on the state budget progresses. Here is what the governor actually said in
Until quite recently, Senate tradition held that no senator should cast a vote against the appropriations bill. The wisdom of the members of the Finance Committee was sufficient unto itself to earn the respect of the body. In the last two sessions, however, both D's and R's have bucked tradition
“With the select committee’s ruling that we did not meet the burden of proof to overturn the election results in HD-48, I have decided the best course of action is to withdraw my election contest. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to all my supporters who worked hard on
From the Web site PoliticalWire.com: After more repayments this week, the Treasury announced taxpayers have recovered about $244 billion of the $245 billion in TARP funds disbursed to banks, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Treasury currently estimates that bank programs within TARP will ultimately provide a lifetime
Melissa Clouthier's Wednesday post on the widely read conservative blog took Rick Perry and Texas Republicans to task for being soft on budget cuts and the use of the Rainy Day Fund: Texas enjoys a super-majority Republican status. As a friend pointed out to me, if Texas Republicans
I listened to the March 10 statewide teleforum, arranged by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility and featuring Governor Perry answering questions. The governor's initial comments about the Rainy Day Fund were quite revealing: It's one of the reasons, as we talk about this budget situation, a debate that rages on about
SXSW is not just about the music. Let’s be realistic: It’s about waiting in line. But anyone can wait in line, anywhere. The doctor’s office, H-E-B, Six Flags. Oh, but how to cozy into the cool queue rather than trail in the terminal tier! Don’t worry. With a
