Travel & Outdoors
January 20, 2013
Gruene Peace
A historic dance hall, the cypress-shaded Guadalupe, a couple of rustic inns: A great weekend getaway awaits you less than an hour from Austin and San Antonio.
Politics & Policy
January 20, 2013
2. Ronnie Earle
The long arm of the law is getting longer every day—and reaching into the Capitol.
Sports
January 20, 2013
Legends of the Fall
Texas football heroes Darrell Royal, Doak Walker, Sammy Baugh, and John David Crow are off the field, but they’re still having a ball.
Feature
January 20, 2013
Glory Days
Texas high school football may be in decline, but filmmakers still want to play.
Music
January 20, 2013
The Coming of Redneck Hip
Rock and Country music met in Austin. That friendship may make the state.
Jan Reid
January 20, 2013
Cold Case
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?
Music
January 20, 2013
He’s About A Mover
Country, jazz, blues, R&B, polka, and conjunto—the late, great Doug Sahm was a walking encyclopedia of Texas music. An exclusive excerpt from a new biography explores how he stirred it all together and found his own sound in his first great song.
Art
January 20, 2013
The Cult of Keen
It took two decades of shows at honky-tonks filled with frat-boy fans and Aggie admirers, but singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen has his first major-label record deal.
Health
January 20, 2013
To Hell and Back
After he was shot by a Mexico City cab driver—and told that he might be paralyzed—Jan Reid was flown to Houston, where Dr. Red Duke and a team of therapists literally got him back on his feet. In an excerpt from his forthcoming memoir, The Bullet Meant for Me, Reid
Feature
January 20, 2013
Citizen Cane
Ten years ago I was shot in Mexico City by a street thug who wanted to kill me. Since then, I’ve endured unbelievable pain and learned how to walk again, and I’m thankful for what I have: a new outlook on life, time with my family, and a chance to
Letter From Houston
December 1, 2006
Physician, Heal Thyself
When Sam Hassenbusch was diagnosed with a deadly form of brain cancer, the only saving grace was his own history of treating the very same affliction.
Jan Reid
June 30, 2006
Seems Like Old Times
My Wichita Falls High School reunion inevitably got me thinking about the passage of time but also about memories that endure. And, of course, football.
Feature
January 1, 2006
Rocket Man
Richard Garriott wants to experience space travel because it would be cool—and because his dad did.
Feature
December 1, 2005
Me of Little Faith
All I know for certain about religion is that the one my mother tried so hard to pass on to me just didn’t take.
Health
December 1, 2004
The Good Doctor
Can one of the state’s best writers change modern medicine as we know it? Abraham Verghese hopes so—one story at a time.
Politics & Policy
July 31, 2004
The Man With the Plan
You probably know that Tom DeLay spearheaded the massive—and massively controversial— congressional redistricting effort that tied Texas legislators in knots for one regular and three special sessions. What you probably don’t know is how he did it. Herein lies a tale.
News & Politics
April 30, 2004
The Metamorphosis
If you want to understand the shift in political power that has taken place in Texas over the past thirty years—from rural areas to the new suburbs, from Democratic control to Republican dominance—you'll hardly find a better case study than Tom DeLay's Sugar Land.
Reporter
April 1, 2004
Rednecks, Armadillos, And Me
The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock rises again.
Texas History
February 1, 2003
The Warrior’s Bride
Cynthia Ann Parker was nine when a Comanche snatched her from her East Texas home in 1836. Yet throughout her life as her captor's wife she remained strong, brave, and devoted to her husband and children. Which is to say, she was the original Texas woman.
Feature
January 1, 2003
The End of the River
Why the mighty Rio Grande isn't so mighty anymore: a twisted tale of international politics, water rights, and environmental reality (with a drought thrown in for good measure).
Feature
March 1, 2002
Kid Gloves
Growing up in Wichita Falls, I was a skinny kid with buckteeth and a girl's name, so I got into my share of fights. To improve my odd's of winning-and turn my anger and fear into bravery and skill-I learned to box.
Politics & Policy
November 1, 2001
Tony Sanchez’s New Deal
The 58-year-old banker and oilman from Laredo is enormously wealthy, has impeccable Texas roots, and–best of all–is Hispanic. Sounds like the Democrats' dream candidate, right? Maybe.
Sports
August 31, 2001
Earl Campbell
He has moved from pig skin to pork sausage, but he's still trying to score.
Books
March 1, 2001
Return to The Gay Place
Forty years after it was published, Billy Lee Brammer's novel about LBJ-era Austin is still one of the best ever written about American politics. Yet just as interesting is the story of Brammer himself.
Feature
January 1, 2000
A Heavy Weight
In this corner, convicted rapist Tony Ayala of San Antonioonce a rising star of pro boxing, now an ex-convict on the road to redemption. And in this corner, his pastthe toughest opponent he's ever faced.
Books
April 30, 1999
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Next Cormac McCarthy
Meet El Paso novelist James Carlos Blake, who writes critically acclaimed literary westerns with lots of violence but few female characters. Sound familiar?
Music
September 30, 1998
The Improbable Rise of Lyle Lovett
Twenty years ago, he was inspired by the redneck rock of Steve Fromholz and Guy Clark. On his new album, he says thanks.
Feature
April 1, 1998
The Contender
He may soon compete for the super featherweight championship of the world, but for now Austin boxer Jesus Chavez is in the fight of his life—with federal immigration officials.
Music
April 1, 1997
Milligan’s Island
With his resounding voice and striking appearance, Austin’s Malford Milligan stands out in a sea of Texas soul singers.
Music
January 1, 1996
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson may not be a radio staple anymore, but a new tribute album recorded by some of rock’s coolest stars shows that his music is still moving to them.
Sports
November 1, 1995
Twelve Yards and a Cloud of Dust
The Tiny town of Mullin adopted its high school football heroes in more ways than one. These foster children and native sons had the time of their lives playing in the Super Bowl of six-man football.
Books
August 31, 1995
Basking in It
If the literary novel is dead, then why is Baskerville Publishers in Dallas flourishing?
Music
July 31, 1995
LaFave Rave
Jimmy LaFave’s great new CD might propel him from Austin to the big time—if that were what he wanted.
Reporter
May 31, 1995
A Special Agent
The Secret Service lost a good man in the Oklahoma blast—and I lost an old friend.
Texas History
April 30, 1995
Davy Crock?
New York fireman Bill Groneman is disputing a critical piece of Alamo lore—and historians everywhere are burning mad.
Profile
April 30, 1995
Spooking the CIA
Jennifer Harbury’s career as a lawyer in Texas was the prelude to her front-page fight with the U.S. intelligence community.
Sports
August 31, 1994
A Good Sport
By all rights, Oilers coach Jack Pardee should be the most respected Texan in football. Instead, his days may be numbered.
Politics
April 30, 1994
Last of a Breed
Bob Eckhardt left an indelible mark on Texas liberalism. At eighty, he looks back on his wins, losses, and wives.
Music
December 1, 1993
Lucken Back
Twenty years later, Jerry Jeff Walker returns to the town his music put on the map.
Critters
March 1, 1993
Running Rabid
Five years ago, rabies was rare in South Texas. Now nearly three hundred animals have died and the epidemic is not abating.
Books
February 1, 1993
Return of the Native Son
For years he renounced his Texas ties. Now Larry McMurty is once again calling Archer City home.
True Crime
January 1, 1993
Scarred
Not long after she made her trek from Texas to New York, Marla Hanson saw her modeling career end at the hands of a razor-wielding thug. Six years later, the cuts on her face have healed, but the emotional wounds remain.
Politics & Policy
March 1, 1992
Showdown at Maverick Ranch
With bulldozers poised to plow through their family’s historic spread, three San Antonio sisters are waging war against the state department.
Travel & Outdoors
April 30, 1991
Mood Indigo
Head for the hills: Texas has a bumper crop of bluebonnets this year.
Books
September 30, 1990
That Mojo Season
An outsider exposes the hidden risks in Odessa’s bigger-than-life brand of football.
Texas History
April 30, 1989
Texas Primer: The Runaway Scrape
In early 1836, after the fall of the Alamo, a small episode in Texas history revealed an aspect of our character we’d just as soon forget.
Books
May 31, 1988
Character Flaw
A tour of the Texas psyche, with guides like Sam Houston, Katherine Anne Porter, and John Henry Faulk; a novel of adolescence addresses carnal knowledge and fundamentalist religion.
Books
March 1, 1988
The Soft Sell
Once, the term “paperback original” was reserved for second-rate work. Now, thanks to an innovative editor, two Texas novelists are proud to see their books in softcover.