Politics & Policy
November 24, 2021
Who’s To Blame for Astroworld? Anybody but Us, Say Houston Officials.
In the wake of the deadly Travis Scott concert, Bayou City and Harris County politicians have formed a circular firing squad.
Music
November 8, 2021
After the Astroworld Disaster, a Reckoning for Music Festivals
International crowd-safety experts say better planning could have prevented the eight deaths and dozens of injuries at last week’s Travis Scott concert.
News & Politics
October 20, 2021
A Brazoria County District Clerk Sorted Jurors by Race. A Black Man Convicted Under Her System Wants a New Trial.
The first defendant to request a new trial because of Rhonda Barchak’s system had a hearing last week.
News & Politics
October 9, 2021
Texas Law Says Jury Panels Must Be Chosen Randomly. A Brazoria County Official Had a Different Idea.
Brazoria County district clerk Rhonda Barchak sorted jurors by race and geography. Her attorney says the method was harmless, but the Texas Rangers are investigating.
Music
September 14, 2021
Houston’s Legendary SugarHill Recording Studios Turns Eighty
The oldest studio in Texas has recorded everyone from Lightnin’ Hopkins and George Jones to Beyoncé and Travis Scott—and it’s still making hits.
Politics & Policy
September 11, 2021
Nearly Everyone in Dimmit County Is Infected or Vaccinated. Now What?
Despite one of the state’s highest vaccination rates, the rural South Texas county is struggling to reach the goal of herd immunity.
Sports
August 12, 2021
Houston and Dallas Are Thirsty to Host 2026 World Cup Matches
Inside the two Texas cities’ bids to host the world’s biggest sporting event.
Politics & Policy
August 4, 2021
“I Don’t Believe Anything”: Among the Unvaccinated in One Central Texas Community
Bell County struggles with misinformation and conspiracy theories as the deadly Delta variant spreads like wildfire.
Sports
July 21, 2021
How Simone Biles Turned World Champions Centre Into America’s Best Gym
The Olympic champion has attracted some of the country’s top gymnasts to her family-owned facility near Houston.
News & Politics
June 29, 2021
Eric Berger Knows Which Way the Wind Blows
The meteorologist’s no-nonsense website Space City Weather has established a cult following in flood-prone, hurricane-battered Houston.
News & Politics
June 15, 2021
David Leebron Regrets Nothing
The Rice University president recently announced his retirement after eighteen years of advances and controversies.
True Crime
June 14, 2021
Pecos Jane Has a Name
The young woman who mysteriously drowned in the Ropers Motel pool in 1966 might have remained anonymous forever, if not for cutting-edge genetics, old-fashioned genealogy—and the kindness of a small West Texas town.
Art
May 25, 2021
Would the Real Toeflop Please Stand Up?
The prolific graffiti writer has tagged his or her (or their) name across Houston, Austin, and beyond, as followers and police sift through clues about the artist's identity.
Border & Immigration
May 1, 2021
Ed Gonzalez Has Spent Years Fighting ICE. President Biden Just Nominated Him to Run the Agency.
The Harris County sheriff has been overshadowed by more-vocal Houston officials, but he’s earned a reputation as an effective reformer.
Being Texan
April 29, 2021
A 90-Year-Old Texan Has Some Advice for Willie Nelson on His 88th Birthday
Aging isn’t for the faint of heart, but Carlene knows what matters.
Arts & Entertainment
December 21, 2020
Chopin Versus the Coronavirus: Classical Music Is Helping Houston Patients Heal
Being hospitalized during the pandemic is lonely and dehumanizing. In live, virtual, one-on-one performances, Houston Symphony musicians give the sickest patients a few minutes of peace.
Best Thing In Texas
December 16, 2020
The Best Things in Texas, 2021: Lina Hidalgo and Chris Hollins
In Harris County, two public officials fought off legal challenges to hold a successful election in the middle of a pandemic.
Politics & Policy
December 15, 2020
Meet the Three Texas Judges Trump Named to the Fifth Circuit
Young and ideologically aggressive, James Ho, Andrew Oldham, and Don Willett are already making their mark on the nation’s most conservative appellate court.
Art
November 20, 2020
At the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, an Impressive New Exhibition Space Opens Amid Hard Times
After decades of planning, the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building will open this weekend as a showcase of modern and contemporary art.
News & Politics
November 18, 2020
A Bad Cop’s Best Friend?
One morning in late January 2019, Rhogena Nicholas texted a prayer to her mother, Jo Ann Nicholas, just as she did every day. A widow in her eighties, Jo Ann could no longer make the four-hour drive from Natchitoches, Louisiana, to visit her daughter and her son-in-law, Dennis Tuttle, at
Books
November 13, 2020
A Riveting New Photo Book Shares Vulnerable Portraits of the Football Team That Inspired ‘Friday Night Lights’
Thirty years after Buzz Bissinger’s bestseller chronicled the Permian Panthers’ 1988 season, these black and white photos are as compelling as ever.
Politics & Policy
September 24, 2020
Drive-through Voting. 24-Hour Polling Places. Finger Condoms. Welcome to Election 2020 in Harris County.
After some Houstonians had to wait in six-hour lines to vote in the March primary, new county clerk Chris Hollins is determined to help every eligible Houstonian cast a ballot this fall.
News & Politics
September 16, 2020
On Texas Campuses, Student-Run Newspapers Have Become Crucial Sources of Coronavirus News
Front pages once filled with stories about football games and student politics are now dedicated to tracking the latest test results, reporting on breaches of social distancing guidelines, and pressing university administrators for more transparency.
Art
August 11, 2020
A Houston Photo Exhibit Captures the Sense of Solidarity From the Pandemic’s Early Days
The Houston Center for Photography asked people around the world to submit images taken during lockdown. The resulting online show ranges from the mundane to the sublime.
Business
July 13, 2020
Is Your Business Violating Coronavirus Protocols? This Facebook Group Will Expose You
"Shame is a powerful tool," says Kelly Ingram, the founder of Houston's COVID—Call Outs Group.
Texas History
July 7, 2020
Remembering Reginald Moore, the Activist Who Uncovered Sugar Land’s Dark Past
The discovery of a convict graveyard in 2018 vindicated decades of research and activism Fort Bend County had ignored.
Politics & Policy
June 4, 2020
The Hero Myth of Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo
He has become a national celebrity for publicly supporting the George Floyd protests. But Acevedo’s record is decidedly less progressive than his rhetoric.
Politics & Policy
May 15, 2020
The Hunt for a Leaker at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office
While the rest of Houston’s legal community was adapting to COVID-19, DA Kim Ogg was determined to find who leaked an internal document.
News & Politics
May 6, 2020
How the Editor of a Small East Texas Newspaper Won a Pulitzer Prize
Palestine writer Jeff Gerritt’s no-holds-barred editorials shined a spotlight on the record number of people dying in Texas jails.
Politics & Policy
April 3, 2020
Struggling Texas News Outlets Try to “Keep the Ship Afloat in the Apocalypse”
Layoffs, furloughs, closures: news organizations across the state face a moment of reckoning.
News & Politics
March 26, 2020
“This Is a Matter of Survival”
Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta on pandemics, mass furloughs, and why he’s not selling his yachts.
Health
March 23, 2020
How Hurricane Harvey Prepared Houston for the Coronavirus
We’re going to need that same neighborly, can-do spirit to get us through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Music
March 6, 2020
Houston’s Cezanne Jazz Club Heads Downtown
After being evicted from its former location, one of the state’s premier jazz venues is set to reopen in the heart of the theater district.
Politics & Policy
February 19, 2020
Criminal Justice Reform Moves Pretty Fast. Just Ask Harris County DA Kim Ogg.
Four years ago, Ogg won election by promising to reform the county’s justice system. Now she’s getting primaried by two of her former prosecutors, who say she hasn’t done enough.
Politics & Policy
January 21, 2020
Meet the Texas Congresswoman Serving as Impeachment Manager
Freshman Sylvia Garcia of Houston, one of the first two Hispanic women to represent Texas in Congress, is among the seven House members prosecuting President Trump.
Sports
January 16, 2020
Houston Sports Teams Are Cursed. This Week Proves It.
The Astros’ cheating scandal, coming on the heels of the Texans’ meltdown in Kansas City, is a low point in the city’s long history of sports failure.
Politics & Policy
December 11, 2019
Damn, It Feels Good to Be a Councilman
Rapper Brad Jordan, better known as Scarface from the Geto Boys, is running for Houston City Council. And he might actually win.
Politics & Policy
December 5, 2019
How Houston Is Leading the Way on Keeping Poor Defendants Out of Jail
In a landmark legal case, Harris County has agreed to release the vast majority of misdemeanor arrestees instead of locking them up. But reformers aren’t done yet.
News & Politics
November 29, 2018
Texas A&M Says Howdy to the Army Futures Command
General John Murray and his staff recently got their first chance to size up the research possibilities in College Station.
Texas History
November 28, 2018
Barack Obama and James Baker Show Houston Crowd the Art of a Bipartisan Discussion
The former president held a conversation with former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, with whom he found much common ground.
News & Politics
November 26, 2018
A Chat With New UT System Chancellor James Milliken, Who Arrives at a Tumultuous Time
Bill McRaven’s successor is already facing calls to lay off administrators and redefine the system’s mission.
Art
November 19, 2018
In Dallas, Ida O’Keeffe Could Finally Escape Georgia’s Shadow
Georgia O'Keeffe's talented younger sister was forgotten by art historians. A new exhibit in Dallas aims to shed light on her work.
Sports
November 18, 2018
The Power Issue: Simone Biles Is Putting Global Fame in Service to the #MeToo Movement
The world-champion gymnast from Spring is taking misogyny to the mat.
The Culture
November 18, 2018
The Power Issue: Renu Khator Is Working Nonstop to Turn a Commuter School Into a World-class University
The University of Houston chancellor can’t stop, won’t stop.
Politics & Policy
November 7, 2018
Photos from the Ted Cruz Election Night Watch Party
At Houston's Post Oak Hilton on election night, supporters gathered to cheer and celebrate their candidate.
Art
November 2, 2018
The New Menil Drawing Institute Completes a Major Makeover
The $40 million building is the most significant addition to the Menil campus in decades.
Politics & Policy
November 1, 2018
Harris County Clerk Removes Soros Attack From Website After Accusations of Anti-Semitism
Stan Stanart was pressured by County Judge Ed Emmett to take down the inflammatory image and language.
Texas History
October 30, 2018
Sugar Land May Relocate Skeletal Remains of African American Inmates Against Advice of Task Force
After discovering the convict cemetery in March, the city appointed a panel of stakeholders. Now it’s ignoring their recommendation.
Politics & Policy
October 4, 2018
Donald Trump Jr. Comes to Texas to Stump for Dad’s Old Rival Ted Cruz
The president's son tell supporters that Cruz and his father have patched things up since the contentious 2016 presidential campaign.
The Culture
September 28, 2018
Tilman Fertitta is All in on Cryptocurrency
The Houston billionaire discusses accepting Bitcoin at his luxury car dealership and accepting a cryptocurrency company as a Houston Rockets sponsor.