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.
Articles by Michael Hardy
“This Is a Matter of Survival”
Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta on pandemics, mass furloughs, and why he’s not selling his yachts.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
The New Menil Drawing Institute Completes a Major Makeover
The $40 million building is the most significant addition to the Menil campus in decades.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Menil Collection Reopens With Fresh Look and New Galleries
After six months of renovations, the Houston cultural institution is back.
An Alum Asks: Just How Generous Is Rice’s New Financial Aid Policy?
A second-generation Owl argues that his alma mater should consider returning to the days of free tuition.
Austin’s New Army Futures Command Marks ‘Biggest Reorganization of the Army Since 1973’
Top Army brass emphasized the need for innovation, while Austin Mayor Steve Adler tried keeping it weird.
Harris County May Have Violated Federal Election Law, Expert Says
The National Voter Registration Act prohibits removing ineligible voters from voter rolls within 90 days of a federal election. That’s just what the Harris County registrar tried to do.
As First Anniversary of Harvey Approaches, Online Museum and Archive Set to Debut
In a city notorious for neglecting its history, two new initiatives aim to preserve memories of the storm.
‘Astroball’ Shows Us How the Astros Won It All—and How They Might Do It Again
Ben Reiter’s new book offers a comprehensive account of how the Astros became the next American baseball dynasty.
For Local Activist, Discovery of Sugar Land Cemetery for Convict Laborers Was No Surprise
The Richmond resident warned Fort Bend ISD of the presence of graves, but no one listened—until they started finding human remains.
U.S. Army Mirrored Amazon’s HQ2 Search Tactics in Choosing New Futures Command Location
The Army chose Austin, citing its entrepreneurial culture and incentives from UT.
Battle Over Houston Child Detention Facility Heats Up
Austin nonprofit Southwest Key wants to open a facility for immigrant children in Houston’s East End. Mayor Sylvester Turner has other ideas.
Larry Faulkner Returns to the University of Texas as Interim Chancellor
The former University of Texas at Austin president, who takes over from retiring Chancellor William McRaven, discusses the state of the system.
Big City, Small Newspaper: Behind the Latest Cuts at the San Antonio ‘Express-News’
San Antonio is America’s fastest-growing city, but its 153-year-old daily paper's owners keep shrinking its newsroom.
For One Weekend, Galveston Had Blue Water. Everyone Freaked Out.
We all know the Gulf of Mexico is brown. Until it isn’t.
Ruth Simmons, Former Ivy League President, Takes Over at Prairie View A&M
The renowned educator (and native Texan) came out of retirement to lead the historically black university.
Texas A&M Sued for Social Media Censorship
PETA claims the university is blocking criticisms of alleged animal abuse on Facebook.
In ‘Hurricane Season,’ Joe Holley Tells the Unlikely Story of the Astros as World Series Champs
The new book tells the story of how a team and a city came together in victory after Hurricane Harvey.
Newly Discovered Cemetery Vindicates Sugar Land Activist
Over 30 bodies have been discovered on a former prison farm in Fort Bend County.
A Domecoming to Remember
Thousands of Houstonians turned out to get a last look at the Astrodome before its renovation.
A Chat With William Middleton, Author of First-Ever Menil Biography
We talked to William Middleton about his double biography of Dominique and John de Menil, which has been over a decade in the making.
The Battle of the Blue Cat Café
How an anti-gentrification boycott became a proxy war between the radical left and the alt-right.
Where to Get Your Menil Fix While It’s Closed
With one of Houston’s top museums off limits until fall, here are five other free museums and galleries that you should check out.
Rick Perry Delivers the Gospel of ‘Energy Realism’
The energy secretary outlined the Trump administration’s new direction at an oil and gas conference in Houston.
Laura Moser Shakes Off the DCCC
The candidate for Texas’s 7th Congressional District has seen an outpouring of support—and money—since coming under fire from the national party.
Meet The World’s Top Joel Osteen Impersonator
Comedian Michael Klimkowski has fooled people from L.A. to Houston with his Joel Faux-steen act.
How Houston Lost Amazon’s HQ2
Newly released documents shed light on why the online giant snubbed the country’s fourth-largest city.
The XFL Is Returning—Where Would It Go in Texas?
Vince McMahon says it’s too soon to announce cities, but that won’t keep us from recklessly speculating.
Chelsea Manning and Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova Talk Trump, Putin, and Resistance
A summit on art and activism at Houston’s Day for Night festival pulled no punches.
Lupe Valdez Hopes to Make the Leap from Dallas County Sheriff to Governor
The gay Latina sheriff of Dallas County advocates for Dreamers and LGBT rights.
For $250 Million, You Can Buy T. Boone Pickens’s Panhandle Ranch
A look inside the octogenarian oil magnate's 65,000-acre spread.
Tilman Fertitta, the Two-Billion-Dollar Buyer
It was $2.2 billion, actually. That’s how much billionaire restaurateur Tilman Fertitta offered to buy his beloved Houston Rockets. This is the inside story of how he pulled off the most expensive deal in American sports history.