Most Texas Republican Politicians Avoided the NRA Convention in Houston. But Democrats Poured In.
John Cornyn and Dan Patrick pulled out after Uvalde. Greg Abbott appeared by video. As Ted Cruz spoke, Beto O’Rourke led a protest.
Politics & Policy
May 25, 2022
The Democratic Party Picks Its Team—For Better or Worse
First-time candidate Rochelle Garza cruised to the attorney general nomination, while Mike Collier and Jay Kleberg eked out narrow runoff victories over all-but-unknown opponents.
Politics & Policy
May 23, 2022
The Harris County GOP Is Assembling “Rapid Response Teams” to Monitor the Runoff
Houston Republicans are going on the offensive in this week's election as a trial run for November.
Politics & Policy
May 17, 2022
Mike Collier’s Excellent Political Adventure
The Houston accountant has lost two statewide elections and knows the challenge of being a Texas Democrat. Why is he running a third time?
Politics & Policy
May 4, 2022
In a Houston Suburb, Book Bans Fuel a Bitter School Board Race
Two right-wing activists in the high-performing, highly diverse Katy Independent School District aim to unseat incumbents in Saturday’s election.
Politics & Policy
April 27, 2022
Republicans Have Their Knives Out for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo
But for now, her two GOP challengers are busy slashing at each other before the May 24 runoff election.
Politics & Policy
April 8, 2022
Meet the King Ranch Scion Who Wants to Be Texas Land Commissioner
Conservationist, businessman, and filmmaker Jay Kleberg offers unusual qualifications for the job.
Politics & Policy
March 21, 2022
Democratic Voters Aren’t Behaving as if They Think Ken Paxton Is Vulnerable
Texas’s attorney general is seen as the most beatable statewide Republican, but Rochelle Garza and Joe Jaworski are struggling to motivate the Democratic base.
Politics & Policy
March 10, 2022
Why Can’t the Biggest County in Texas Run an Election?
The new voting law passed by the Legislature created headaches for those who cast ballots, but the problems with election administration in Harris County run far deeper.
Business
February 23, 2022
The Texas Wine Industry Is Just Getting Started. Grape Farmers Say the End Is Near.
A toxic herbicide used in cotton fields is devastating vineyards on the High Plains, endangering the state’s $13 billion wine business. Grape farmers have banded together to fight back.
Politics & Policy
February 21, 2022
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Madison Cawthorn, and Mike Lindell Walk Into the Houston ’Burbs
The three Trumpian firebrands came to support U.S. House candidate Christian Collins, whose primary run is dividing prominent Republicans.
Politics & Policy
February 18, 2022
Brazoria County Is Poised to Elect Its First Black Congressman. Not Everyone Is Happy About It.
Brazoria County is diversifying fast, but its top elected officials are all white.
Politics & Policy
February 15, 2022
Louie Gohmert Is Pitching Himself as Ken Paxton Without the Baggage. Will It Work?
The nine-term congressman and right-wing firebrand from Tyler is staking his career on unseating the indicted attorney general.
Politics & Policy
February 9, 2022
Kim Ogg Blames Rising Crime on Houston Judges. 14 of Her Prosecutors Are Vying to Unseat Them.
The lawyers in the district attorney’s office say they decided to run on their own, reflecting internal Democratic divisions over public safety.
News & Politics
February 9, 2022
This Austin Lawyer Calls Himself a Shaman. Former Employees Complain of Woo-Woo Smoke Ceremonies and Sexually Explicit Texts.
Attorney Mark Mueller promised a caring, new age workplace. But former employees tell of drum-and-smoke ceremonies and explicit text messages.
Politics & Policy
January 17, 2022
Sheriff A.J. Louderback Is a Fox News Staple. Now He’s Running for Congress.
The Jackson County lawman is running to represent southeast Texas on a Trump-style “America First” platform. There’s only one problem: Trump endorsed his opponent.
Politics & Policy
December 9, 2021
Texas Election Officials Went Looking for Illegal Voters. They Found Some U.S. Citizens.
Nearly 12,000 registered voters have received letters demanding proof of citizenship as part of Texas’s newest effort at “voter list maintenance.”
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.