Business
July 25, 2020
Texas’s Oldest Lesbian Bar Faces Its Latest Challenge: Surviving the Pandemic
A mainstay of Dallas queer nightlife, Sue Ellen's is thought to be one of about ten lesbian bars left in the U.S.
Being Texan
Made in Texas
July 22, 2020
Holly Thaggard: San Antonio Will Always Be Home to Supergoop
Despite the popular sunscreen brand's success and New York expansion, its founder says Texas is home.
Texas History
July 22, 2020
Meet the Unruly Clan That Once Ruled the Hill Country
Living hard and free, cedar choppers clashed with respectable townsfolk in the mid-20th century.
By
Wes Ferguson
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The Texanist
July 17, 2020
The Texanist: What’s the Strangest Thing You’ve Eaten in Texas?
A Texan deployed overseas wants to know if there’s any foodstuff weirder than armadillo tail with gravy. (There is.)
Health
July 9, 2020
Mr. Westbrook’s Last Song
He was a high school band director and the cornerstone of a lively music scene in southeast Texas—and then a Saturday night gig exposed him to the coronavirus.
Texas History
July 7, 2020
How Wealthy Texans Helped Create Joe McCarthy
The infamous anti-Communist senator had a lot of fans in the Lone Star State.
The Texanist
July 2, 2020
The Texanist: Is It a Good Idea to Visit West Texas in the Middle of a Pandemic?
A Houston man would like to maintain an annual summer tradition.
Being Texan
July 2, 2020
Nine Texas Faith Leaders on How to Find Hope and Fight Injustice
We asked leaders from across the state and the religious spectrum to share their best words of wisdom.
Being Texan
June 30, 2020
To Love Houston Is to Accept That Making Sense of It Is Futile
Just as my husband and I were moving away from the city, we found ourselves embracing our adopted hometown.
Being Texan
June 29, 2020
How Latino Texans Are Addressing Antiblack Racism
Recent protests have sparked conversations about colorism, Eurocentric beauty standards, and how black Latinos are underrepresented in both English- and Spanish-language media.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Being Texan
June 29, 2020
Two Rice Alums Are Building Solidarity Between Asian American and Black Communities
Dolly Li and Joey Yang started Plum Radio to talk about race, pop culture, and news from an Asian American perspective.
Border & Immigration
June 25, 2020
We Didn’t Think We Would Live in El Paso Permanently. It Became Home.
The border city treated my family with care and invited us to find community there.
Being Texan
June 18, 2020
Essay: Celebrating Juneteenth in 2020 Is an Act of Resistance
I’ve always observed Juneteenth, but this year the stakes feel higher than ever.
Being Texan
June 18, 2020
What the Pandemic Taught Me About Old-Fashioned Romance
“Six feet away” can be very, very sexy.
Being Texan
June 17, 2020
A Mom’s Wrenching Discussions With Her Kids About Police Brutality, the Coronavirus
A Houston poet laureate believes that outrage by any other name is hope, and protest is its ultimate demonstration.
Being Texan
June 16, 2020
A Parent’s Problematic Pandemic Bequest
When my mother died, she left behind hundreds of items that my family might need if civilization goes south. Deciding what to do with them forced me to weigh the demands of the present and the future.
Being Texan
June 12, 2020
14 Resources for Teaching Your Kids About Racial Injustice
Recommendations from the creators of Texas’s new African American Studies elective.
By
Katy Vine
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Country Notes
May 20, 2020
The Signs of the Big Bend Are a Sign of the Times
Some were written long ago. Some appeared this year. But whether it’s a sign about snakes or a sign about diesel fried chicken, a simple message seems to mean the most.
The Texanist
May 16, 2020
The Texanist: Will the Pandemic Let Texas Be Texas Once Again?
A sad and anxious time may offer a silver lining.
Health
April 28, 2020
A Rural Nurse Has Just About Had It
Suzanne Ohlmann is a heart failure nurse based in San Antonio, serving rural Texas. On Facebook, she’s waging a war against misinformation.
Health
April 23, 2020
“We Touch Everything That You Touch”
I’ve been employed with Austin Resource Recovery for sixteen years. I’ve always wanted to work for the city. It’s good benefits: it’s a job that a lot of people want. It’s steady, and you know it’s something that you can depend on and your family can depend on.
Being Texan
April 23, 2020
“It Seems Almost Impossible to Have the Same Spiritual Connection”: Texas Muslims Prepare for a Remote Ramadan
Mosques are exempt from Governor Greg Abbott's "stay at home" order, but many have opted to stay closed for the Muslim holy month.
Style & Design
April 21, 2020
With Salons Closed, an 89-Year-Old Houston Woman Washes Her Own Hair for the First Time in Decades
Unable to make her weekly appointment because of social distancing, Carlene takes her hair into her own hands.
Being Texan
April 20, 2020
Meet the South Texas Couple Who Kill Feral Hogs As a Public Service
Robert and Vickie Lyle’s lives revolve around hunting and trapping hogs. Wildlife refuge managers count on them to keep the destructive pigs in check.
Being Texan
April 16, 2020
An Eighth Grader Battles Existential Gloom, Watches Netflix
The kids are alright, but they’re getting a little bored.
Texas History
April 16, 2020
Strong as Grass: A Year After a Devastating Tornado, the Caddo Nation Rebuilds in East Texas
In the aftermath of tragedy, members of the Caddo Nation are drawing on their culture and traditions to help restore Caddo Mounds State Historic Site.
By
Wes Ferguson
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Being Texan
April 16, 2020
Potty Training Our Daughter During Quarantine Has Been a Welcome Distraction
Teaching our three-year-old to use the bathroom has added structure to hours that feel like days, and days that stretch on like weeks.
Meanwhile in Texas
April 15, 2020
Meanwhile, in Texas: A Girl Wakes up to Find a Raccoon Sitting Next to Her in Bed
Plus, a rare pink grasshopper was spotted in Travis County.
Being Texan
April 14, 2020
“We’re Prepared for Just About Anything That Comes”
On a remote property near Terlingua, a prepper community is thriving.
Border & Immigration
April 9, 2020
A Minister on the Border Tries to Keep Despair at Bay
There are about 2,000 migrants in the camp now. It changes every day—20 new families arrive, then 40 leave. Two months ago, the government made everyone move from the plaza—a park near the bridge—to the river bank. They were
Being Texan
April 7, 2020
He Hoped Sheltering in Place Would Save His Marriage. Instead, It Led to Divorce.
“I guess the pandemic didn’t exactly end my marriage. It just revealed that it no longer really existed.”
Being Texan
April 6, 2020
Seeking Connections in the Time of the Coronavirus, Lonely Texans Turn to Craigslist
Social distancing mandates have been instituted to slow the pandemic’s spread—a necessity that also coincides with a loneliness epidemic.
By
Ben Rowen
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Health
April 6, 2020
A Pharmacist Struggles to Keep up With Demand During the Coronavirus Pandemic
In the face of specious medical advice and hoarding, Dallas pharmacist Emile Abdo tries to keep vital medications in stock.
Being Texan
April 2, 2020
A Woman in Quarantine Mourns Her Mother’s Passing Alone
Shortly after Holly Allen fell ill with COVID-19, she learned that her mother had died. At home in Fort Worth, she grieved in isolation, watching her mother’s funeral online.
Health
March 26, 2020
On Texas Time: Adriene Mishler, Yogi and YouTuber
The Austinite on yoga for managing stress, advice for working from home, and more.
Best Thing In Texas
March 24, 2020
The Best Thing in Texas: Re-creating the Ice Day Challenge From Quarantine
A Dallas family goes viral once again.
By
Dan Solomon
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Meanwhile in Texas
March 18, 2020
Meanwhile, in Texas
A squirrel went postal in a Houston suburb, and Waco finds something new to feel some civic pride about.
Being Texan
March 18, 2020
The Lion Tamer
Remembering my grandpa, who soothed wild beasts—and played poker with the devil.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Best Thing In Texas
March 16, 2020
The Best Thing in Texas: Whataburger Delivered Food to H-E-B Employees
Two beloved Texas institutions team up in a moment of crisis.
By
Dan Solomon
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The Texanist
March 8, 2020
The Texanist: Why Do Two Different Hotels Profess to Be the Oldest in Texas?
A Portland man is confused by the Menger Hotel's and Excelsior House Hotel's dueling claims. The Texanist is, too.
Best Thing In Texas
March 4, 2020
The Best Thing in Texas: Tim Duncan Is Undefeated as Head Coach of the Spurs
The former player racked up his first win temporarily coaching the San Antonio team.
By
Cat Cardenas
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The Texanist
March 1, 2020
The Texanist: What in Tarnation Would I Do on a 38,000-Acre Ranch?
A Michigander with dreams of owning a massive piece of Texas land isn't sure how he would occupy himself on his $32.5 million spread.
Texas History
February 29, 2020
In Praise of Bessie Coleman, Trailblazing Black Texan Pilot
Coleman’s extraordinary life and career deserves to be celebrated in the canon of U.S. history.
Texas History
February 26, 2020
The Walking Tours Tracing Dallas’s Forgotten Black History
Through strolls along pedestrian bridges and historically black neighborhoods, local historians are elevating black Dallasites’ stories.
Being Texan
February 20, 2020
Texas Named the Second Most Sinful State in America
A new study applies pop-science data analysis to suggest we’re all going to hell.
Meanwhile in Texas
February 19, 2020
Meanwhile, in Texas
A California man tried to bring his pet possum on a passenger plane, and a clerical error brought a temporary $37 million windfall to a Rowlett couple.
Country Notes
February 19, 2020
The Desk on Hancock Hill
Some forty years ago, a desk was dragged to the top of a hill in Alpine that overlooks the Big Bend. The notebooks stashed inside continue to capture big thoughts from the people who travel there.
Texas History
February 19, 2020
The Legend of John Holmes Jenkins
He was a notorious deal maker known for bringing priceless pieces of Texas history back to the state. He was also a suspected forger and arsonist. Thirty years ago, he was found dead in the Colorado River near Austin, and to this day a question remains: Could John Holmes Jenkins
The Texanist
February 15, 2020
The Texanist: Isn’t It Time for a ‘Hamilton’-Style Musical About the Texas Revolution?
A McKinney man wants to see William Travis singing and dancing his way across the Alamo Plaza.
The Texanist
February 8, 2020
The Texanist: What Is the Most Romantic Spot in Texas?
As Valentine’s Day beckons, a Midlander in a new relationship is looking for an intimate getaway.