Best Thing In Texas
January 3, 2023
The Butter King of Corpus Christi Deserves a Raise
He serves popcorn with panache.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
Reminders of why we love our state so much
Best Thing In Texas
December 21, 2022
Folks in Boerne Bought Hundreds of Poinsettias to Support a Struggling Garden Shop
That’s the holiday spirit, y’all.
Best Thing In Texas
December 20, 2022
A Texan Donated a Kidney to a Stranger 1,600 Miles Away. Now, “We Are Family.”
Heather Schaefer saw a desperate Facebook plea. Six months later, she had two new members of her extended family—and one less kidney.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
December 12, 2022
The Best Things in Texas, 2023
2022 was an up-and-down year—well, maybe more downs than ups—but Texas, as ever, brought out the best from scatological artists, beastly athletes, game-show brainiacs, natural-born nature lovers, and costumed Samaritans.
Best Thing In Texas
December 12, 2022
The Best Things in Texas 2023: The Texans Vaccinating the World
Houstonians Dr. Peter Hotez and Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi have created a COVID vaccine that’s saving millions of lives in developing nations.
Best Thing In Texas
December 12, 2022
The Best Things in Texas 2023: The Most Inspiring Educator In the Country
Barbara Yarbrough has taught and volunteered in Midland since segregation—and has won national recognition at age 87.
Best Thing In Texas
December 12, 2022
The Best Things in Texas 2023: The Best NBA Coach Ever
Gregg Popovich, of the San Antonio Spurs, became the winningest coach in NBA history, but that’s just one of several eye-popping facts from his extraordinary career.
Best Thing In Texas
November 2, 2022
CrossFit Star Dani Speegle Handles 215-Pound Logs Like Pick-Up Sticks
The CrossFit athlete and #GirlsWhoEat impresario stole the show at the annual Rogue Invitational in Round Rock.
Best Thing In Texas
October 10, 2022
Coach Pop, Manu, and the San Antonio Spurs Bring Smiles to Uvalde
Spurs legends past and present reminded residents that they haven't been forgotten in the months since the shooting at Robb Elementary.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
August 10, 2022
At the Little League World Series, Texas and Oklahoma Hug and Make Up
There was crying in baseball after a Pearland pitcher beaned a Tulsa batter on Tuesday. What happened next might restore one’s faith in humanity.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
July 6, 2022
It Takes a Village: San Antonio Shows Up to Celebrate a Local Teen’s Birthday
For Demauriae Bennett, turning fourteen has never looked better.
Best Thing In Texas
June 28, 2022
The Little Turtles That Could: 45 Endangered Sea Turtles Hatch in Texas
“It really is one of the greatest wildlife-conservation successes of our time here in Texas.”
Best Thing In Texas
June 27, 2022
An Indiana Man Put a (Smoke) Ring on It at Franklin Barbecue
A road trip from the Midwest to Austin culminated in Matt McKinney on bended knee in the pit room of the most famous joint in Texas.
Best Thing In Texas
June 3, 2022
Texas’s Run of National Spelling Bee Dominance Continues
Harini Logan claimed the top spot last night, making her the seventh Texan spelling bee champ in the last ten years. T-E-X-A-S!
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
May 16, 2022
How ’Bout Them Mavs?
An all-time-great game seven offers a hint of how high Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks can fly in the 2022 NBA playoffs.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
May 6, 2022
A 19-Year-Old Arlingtonian Might Be the Best Chef in the World
At the World Food Championships’ Final Table last weekend, Dallas College student Preston Nguyen took the top prize.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
April 12, 2022
Meet Taco Dad, the Viral Visionary Behind the “Travel Taco”
Corpus Christi's Roberto Ruiz elaborates on his Twitter-beloved plan for a half-crimped, half-open taco that won't deposit guisada all over your lap.
Best Thing In Texas
April 4, 2022
We Loved Every Second of This Spurs Fan’s Epic Jumbotron Lip-synch
San Antonio’s Briana Saldaña brought her A-game (with a little help from Kelly Clarkson).
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
March 28, 2022
The Teen Who Drove Through a Tornado Got a New Truck (and a Job Offer From Whataburger)
Elgin's Riley Leon survived a harrowing encounter with a tornado. Now the community is getting him back on his feet.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
February 11, 2022
An NFL Star Took a Grieving Pflugerville Girl to the Father-Daughter Dance
Philadelphia Eagles safety Anthony Harris flew to Austin to help lift the spirits of eleven-year-old Audrey Soape on a difficult day.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
February 1, 2022
The Secret Story of the Texas Philanthropist Who Helped Solve Math’s Toughest Riddle
Fermat’s last theorem went unsolved for more than 350 years—and the role of the Tyler oil heir who funded its 1994 solution was largely unknown until this week.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
January 10, 2022
A Rio Grande Valley Woman Just Broke the U.S. Record for Most Birds Spotted in a Year
Tiffany Kersten saw 726 species in 48 states, setting a new record for the mind-boggling achievement birders call a Big Year.
Best Thing In Texas
December 17, 2021
Diego the San Marcos Tortoise Comes Home After 38 Days on the Lam
This is a reunion we all can shellebrate.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Best Thing In Texas
December 14, 2021
The Best Things in Texas, 2022
2021 may not have been the best of times, but thanks to countless kindly Texans, it didn’t always feel like the worst either.
Best Thing In Texas
December 9, 2021
In West Texas, a 1,400-Member Marching Band Honored a Fallen Teacher
After a tragic crash killed Andrews High band director Darin Johns, it was unclear if the school’s ensemble would perform in the town’s Christmas parade—until it got a lot of help.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
November 16, 2021
Texas Tech Just Won Its Third Straight National Championship in Meat Judging
Students, many of whom go on to work in food science, train by spending as much time as possible in a meat locker studying beef carcasses.
Best Thing In Texas
November 2, 2021
Mariah Carey Armors Up Against a Dallas Bar’s War on Christmas
A bar decreed “All I Want for Christmas Is You” non grata, and the queen of Christmas isn’t happy about it.
Best Thing In Texas
October 26, 2021
A Divine Presence Could Propel the Astros to a World Series Title
Houston is 2-0 in the MLB postseason with local furniture magnate Mattress Mack's "Rally Nuns" in attendance.
Best Thing In Texas
September 21, 2021
Demi Adejuyigbe’s Final ‘September’ Video Is a Triumph
The Dallas-raised comedian brings his six-year project to a close (and raises thousands for charity).
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
August 25, 2021
Waiting on Hold to Claim Unemployment Just Got a Little Less Hellish, Thanks to an Austin Band
Composer Justin Sherburn drew on his own experience to write ‘Texas Workforce Commission Hold Music,’ which the agency officially adopted this week.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
August 20, 2021
A Wine-Obsessed Austinite Wins the Viral Vineyard Job of a Lifetime
With an Elle Woods–inspired application video, Lindsay Perry bested the competition for a paid position living, learning, and drinking on a California winery.
Best Thing In Texas
August 12, 2021
Patrick Mahomes Is Bringing His Love of Whataburger to Kansas City
Most Texans miss Whataburger when they leave the state. Not many of them are in a position to open their own.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
July 9, 2021
A Fort Worth 10-Year-Old Has Collected 40,000 Books for Kids in Need
Orion Jean has also donated 100,984 meals and 619 toys, making the rest of us look lazy.
Best Thing In Texas
June 14, 2021
Swimmers, Rejoice: Balmorhea State Park Is Reopening
A West Texas oasis, the world's largest spring-fed pool has been closed for the better part of three years.
By
Rose Cahalan
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Best Thing In Texas
June 7, 2021
Texans Lined Up to Shop at a Lufkin Bakery After Its Pride-Themed Treats Prompted a Backlash
When a batch of rainbow cookies led to a canceled order, people opened their wallets to support the East Texas shop.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Best Thing In Texas
May 26, 2021
Luka Dončić and Dirk Nowitzki Had a Moment Last Night
A photo of the Mavs' past and present superstars during Dallas's win over the L.A. Clippers captured an NBA passing of the torch.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
May 18, 2021
Eat ’Em Up, Kats! Sam Houston Wins First Football Championship
The Bearkats are the state’s first FCS winner since the tournament began, and its first NCAA Division I champ since the University of Texas in 2005.
Best Thing In Texas
April 23, 2021
Whooping Cranes Are Nesting in Texas for the First Time in Over a Century
One of the rarest birds in North America is making a comeback.
Best Thing In Texas
April 8, 2021
Happy Trails to Patches, the Austin Dog Who Was Adopted After Waiting 1,913 Days
We’re not crying, you’re crying.
Best Thing In Texas
April 6, 2021
UTRGV Just Won Its Third Consecutive National Chess Championship
Bow down to the greatness of the Vaqueros, who are the best in the nation (again).
By
Rose Cahalan
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Best Thing In Texas
February 22, 2021
The Best Thing in Texas: Everyone Who Helped Us Survive the Winter Storm
Celebrities and regular folk alike came together to offer hot food, clean water, and warm beds.
By
Dan Solomon
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Meanwhile in Texas
February 9, 2021
“I’m Not a Cat,” Says West Texas Attorney Who Accidentally Applied Zoom Filter
“If the country can have a chuckle at my expense today, I’ll accept it," he says.
By
Rose Cahalan
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Best Thing In Texas
January 29, 2021
The Best Thing in Texas: A San Antonio Fifth-Grader Cashed Out His GameStop Stock for $3,200
It's a simple victory in an extremely complex story.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
January 21, 2021
The Best Thing in Texas: Bernie Sanders Travels Across the State as a Meme
He’s visited the Alamo, waited in line at Franklin Barbecue, and cheered on the Astros (virtually).
By
Rose Cahalan
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Best Thing In Texas
January 15, 2021
The Best Thing in Texas: Willie Got the Vaccine, Y’all
Thank goodness.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
December 16, 2020
The Best Things in Texas 2021
Not everything that happened last year was terrible. Here are a few reasons we kept hope alive.
Best Thing In Texas
December 16, 2020
The Best Things in Texas, 2021: H-E-B’s Charles Butt
During a very tough year, no Texas CEO did more—for customers, students, and voters.
By
Mimi Swartz
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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.
Best Thing In Texas
November 30, 2020
The Best Thing in Texas: Detroit Lions Fans Are Donating to Deshaun Watson’s Charity to Thank Him for the Whupping He Gave Their Team
The Lions have been mired in mediocrity—but Deshaun and the Texans may have helped break the fever.
By
Dan Solomon
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Best Thing In Texas
November 24, 2020
The Best Thing in Texas: Hundreds of People Are Knitting Tiny Sweaters for a Hairless Possum in Lubbock
Are possums ugly? Not when they’re wearing tiny purple sweaters, they’re not!
By
Dan Solomon
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