Film & TV
May 7, 2021
Historic 6666 Ranch Almost Twice the Size of Chicago Gets the Perfect Steward
Imagine all the westerns filmmaker Taylor Sheridan could shoot on 266,000 acres of property.
News
The Stand Up Desk
May 7, 2021
Texas Monthly Celebrates Latest Awards and Nominations
This week the magazine earned five National Magazine Award nominations and won nine City and Regional Magazine Awards.
Meanwhile in Texas
May 6, 2021
Texas GOP Chair Allen West Challenges Tardy Reporter to Drop and Give Him Thirty
He challenged a reporter to perform the calisthenics, then decided to do them himself.
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.
News & Politics
April 29, 2021
What Good Is a Posthumous Pardon for George Floyd?
Seventeen years after Floyd’s arrest by a notorious Houston cop, his family is seeking a pardon.
News
April 24, 2021
Private Jets, “Shopping Homes,” and WhatsApp: How Mexico’s Elite Accessed Texas’s Vaccine Supply
As vaccination rollout in their country has been slow, wealthy Mexicans have spent thousands on expensive trips abroad to get inoculated.
Politics & Policy
April 14, 2021
How Greg Abbott Became the Most Powerful Governor in Texas History
The state’s top elected official used to have limited sway. But Abbott has steadily seized authority from the Legislature and governing boards—a process accelerated by the pandemic.
Meanwhile in Texas
April 13, 2021
Meanwhile, in Texas: Baker Mayfield Spots a UFO
Plus, a man pretends to be conducting a CIA investigation at a Longview children's museum.
Politics & Policy
April 3, 2021
Forty-seven Days Without Running Water After the Winter Storm—and Counting
In Houston’s Third Ward, where some residents’ homes were extensively damaged, a fight for repairs has reached a breaking point.
Politics & Policy
April 2, 2021
Natural Gas Producers Are Getting a Pass From the Lege After the Blackouts
Many industries bear a portion of the blame for the failure of Texas’s electric grid. But one seems to be escaping strict requirements to better prepare for future storms.
Politics & Policy
April 1, 2021
Meet “Big Dan” Rodimer, the Jersey Guy Who Wants to Be a Texas Cowboy (and Congressman)
You ain’t a cowboy till your stunt double’s been bucked off.
News & Politics
March 29, 2021
This Is How Big the Ship That Got Stuck in the Suez Is, in Texas Terms
It’s hard to grasp just how massive the Ever Given is. Fortunately, scale is something our state does well.
The Stand Up Desk
March 29, 2021
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Business
March 26, 2021
H-E-B Is Coming to DFW, and People Are Like OMG
The beloved supermarket chain, which has carefully guarded its intentions in North Texas, dropped a bombshell on Friday.
Politics & Policy
March 25, 2021
Briscoe Cain Has Proved Ineffectual at Chairing the House Elections Committee. So Why Does He Have the Job?
Governor Greg Abbott has identified passing “election integrity” bills as one of his priorities for this legislative session, but the man in charge of ushering such legislation through the Texas House seems not up to the task.
News & Politics
March 23, 2021
They Just Moved Into an Austin Neighborhood. Now They Want to End One of Its Traditions.
Car clubs have gathered for decades at “Chicano Park” in the East Cesar Chavez neighborhood. But residents of a new luxury apartment building have started calling the police to stop them.
Politics & Policy
March 19, 2021
Why Is Dan Patrick All in on Repricing Electricity Overcharges?
The lieutenant governor has long responded to crises with more talk than legislation. But is something different this time as he deals with the aftermath of the blackout?…
News & Politics
March 18, 2021
A Fatal Error Inspired a Plan to Reduce Friendly Fire, but the Military Isn’t Interested
Thirty years ago, Ralph Hayles fired the missiles that killed two American soldiers in Iraq. Ever since, he has worked to develop technology that could prevent similar deaths, while the military has looked elsewhere to address the problem—with little success.
Politics & Policy
March 17, 2021
They Couldn’t Show Up to Court in Person. Their Evictions Proceeded Anyway.
Houston has become a hot spot for pandemic removal proceedings. For tenants such as Evelyn Powers, relief has been hard to come by.
Business
March 16, 2021
Some on Wall Street Profited off Texas Blackouts. In a Private Call, a Top Regulator Pledged He Would Try to Protect Their Windfall.
Public Utility Commission chairman Arthur D’Andrea apologized to investors last week for the “uncertainty” around its profits.
Food & Drink
March 16, 2021
An Austin Chef-and-Farmer Duo Bring Locavore Love to Bastrop
With a new restaurant and farm, Sonya Cote and David Barrow hope to spread their magic a little farther east.
Meanwhile in Texas
March 13, 2021
Meanwhile, in Texas: A Policeman and His K-9 Officer Stopped a Carjacker in San Marcos
Plus, the Stinnett police chief allegedly faked a document demonstrating an annulment of his marriage.
News & Politics
March 12, 2021
In Dallas, an Activist Brings Hope to Vaccination Deserts
Racial disparities persist in the distribution of COVID-19 shots, but Leslie Cannon has been working for months to close the gap.
Music
March 10, 2021
The Relief Gang Never Stops
When the power went out and the water stopped running, Trae tha Truth and DJ Mr. Rogers were there to pick up the slack.
Business
March 4, 2021
Despite Losing Power for Days, Texans Will Pay Higher Power Bills—Perhaps for Decades to Come
The bankruptcies and staggering electricity charges are beginning to arrive. Could it go from bad to worse?…
Energy
March 3, 2021
The Great Texas Blackout Was Caused by a Failure to Ensure Supplies of Natural Gas
State leaders have pointed fingers at everything from windmills to the bureaucrats at ERCOT. But the real issue is the electric grid’s reliance on a lightly regulated natural gas production industry.
Politics & Policy
March 2, 2021
Greg Abbott Celebrated Texas Independence Day by Ending COVID-19 Restrictions
The vast majority of Texans have yet to receive a single dose of vaccine, but the state is done imposing public health measures.
Politics & Policy
March 2, 2021
Ted Cruz’s Attempt to Court Trump’s Base Meets a Predictable Obstacle: Trump
In a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Texas’s junior senator tossed red meat but was overshadowed by the former president.
Energy
February 27, 2021
Texas’s Independence Didn’t Cause the Power Crisis
There’s plenty that needs fixing to avoid another electricity disaster, but our isolated grid isn’t the problem.
Politics & Policy
February 26, 2021
He Rioted at the Capitol. Then for Weeks He Lived in Luxury While Hiding From the FBI.
Luke Coffee, a director and actor who appeared on NBC’s ‘Friday Night Lights,’ found QAnon during the pandemic and then spent a month trying to evade the consequences of the path it led him down.
Food & Drink
February 26, 2021
From Cold Beans to Beef Jerky, 21 Texans Share What They Ate During the Storm
Families got creative with disaster-induced improvised meals they really enjoyed ... or hope never to eat again.
Music
February 26, 2021
Matthew McConaughey and Beyoncé Did More for Texas Than Ted Cruz
Plus: Taylor Kitsch gets back in the TV game, Travis Scott manages to get people excited about magazines, and Megan Thee Stallion does her best ‘Mean Girls.’…
Politics & Policy
February 25, 2021
Who’s Responsible for the Texas Blackouts?
Our governor and lawmakers want to blame everyone but themselves for the February blackouts, the latest crisis of their own making.
Business
February 24, 2021
Why We Shouldn’t Bet Against GameStop
The megachain has never been shy about flexing its industry might, yet it somehow became a poster child for fighting the power of Wall Street.
Health
February 22, 2021
The Winter Storm Set Texas Far Back in COVID-19 Vaccinations
Infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Hotez describes last week’s statewide disaster as a harmful delay “in the face of an advancing enemy.”…
Politics & Policy
February 19, 2021
Ed Hirs Has Been Predicting This Mess for Years
The Houston-based energy economist is our blackout Cassandra. Will state officials finally heed his advice?…
Energy
February 19, 2021
El Paso Heeded the Warnings and Avoided a Winter Catastrophe
The West Texas city was spared the worst effects of this week’s storms, thanks to its preparations in the wake of a devastating 2011 deep freeze.
Being Texan
February 19, 2021
The Day Everything Went Wrong
Like many Texans, residents in one Austin apartment complex faced a kaleidoscope of worst-case scenarios. And like many Texans, they had to get through them alone.
Politics & Policy
February 19, 2021
Q&A With ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness
Texas Monthly talks to the ERCOT chief about why the blackouts happened and what needs to change now.
News & Politics
February 19, 2021
One of Texas’s Busiest Plumbers Explains What to Do if Your Pipes Burst
Galveston’s Terry Fisher on where to find your water meter, what to do when pipes thaw, and when to call a professional.
News & Politics
February 19, 2021
How to Help Texans Recover From the Winter Disaster
These organizations could really use your time or money.
Politics & Policy
February 18, 2021
Steve and Ted’s Excellent Adventures
Austin’s mayor, Steve Adler, and the state’s junior senator, Ted Cruz, are the latest Texas politicians to take ill-considered vacations.
Politics & Policy
February 18, 2021
13 Curses to Mutter Against Ted Cruz While You Boil Snow to Drink
May you make direct eye contact with your neighbor during your yard pee.
News
February 17, 2021
What Went Wrong With Texas’s Main Electric Grid and Could It Have Been Prevented?
An energy expert explains why some four million Texans suffered a barrage of winter storms without heat in their homes.
Health
February 13, 2021
These Texans Started Their Own Testing Facilities as Coronavirus Screening Lagged
Widespread “assurance testing” could effectively end the pandemic before the vaccine does, but a lack of federal coordination has left some citizens to fill screening gaps.
Politics & Policy
February 11, 2021
What the Newest Lone Star Secessionists Really Want
Some Texans have long argued for leaving the Union. State representative Kyle Biedermann’s recent agitating about doing so is attracting an eager audience.
Business
February 8, 2021
The Buc-ee’s Stops Here: Why the Iconic Chain Is Facing a Backlash East of the Sabine
Turns out not everyone loves Texas-size gas stations (or 13 varieties of jerky).
Politics & Policy
February 6, 2021
Ted Cruz Is Courting Trump’s Base. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says He’s Doomed to Fail.
Supporters of the 45th president might not forget his contentious history with Texas’s junior senator.
News & Politics
February 4, 2021
Why Is Bill de Blasio Trying to Start a New York vs. Austin Twitter Feud?
The mayor set his sights a little lower in his latest ill-advised social media post.
Business
February 4, 2021
Can a “Modern Retail” Makeover Save JCPenney?
The Plano-based chain tried this before, to disastrous results. Has the department store’s time simply passed?…