True Crime
January 24, 2022
How San Antonio’s Baby-Killing Nurse Finally Got Justice
Pediatric nurse Genene Jones may have murdered "up to sixty" babies in the 1980s. It took three more decades to ensure she'd stay locked up for life.
News
Sports
January 20, 2022
For These Texas Gymnasts, Reporting a Coach for Sexual Abuse Only Prolonged Their Ordeal
Eighteen months after notifying USA Gymnastics and its investigative arm of the coach’s alleged abuse, the women are still waiting for a resolution.
Food & Drink
January 13, 2022
How a Houston Restaurant Became the Source for Afghan Refugees’ First Meals in America
A law requires sponsors to serve refugees “culturally appropriate” meals. For Afghans landing in Houston, those come from Omer Yousafzai’s restaurant.
Politics & Policy
January 10, 2022
The Republican Race for Attorney General Will Be the Weirdest, Wildest—And Most Telling—Texas Election in 2022
Scandal-plagued incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton faces a Bush, a congressional performance artist, and a former state Supreme Court justice.
Business
December 27, 2021
Will Elon Musk Austin-ify Brownsville?
Some folks in Texas's poorest city see a new downtown mural funded by the billionaire's foundation as the writing on the wall.
News & Politics
December 21, 2021
Two Teens in Klan Outfits Used a Stun Gun on a Black Classmate. Now They Face Hate-Crime Charges.
Some Refugio County locals say it was “kids being kids.” For others, the incident has reopened old wounds.
News & Politics
December 20, 2021
The Case for More Californians
They’re self-obsessed and believe themselves exceptional. In other words, they fit right in. Plus, Texas needs ’em.
News & Politics
December 15, 2021
The Supreme Court Sparks a Strange Alliance Between Advocates of Gun Rights and Abortion Rights
Texas’s “abortion bounty” law makes it more difficult for courts to review measures that might violate the Constitution. Now California is using the same tactic to regulate weapons.
The Stand Up Desk
December 13, 2021
Texas Country Reporter Joins Forces With Texas Monthly
A half century after both media outlets launched, Texas Monthly will purchase Phillips Productions, the company that creates and distributes Texas Country Reporter.
News & Politics
December 10, 2021
You Can Stand Your Ground in Texas. Even When You Kill a Cop.
When a homeowner shot and killed a police officer in Midland, the court case that followed pitted two core Texas values against each other.
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.”
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.
Politics & Policy
December 7, 2021
Lina Hidalgo, Basking in National Praise, Faces a Potential Scandal at Home in Houston
The leader of the Harris County government seemed to have weathered a controversy over a contract for vaccine outreach, but in mid-November the district attorney issued subpoenas concerning the bidding process.
Politics & Policy
November 30, 2021
Matthew McConaughey Isn’t Running for Governor. But We Still Have Questions About His Interest in Politics.
Sunday night the actor announced he won’t challenge Greg Abbott. So what will he do?
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.
News & Politics
November 19, 2021
The Austin Law Firm Battling Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell Over the “Big Lie”
Charlie Cain and Steve Skarnulis were used to litigating East Texas oil and gas disputes. Then a terrified voting-machine company employee, falsely implicated in the 2020 election’s biggest conspiracy theory, came calling.
Being Texan
November 17, 2021
14 Ways to Prepare for the Next Winter Freeze
Texas experts share their best advice on emergency kits, weatherizing your home, connecting with neighbors, and more.
News & Politics
November 17, 2021
What Did You Learn From Our November 2021 Issue? Let’s Find Out.
It’s that time again, subscribers! Ready to play your monthly quiz?
News & Politics
November 16, 2021
The Most Powerful Telescope Ever Made Will Launch Next Month. A Texas Astronomer Is Leading Its Biggest Project.
UT’s Caitlin Casey will use the Webb Telescope to peer nearly 14 billion years back in time.
Business
November 16, 2021
In Praise of . . . Enron?
Twenty years have passed since the notoriously corrupt energy-trading company collapsed. Maybe it’s time to acknowledge that it wasn’t all bad for Texas.
News & Politics
November 11, 2021
What Do We Owe Those We’ve Condemned to Die?
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether John Henry Ramirez, a Texan convicted of murder, is entitled to have his pastor by his side when he’s executed.
Style & Design
November 9, 2021
A Developer’s Opulent Plans Along Lake Austin Include Luxe Condos, a Park, and a Funicular
A sign of the times on a showstopping Hill Country peak.
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
November 2, 2021
The Failure of the Texas Grid Inspired Two Climate Activists to Go on a Hunger Strike in D.C.
North Texans Kidus Girma and Julia Paramo haven’t eaten since October 20, as they try to pressure Joe Biden to pass a reconciliation bill with large green proposals.
Health
November 1, 2021
Doctors Gave Her a Choice: Let COVID-19 Kill Her Child, or Amputate His Limbs
After surviving a devastating accident that left her disabled, Amber McDaniel felt like she could overcome anything. Then her ten-year-old son contracted a rare condition associated with COVID-19.
News & Politics
October 26, 2021
Why Doesn’t Texas Execute People Anymore?
Texas will put only three inmates to death in 2021. So much for our hang-’em-high reputation.
Meanwhile in Texas
October 25, 2021
Yet Another Buc-ee’s Trademark Lawsuit Is Upon Us
A Sugar Land store called Buky’s might be the most egregious case to catch the attention of the litigious beaver, but it’s hardly the first.
News & Politics
October 23, 2021
Why Are You Being Asked to Amend the Texas Constitution?
Our attempt to explain why rodeo raffles, church services, and homestead tax exemptions for a handful of folks are on the ballot this fall.
Health
October 21, 2021
The Making of an Anti-vax Warrior
A few months ago, Jennifer Bridges’s refusal to abide by Houston Methodist’s vaccine mandate thrust her into the national spotlight. Now she’s become a purveyor of conspiracy theories that have fueled the pandemic’s continuation.
News & Politics
October 20, 2021
The State of Texas Tried to Kill Ernest Willis. But He Still Had a Lot of Living to Do.
The wild times of a gentle roughneck who beat the Texas criminal-justice system.
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.
Politics & Policy
October 14, 2021
Critical Race Fury: The School Board Wars Are Getting Nasty in Texas
A loud minority of parents is making life miserable for Texas school officials—and shouting down the kids who speak in favor of lessons about the history and persistence of racial discrimination.
News & Politics
October 13, 2021
What Did You Learn From Our October 2021 Issue? Let’s Find Out.
Test your knowledge of Texas Monthly's October 2021 issue. El Paso travel guide, Texas State fair & more.
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.
News & Politics
October 8, 2021
The Texas Monthly News Quiz
From the State Fair to the gubernatorial race, test your knowledge of the week's news.
Politics & Policy
October 7, 2021
Your Questions About Texas’s New Abortion Law, Answered
Who can be sued under Senate Bill 8? What is the “shadow docket”? When will the Supreme Court rule on the merits of the law?
News & Politics
September 30, 2021
Hurricanes Couldn’t Destroy Galveston’s Spirit. The Vacation Rental Boom Just Might.
The island's latest storm has no season.
Texas History
September 30, 2021
Monica Muñoz Martinez Is Setting the Record Straight on Texas’s History of Border Violence
The UT historian and newly minted MacArthur fellow wants justice for victims and their descendants.
News & Politics
September 13, 2021
Seven Texans on the Emerging Hispanic Plurality
Texas Monthly spoke with experts about how Tejanos are influencing everything in the state, from cuisine to pop culture to entrepreneurship.
News & Politics
August 31, 2021
Writing “Love Letters” Can Give Home Buyers an Edge—and Open the Door to Discrimination
As home prices skyrocket in Texas, buyers will try anything to stand out—and neuroscience shows these letters work. But housing experts say the implications are troubling.
Business
August 26, 2021
Elon Musk Wants to Sell Texans Electricity
Tesla has filed to become a Texas power retailer in a move that could shake up an already fast-changing market.
News
August 25, 2021
If a Mountain Lion Didn’t Kill Christopher Whiteley, What or Who Did?
The sheriff blames his death on a big cat—but animal experts aren’t buying that theory.
Art
August 19, 2021
Controversial Statues Are Falling Across the U.S., but This Texas Town Is Erecting New Ones
In Rockport, a celebrated artist is planning to install sculptures depicting the first contact between European explorers and the Karankawa. Is it a representation of a key moment in the area’s history, or a glorification of colonialism?
News & Politics
August 13, 2021
What the New Climate Change Report Means for Texas
Acclaimed climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe on reasons for alarm—and hope.
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.
Politics & Policy
July 27, 2021
Greg Abbott’s Border Fence Is Rising in Bits and Pieces
Local officials in South Texas are scrambling to figure out what the governor is building in their communities.
News & Politics
July 24, 2021
Four Months Ago They Were Celebrating. Now Texas Doctors Are Once Again Preparing for the Worst.
Inside the state’s biggest hospitals, doctors say a surge of unvaccinated COVID patients is almost too bewildering to believe.
News & Politics
July 20, 2021
What It Was Like Watching Blue Origin’s Launch From Highway 54 in Van Horn
Residents of the small West Texas town welcomed a surge of space enthusiasts and media, as billionaire Jeff Bezos traveled 100 kilometers above the surface of Earth.
News & Politics
July 19, 2021
With Excess Doses, El Paso Is Giving the Vaccine to Mexican Truckers Crossing the Border
As El Paso tries to avoid a new COVID-19 wave, most Juárez residents can't travel into the States for the jab.
News & Politics
July 19, 2021
Texas Restaurant Workers Are in Short Supply—And That Gives Them New Leverage
Many owners blame staff shortages on laziness and government handouts. Employees reply that their bosses should behave like rational capitalists and boost wages and working conditions.