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.
News
Politics & Policy
May 5, 2020
Will Texans Be Able to Vote by Mail?
The question is making its way through the courts, after Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed a state judge’s ruling.
Food & Drink
May 4, 2020
Five Chefs From Three Cities Make the Final Round for James Beard’s Best Chef: Texas
Anvil Bar & Refuge is still in the running for Outstanding Bar Program. Meanwhile, GQ recognizes two Texas restaurants.
Food & Drink
May 4, 2020
These Three Mexican Restaurants Offer Cook-at-Home Meal Kits
Comedor, Suerte, and Cuchara take takeout to the next level by giving diners an engaging experience.
News & Politics
May 4, 2020
Prisons Are Coronavirus Hot Spots. Palestine’s Got Five of Them.
A COVID-19 outbreak in a maximum-security unit has created rifts between the local government and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
News & Politics
May 1, 2020
Being Eaten by Alex Jones Sounds Like the Absolute Worst Way to Die
The latest rant from the ‘Infowars’ host triggers a fear we didn’t know we had.
Libations
May 1, 2020
Virtual Wine Tastings Pop Up Across Texas
While nothing can replace a sun-dappled afternoon at a winery, virtual tastings may be the next best thing.
Politics & Policy
April 30, 2020
Hours Before Businesses Can Reopen, Texas Reports Highest Daily COVID-19 Death Increase
Research suggests Governor Abbott’s statewide stay-at-home order was slowing down the coronavirus’s spread. What will happen now that he’s lifted it?
Food & Drink
April 30, 2020
Why Some Texas Restaurants Will Reopen Friday—And Why Others Won’t
Favorite eateries, including barbecue joints and taquerias, have had to make big decisions—and quickly—since the governor's announcement Monday.
Health
April 28, 2020
She Placed Her Elderly Mother in a Nursing Home. Days Later, COVID-19 Arrived.
Karan Janes was trying to keep her mom safe when she placed her inside a Brenham elder care facility, but then it was struck by a major coronavirus outbreak.
Health
April 28, 2020
What It’s Like Getting Paid to Risk Catching the Coronavirus
A professional shopper, who delivers groceries for those who can afford to stay at home, shares her story.
Politics & Policy
April 28, 2020
“Doctors and Data” Suggest Greg Abbott May Be Reopening Texas Too Early
The plan deviates considerably from what many public health officials say is needed for Texans to reopen businesses.
Politics & Policy
April 23, 2020
Bull Session—Dan Patrick Repeats: Let’s Get Busy Living (And Get Busy Dying)
Plus, Ted Cruz says skateboarding is not a crime, and Dan Crenshaw becomes the cool face of the GOP’s coronavirus response.
Health
April 22, 2020
For Those Who Have Recovered From COVID-19, Immunity Is Not Guaranteed
Reintegration into day-to-day life has proved tougher than expected for the 7,000-plus Texans who have beaten the coronavirus.
Politics & Policy
April 22, 2020
The Construction Industry’s Latest Challenge: Taking the Coronavirus Threat Seriously
After Greg Abbott's executive order deemed the industry essential, workers have been struggling to abide by health protocols.
Border & Immigration
April 21, 2020
Children Grappling With Remote Asylum Hearings? With COVID-19, That’s Now the Norm.
Many immigration attorneys have called for hearings to be delayed, but cases are nonetheless proceeding by phone and video.
Health
April 17, 2020
The “Father of Environmental Justice” on Why He Isn’t Surprised by COVID-19 Health Disparities
An interview with Robert Bullard on how the novel coronavirus exacerbates existing environmental health issues.
Politics & Policy
April 16, 2020
Bull Session: Louie Gohmert Has a Cure for the Coronavirus—Imagination!
Plus, the Texas Freedom Caucus projects its own dangerous fantasies, and even more stir-crazy pols.
Health
April 15, 2020
Inside the Frantic—and Frustrating—Race to Develop a COVID-19 Vaccine in Texas
Two Texas researchers believe they may already have one locked inside a Houston freezer.
News & Politics
April 15, 2020
Haunting Scenes of a Pandemic-Induced Standstill
Images from across the state capture our eerily historic moment.
News
April 15, 2020
Texas Officials Were Warned Six Years Ago to Prepare for a Pandemic. They Didn’t.
And they've been dangerously slow to respond to the coronavirus.
News & Politics
April 15, 2020
The Railroad Commission’s Free-Market Values Put to Test at Oil Production Hearing
The energy industry regulator heard arguments on implementing proration in Texas for the first time in half a century. And the meeting got heated.
Politics & Policy
April 13, 2020
The State’s Ban Isn’t Stopping Texans From Getting Abortions
Governor Greg Abbott's order, closing abortion clinics through April 21, has sent many out of state to seek the procedure—in the middle of the pandemic.
Politics & Policy
April 13, 2020
How to Erase a Neighborhood
The East End neighborhood of Freeport was once a thriving community. Today, the few remaining residents are about to be pushed out by the port. What happened?
Politics & Policy
April 10, 2020
Still Fearing Violence, Migrants Subject to Trump’s Remain in Mexico Policy Are Now Bracing for a Pandemic
With nearly 2,500 asylum seekers living in close quarters in a Matamoros migrant camp, doctors say the conditions are ripe for an outbreak.
Politics & Policy
April 9, 2020
Dental Procedures, Groceries, and Dart Boards: How Texans Plan on Spending Their Stimulus Checks
To combat economic downturn from the coronavirus pandemic, the IRS is sending Americans money. Many struggling Texans say it won’t be enough.
Politics & Policy
April 9, 2020
Bull Session: Ted Cruz Says the Press Is “Giddy With Glee” Over Pandemic
Plus, Texas pols take pains to prove they’re still working, Rick Perry finds a new calling, and more.
Health
April 8, 2020
COVID-19 May Be Silently Spreading Across Rural Counties, University of Texas Researchers Believe
A new study suggests that, even in communities with few confirmed cases, the coronavirus could be spreading much more quickly than people realize.
Politics & Policy
April 8, 2020
Evictions Have Stopped, But Texas Renters Will Face a Crisis in the Months Ahead
As the state's unemployment numbers skyrocket, many Texans don't know how they'll be able to honor their leases without rent relief.
Politics & Policy
April 7, 2020
Seeking to Represent Sugar Land, Kathaleen Wall Decides to Run Against China
The candidate is running in a district that’s home to more Asian Americans than anywhere else in Texas. Her newest campaign ad blames the People's Republic for the coronavirus pandemic.
Politics & Policy
April 3, 2020
Greg Abbott Promised to Get Masks for Texas. Many Doctors Say They Are Still Facing Shortages.
Family care physicians say they still don’t have enough personal protective equipment. So they’re seeking other solutions.
Travel & Outdoors
April 3, 2020
Big Bend National Park Is Closed for Now
In what’s normally the beloved park’s peak season, officials make the call for the safety of employees and area locals during the pandemic.
Health
April 3, 2020
“It’s Going to Be Three Months of Purgatory—If We’re Lucky”
An interview with Dell Medical School's William Tierney on getting the National Guard to deliver groceries and the fear of “crying wolf."
News
April 3, 2020
Don’t Read Too Much Into Data-Driven Attempts to Explain the Coronavirus Right Now
Attempts to make sense of the spread of the virus can lead to some misunderstandings.
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
April 1, 2020
Oh, Crap: A Truck Hauling Toilet Paper Crashes Outside Dallas
Some of the precious commodity spilled onto the interstate as the truck and cargo burned—the driver was uninjured.
Health
March 30, 2020
U.S. Hospitals Have a Ventilator Shortage. A Team of Rice Engineers Say They Have a Solution.
The device they've designed has piqued the interest of government officials and large manufacturers hoping to address the coronavirus crisis.
Health
March 30, 2020
“We Can’t Stop the Birth”: Texas Doctors and Pregnant Women Prepare for Delivery During COVID-19
Texas hospitals are limiting the number of people in maternity wards, while some women are exploring home birth amid the coronavirus outbreak.
News
March 27, 2020
Why Is Texas So Far Behind Other States in Responding to the Coronavirus?
While other governors have taken an aggressive approach to curbing COVID-19, Greg Abbott has favored smaller measures.
News & Politics
March 27, 2020
Stranded Abroad: My Family’s Fight to Get Home During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn’s long-planned family trip to Peru became a different kind of adventure when the country closed its borders: A story in three phone calls.
Business
March 26, 2020
“Everything Got Ripped Out From Under Us”—How Texas’s Restaurant and Bar Workers Are Coping
A bartender, chef, and owner tell us their stories.
Politics & Policy
March 26, 2020
Bull Session: John Cornyn Will Just “Blah Blah Blah” His Way Through This
Plus, Chip Roy demands this pandemic set an end date already.
Business
March 26, 2020
Inside the Story of How H-E-B Planned for the Pandemic
The grocer started communicating with its Chinese counterparts in January and was running tabletop simulations a few weeks later. (But nothing prepared it for the rush on toilet paper.)
Politics & Policy
March 25, 2020
Clay Jenkins Is Leading the COVID-19 Response While Governor Abbott Stalls
The Dallas County judge drew national acclaim for his Ebola response. The coronavirus is proving to be a bigger challenge.
News & Politics
March 24, 2020
The Coronavirus Has Meant Campus Closures and Layoffs for Some Texas Undergrads
College students who have remained on campus for financial reasons have seen their friends leave and funds dry up.
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.
Politics & Policy
March 23, 2020
Texas’s Coronavirus Response Is Leaving Homeless People Stranded
Lack of hygienic access, overcrowded shelters, and limited funding for social services all threaten the state's homeless population.
Border & Immigration
March 21, 2020
“There’s Been Absolutely No Change in Procedure”: ICE Detention Facilities Are Not Prepared for the Coronavirus
In Texas’s ICE facilities, immigrants remain in close quarters and sanitizer is running short. Advocates worry a COVID-19 outbreak could be severe.
Health
March 21, 2020
A Houston Health Care Executive on the Challenges Facing Her Walk-up Coronavirus Testing Clinics
Katy Caldwell, CEO of Legacy Community Clinics, talks to Texas Monthly about medical supply shortages, staff safety, and financial woes.
Music
March 20, 2020
Following Widespread Show Cancellations, Musicians and Programmers Across Texas Take Action
Smaller March festivals in places like Denton and McAllen were meant to raise funds for asylum seekers at the border and bolster local music communities.