News & Politics
August 28, 2023
Here’s What to Expect From an El Niño Winter
Meteorologists predict a cool, wet winter as the Pacific jet stream floats over Texas.
News
News & Politics
August 14, 2023
We’re Number One!
. . . When it comes to producing renewable energy, winning golf tournaments, banning books, and closing rural hospitals. Why is Texas so darn great . . . and so darn awful?
News & Politics
August 14, 2023
Sometimes Texas Isn’t Number One
Wounding as it may be to our deeply ingrained sense of Texas exceptionalism, there are a number of seemingly Texas-y categories in which we don’t take the top spot. Here are a few.
News & Politics
August 7, 2023
Inside the Fight for a Hidden Hill Country Treasure
A Dallas billionaire says his new luxury resort in a near-pristine parcel west of Austin is a model of sustainability. The caretaker of the nature reserve next door isn’t buying it.
News & Politics
July 25, 2023
A New Report About Human Waste and Texas Beaches Is More Than Just Gross
Human waste on Texas coastlines is a beach.
News & Politics
June 28, 2023
“The Worst It’s Been”: RNs in the Largest Nurse Strike in Texas History Describe Their Workplace
Austin nurses walked out of Ascension Seton Medical Center to protest staffing and retention issues, saying their patients are not safe.
Health
June 27, 2023
Texas Has Entered a New Era of Extreme Heat
Texans have never been afraid of summer temperatures. This year’s record-breaking heat wave should make us think twice.
Parks & Recs
June 26, 2023
Hikers Are Dying on Texas Trails in Severe Heat
Recent tragedies in Big Bend and Palo Duro Canyon are a reminder to “respect the desert,” says one ranger.
True Crime
June 20, 2023
Everyone in Stephenville Thought They Knew Who Killed Susan Woods
That left the real culprit free to prey on others, including one victim who was ignored for two decades.
Politics & Policy
June 16, 2023
A Fort Worth Couple Challenged the Indian Child Welfare Act. They Lost.
The Brackeens sued after their initial petition to adopt a Navajo and Cherokee boy was denied. A 7–2 Supreme Court ruling represents a major win for tribal sovereignty.
Politics & Policy
June 16, 2023
A German Flag Went Missing in WWII. It Was Recently Found in Houston—Then Went Missing Again.
The treasured banner was discovered in a Texas gun store, sparking questions about the repatriation of artifacts.
Travel & Outdoors
June 9, 2023
Texas Could See 100-Degree Days Next Week. How Does That Compare to Years Past?
In other words, it’s hot.
News & Politics
June 2, 2023
Paxton’s Impeachment Is Not a Referendum on Trump
Texas Republicans have been in the midst of a cold war with one another for much of the 2023 session. The impeachment vote simply caused it to heat up.
Sports
June 1, 2023
The Haunting Cross-country Journey of Austin FC Fans’ Uvalde Memorial Banners
Supporters have unfurled the anti–gun violence flags at soccer matches after mass shootings in Texas, Nashville, and Louisville.
News & Politics
May 25, 2023
TxDOT Wants to Widen I-10 in El Paso. Many Residents Say “No Thanks.”
The proposed construction project is intended to alleviate future traffic problems, but at what cost?
News & Politics
May 23, 2023
Move Over, Austin: Fort Worth Is the New Texas Boomtown
The 2022 census update, released late last week, indicates growth in Austin and Fort Worth—as well as the Texas suburbs—isn’t slowing down.
Politics & Policy
May 16, 2023
Rick Perry Is Thinking of Running for President for a Third Time!
The longest-tenured governor of Texas, who is famously great with groups of three, aims for a failed campaign hat trick.
Politics & Policy
May 12, 2023
The Texas House Voted to Advance Sports Gambling. It’s Still Unlikely to Become Law.
Legal sports gambling in the state still faces a long and complicated path that would require a constitutional amendment.
Politics & Policy
May 11, 2023
Since the Lege Has Been in Session, There’ve Been Eighteen Mass Shootings in Texas
The gun bills most likely to pass aren’t restrictions but those that further protect firearm ownership.
News & Politics
May 8, 2023
A Driver Crashed Into Pedestrians Outside a Brownsville Migrant Shelter. Eight People Were Killed.
Police have detained the driver but are still investigating whether the crash was intentional or accidental.
Uvalde
May 7, 2023
Amor Eterno
One year ago, before the school shooting in Uvalde, Kimberly Mata-Rubio had never been on a plane or given a public speech or scolded a U.S. senator right there in his office. A year in the life of a grieving mother.
News & Politics
May 1, 2023
Reality Check: There’s Almost Certainly No Serial Killer in Austin
What began as a baseless theory has turned into a social media frenzy, with the power to frighten the public and hamper police investigations.
News & Politics
May 1, 2023
The Search Continues for the Texas Gunman Who Killed 5 Neighbors in San Jacinto County
In the face of mass shootings in Texas, state leaders have made it easier to access guns.
News & Politics
March 28, 2023
Forty Years Later, Wrongfully Convicted James Reyos Has Another Day in Court
Those in the office that prosecuted him agree the soft-spoken Native American did not murder a priest back in 1981. His case is back before a district court judge.
News & Politics
March 17, 2023
Matamoros Was Once Relatively Safe for Texans. That Seems to Be Changing.
The recent kidnapping of four U.S. citizens in the Mexican border city appears to mark the end of a period of relative peace.
News & Politics
February 28, 2023
Wendy Davis Returns to the Texas Capitol and a Whole New Political Landscape
Ten years after her historic filibuster, the former Democratic state senator will lead Planned Parenthood's political efforts
News & Politics
February 27, 2023
How Is TikTok Planning To Avoid a U.S. Ban? Enter “Project Texas.”
The U.S. government has an eye on TikTok. With its $1.5 billion plan aimed at battling mistrust, TikTok has an eye on . . . Texas?
News & Politics
February 20, 2023
Red McCombs Turned Old San Antonio on Its Head
The larger-than-life, redheaded émigré from Spur, Texas—who died at 95—seemed intent on making the town his own. And he did.
Politics & Policy
February 10, 2023
Attorney General Ken Paxton Agrees to Apologize and Pay $3.3 Million to Whistleblowers
Paxton and the four whistleblowers asked the Texas Supreme Court to defer consideration of the case until they can finalize the settlement, after which they’ll move to end the case.
News & Politics
February 9, 2023
Running Into Fire: The Legacy of Jeff Blackburn
The cofounder of the Innocence Project of Texas set a model for working with state agencies to investigate potential wrongful convictions.
News & Politics
February 9, 2023
Inside the Bro-tastic Party Mansions Upending a Historic Austin Community
They have swimming pools, dozens of beds, and at least one stripper pole in a backyard school bus (you read that right). Locals say they’re are turning a vulnerable community into a “theme park” for hard-partying tourists.
Health
February 7, 2023
To Stem a Rising Tide of Fentanyl Overdoses, These Texas Paramedics Are Going Door-to-door
Many with opioid-use disorders OD again and again. First responders are reaching out to offer a path to recovery.
Politics & Policy
February 6, 2023
A Celebrated West Texas Archaeologist Has Been Fired—and No One Will Say Why
Acclaimed for his research on the Big Bend region and the Porvenir massacre, David Keller was suddenly marched out of Sul Ross State University in December.
Texas History
February 6, 2023
The Alamo’s New Battle Plan
A $500 million restoration seeks to reverse almost two centuries of cultural and physical neglect at the most popular historic site in Texas. There’s never been more of a concerted effort to make things right.
Press Room
February 3, 2023
Texas Monthly Welcomes Two New Hires
Texas Monthly is eager to announce the permanent additions of two familiar faces to the editorial staff.
Travel & Outdoors
February 2, 2023
But What About the Trees? The Rundown on Texas’s Icy “Oakpocalypse”
A forester assures us most of our Texas trees will likely come out of this fine. Until then, “Cra-a-ck.”
Critters
January 31, 2023
What the Heck Is Going On at the Dallas Zoo?
After a leopard escape, the suspicious death of a vulture, and the theft of two monkeys, Texans are anxiously awaiting an explanation.
Politics & Policy
January 30, 2023
Kyle Rittenhouse and What the Right Is Talking About When It Talks About Censorship
Booted from one locale amid outcry, the “Rally Against Censorship” proceeded—with an airing of familiar right-wing grievances.
The Stand Up Desk
January 27, 2023
An Author Believed Elon Musk Would Benefit Brownsville. Not Anymore.
National Book Award finalist Domingo Martinez was optimistic about Musk and SpaceX in 2016. Now, he says, “it feels like we sold our souls.”
The Stand Up Desk
January 25, 2023
The True-Crime Classic That Inspired HBO Max’s Forthcoming ‘Love & Death’
In reporting how Candy Montgomery came to murder her lover’s wife, the authors recall trying to capture a “time and place in Texas history.”
Sports
December 8, 2022
Texan Brittney Griner Released From Russian Custody in Prisoner Swap
The Texas basketball star was first detained in February and was recently moved to a Russian penal colony.
News & Politics
December 2, 2022
Alex Jones Has a Playbook for Hedging Outrageous Statements. Ye Ignored It.
The rap star spent more than three hours praising Nazis on Infowars, while making the host squirm—but not for the reasons you might think.
True Crime
December 1, 2022
Who Was Robert Abel, the Former NASA Engineer Suspected in the Texas Killing Fields Murders?
A new Netflix docuseries revisits the string of murders near League City. Texas Monthly interviewed Abel in 1999.
Politics & Policy
November 16, 2022
Texas Lege Watch: Briscoe Cain Wants to Extend “Baby on Board” by Nine Months
The small-government conservative has proposed a bill to allow pregnant drivers to access carpool lanes.
Politics & Policy
November 2, 2022
Inside the Movement to Root Out Nonexistent Election Fraud in Texas
Weston Martinez can’t provide evidence for his claims of fraud in the 2020 election, but he is drawing crowds of right-wing activists across Texas.
Politics & Policy
November 1, 2022
A Federal Judge Jailed Two Leaders of True the Vote
Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips refused to disclose the name of a mystery man who supposedly helped them investigate election software company Konnech.
News & Politics
October 28, 2022
Uvalde Revolts
The South Texas town’s ongoing protests in the wake of the Robb Elementary shooting hold echoes of Uvalde’s 1970s protest movement against racial inequities.
Politics & Policy
October 24, 2022
Wherever Donald Trump Goes, There You Are
The former president’s rally in Robstown was just like all his others in Texas, but he still commands state leaders’ attention.
Politics & Policy
October 10, 2022
Texas Election Chief Speaks Out on Conspiracy “Nuts,” Death Threats, and President Biden’s Legitimacy
In an exclusive interview with Texas Monthly, Secretary of State John Scott urges “stop the steal” activists to accept the 2020 election results.
Politics & Policy
October 5, 2022
The Editor’s Suggestion That Led to Kinky Friedman Running for Governor
The musician, author, and columnist needed an idea. Texas Monthly’s then–editor in chief said, “Make something up.” The rest is history.