Across the state, small towns are fading away. But in a few places, rich people are spending big to revive them. And that comes with its own set of complications.
From gymnast Simone Biles and Houston mayor Sylvester Turner to political megadonor Tim Dunn, here are 31 Texans who are changing the way we think about politics, education, food, philanthropy, and, well, pretty much everything else.
"I’m serving my community by telling our stories. That’s the role of every writer: to serve their community, whatever it is. If you don’t write it down, it’s like it never happened. We’re not in history as women if we don’t write it down."
"I think women want to be seen on the same world stage as any male artist, any white artist—any artist at all. There’s no push to take identity away in art as a means to address bias, but every artist wants their work to be taken out of a demographic."
"Film and TV shows and theater tell our stories and shape our culture, and as fifty percent of the population, women need to produce more art that portrays women’s stories."
"Women who are interested in politics need mentors so they can realize their potential if they choose to run for office. There’s a value to relatability, or being able to not only see women already in leadership roles but have access to them."
"Any woman in a higher-profile position—women in administrative and supervisory roles, or faculty role models—has a responsibility to pay close attention to these issues, and to take time to listen when students, faculty or staff seek to talk about them."
"When you have companies where women are CEOs, where they really have a hold at the top, it does make a difference. It has changed the culture. Now, you don’t assume that your boss will be playing golf, like the senior vice president that you had 25 or 30 years
"When you have credibility and a mic from which to speak, that comes with a responsibility. Having a woman onstage allows a girl in the audience to say, oh, I can do that. A platform is an opportunity, and so is an audience."
"Educated women, professional women—we need you up there, changing the world for the benefit of all of us down here. You can love your family and be there for them all you want, but hire a domestic worker. Don’t give up your career."
"Women need to know what to look for and how to respond. It should really be taught like a life skill: this is how you do a resume, this is how you manage credit cards, this is how you understand sexual harassment and what to do if you’re in that
"Sometimes a festival rep will say they don’t want acts that are too similar. Could you imagine telling a man, 'Sorry, we can only have one indie rock band, you're all wearing Levi's and that's pretty overdone so we can't have that'?"
"We need more women to tackle the energy transition and tackle the biggest challenges we face: climate change, energy poverty, and good infrastructure."
"I think there is a true opportunity right now for women—even more significant than when I was in state government. We’ve got so many running for public office now. Once they win and their numbers grow, we’re bound to move beyond 'me too' to something better."
"In the military, there’s a sense of camaraderie that can sometimes make people bystanders. Once people see that this kind of treatment is damaging to the group, that’s when they’ll speak up. We have to change it so that people are more embarrassed to stand by and let it happen
"As a female editor or journalist, you have to pick your moment about whether you want to complain and have everybody roll their eyes at you, or you want to deal with it and power through it."
"As a woman, you can’t put yourself in a bad position. One day, a foreman asked me to ride down with him to where they were drilling a deep gas well, about 45 miles away. I didn’t any more want to go than a man in the moon, and I
"I think a lot of nurses—ICU, emergency room, operating room nurses in particular—have to emotionally shut down to do their jobs. It’s like we learn to develop an aperture in our lens, of what you can let in and what you can’t. If you let yourself feel everything that happens
"After I argued Roe vs. Wade the first time on December 13, 1971, I didn’t know if I was going to win or lose. I thought I’d better run for office to be in a position to prevent the passage of bills that would make abortion illegal or very difficult."
"Unions still have male-dominated leadership, so the women’s committees give women an actual chance to get strength or power in leadership. If we don’t have a voice, then leadership makes decisions about us without us."
"The issue isn’t going away, because for once, women feel like they can speak up and that they are finally being heard. And I think as a body, the Texas Legislature needs to demonstrate that we’ve heard these women, and that we’re going to clean our own house."
"It’s so important to have a place where people can feel free to bring their issues to someone to investigate, and in a smaller setting, victims really worry about losing their jobs. They worry that nobody will believe them, so they’ll lose their jobs for complaining. They worry that if
"From time to time, you see unfortunate situations where the policy says report to the director of HR, and they have no credibility within the organization, or they are the actual harasser. You need a policy with multiple ways to come forward."
"I disagree with those who say the #MeToo movement could go too far. That sentiment exhibits itself anytime there is an effective and active push for change, that somehow you're going to cause the unintended impact of actually hurting the cause."
"The procedures to protect women have to be institutionalized and standardized. If your model for authority and leadership is that whatever the pastor in charge says goes, then you don’t have accountability."
"In a mentor, you need somebody who understands the challenges of having this position and moving up through the ranks. For a long time in newsrooms, you didn’t have that. You didn’t have women in those positions."
Though the city’s Tricentennial Commission has thus far been a dismal failure, creative residents have found a way to celebrate their complex history and promising future.
Plus: Holiday travel forecast looks good in Texas, a young boy is caught in the crossfire of a police shootout in San Antonio, and Paxton says it's OK to bring concealed gun into church.
Plus: Democrats sue to keep Blake Farenthold on the ballot, Houston's famous bat colony struggles post-Harvey, and K-Lani Nava becomes the first girl football player to score points in a UIL state title game.
Plus: A champion of gay marriage runs for state Senator, former State Representative Ruth Jones McClendon dies, and Texas brewers battle it out in court.
Plus: The Rockets continue to roll, Ezekiel Elliott returns from his suspension, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson denies rumors that he plans to resign.
Plus: Ted Cruz battles with Luke Skywalker on Twitter, the Texas GOP sues to take Blake Farenthold off the ballot, and Texas A&M Commerce wins the Division II football title.
Plus: Texas’s ”Tweeter Laureate” is confirmed to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the National Butterfly Center sues Trump over the wall, and the Senate won’t confirm one of Trump’s picks to serve as a federal judge in Texas.
Plus: Mattress Mack comes through again, the FBI investigates the alleged sexual assault of an immigrant by a guard in a Texas detention center, and the Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard returns from injury.
Plus: A former Texas judge allegedly sexually assaulted a teenager, a Houston teenager was arrested for supposedly helping ISIS, and the Rockets win their tenth straight game.
Plus: A Houston Texans quarterback suffers a disturbing injury, George P. Bush has some competition for Land Commissioner, and UT Austin has a new athletics director.
Plus: Two state lawmakers face pressure to resign over new sexual harassment allegations, the U.S. House Ethics Committee is investigating sexual harassment allegations against U.S. Representative Farenthold, and three Dallas cops are indicted in the death of an unarmed man.
Plus: Dallas County sheriff Lupe Valdez announces run for governor, U.S. Representative Al Green’s attempt to impeach Trump fails, and the University Interscholastic League shakes up high school sports.
Plus: Harris County changes development regulations to better prevent flooding, border arrests drop to a historic low, and Rick Perry visits Saudi Arabia.
Plus: U.S. Representative Blake Farenthold says he’ll pay back $84,000 in taxpayer funds that he used to settle sexual harassment complaints, a cop is killed in San Marcos, and two Houston sports stars earn high honors.
Plus: Ted Cruz is officially running for re-election, taxpayers paid $84,000 to settle sexual harassment allegations against U.S. Representative Blake Fahrenthold, and it's bowl season for college football teams in Texas.
Plus: Representative Joe Barton resigns amid sexting scandal, the end is nigh for Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, and Texas A&M closes in on a new head football coach.
Plus: Rumors spread of a stronger Democratic challenger entering the race against Governor Greg Abbott, American Airlines needs a Christmas miracle, and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission headquarters has a rat problem.
Family of Sutherland Springs victims seek justice against the Air Force, Representative Joe Barton faces new challenges, and Texans get nominated for Grammys.
Plus: The Astros cash in, a Texas bump stock maker has Cyber Monday sales after the product was used to kill 58 people in Las Vegas, and another storied college football program in Texas fires its head coach.
Plus: A woman is indicted for allegedly sending an explosive package to Governor Greg Abbott, a Border Patrol agent is buried in El Paso after he was killed on duty, and Houston's J.J. Watt and Trae Tha Truth feuded on social media.
