Dan Solomon, Author at Texas Monthly

Film & TV |

March 4, 2021

Holy Cow, We’re Getting More ‘Party Down’

The cult comedy series is being revived with a six-episode order, more than a decade later.

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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.

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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.”

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Best Thing In Texas |

February 22, 2021

The Best Thing in Texas: Everyone Who Helped Us Survive the Winter Storm

Celebrities and regular folk alike came together to offer hot food, clean water, and warm beds.

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Ted Cruz photoshopped in pink swim trunks and a blazer with a pool floatie on his suitcase.

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.

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Energy |

February 17, 2021

Lights, Camera, Reaction: Lit-Up Downtown Skylines Are Enraging Powerless Texans

Texans on social media have kept warm by burning the fuel of white-hot rage.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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Best Thing In Texas |

January 29, 2021

The Best Thing in Texas: A San Antonio Fifth-Grader Cashed Out His GameStop Stock for $3,200

It's a simple victory in an extremely complex story.

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Health |

January 22, 2021

Millions More Texans Have Had COVID-19 Than We Like to Pretend

The official case count doesn’t reflect the pandemic’s reality. I found the satisfaction of ferreting out the actual number to be cold comfort.

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Best Thing In Texas |

January 15, 2021

The Best Thing in Texas: Willie Got the Vaccine, Y’all

Thank goodness.

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Sports |

January 13, 2021

Houston Is America’s Saddest Sports City, Part Infinity

The curse of Houston is a curse of management, which makes it the saddest of all.

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Politics & Policy |

January 12, 2021

No, the Mandalorian Did Not “Dox” Ted Cruz

Pedro Pascal, star of the Disney Plus series ‘The Mandalorian,’ shared the junior senator’s office number on Twitter.

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Sports |

January 5, 2021

The Texans Can Go Ahead and Retire J.J. Watt’s Number Now

The superstar defensive end has probably played his last game for the Houston Texans. They should remember him properly.

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Travel & Outdoors |

December 17, 2020

It Snowed Across America, and We’re Not Jealous. We Swear.

It’s beautiful! Enjoy shoveling all of that.

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At The Drive In performs at Mohawk at SXSW 2017 on March 15, 2017 in Austin, Texas.

Music |

December 14, 2020

Margin Walker, Texas’s Largest Independent Concert Promoter, Is Shutting Down

For the music industry, the bad times are getting worse.

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Politics & Policy |

December 3, 2020

Cabo San Doofus: Why Did Steve Adler Think It Was a Good Idea to Go to Mexico?

Austin’s mayor, already a punching bag for his state’s powerful right wing, lectured his city’s residents to stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19—while on a beach vacation.

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Health |

December 2, 2020

How a Llama and a University of Texas Lab Led to the Most Promising COVID-19 Treatment Yet

Researchers Daniel Wrapp and Jason McLellan owe a scientific honor they won this week to a Belgian camelid named Winter.

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david-chang-who-wants-to-be-a-millionare

Food & Drink |

December 1, 2020

What Chris Shepherd Was Thinking While Watching ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’

Three questions with the Houston chef, whose “gambling man” pal David Chang took a big risk to raise money for the Southern Smoke Foundation.

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Best Thing In Texas |

November 30, 2020

The Best Thing in Texas: Detroit Lions Fans Are Donating to Deshaun Watson’s Charity to Thank Him for the Whupping He Gave Their Team

The Lions have been mired in mediocrity—but Deshaun and the Texans may have helped break the fever.

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News & Politics |

November 25, 2020

Why Is GameStop Selling PlayStation 5 Consoles Only in Stores on Black Friday?

Every other retailer has made this holiday season’s hottest item an online exclusive during the pandemic—except the Grapevine-based chain.

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Being Texan |

November 24, 2020

The Viral Footage of Texans Waiting in Line at the New College Station Dunkin’ Donuts Is Good, Actually

Let people have some joy for once in their lives.

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Best Thing In Texas |

November 24, 2020

The Best Thing in Texas: Hundreds of People Are Knitting Tiny Sweaters for a Hairless Possum in Lubbock

Are possums ugly? Not when they’re wearing tiny purple sweaters, they’re not!

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Politics & Policy |

November 19, 2020

Matthew McConaughey Said He’d Consider Running for Texas Governor, so We Wrote His Political Platform

Expect marijuana, college football, and compromise to play central roles.

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Sports |

November 18, 2020

The Winding Saga of Austin’s MLS Team Now Includes Jerseys

The team’s uniforms are the latest milestone in the club’s journey to the state’s capital.

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Business |

November 12, 2020

A New Plano Company’s Business Model: Buying Snacks at Buc-ee’s, Then Shipping Them to Texpats Worldwide

The Beaver nominally approves.

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Sports |

November 12, 2020

Becky Hammon on the Spurs, the WNBA, and the Mural of Her Face in San Antonio

The NBA’s first female assistant coach is the star of a new 60-second documentary.

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Politics & Policy |

November 2, 2020

What Does Texas’s Record Voter Turnout Mean for the Election Results?

Democrats like when lots of voters cast ballots. Republicans generally don’t. But we won’t know until tomorrow whether high participation rates favored one party over the other.

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Politics & Policy |

October 29, 2020

An Underdog Democrat Flipped Texas’s Thirty-second in 2018. Republicans Face an Uphill Battle to Win It Back.

In North Dallas, Genevieve Collins challenges Colin Allred, whose win two years ago proved that Democrats could compete in the Texas suburbs.

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Music |

October 28, 2020

Willie Nelson Singing ‘Under Pressure’ With Karen O Is the Duet We Didn’t Know We Needed in 2020

The legendary collaboration between Queen and David Bowie gets a remake by an intergenerational pair of icons.

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Music |

October 28, 2020

Khruangbin Might Be the Biggest Band in the World of Vinyl

The Houston psychedelic rockers are a fixture on listeners’ turntables.

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Texas District 2 Ladjevardian and Crenshaw illustration.

Politics & Policy |

October 27, 2020

Democrats Have Poured Money Into a Long Shot Bid to Defeat Rising GOP Star Dan Crenshaw

In Texas's Second Congressional District, challenger Sima Ladjevardian sees an opportunity in the representative’s COVID-19 response.

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Politics & Policy |

October 23, 2020

Can Chip Roy Hold Off the Democratic Shift in Suburban San Antonio and Austin?

The conservative incumbent has alienated members of his own party, leaving room for challenger Wendy Davis to pick off centrist voters in Texas’s Twenty-first Congressional District.

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The moon glowing in a cloudy, purple sky.

News & Politics |

October 23, 2020

What Is NASA Going to Announce About the Moon?

Ghosts? Aliens? Cheese? A 4G cell tower? We list the possibilities.

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Politics & Policy |

October 21, 2020

Democrats Narrowly Lost the Twenty-fourth Congressional District in 2018. Can Candace Valenzuela Win It in This Cycle?

When longtime GOP congressman Kenny Marchant announced his retirement, his seat representing the district surrounding DFW Airport became a prime pickup target for his party’s opponents.

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Politics & Policy |

October 20, 2020

Texas Has More Early Voters Than Any Other State

We’re number one! We’re number one! For now, anyway!

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Politics & Policy |

October 16, 2020

The Early Voting Numbers in Texas Are Bonkers. Here’s What That Does and Doesn’t Tell Us.

“Bonkers” is, of course, a technical term.

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Politics & Policy |

October 16, 2020

Lizzie Fletcher’s 2018 Victory in TX-7 Proved Democrats Could Win in the Texas Suburbs. Can the GOP Take the Seat Back?

In the district just west of Houston, Republican challenger Wesley Hunt's campaign has focused on his opposition to the Green New Deal.

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Sports |

October 16, 2020

Why UT’s Administration Is Digging in Its Heels on ‘The Eyes of Texas’

After the football team’s latest loss, the coach and most of his players are at odds with the athletics director and many fans and supporters over the university’s controversial spirit song.

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Politics & Policy |

October 14, 2020

Can a Bernie-Style Democrat Unseat Longtime Republican Representative Michael McCaul in TX-10?

The incumbent rarely faced competitive races before labor lawyer Mike Siegel’s challenge in 2018. Now, winning a rematch is no sure thing for McCaul.

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district-23-gina-ortiz-jones-tony-gonzalez

Politics & Policy |

October 8, 2020

For Years TX-23 Was the State’s Only True Congressional Swing District. Can Democrats Win It Back?

Gina Ortiz Jones lost by fewer than 1,000 votes to popular retiring Republican Will Hurd in 2018 in the sprawling southwest Texas district. Now, she faces a less well-known rival in Tony Gonzales.

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Politics & Policy |

October 5, 2020

Can Van Taylor Hold off Lulu Seikaly and Democrats’ Gains in Collin County?

The Republican touts his bipartisanship in an appeal to this increasingly blue congressional district northeast of Dallas, but he’s been a reliable vote for Donald Trump’s policies during his first term.

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Politics & Policy |

October 1, 2020

Voting in Texas in 2020: What You Should Know

This election will be highly unusual. Here’s what you need to know before voting.

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Politics & Policy |

October 1, 2020

Distaste for President Trump Confronts a Long Conservative Legacy in the Houston Suburbs of TX-22

Sheriff Troy Nehls won his primary as a Trump ally, but has distanced from the president in his race against Democratic challenger Sri Preston Kulkarni.

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Politics & Policy |

September 28, 2020

Can Julie Oliver Beat Roger Williams in TX-25?

Once a Democratic stronghold, then gerrymandered to be a Republican one, the district includes a large swath of Austin and part of southern Tarrant County near Fort Worth.

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