Thirty years ago, people couldnt believe it: The old man’s elixir boosted crops, ate up sewage, and made the desert bloom. Today half a dozen Texas companies claim the elixir does all that and a whole lot more.
As the Mega Borg blazed, the Gulf absorbed the toxic oil spill.
The mysterious Texan who tried to take over australia’s mighty Bond Corporation last January looked good on paper—but paper was about all he had.
Jim Wright’s attorney Steve Susman is living proof that clients may lose, but lawyers don’t.
Triple threat: Scientists fret that an underground nuclear dump will pollute the Pecos; surveyors set off a storm over the center of Texas; cities sweat safety risks from stolen aluminum.
Houston mayoral candidate Fred Hofheinz has an incumbent and a rumor to defeat; Phil DeVries has a singing caterpillar to find; Zavala County must make a private prison pay its way; and Lori Johns is out to prove she’s the best woman on the drag strip.
When the St. Johns returned to their house after having it sprayed for bugs, they discovered why those friendly pest-control people are called exterminators.
Windsurfers add sparkle to Corpus Christi Bay; the Johnson family says a poignant farewell to one of its own; the golden arches attain alpine heights—but come crashing down in Houston.
The newest threat to Houston mayor Kathy Whitmire is an old face; an investigation of an acid leak turns sour; a Texas congressman may take over the banking committee.
The resurrection of a former “see-through” office building. How a land developer diversified—into Jaguars. And secrets of the “vultures” who buy up, fix up, and fill up troubled Houston apartments.
An entrepreneur captures customers in public rest rooms. A high-tech plant moves from oil to medicine. Space and biomedical manufacturing are finally off the drawing boards. And a former union boss becomes a bingo mogul.
This story is from Texas Monthly’s archives. We have left it as it was originally published, without updating, to maintain a clear historical record. Read more here about our archive digitization project. Once Texans thought the boom would never end. Then they thought the bust
Going broke is for poor people. Here’s a whole chapter of Texans who have found ways to clear the books without losing their ranches, Rolls, or Rolexes.
We all need a place to call our own.
When Houston’s Hermann Hospital sought a cure for its financial ills, it decided to perform major surgery on its agreement with the UT medical school next door.
Onward through the fall at SMU; home on the fringe with Rob Paul; good news from the catalog jungle; a taste of Longhorn.
In 1980 a white girl was raped and murdered at Conroe High School, and the police quickly arrested a black janitorial supervisor. Now it looks as if the case wasn’t so open and shut after all.
Galveston has withstood tidal waves, hurricanes, gamblers, and tourists. Can it survive a superport?
Houston police said they shot Randy Webster because he pointed a gun at them. Randy’s father set out to prove they were lying.
If you ever go to Houston, you’d better walk right. You’d better not gamble, and you’d better not fight.
In the middle of the booming Houston economy are some new movers and shakers.
South Texas has had a revolution, but itÃs not the one José Angel Guttiérrez planned.
This politician controls the purse strings of the richest city in Texas. And he’s ready for bigger things.
From a long heritage of paternalism Fort Worth gropes toward democracy.
