Pat’s Pick
April 4, 2023
The Best Little Steakhouse in Texas Turns Forty
Tom and Lisa Perini have won awards, traveled the world, and cooked for heads of state. But nothing means more than the old hay barn where it all began.
Abilene
Health
March 30, 2023
A Lifeline for Rural Texas Hospitals Comes With Strings Attached
Federal help could keep facilities open in several small towns, but they'll be forced to cut back to offering only emergency care.
Texas History
March 10, 2023
Meet the Caretaker of This Cold War Relic Located 200 Feet Underground
Years ago, Larry Sanders became the proud owner of a decommissioned Atlas ICBM nuclear missile silo that was ready for use during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
Music
December 8, 2022
One Track Mind: “Don’t You Go”
The track from Abilene-based Old Fire’s new album, ‘Voids,’ evokes the bleakness of war and of the West Texas landscape.
Tacos
November 22, 2022
This Polarizing West Texas Mexican Restaurant Is More Confident Than Ever in Its Purpose
From hosting drag shows to feeding political campaigns, the Local in Abilene has been mired in some controversy, but it remains focused on serving tacos to folks of all stripes.
Politics & Policy
September 13, 2022
What Makes Beto Run—Again?
On his summer barnstorming tour of Texas, Beto O’Rourke argued that Republicans are waging war against Texas values.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
BBQ Joint Reviews
July 12, 2022
A Revamped Menu and Kitchen Breathe New Life Into This Abilene Joint
With more space and help, the Stearnses have developed a new brisket recipe and house-made sausages to take Jay’s BBQ Shack to the next level.
Business
April 7, 2022
In Abilene, Generations of Carpenters Are Behind Central Texas Tool Co.
The Carpenter family, featured in this classic episode from ‘Texas Country Reporter,’ has operated the industrial machine shop since 1937.
BBQ
October 18, 2021
Do You Want Your Brisket in a Bento Box? On a Taco? Or Over Rice?
Across Texas, fusion barbecue is making a move—and vegetarian barbecue isn't far behind.
Books
September 15, 2021
Brutally Suppressed in Her Lifetime, Gertrude Beasley Is Finally on Our Bookshelves
A searingly feminist 1925 memoir of life in small-town Texas rises from the dustbin of patriarchy.
BBQ Joint Reviews
July 7, 2021
Catch This Roving Barbecue Trailer If You Can
1082 BBQ rises like a smoky mirage in three different rural counties north of Abilene.
Sports
March 19, 2021
Meet All Seven Texas Teams in the 2021 Men’s NCAA Tournament
Can Baylor beat Gonzaga? Can UT or Houston make the Final Four? Will Abilene Christian or North Texas spring an upset?
Travel & Outdoors
December 1, 2020
Where to See Holiday Lights and Meet Santa (Safely) This Year
Across Texas, Santa is staying jolly this year with contact-free visits, drive-through light displays, and more pandemic-proof festivities.
BBQ
October 15, 2020
I’ll Be Missing ’Cue: Saluting Joints That Are Gone but Not Forgotten
The connections we make with some barbecue restaurants go way beyond brisket and chopped beef sandwiches.
Meanwhile, in Texas
October 14, 2020
Meanwhile, in Texas: An Abilene Man Used a Golf Club to Fish a Snake out of His Toilet
Plus, fifty thousand purple martins descended on a parking lot in McAllen.
Books
August 24, 2018
The Man Who Walked Backward
When the Great Depression put Plennie Wingo’s bustling Abilene cafe out of business, he tried to find fame, fortune, and a sense of meaning the only way he knew how: by embarking on an audacious trip around the world on foot. In reverse.
The Texanist
April 29, 2018
The Texanist: Are You Getting Tired of the Craft Beer Craze?
An Abilene man wants to know what our brew-lovin' columnist thinks of the mania for newfangled Texas ales.
The Texanist
February 10, 2018
The Texanist: Isn’t the Summer Heat Great? Or is That Just Me?
In the midst of a cold, wet winter, an Abilene woman longs for the dog days of August.
Food & Drink
May 22, 2017
The List: The Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas
Welcome to the golden age of Texas barbecue.
Travel & Outdoors
March 31, 2017
A Bone to Pick
A new book on the legendary producer reveals a performer with chops of his own.
Texas History
June 16, 2016
Off Course
I never knew my father, a decorated World War II pilot who died before I was born. But a trek at age 67 to the site where his airplane crashed brought me closer to him than I’d ever dared hope.
Travel & Outdoors
May 12, 2016
The Best Texas Hotel Awards
The most superlative amenities at the state's top getaways.
Travel & Outdoors
March 10, 2016
The Ultimate Texas Road Trip
And the apps to download before you go.
The Culture
December 23, 2015
Old News: An Illustrated Look at Curious Headlines From a Bygone Era
A winter wonderland.
Travel & Outdoors
November 12, 2015
Big Country Day Trips
A few reasons to hightail it to the heart of Texas's Midwest.
Texas Trip Guides
October 22, 2015
Trip Guide: Abilene
While away a weekend in the heart of Big Country.
Travel & Outdoors
October 21, 2015
Coming Into the Big Country
Craft beer, artisanal cocktails, and industrial chic: Abilene is finally ready for its close-up.
Travel & Outdoors
September 10, 2015
A Different View of Abilene
An Insta-dispatch of the Wanderer's recent trip to the Key City.
Sports
January 20, 2013
Legends of the Fall
Texas football heroes Darrell Royal, Doak Walker, Sammy Baugh, and John David Crow are off the field, but they’re still having a ball.
By Jan Reid![Jan Reid's Profile Photo]()
Texana
December 1, 2000
Seeing the Light
An old cemetery. A deserted crossroads. A ghostly reflectionor a figment of our imagination? On the trail of a West Texas mystery.
Libations
September 30, 1997
Titillating
A new sports bar inspires Abilenians to get something off their chest.
Art
June 30, 1997
Hail, Mary Ellen
For thirty years Mary Ellen Mark has made her name as a documentary photographer by not shying away from tough assignments, whether that means traveling for six months in India to shoot circus folk or infiltrating the world of runaway kids in Seattle. Chronicling life at Abilene’s House of Yahweh
Being Texan
June 30, 1997
Happy Doomsday
In the wake of Heaven’s Gate, the media marched en masse to Abilene, the home base of the House of Yahweh, whose charismatic leader, Yisrayl Hawkins, was supposed to be the next David Koresh. Not even close.
Politics & Policy
April 30, 1996
Bombers Away
The B-1 bomber costs too much and does too little—so who wants to keep it alive? The people of Abilene, whose economy could take a direct hit if the Pentagon pulls the trigger.
True Crime
November 1, 1989
Billie Sol Estes Has a Deal for You
The guy whose name is synonymous with swindling is finally a free man—but it may not last.
News & Politics
May 1, 1988
Earth, Rain, Wind, Fire
A wet year followed by a dry one made for one hellacious brush with disaster in the ranchlands of West Texas.
Being Texan
April 1, 1987
The Man Who Understands Horses
Buster Welch’s success as a cutting horse trainer is based on a simple observation: when you insult a horse’s intelligence, you hurt his feelings.
Energy
February 1, 1987
Undertakers of the Oil Patch
The death of an oil well keeps an oil-field service company alive.
Politics & Policy
October 1, 1985
The Louie File
Just how good were the good ol' days, when Louie Welch was mayor of Houston?
By Mimi Swartz![Mimi Swartz's Profile Photo]()
Sports
July 31, 1984
The Fastest Nice Christian Boy in the World
Bobby Morrow was America’s most celebrated Olympic athlete in 1956. Today he wishes he’d never left the starting blocks.
Being Texan
July 1, 1982
What Texas Means to Me
God created Texas, and then He created people who would love it.
Being Texan
November 1, 1975
God’s Country
Abilene, Abilene, strangest town I’ve ever seen.