Energy
April 17, 2024
Permian Producers Will Pay You to Haul Their Natural Gas Away
Assuming you own a pipeline, that is. The region is wrestling with a glut of the fuel.
Midland
Latest
1-50 of 50 Articles
The Stand Up Desk
March 20, 2024
Roar of the Crowd: April 2024
Reader letters published in our April 2024 issue.
Energy
February 15, 2024
The Oil Industry Keeps Getting Younger
Transactions like this week’s $26 billion Diamondback-Endeavor deal signal a changing of the guard.
Politics & Policy
February 12, 2024
The Billionaire Bully Who Wants to Turn Texas Into a Christian Theocracy
The state’s most powerful figure, Tim Dunn, isn’t an elected official. But behind the scenes, the West Texas oilman and lay preacher is lavishly financing what he regards as a holy war against public education, renewable energy, and non-Christians.
Business
December 1, 2023
Oxy Deal Could Yield Billions for Tim Dunn’s Political Efforts
If Occidental Petroleum acquires CrownRock, the right-wing Midland oilman could become an even bigger power broker—in Texas and perhaps nationally.
BBQ
November 3, 2023
The 12 Best Texas-Raised Wagyu Steaks (and More!)
At white-tablecloth restaurants, Wagyu beef is more expensive, but it’s also cooked excellently, with techniques from dry-aging to sous vide.
Health
October 10, 2023
In Far West Texas, One Hospice Nurse Brings Comfort to the Dying
Karen Ramirez traverses vast Brewster County—a territory bigger than Connecticut—so her patients can finish their days at home.
Tacos
July 20, 2023
Pachuco Culture and His Late Brother Inspire This Permian Basin Taquero
Ruben Carrasco Jr. serves Indian- and Korean-inspired tacos at his popular Midland spot Pachuco's, which he credits to an old PBS show and his little brother's adventurous nature.
Energy
July 11, 2023
In the Aging Oil Business, These Young CEOs Stand Out
Many millennial and Gen Z workers have turned away from careers in fossil fuels—making Midland-based Permian Resources an anomaly.
Tex-Mexplainer
June 13, 2023
Defining ‘Guisado’ Is Just as Messy as the Dish Itself
While the term is most commonly translated as ”stew,” it's not wholly accurate. Guisados are more of a feeling of warmth and family.
Politics & Policy
March 14, 2023
The Craddicks’ Gushers of Cash: How a Powerful Texas Lawmaker and a Key Regulator Profit From the Industry They Oversee
Former House Speaker Tom Craddick and his family—including his daughter, Railroad Commission chairman Christi Craddick—earned about $10 million last year from oil and gas rights.
Energy
January 12, 2023
Drilling in the Permian Is Lonely Work. A Rig Dog Can Help.
When Bruno went missing, Alex Reyna lost a key member of his oil-field crew.
Best Thing in Texas
December 12, 2022
The Best Things in Texas 2023: The Most Inspiring Educator In the Country
Barbara Yarbrough has taught and volunteered in Midland since segregation—and has won national recognition at age 87.
Tacos
December 7, 2022
The Midland-Odessa Taco Trail
Explore the oil patch’s regional specialties, from overstuffed burritos to crispy tacos—just remember to bring cash.
Sports
July 28, 2022
The Night That Grasshoppers Killed Texas League Baseball
Fifty years ago, a minor league game in Midland was postponed for the rarest of reasons—a swarm of grasshoppers biblical in its proportions.
Business
May 25, 2022
Amid the Baby Formula Shortage in Midland, Community and Conspiracies
As rumors swirl about the origins of the crisis, West Texas parents turn to one another for help.
Business
May 16, 2022
Scharbauer Cattle Company Creates a Model for Ranch-to-Retail Beef
The multigenerational ranch’s Midland Meat Company sells its famous Wagyu-Angus-Hereford crossbred beef directly to consumers.
News & Politics
December 10, 2021
You Can Stand Your Ground in Texas. Even When You Kill a Cop.
When a homeowner shot and killed a police officer in Midland, the court case that followed pitted two core Texas values against each other.
Politics & Policy
November 29, 2021
How Refugees From Myanmar Have Embraced Midland—and Its Conservative Politics
Members of the Chin ethnic group have found good jobs in the oil fields, and many are voting Republican.
Film & TV
June 24, 2021
The Year Woody Harrelson Finally Became a Movie Star
Early in his career, Woody Harrelson couldn’t shake his reputation as the country rube from ‘Cheers.’ Here’s how that changed, starting 25 years ago.
Energy
May 20, 2021
Haunting Images of the Permian Bust
Famed portrait photographer Dan Winters shifted his focus to a new character, the Permian Basin, as the storied region weathered a historic oil bust.
Sports
April 6, 2021
Texas’s Best (and Weirdest) Minor League Baseball Team Names, Ranked
We salute the Sugar Land Lightning Sloths, the Amarillo Sod Poodles, and their compatriots.
Film & TV
January 29, 2021
Robert Rodriguez Readies a Reboot of ‘Spy Kids’
Plus, Demi Lovato returns to TV, Gary Clark Jr. joins Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis movie, and Matthew McConaughey will flatten himself for some Doritos.
Tacos
January 14, 2021
Taco News Roundup: Feast on Barbacoa in San Antonio and North Texas
Plus: the Houston Heights gets a new taco stand and Midland gets a Baja-style eatery.
News & Politics
October 30, 2020
“It’s Going to Start a Civil War”: A Midland School Discards Its Confederate Name
Shedding Lee High’s offensive legacy may leave less money and public support to address issues of educational equity.
The Texanist
October 26, 2020
The Texanist: Bears Are Making a Comeback in Texas. How Scared Should I Be?
A Midland woman wonders what to do if she meets a member of the family Ursidae in the wild.
Energy
June 18, 2020
Can a Renewables Boom Put Texans Back to Work?
After the oil bust, wind and solar energy might be the Permian Basin’s best hope.
News & Politics
April 15, 2020
Haunting Scenes of a Pandemic-Induced Standstill
Images from across the state capture our eerily historic moment.
Tacos
April 2, 2020
The Enduring Taco in the Time of COVID-19
The novel coronavirus pandemic won’t defeat the versatile—dare we say perfect—food. “Tacos will feed America.”
Tacos
March 24, 2020
Taco of the Week: Birria de Res at Wall St. Cocina
This new Mexican restaurant in Midland is bringing a classic taco to burrito-happy West Texas.
Politics & Policy
February 16, 2020
Midland Oilman Clayton Williams (1931-2020): Winner in Business, Not in Politics
The colorful mogul lost the 1990 gubernatorial election after making a joke about rape and admitting to not paying some income taxes.
The Texanist
February 8, 2020
The Texanist: What Is the Most Romantic Spot in Texas?
As Valentine’s Day beckons, a Midlander in a new relationship is looking for an intimate getaway.
Style & Design
July 23, 2019
Down on the Farm with Midland’s Cameron Duddy and Photographer Harper Smith
The couple’s Dripping Springs ranch is a country dream with antiques, art, and lots of animals.
BBQ Joint Reviews
May 1, 2019
Midland Finally Has Destination Barbecue at Up in Smoke BBQ Co.
Reality TV competition winner Junior Urias serves standout smoked pork belly at his joint.
Energy
January 3, 2019
How West Texas Became Woodstock for Frackers
Welcome to the Permian Basin, home of the hottest oil play in the world.
Travel & Outdoors
September 1, 2016
For Mercy’s Sake
Amanda Shires on the birth of an album and becoming a matriarch.
Tacos
November 17, 2015
Best Tacos: Midland-Odessa
Al Pastor, Taqueria GuadalajaraType: Classic MexicanRating: 4.25Price: $2At this American Graffiti–meets–Mexico joint, the baskets of cinnamon-and-achiote-spiked tacos al pastor are even better with a dash of chile de árbol salsa. (Your order is delivered carside but not on roller skates, alas.) 1301 S. Crane Ave, Odessa, 432-335-8808. Sun–Thur 6–11, Fri
News & Politics
January 20, 2013
Separated At Death
Ernest Willis spent seventeen years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. And he has a few things to say about the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in 2004 for a strangely similar crime that many experts believe he didn’t commit either.
Business
January 20, 2013
Life After Oil
Midland’s energy companies are still laying people off a decade after the bottom of the bust. But—surprise—the city’s economy is booming again.
Politics & Policy
January 20, 2013
The Education of Laura Bush
A first read on the Midland librarian in the White House: what she has learned so far and how her life has changed.
Books
May 31, 1998
Bond Plays On
SUNBURNED AND HUNGRY after a day of tubing down the Guadalupe, you head back to Austin for dinner at one of your favorite Tex-Mex restaurants—a garish, festive joint called Chuy’s. You are seated and slurping on a margarita when you spot a striking man in a nearby booth. A little
Film & TV
September 30, 1993
The Fugitive
Stardom has caught up with Tommy Lee Jones—finally. But don’t expect him to act like he’s enjoying it.
Music
April 1, 1992
Western Exposure
Igor Fedotov and Eugene Cherkasov fiddle around in Midland.
Politics & Policy
October 1, 1990
Meet the Governor: Clayton Williams
Onward to the past.
Politics & Policy
April 1, 1989
Don’t Call Him Junior
George W. Bush wants to be governor of Texas. He says he’s not following in his father’s footsteps, but his name, his career, and his ideas about politics seem an awful lot like Dad’s.
Business
November 1, 1985
Texas Primer: The Petroleum Club
People who have watched a certain prime-time soap opera think they know what goes on at the Petroleum Club. They don’t.