Critters
November 8, 2023
The Texas Indigo Snake Eats Rattlers for Breakfast
That’s why farmers and ranchers consider it a friend.
Rio Grande Valley
Latest
1-47 of 47 Articles
Business
March 13, 2023
Elon Musk Came to Texas to End the Oil Age
It took him a while to get here, but now he’s out to transform our state with new technologies—if our leaders’ hostility toward renewable energy (and his Twitter misadventures) don’t get in the way.
By Russell Gold![Russell Gold's Profile Photo]()
Health
December 15, 2022
Texas’s Doctor Shortage Is Bilingual
There aren’t nearly enough physicians in the state, especially for the more than 7.5 million Texans who primarily speak Spanish.
Books
July 14, 2022
Is Fernando A. Flores the Gabriel García Márquez of the Texas Borderlands? Or the Kurt Vonnegut?
In his new short story collection, the Austin writer offers a fantastical view of the Texas borderlands. Just don’t call it “magical realism.”
Health
June 28, 2022
A New Diabetes Drug Could Help Many in the Rio Grande Valley—If They Can Afford It
Mounjaro is a potential lifesaver in a region with a high rate of obesity. Its price tag may prevent many from accessing it.
Film & TV
June 2, 2022
‘Deep in the Heart’ Gives Texas the ‘Planet Earth’ Treatment
The visually stunning new nature documentary, narrated by Matthew McConaughey, is a delight.
Critters
May 18, 2022
A South Texan’s Wild, Life-affirming Quest to Break a National Birding Record
When she began her year-long bird-spotting adventure, Tiffany Kersten was lost and lonely. She ended up achieving a major milestone—and finding her way.
Film & TV
May 12, 2022
There Are No Glass Ceilings Left for Cristela Alonzo
After a four-year hiatus from comedy, the Rio Grande Valley native has a new Netflix special and a new approach to her career.
By Cat Cardenas![Cat Cardenas's Profile Photo]()
BBQ Joint Reviews
April 9, 2022
The Valley’s GW’s BBQ Emulates Central Texas–Style ’Cue Exceptionally Well
House-made sausages and oak-smoked brisket help this joint—which recently debuted its brick-and-mortar—stand out from the local crowd.
Politics & Policy
April 6, 2022
A Democratic Congressman’s Gift to the GOP
By chasing an early retirement and triggering a special election, veteran Rep. Filemon Vela of Brownsville has opened up a big opportunity for Republican candidate Mayra Flores.
Politics & Policy
December 29, 2021
Stories We Wish We’d Published This Year
There was a lot of great coverage of happenings in Texas this year. Our staff selected its favorite stories.
Art
December 13, 2021
You’ve Never Seen the Rio Grande Valley This Way
The Valley’s landscapes and people are subjects of a transporting art exhibit in San Antonio's Presa House gallery.
Border & Immigration
October 21, 2021
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz on the Crisis in Texas and Why Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star Concerns Him
The Del Rio–raised law enforcement official chatted with ‘Texas Monthly’ about the situation in his hometown and immigration enforcement across the state.
Politics & Policy
September 13, 2021
Why Democrats Are Losing Texas Latinos
The party assumes people of color will turn the state blue. But most Tejanos consider themselves white. And more are voting Republican.
Critters
August 12, 2021
How Texas Wildlife Crossings Are Saving Lives and Money
From South Texas’s simple ocelot culverts to San Antonio’s pioneering land bridge, these passageways can reduce car accidents and help animals thrive.
Politics & Policy
June 17, 2021
Meet the Two Latinas From the Rio Grande Valley Guiding Biden’s Political Strategy
Texas Democrats felt slighted by the president’s campaign in 2020, but Emmy Ruiz and Natalie Montelongo have given them a voice in the White House.
Music
May 21, 2021
Texas’s Best Young Accordionists Carry on a Conjunto Legacy
At the Big Squeeze, the state’s most talented teen accordion players are keeping a historic Texas tradition alive.
Health
April 28, 2021
Undocumented Texans Are Eligible for the Vaccine. That Doesn’t Mean They’re Accessing It.
Fear of deportation at vaccination clinics and a lack of access to up-to-date information about eligibility have kept many migrant farm workers in Hidalgo County from getting immunized.
Meanwhile, in Texas
April 23, 2021
A McAllen Thief Pilfered $400 Worth of Spider-Man Comic Books
He confessed after someone spotted him in surveillance footage.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
April 21, 2021
A Section of Trump Border Wall in South Texas Cost $27 Million a Mile. It’s Being Foiled by $5 Ladders.
“Ladders and walls go together like peas and carrots,” says one McAllen Border Patrol agent.
Critters
April 15, 2021
Chasing Down Birds of Prey With Ornithologist and Musician Jonathan Meiburg
His new book traces the evolution of caracaras—a strange and beautiful type of falcon.
Best Thing in Texas
April 6, 2021
UTRGV Just Won Its Third Consecutive National Chess Championship
Bow down to the greatness of the Vaqueros, who are the best in the nation (again).
By Rose Cahalan![Rose Cahalan's Profile Photo]()
Energy
March 31, 2021
America’s Offshore Wind-Powered Future Begins in a Texas Shipyard
In announcing an ambitious renewable-energy push this week, the Biden administration highlighted a vessel under construction in Brownsville as proof of the economic opportunities of going green.
Politics & Policy
October 8, 2020
In the Shadow of the Border Wall, Rio Grande Valley ‘Dragtivists’ Fight for Equality
South Texas queens who put on a wig, makeup, and heels are rebelling against a culture that has long been steeped in machismo.
By Cat Cardenas![Cat Cardenas's Profile Photo]()
Music
July 31, 2020
Charley Crockett Wrote Songs About Hard Times in America. Then 2020 Happened.
On his latest album, the Texan country musician sings of endurance within a fraught system.
Politics & Policy
July 24, 2020
The Rio Grande Valley Is Texas’s Coronavirus Hot Spot
The death rate from COVID-19 in deep South Texas is more than twice the state average.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
July 13, 2020
Senator Eddie Lucio Jr. Is Likely to Hold His Office, but He’s Campaigning As If He’s on the Ropes
A sleepy Democratic primary runoff against challenger Sara Stapleton-Barrera heated up last week when a mailer, using a nickname for the incumbent, incited numerous political allies to rally behind him.
Film & TV
June 15, 2020
The Pandemic Is Threatening to Close McAllen’s Historic Cine El Rey Forever
The community has united to save the 73-year-old cinema and venue, which did not qualify for federal relief funding.
Politics & Policy
November 26, 2019
In a First, the New Homeland Security Chief Met With South Texans About Cross-Border Trade
Chad Wolf was in the Rio Grande Valley last week for a border wall photo-op, but over a meal of cordon bleu he heard from businesspeople about economic woes.
Being Texan
November 4, 2019
The National Media Hilariously Misunderstands Texas Geography
All the news from the “Dallas suburb” of Marfa and the “adjacent” regions of El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Film & TV
October 14, 2019
In ‘United Tacos of America,’ Austin Duo Go on the Ultimate Road Trip
Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece connect tacos with community issues in their new show on Robert Rodriguez's El Rey Network.
Border & Immigration
October 11, 2019
Crews Begin Clear-Cutting South Texas Land to Make Way For Trump’s Border Wall
Critics say it’s a political gimmick. It’s unclear when, or if, the administration can erect the steel barrier through the Rio Grande Valley.
Music
October 3, 2019
Remembering the Rio Grande Valley Punk Scene Veteran Eric Fly
He was the sort of local icon that lives at the heart of every enduring, tight-knit music scene.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Art
August 27, 2019
‘We Exist, We Have Voices, We Have Stories’: A New Festival Confronts the Borderland’s Complexity
Art and activism intersected at the Rio Grande Valley’s first Encuentro en la Frontera.
Politics & Policy
June 25, 2019
What the Hell Is Happening at the Border? (An Occasional Series, June 25 Edition)
The acting Border Patrol chief steps down as migrant children go without soap or toothpaste and bodies are found along the Rio Grande.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
June 10, 2019
South Texas Was Hotter than Death Valley Last Week
Falcon Lake hit a balmy 116 while the heat index in Brownsville was an eyeball-melting 128 degrees, nine degrees warmer than Death Valley.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Best Thing in Texas
May 28, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: A Fallen Soldier Returns Home Almost 70 Years Later
Texas GI Hershell Riggs went missing in 1950, but his family never gave up hope he’d come back home.
By Cat Cardenas![Cat Cardenas's Profile Photo]()
Being Texan
April 17, 2019
The Beauty of Semana Santa in the Rio Grande Valley
With its mixture of American and Mexican heritage, South Texas does Holy Week like nowhere else.
Border & Immigration
January 16, 2019
“We Just Listened to Him Talk”: Sister Norma Pimentel Describes the Disappointment of Trump’s Border Roundtable
The well-known humanitarian says community leaders weren't even represented in what turned out to be a scripted event touting Trump's plans.
True Crime
September 9, 2016
Cops and Robbers
They were some of the toughest narcs on the border, known for busting smugglers, staging raids, seizing cartel cocaine—and being dirty.
By Katy Vine![Katy Vine's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
January 1, 1996
Bugging Out
Farmers in the Rio Grande Valley are reeling from last year’s crop disaster—and they don’t cotton to agriculture commissioner Rick Perry’s excuses.
News & Politics
January 1, 1996
Water Grab
Why farmers and big-city folk are at war over water. Plus: Jane Nelson for comptroller?
News & Politics
December 1, 1994
The Sheriff Who Went to Pot
Brig Marmolejo may have been convicted of bribery, but he is more than just another crooked cop in South Texas. His is the story of borders easily crossed—the ageless parable of the Rio Grande Valley.
Texas History
September 30, 1992
Screen Gem
Bigger than life, drive-in movies defined America’s giddy age of hula hoops, poodle skirts, and blue suede shoes.
Politics & Policy
September 1, 1986
Vote for Me, Por Favor. Now Let’s Eat
Mix election time, South Texas, and barbecue, and you get the pachanga circuit, where politics and barbecue are served with equal reverence.
Texas History
January 1, 1986
River of Blood
The race war on the range.
Travel & Outdoors
June 1, 1983
Phantom Cat of the Valley
Meet the ocelot, not as pet, not as fur coat, but in its best role—an elusive remnant of Texas’ wild past.