Politics & Policy
May 16, 2022
Donald Trump Had Nothing New to Say in Austin. His Fellow Speakers Did.
The former president played the usual hits at a rally Saturday, but rock musician Ted Nugent found new lows.
News & Politics
Politics & Policy
May 13, 2022
An Austin Attorney’s Supreme Court Brief Has Eerie Similarities to Justice Alito’s Leaked Draft Overturning Roe
Jonathan Mitchell, who cooked up the Texas “vigilante” law that effectively made abortion illegal in the state, argues the quiet parts of the majority opinion out loud.
By Mimi Swartz![Mimi Swartz's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
May 12, 2022
Sarah Stogner Has a Lot to Say for Herself
The Texas Railroad Commission candidate stripped down in a campaign video to get attention for her issues—and landed a spot in the May 24 Republican runoff. Which means it’s time to hear her out.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Business
May 11, 2022
The U.S. Is Offering Meat Processors $1 Billion in Grants. Will It Actually Help?
Today’s the deadline to apply for federal aid, but some experts say decreasing regulations and hiring more inspectors would be more useful.
Politics & Policy
May 11, 2022
Don’t Be Certain the Draft Decision Ending Roe Will Drive Texas Turnout
Democratic leaders have predicted that the leaked draft decision will get Texas liberals to the polls. History provides caution.
Politics & Policy
May 10, 2022
Collin College Has a Free Speech Problem
At the sprawling North Texas community college, four professors say they were let go for speaking their minds. They’re not going quietly.
By Ben Rowen![Ben Rowen's Profile Photo]()
Business
May 10, 2022
The Cattle Trader’s Secret Formula
CEO Jim Schwertner credits the persistent success of Capitol Land & Livestock to a data-driven algorithm.
Business
May 9, 2022
Will Elon Musk Deliver on His Promise of an “Ecological Paradise” at the Tesla Factory in Austin?
The massive facility sits along two miles of the Colorado River. Environmentalists want a say in how the development might affect the waterway.
Politics & Policy
May 9, 2022
Texas Abortion Doctors Face a Difficult Choice: To Flee or Not to Flee
With an abortion ban looming as the Supreme Court prepares to overturn Roe, the heartbreak of trying to provide reproductive care is too much for some.
By Peter Holley![Peter Holley's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
May 9, 2022
Rick Perry, Drug Pusher
How did the former governor become a leading advocate for psychedelics?
Politics & Policy
May 6, 2022
Will the Threat to Abortion Rights Shake Up Texas’s Tightest Primary Runoff?
U.S. House candidate Jessica Cisneros predicts it will, but most national Democratic leaders are standing behind the incumbent, Henry Cuellar.
Business
May 5, 2022
When a Quarry Closes, Can Its Damage Be Undone?
Aggregate mining in Texas yields billions of dollars but leaves behind a pockmarked landscape.
Politics & Policy
May 5, 2022
Campaign Cash From Out of State Is Flowing Into Heated School Board Races in the Dallas Suburbs
Frisco is one of Texas’s top school districts. Well-funded candidates for its board are running campaigns designed to stir discontent with public education.
Politics & Policy
May 4, 2022
In a Houston Suburb, Book Bans Fuel a Bitter School Board Race
Two right-wing activists in the high-performing, highly diverse Katy Independent School District aim to unseat incumbents in Saturday’s election.
Politics & Policy
May 4, 2022
What the Bleep Is Going On With Texas Property Taxes?
No, sorry, we can't blame the Californians. Here's more than you ever wanted to know about your home’s skyrocketing appraisal.
Politics & Policy
May 3, 2022
When Reality Meets Wedge-Issue Politics at the Border, Politics Wins
Kevin McCarthy’s trip to Eagle Pass laid bare the bipartisan bankruptcy of U.S. policy.
Politics & Policy
April 29, 2022
Are Texas Republicans on the Verge of Winning Hispanic Majorities?
Greg Abbott says yes. New polling tells a different story.
Politics & Policy
April 27, 2022
Republicans Have Their Knives Out for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo
But for now, her two GOP challengers are busy slashing at each other before the May 24 runoff election.
News & Politics
April 27, 2022
Baylor Grants First Charter to LGBTQ Student Group
The group’s copresident calls the move “baby steps” for the 175-year-old Baptist university.
Energy
April 26, 2022
A New Texas Oil Boom Is Coming, Finally
That is, whenever the industry can sort out supply-chain issues and labor shortages.
By Russell Gold![Russell Gold's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
April 26, 2022
Cancel Culture Comes for Beto O’Rourke
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate says he wants to have a dialogue with Texans of all persuasions. But in one rural community, Republicans worked to make sure he would have no place to talk or listen.
News & Politics
April 22, 2022
Texas Beaches May Be Filthier Than We Realize
A&M researchers say more-robust testing is needed to understand just how much human feces ends up in Gulf waters.
Health
April 21, 2022
How Okra Could Clean Up Our Drinking Water
Researchers at Tarleton State have found an all-natural way to prevent Texans from imbibing quite so many tiny plastic particles.
Politics & Policy
April 20, 2022
Greg Abbott Tried to Act Presidentially. He Might Have Run Afoul of the Law.
A legal expert says the governor’s effective blockading of the border could have violated the U.S. Constitution.
Politics & Policy
April 15, 2022
Greg Abbott’s Unintentionally Warm Welcome of Asylum-Seekers
The governor’s move to bus migrants to D.C. may be an attempt to stick it to Joe Biden, but it’s playing out in ways he didn’t anticipate.
Politics & Policy
April 14, 2022
“Migrant Lockdowns” Are the New Active-Shooter Drills in the Rio Grande Valley
When undocumented immigrants venture near campuses, many schools institute security protocols. But criminal acts by migrants aren't common.
Politics & Policy
April 13, 2022
Is Our Children Learning Too Much?
There’s a long tradition in Texas of moral panics over what schools are teaching kids. The newest iteration is particularly quaint.
Politics & Policy
April 11, 2022
The Dead Sea of West Texas Just Got Deadlier
Dangerous gas leaking from an abandoned well has become an issue in the colorful Railroad Commission runoff election.
By Russell Gold![Russell Gold's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
April 11, 2022
Who Is Greg Abbott?
After a quarter century in statewide office, Texas’s most popular politician remains an enigma—even to the folks who keep electing him. But the truth about the governor is hiding in plain sight.
By Mimi Swartz![Mimi Swartz's Profile Photo]()
Meanwhile, in Texas
April 9, 2022
Meanwhile, in Texas: A Bat Disrupted a Showing of ‘The Batman’
Plus, authorities seized 31 pets from an animal hoarder, and two MMA fighters wrested away a shooter's weapon.
News & Politics
April 8, 2022
A Virtual Revolution in Air Force Training
“Mixed-reality” tools are in development in San Antonio and Wichita Falls for the next generation of airmen.
Politics & Policy
April 8, 2022
Meet the King Ranch Scion Who Wants to Be Texas Land Commissioner
Conservationist, businessman, and filmmaker Jay Kleberg offers unusual qualifications for the job.
Politics & Policy
April 7, 2022
Greg Abbott’s Latest Border Theater
The governor's plans to bus migrants to D.C. and ramp up vehicle inspections at ports of entry have little to do with federal immigration policy.
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
April 5, 2022
Bad News for George P.—Lots of Texas Republicans Just Don’t Like Bushes
Two-fifths of Texas Republicans say they would never vote for a Bush.
Politics & Policy
April 5, 2022
A Texas County Welcomed a Border Militia Last Fall. Now Some Officials Have Grown Weary of It.
The Patriots for America answered Kinney County's call for help cracking down on immigration. The group's methods concern civil liberties groups.
Politics & Policy
April 4, 2022
Texas Abortion Providers Feel “Ignored” by the Biden Administration
After the state’s abortion ban went into effect last year, the president promised a response that experts say has not materialized.
Politics & Policy
April 2, 2022
Texas Log Cabin Republicans Will Settle for a Slightly-Bigger-Tent GOP
At an event of the group of “GLBT” conservatives in Houston, speakers studiously avoided discussion of their party’s anti-trans policies.
Politics & Policy
March 29, 2022
Lina Hidalgo Aides Are Accused of Steering a Contract to an Ally. Internal Communications Paint a Murkier Picture.
Documents shared with Texas Monthly reveal the thinking of some of the Harris County Judge’s staffers in awarding an $11 million bid.
Best Thing in Texas
March 28, 2022
The Teen Who Drove Through a Tornado Got a New Truck (and a Job Offer From Whataburger)
Elgin's Riley Leon survived a harrowing encounter with a tornado. Now the community is getting him back on his feet.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
March 28, 2022
A Fundamentalist East Texas Church Bought a Sawmill. Injuries and Child Labor Violations Began to Pile Up.
Almost 25 percent of severe injuries at mills in the state since 2017 have occurred at a single facility, owned by members of the Church of Wells.
News & Politics
March 24, 2022
Corpus Christi’s Crappy Sewage System Begins Its Cleanup
For years, raw sewage has overwhelmed the city’s aging wastewater infrastructure. It’s spending $725 million to try to stop that.
Texas History
March 24, 2022
Tayhlor Coleman Didn’t Know How Hard Texas Made It to Vote—Until She Started Living the #Vanlife
The seventh-generation Texan is roaming the state in her van, registering voters—and digging into her family's history in the long struggle for voting rights.
Politics & Policy
March 21, 2022
Democratic Voters Aren’t Behaving as if They Think Ken Paxton Is Vulnerable
Texas’s attorney general is seen as the most beatable statewide Republican, but Rochelle Garza and Joe Jaworski are struggling to motivate the Democratic base.
Health
March 21, 2022
Your Pets Have Been Getting COVID-19 Too. Here’s Why That Matters.
A team of scientists at Texas A&M has been testing cats and dogs throughout the pandemic. The CDC is furry interested.
News & Politics
March 17, 2022
Seven Texas Teachers on the State of Education: “I’m Tired of Getting Punched.”
After two years of hell, Texas teachers are burned-out, angry, tired—and sounding the alarm about public education.
By Forrest Wilder![Forrest Wilder's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
March 15, 2022
Wendy Davis Lost Her Fight Against Abortion Restrictions. A New Documentary Pretends She Won.
‘Shouting Down Midnight’ is a hagiography of the state senator that tries to impose a triumph narrative for Texas Democrats where none exists.
Politics & Policy
March 14, 2022
How a 27-Year-Old Texan Became the Face of Russia’s American TV Network as It Imploded
The Russian-funded network may have folded, but Texas native Rachel Blevins is still propagandizing for Putin.
Meanwhile, in Texas
March 12, 2022
Meanwhile, in Texas : A Vacation Suite Overlooking a Giraffe Barn Goes Viral
Plus, José Altuve pays a fan a visit, and a woman tries to smuggle four spider monkeys into the U.S. in a duffel bag.
Energy
March 11, 2022
$100 Oil Is Back! Why Isn’t Texas Drilling?
Russia’s war on Ukraine has made it practically patriotic to pump oil, but the Permian hasn’t ramped up production. Don’t blame Washington. Blame Wall Street.
By Russell Gold![Russell Gold's Profile Photo]()