Politics & Policy
February 1, 2023
Florida Politicians Would Love to See More Drilling in Texas. Florida? Not So Much.
Drill, baby, drill! But, uh, over there.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
News & Politics
Politics & Policy
January 31, 2023
Health Care for New Mothers in Texas Is Abysmal. Will the Lege Finally Take Action?
Two key bills with bipartisan support would help keep new moms alive and healthy. But similar efforts have fallen short in past sessions.
Politics & Policy
January 31, 2023
A Republican Lawmaker Wants to Make Sure Foods Containing Fetal Tissue—Say What?—Are Clearly Labeled
Senator Bob Hall’s bill is an unusual measure to address a nonexistent issue.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
The Stand Up Desk
January 30, 2023
January 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn?
You’ve had all month to read the latest issue of Texas Monthly. Take this monthly quiz and we’ll tell you how you stack up at the end.And if you got this quiz from a friend: Hello! We hope you enjoy it. If you do: become a subscriber today, and we’ll send
Politics & Policy
January 30, 2023
Kyle Rittenhouse and What the Right Is Talking About When It Talks About Censorship
Booted from one locale amid outcry, the “Rally Against Censorship” proceeded—with an airing of familiar right-wing grievances.
By Ben Rowen![Ben Rowen's Profile Photo]()
The Stand Up Desk
January 27, 2023
An Author Believed Elon Musk Would Benefit Brownsville. Not Anymore.
National Book Award finalist Domingo Martinez was optimistic about Musk and SpaceX in 2016. Now, he says, “it feels like we sold our souls.”
Politics & Policy
January 26, 2023
How to Survive the Texas Legislature
The ways of the Texas Legislature are confoundingly weird. Here’s a guide to the madness.
By Christopher Hooks![Christopher Hooks's Profile Photo]()
![Forrest Wilder's Profile Photo]()
The Stand Up Desk
January 26, 2023
An Unforgettable Texas Tale of Envy, Embezzlement, and Fruitcake
The writer of an oddball 2016 crime story recalls emailing with an accountant who skimmed $17 million from Corsicana’s Collin Street Bakery.
By Katy Vine![Katy Vine's Profile Photo]()
The Stand Up Desk
January 25, 2023
The True-Crime Classic That Inspired HBO Max’s Forthcoming ‘Love & Death’
In reporting how Candy Montgomery came to murder her lover’s wife, the authors recall trying to capture a “time and place in Texas history.”
By Katy Vine![Katy Vine's Profile Photo]()
![Sierra Juarez's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
January 19, 2023
Michael McCaul Is the Most Powerful Texan in the House. Will He Be Able to Lead Foreign Affairs With a Divided Caucus?
The new chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee discusses divisions in the House on continuing aid to Ukraine, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and more.
Politics & Policy
January 18, 2023
Update: Family Members Press Congress on the Korean War Memorial Wall’s Errors
Families of those who died in the Korean War are asking Congress to investigate why their relatives’ names aren’t on the recently raised memorial wall in Washington, D.C.
By Michael Hall![Michael Hall's Profile Photo]()
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Texas’s Big Ranches Are Still Selling for Big Bucks
Even when interest rates are high, people want a place where they can hunt actual bucks.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The “Come and Take It” Flag Now Symbolizes Something It Never Stood For
On T-shirts and bumper stickers, the flag that flew during the Texas Revolution has had its cannon replaced by an AR-15. Would our ancestors approve?
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The Pastor of Dallas’s First Baptist on W. A. Criswell, Donald Trump, and God Himself
Robert Jeffress resuscitated a once powerful church—and courted controversy too.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Southwest Used to Do Everything Right. What Happened?
Before its recent troubles, the industry giant seemed like the airline to beat.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The Rise and Fall of the Bush Family Dynasty
You can’t blame Jeb.
By Jeff Salamon![Jeff Salamon's Profile Photo]()
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The U.S.-Mexico Border Is Not Just a Line on a Map
As a child, I experienced the boundary between Texas and Mexico as its own distinct place. Now I know why.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
How to Keep a Great Magazine Going
When I started writing for Texas Monthly in 1973, I didn’t expect it to last very long. But it’s still here, five decades later.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Dallas Was the Birthplace of the Microchip Revolution
If your dishwasher works properly, you probably have a long-ago Texas Instruments employee to thank.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Why I Fought for Mexican American Civil Rights in Texas
José Angel Gutiérrez cofounded the Raza Unida Party, one of the most ambitious political forces to emerge from the Chicano Movement.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
A Letter to My Fellow Black Texans About Juneteenth
The day commemorating the emancipation of slaves in Texas says as much about our future as our past.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
No Store Has Grown More Than H-E-B
Why the grocery chain’s rise has proven unstoppable.
By Jeff Salamon![Jeff Salamon's Profile Photo]()
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Sixteen of the Most Influential Texas Business Icons of the Past 50 Years
The names have changed over the decades, but through it all, Texas remains a place where money gets made—and spent.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Sixteen of the Most Influential Texas Political Figures of the Past 50 Years
From John Connally to Lina Hidalgo, these leaders have made Texas the bellwether state for the nation.
By Christopher Hooks![Christopher Hooks's Profile Photo]()
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
How the Texas Rangers Became One of the Most Powerful Forces in the State
Texas’s elite police agency has evolved from a frontier organization to one famed for its expert interrogators. But some high-profile cases have tarnished that reputation.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The Birth of Texas Monthly Is a Very Texan Story
On the occasion of our fiftieth anniversary, we reflect on how far we’ve come—and where we’re headed.
By Dan Goodgame![Dan Goodgame's Profile Photo]()
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The Commercialization of Space: The Final Frontier
How the aeronautical industry’s profit motive achieved escape velocity.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The Daughters of the Republic of Texas Haven’t Left the Alamo
The organization may have lost the right to manage the historical site, but key members still have a major influence on its future.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Comparing Two of the Most Powerful Lieutenant Governors in Texas History
Like Bill Hobby, Dan Patrick has made the most of an inherently powerful position.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
How to Create a Great Magazine Out of Thin Air
Fifty years ago, Texas Monthly was little more than an idea dreamt up by a local lawyer with minimal experience in journalism. Then it was an actual thing. How did that happen?
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Whatever Happened to the Old-fashioned Texas Oilmen?
They washed the crude off their hands and put on suits and ties. Or sensible blazer-and-skirt combos.
By Russell Gold![Russell Gold's Profile Photo]()
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Consider the Windmill
Along with its descendant, the towering wind turbine, this spindly mechanism turns fast and slow, measuring out our days.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Breaking! A Democrat and a Republican Have a Nice, Substantive Conversation
Senfronia Thompson and Tom Craddick are two of the longest-serving Texas legislators—and two of the most collegial . . . usually.
Energy
January 16, 2023
Texas Power Plants Swore They Were Ready for the Next Big Freeze. Many Weren’t.
The state avoided a disaster during the recent Arctic blast, but a sizable number of electricity generators still struggled in the cold.
By Russell Gold![Russell Gold's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
January 13, 2023
Opinion: Lethal Injection Was Once Considered a “Less Barbaric” Form of Execution. Now It’s Clear It’s Inhumane.
After what’s been deemed “the year of the botched execution,” Texas should end the practice.
The Stand Up Desk
January 12, 2023
Three Decades Later, It’s Still Unclear What Killed Tommy Earl Haynes
The career criminal was found dead after a two-day manhunt in East Texas. A writer recalls reporting on the circumstances of Haynes’s death.
Politics & Policy
January 12, 2023
The Lege Sets Its Sights on Voting Rights (Again)
Republicans in the Texas House and Senate have filed a blizzard of bills seeking to crack down on alleged voter fraud and increase state control over elections. Here’s an annotated guide.
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.
By Russell Gold![Russell Gold's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
January 11, 2023
Texas Lawmakers Want to Make It Harder to Know What They’re Doing
State leaders used to invite coverage of their activity. Now the Texas Legislature is making reporting more difficult than ever.
Border & Immigration
January 9, 2023
In El Paso, Joe Biden Embraces Trump’s Border Policies
The president’s brief trip to the Texas border city Sunday inflamed critics of his immigration policies on both the left and right.
Politics & Policy
January 9, 2023
A Republican Takes Aim at Austin’s Logistical Support for Abortion
Representative Candy Noble wants to ensure that governmental entities (i.e., the Capital City) can’t fund travel, childcare, or other support for abortion-seekers.
Business
January 6, 2023
Southwest’s Christmas Mess Has Roots in Its Long Financial Success
The Dallas-based airline has always lagged behind in technology. Its leaders saw that as a feature, not a bug.
Politics & Policy
January 5, 2023
Chip Roy, Bless His Heart
The Central Texas representative who is helping block Kevin McCarthy’s ascent to Speaker of the House has a long history of obstructionism.
Politics & Policy
January 5, 2023
A GOP Lawmaker in Texas Wants to Try Again to Ban Puppy Mills
Representative Jared Patterson’s bill is a second swing at stopping pet stores from getting animals from out-of-state for-profit breeders.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
January 3, 2023
Is Ron DeSantis the Most Powerful Republican in Texas?
Forget Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick. Florida’s governor will be calling the shots when the Texas Legislature returns in January.
Politics & Policy
December 30, 2022
Stories We Wish We’d Published This Year
Fifteen staffers selected their favorite writing about our state that outlets other than Texas Monthly produced in 2022.
Politics & Policy
December 28, 2022
Every Texan Gets $900! And Other Ideas for Spending the State’s Massive Surplus
What should we do with our $27 billion windfall? We asked a variety of Texans for their brightest ideas.
By Russell Gold![Russell Gold's Profile Photo]()
Politics & Policy
December 28, 2022
More Trouble at the ‘Lord’s Mill’
Federal inspectors cited a sawmill run by members of the insular Church of Wells with multiple safety violations.
Politics & Policy
December 22, 2022
A Federal Court Will Rule on Book Bans in Llano. Many in the Community Have Already Made Up Their Minds.
Over the last year, the pulling of a dozen books off county library shelves has split the Hill Country town.
Politics & Policy
December 21, 2022
A Texas GOP Lawmaker Wants to Increase “Viewpoint Diversity” by Banning Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Higher Ed
The legislation would rewrite a portion of the education code to target programs that represent marginalized groups.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()