Politics & Policy
April 19, 2017
Party Hopping
As they lose sway among Texas Republicans, big businesses should try something radical: an alliance with Democrats.
Columns
The Texanist
April 19, 2017
The Beach Boys
Me and my skimboarding guru.
Sports
March 22, 2017
Save Muny
The future of Austin’s Lions Municipal Golf Course lies in its historic past.
Business
March 22, 2017
Black Elk Down
How did a small Houston oil company with grand ambitions get caught up in the biggest Ponzi scheme since Bernie Madoff?
The Texanist
February 23, 2017
Happy Texas Week, Y’all!
Come and celebrate It.
Politics & Policy
February 23, 2017
Not So Special Ed
Public school parents with special-ed kids often find themselves squaring off against school districts and the taxpayer-funded lawyers who protect them.
Music
February 23, 2017
A Fanboy’s Notes
Spoon is my favorite band. Spoon has a new album out. It is my favorite Spoon album. That is all.
Texas History
February 23, 2017
The Dark Prince
Memories of the future at a long-gone Dallas hamburger joint.
The Culture
February 21, 2017
Snake!
In West Texas, we've learned to live with our slithery neighbors. Not that we have a choice.
The Texanist
January 25, 2017
Read Before Burning
An ode to the fire pit.
Business
January 25, 2017
Towering Debts
in a state known for austerity, how can Texas's largest cities be nearly broke?
Essay
January 25, 2017
Great Expectations
Sure, I’d polished my résumé, made the right grades, and kept up with current events. But did I deserve one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world if I wanted it for all the wrong reasons?
Music
January 24, 2017
The Sons Also Rise
At his peak, Emilio Navaira was known as the King of Tejano and the Garth Brooks of Texas. Now, months after his death, two of his children are following in his footsteps with a little help from Sting.
Energy
January 24, 2017
Big Oil Roars Back
With Rex Tillerson and Rick Perry on his team, Donald Trump is all set to revive the fortunes of the Texas energy sector.
Country Notes
December 21, 2016
The Earth Below
The skies of West Texas are so grand that it’s easy to forget how much is going on under our feet.
The Texanist
December 21, 2016
Low Stakes on the High Seas
Gambling on a ride aboard the Aransas Queen.
Books
December 21, 2016
Frame by Frame
Decades later, Abraham Zapruder’s infamous film still holds a strange power over us.
Politics & Policy
December 14, 2016
Capitol Crisis
As a new legislative session begins, can lawmakers come together to help the abused and neglected kids in foster care?
The Texanist
November 23, 2016
Cook Like a Texanist
It’s time someone had the courage to ask the most controversial question in the state: To bean or not to bean?
Business
November 23, 2016
The Pot of Cold
How Yeti turned the lowly cooler into a hot commodity—and a white-hot IPO.
Art
November 23, 2016
Wards Matter
Robert Pruitt’s art vividly portrays the lives and dreams of the people who have long called Houston’s rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods home.
Politics & Policy
November 17, 2016
Where Do We Go From Here?
After Trump’s stunning win, Texas’s Republican leaders still face a critical choice.
The Culture
October 19, 2016
The Spirit of ’76
Forty years ago I built forts on Bird Creek, raced at the roller rink, and watched my dad run for mayor of Temple.
Politics & Policy
October 19, 2016
Right Aid
Despite the governor’s rhetoric, welcoming refugees is the Texas thing to do.
Music
October 19, 2016
The Redneck Tenor
The acclaimed opera singer Jay Hunter Morris has traveled the globe, performing Wagner, Puccini, and Bizet. And yet he still feels like a hick from Paris, Texas.
Country Notes
October 19, 2016
Let Fly the Loop
When the chute opens and the steer charges, there’s no place Jimmy Steve Martinez would rather be than on his horse, with a rope in his hand.
Energy
September 21, 2016
Blowout
Four years after his indictment, one of the only people prosecuted for the Deepwater Horizon explosion tells his side of the story.
Politics & Policy
September 21, 2016
Trumpeting Trade
With protectionism sweeping the nation, let’s recall why NAFTA has been so good for Texas.
The Culture
September 21, 2016
Huddle Up
Why tailgating with my family and friends (and a million other fans) is my favorite part of college football.
Art
September 21, 2016
Border Crossings
Can the Texas Contemporary Art Fair turn Houston into a capital of Latin American art?
Music
September 21, 2016
Less Is Norah
On Day Breaks, the Grammy Award–winning singer returns to her roots at the piano. Just don’t call it a back-to-basics album.
The Texanist
August 24, 2016
Endless Summers
Welcome to Camp Honey Creek for girls, where the years tick by but time stands still.
The Culture
August 24, 2016
Cheap Labor
When I needed a new home office, I thought I’d save money by hiring a draftsman. I got what I paid for—and more.
Music
August 24, 2016
Jack Out of the Box
Can former frat-boy fave Jack Ingram finally find his place among the great Texas songwriters?
News & Politics
August 18, 2016
A Different Beat
On the heels of tragedy, community policing in Dallas remains as valuable as ever.
Politics & Policy
July 31, 2016
Memorial Day
Fifty years after the Tower shooting, the University of Texas is finally honoring the victims. What took so long?
Sports
July 26, 2016
At Play in the Fields of the Lord
Baseball, an old and idiosyncratic game, loses and old and idiosyncratic field.
Books
July 20, 2016
Tales of the City
Why do so few novelists write about Houston?
The Texanist
July 20, 2016
A Man of Letters
Our estimable advice columnist answers this burning question: What’s it like to be the Texanist?
Country Notes
July 20, 2016
Toast of the Town
In Marfa, there’s one place where everybody knows your name.
Art
June 22, 2016
Miracle in the Desert
Robert Irwin’s long-awaited Marfa installation is a work like no other: a massive project that reflects the austere, light-filled beauty of West Texas.
Politics & Policy
June 22, 2016
Bathroom Pass
Too many Texas schools are failing, yet our elected officials would rather discuss who’s using which toilet.
Business
June 22, 2016
Out of Gas
How Aubrey McClendon, “America’s most reckless billionaire,” left some Houston energy firms holding the tab.
The Culture
June 22, 2016
Buying the Farm
Life along the Pedernales was everything one could hope for—until it wasn’t.
The Texanist
June 22, 2016
In Memoriam
What Jack Unruh meant to me.
Business
June 9, 2016
Food Fight
Can Walmart displace H-E-B as Texas’s grocer of choice?
The Culture
June 9, 2016
The Newer Testament
How a computer-loving Texas Tech grad launched one of the fastest-growing megachurches in the country.
Sports
June 9, 2016
Delay of Game
Discovering the joys of Friday Night Lights, ten years after everyone else.
The Texanist
May 23, 2016
The Texanist: Bidding Farewell to Supper and Complaining about Cold Tortillas
Our estimable advice columnist on saying “I do” to a potbellied pig, bidding farewell to supper, giving your regards to Texas, and complaining about cold tortillas.
Politics & Policy
May 13, 2016
Spurs of the Moment
They are successful, visionary, and humble. If only we could say the same for our presidential candidates.