Critters
August 24, 2018
Who’s Killing Buck Birdsong’s Cows?
Life on the ranch was hard enough already, and full of uncertainty. Then a string of dead calves turned up, and everything pointed to murder. But why? And how? A Longview mystery.
Features
Books
August 24, 2018
The Man Who Walked Backward
When the Great Depression put Plennie Wingo’s bustling Abilene cafe out of business, he tried to find fame, fortune, and a sense of meaning the only way he knew how: by embarking on an audacious trip around the world on foot. In reverse.
The Culture
August 2, 2018
Capturing the New Soul of Lockhart
Behind the scenes of our August cover shoot.
Health
July 27, 2018
The High-Stakes Race to Create the World’s First Artificial Heart
In this exclusive excerpt from 'Ticker: The Quest to Create an Artificial Heart,' world-renowned Houston surgeon Bud Frazier races to help an ailing patient by implanting a revolutionary device that may one day save millions of lives.
The Texanist
July 25, 2018
The Texanist: Great Small Towns That Have Gone Untouched by a Hipster
The Texanist on five great small towns that are (pretty much) just like they always were and don’t need to change at all.
The Culture
July 25, 2018
Small Towns: Where to Stay, Eat, Shop, and Find Creative Inspiration
These intimate retreats, elevated restaurants, stylish boutiques, and sophisticated art spaces would be right at home in the big city.
True Crime
July 20, 2018
Schlitterbahn’s Tragic Slide
Jeff Henry often said that his goal in life was to make customers of his family’s legendary water parks happy—“to put a smile on their faces, to give them a thrill or two.” It was a beautiful vision. Until it went horribly wrong.
BBQ
June 22, 2018
Where to Find the Heart of Texas Barbecue
Wyatt McSpadden’s latest collection of photographs is a call to action to explore and discover the joints you find on the backroads and in small towns.
The Culture
June 22, 2018
Mom, in Touch
My mom’s handwritten notes were an abiding feature of my childhood. They offered wisdom, encouragement, and comfort—and they continued to arrive long after her death.
Politics & Policy
June 8, 2018
How Houston Lost Its Mind Over a Trump Shirt
Outside a cookie shop in one of Houston’s most idyllic neighborhoods, a West University Place council member spied Trump’s name on a teenager’s shirt and yelled a few of the president’s worst words at her. Then the internet found out. It's springtime in the age of hysteria.
True Crime
May 30, 2018
Stolen Youth: Modern-Day Slavery in Texas
When Given Kachepa first arrived from Zambia as a young boy, he expected to sing in a choir and gain an education. Instead he was forced into servitude.
May 29, 2018
Can a Transgender Woman Get Justice in Texas?
After Aliah Hernandez was brutally beaten in a New Braunfels motel room, her attacker walked away free.
Music
May 29, 2018
Growing Up With Steve Miller
Eleven years ago, the man who topped the charts with ‘The Joker’ and ‘Rock’n Me’ took a thirteen-year-old guitarist and would-be songwriter under his wing. Eleven years later, he’s still teaching me lessons on how to be an adult.
Travel & Outdoors
May 23, 2018
“We Need People to Come and Support Us Right Now.”
Dispatches from the restaurant, retail, and lodging owners in Port Aransas.
Hunting & Fishing
May 23, 2018
The Rockport Report: Birding, Fishing, and Coastline Updates
There are some bright spots and signs of hope as the area recovers and rebuilds. The fish and birds are waiting for you.
Health
April 18, 2018
Mothers in Peril
A harrowing journey through Houston’s health care system offers an inside look at why so many women are dying after giving birth.
True Crime
April 18, 2018
The Doting Boyfriend Who Robbed Armored Cars
Beginning in 2015, Houston was plagued by a series of brutal armored car robberies that bewildered FBI agents for nearly two years. To finally bring down the unassuming mastermind behind it all, the agents had to stage an elaborate trap—and catch him in the act.
The Culture
April 13, 2018
San Antonio at 300
A massive urban renewal project that’s reviving the plaza culture. An Alamo fight centuries in the making. Avant-garde Mexican food inspired by Maya trade routes. Three hundred years after the city’s founding, San Antonio might just be the most interesting city in America.
Style & Design
April 13, 2018
The Alamo Is Still Under Siege
How San Antonio handles the Alamo Plaza redevelopment will say a lot about what kind of city it wants to become.
Art
April 13, 2018
Why San Antonio Is the Best City in Texas for Artists
Artists Ana Fernandez and Cruz Ortiz on finding inspiration in their hometown.
The Culture
April 13, 2018
San Antonio Is a City of Metamorphosis
Though the city’s Tricentennial Commission has thus far been a dismal failure, creative residents have found a way to celebrate their complex history and promising future.
Sports
April 13, 2018
Tim Duncan Has a Car Story for You
The future Hall of Famer hangs with his buddy, Jason Pena, at their joint venture, BlackJack Speed Shop.
The Culture
April 13, 2018
Maverick Still Haunts the City
The poet Naomi Shihab Nye pays tribute to Maury Maverick, Jr., one of San Antonio's greatest sons.
Food & Drink
April 13, 2018
The Most Innovative Mexican Fare Is Thousands of Years Old
Chefs Rico Torres and Diego Galicia have earned national acclaim for their newfangled takes on age-old dishes.
Business
April 13, 2018
How Two Billionaire Entrepreneurs Are Reinventing San Antonio
Kit Goldsbury made his fortune in Pace Picante sauce, and Graham Weston in the cloud computing company Rackspace. Now the billionaire philanthropists are leading ambitious urban renewal projects.
Music
April 13, 2018
Not Your Grandfather’s Conjunto
Rapper Marco Cervantes, who performs as Mexican Stepgrandfather, and Álvaro Del Norte, founder of the accordion-powered punk rock band Piñata Protest, discuss their inspirations.
Texas History
April 13, 2018
The Remarkable Rise of One of Texas’s Most Accomplished Families
How an African-American family managed to rise to prominence during the height of Jim Crow-era segregation.
Food & Drink
April 13, 2018
San Antonio Restaurants That Have Stood the Test of Time
Native Nicki Longoria offers up her favorites from before the city’s big culinary boom.
The Culture
April 13, 2018
The Future Is Bilingual
Former state senator Leticia Van de Putte and Representative Diego Bernal discuss the childhood experiences that shaped their priorities for San Antonio’s—and the state’s—public schools.
Music
April 13, 2018
Our San Antonio Playlist: Music That Captures the City in Its 300th Year
From Tejano to punk and hip-hop, there's so much great music coming out of San Antonio today.
Style & Design
April 13, 2018
Rob the Original’s Hair Designs Are the Real MVPs
San Antonio barber Rob Ferrel on the origins of his famous hair designs.
The Culture
April 13, 2018
How to Make Your Own Shangri-la
Hairdresser and local celebrity Karlos Anzoategui, known as Karlos With a K, on throwing the most memorable parties in town.
Texas History
April 13, 2018
San Antonio Is the Mother of Texas
The city that gave birth to the republic continues to nourish the traits that distinguish the state’s character.
Politics & Policy
March 21, 2018
War of Words: Meet the Texan Trolling for Putin
In 2014, Russell Bonner Bentley was a middle-aged arborist living in Austin. Now he’s a local celebrity in a war-torn region of Ukraine. His journey reveals a troubling development in Putin’s information war.
True Crime
March 21, 2018
The FBI Agent Who Can’t Stop Thinking About Waco
A quarter century after 82 Branch Davidians and 4 federal officers died outside Waco, retired FBI agent Byron Sage still can't stop thinking—and arguing—about what happened.
True Crime
February 21, 2018
The Girl Who Told the Truth
A decade ago, Gabby Sones accused her parents and five others of running the most depraved child sex ring in Texas history. Now she’s ready to clear their names.
Food & Drink
February 19, 2018
2018’s 10 Best New Restaurants in Texas
Where to Eat Now: The state’s best chefs are serving up quail egg shooters, smoked chocolate cake, and a sense of adventure.
Business
January 23, 2018
15 Innovators Reshaping Texas
Today’s wildcatters find rich veins of opportunity in everything from tortillas to interplanetary travel. Meet the dreamers and risk-takers shaping our future.
January 23, 2018
The Astronaut Who Might Actually Get Us to Mars
As an eighteen-year-old immigrant to the U.S., Franklin Chang Díaz dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Now, decades after tying the record for most spaceflights, he might be the best bet to get us to Mars.
News & Politics
January 17, 2018
How Whitney Wolfe Herd Changed the Dating Game
The first time I heard about Bumble, I was complaining about dating apps, a favorite pastime of those of us consigned to them. This was December 2015, and I’d spent four months swiping right (but mostly left) on Tinder. It had yielded three good dates, one of which turned
Bum Steers
December 21, 2017
Bum Steer Awards 2018 No. 6: Bob McNair
The Houston Texans owner nabs sixth place, for saying of his players’ decision to kneel during the National Anthem: “We can’t have the inmates running the prison.”
Politics & Policy
December 21, 2017
Bum Steer Awards 2018
This year, virtually everyone embarrassed themselves—and the rest of us.
Bum Steers
December 21, 2017
Bum Steer Awards 2018 No. 3: The Travis County DA’s Office
The Austin-based office captured third place for the botched investigation of state representative Dawnna Dukes.
Bum Steers
December 21, 2017
Bum Steer Awards 2018 No. 8: Lamar Smith
The outgoing congressman takes eighth place for his refusal to face the truth about climate change.
Bum Steers
December 21, 2017
Bum Steer Awards 2018 No. 7: Louie Gohmert
The East Texas congressman takes seventh place for his wack-job debut as an infographic creator.
Bum Steers
December 21, 2017
Bum Steer Awards 2018 No. 1: Dan Patrick
Our lieutenant governor, for his eagerness to squander his power, waste our time, and drag Texas politics into the bathroom, is our Bum Steer of the Year.
Politics & Policy
December 21, 2017
Ted Cruz Is (Still) Running for President
As his first term in the U.S. Senate comes to a close, Cruz is already gearing up for the next big election.
Humor
December 21, 2017
Bum Steer Awards 2018 No. 2: Mother Nature
The Mistress of the Elements occupies second place—for being really, really mean to Texas.
Bum Steers
December 21, 2017
Bum Steer Awards 2018: The Rest of the List
The eight infamous Steers celebrated elsewhere in this package had a lot of company this year in our hall of shame. Here are another fifty or so Texans deserving of some ignominy.
Bum Steers
December 21, 2017
Bum Steer Awards 2018 No. 4: The Texas Democratic Party
Landing in fourth place, the state government’s also-ran loyal opposition, for going missing in action, year after year.