News & Politics
March 12, 2021
In Dallas, an Activist Brings Hope to Vaccination Deserts
Racial disparities persist in the distribution of COVID-19 shots, but Leslie Cannon has been working for months to close the gap.
COVID-19
Sports
March 10, 2021
The Texas Rangers Plan to Fill Their Stadium, Pandemic Be Damned
The team finished in last place in front of cardboard fans in 2020, but it’s the first in American pro sports to reopen to full capacity.
Food
March 8, 2021
“A Matter of Life and Death”: Latino Food Workers Are Terrified as COVID-19 Restrictions End
They fear that the end of the mask mandate and the influx of spring break crowds is a recipe for danger.
Politics & Policy
March 2, 2021
Greg Abbott Celebrated Texas Independence Day by Ending COVID-19 Restrictions
The vast majority of Texans have yet to receive a single dose of vaccine, but the state is done imposing public health measures.
Health
February 24, 2021
“Scheduling Angels” Are Scouring the Internet to Book Vaccine Appointments for Strangers
Volunteers across Texas have stepped up to help seniors, non-English speakers, and others in need navigate an opaque system.
Health
February 22, 2021
The Winter Storm Set Texas Far Back in COVID-19 Vaccinations
Infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Hotez describes last week’s statewide disaster as a harmful delay “in the face of an advancing enemy.”…
Health
February 15, 2021
Has a UT Professor Found a Way to Stop COVID-19 Vaccines From Spoiling?
The pharmaceutical industry may not be ready for a coronavirus medicine you can chew like fruit leather.
Health
February 1, 2021
Newly Vaccinated Boomers Are Ready to Get Down
While much of the under-65 population awaits their COVID-19 vaccines, the generation that invented sex, drugs, and rock and roll is about to run amok.
Health
January 22, 2021
Millions More Texans Have Had COVID-19 Than We Like to Pretend
The official case count doesn’t reflect the pandemic’s reality. I found the satisfaction of ferreting out the actual number to be cold comfort.
News
January 9, 2021
Greg Abbott’s Politics Create a Vaccine Stampede
After his denying local authorities tools to combat community spread, it’s no wonder Texans are desperate for vaccinations to save us from COVID-19’s renewed surge.
Arts & Entertainment
January 8, 2021
With Theaters Closed, Austin Thespians Embrace Audio Dramas, Drive-through Musicals, and Plays by Mail
The city’s resourceful artists are connecting with audiences everywhere but on stage.
Being Texan
January 1, 2021
“This Pandemic Isn’t Finished With Us Yet. Until Then, I’m Sleeping With One Eye Open.”
Chefs, musicians, gardeners, and one very enthusiastic librarian tell Texas Monthly about their New Year’s rituals and plans for 2021.
Health
December 22, 2020
San Antonio’s Bus Drivers Have Stepped Up During the Pandemic
Watch the video to follow Bobby Richardson and others as they deliver food, and support, to the families along their routes.
Politics & Policy
December 22, 2020
“You See So Much in Our Field You Wouldn’t Believe”: San Antonio School Bus Drivers Have Become Relief Workers
Food insecurity has soared during the pandemic, but Alamo City bus drivers came up with a solution: get food to the hungry.
Politics & Policy
December 16, 2020
Bum Steer Awards, 2021: The COVID Nineteen
The not-quite-twenty Texans who spectacularly disgraced themselves during the pandemic.
Best Thing In Texas
December 16, 2020
The Best Things in Texas, 2021
Not everything that happened last year was terrible. Here are a few reasons we kept hope alive.
Sports
December 7, 2020
Why Boxing’s Biggest Events Have Found Their Way to Texas During the Pandemic
The answer can be found in the large crowd that attended DeSoto native Errol Spence's win over Danny Garcia.
Health
December 3, 2020
The COVID-19 Vaccines Are Coming. Is Texas Ready?
Escaping an unprecedented health crisis will require an unprecedented effort for the state’s chronically underfunded public health system.
Health
December 2, 2020
How a Llama and a University of Texas Lab Led to the Most Promising COVID-19 Treatment Yet
Researchers Daniel Wrapp and Jason McLellan owe a scientific honor they won this week to a Belgian camelid named Winter.
Health
December 2, 2020
This ER Doctor and Brownsville Native Is Advising Biden’s COVID-19 Response
Robert Rodriguez tended to patients in the Rio Grande Valley as cases surged last summer, and he’s taken that experience to serving on the president-elect’s pandemic task force.
News & Politics
November 25, 2020
For Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Social Distancing Is Not an Option
How Texas grandfamilies navigated the school reopening process during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health
November 17, 2020
COVID Is Everywhere, Even in “the Last COVID-Free County”
In Loving County, residents still feel the specter of the pandemic.
Health
November 17, 2020
El Paso Natives Face a Holiday Season Far From Home as Their City Suffers
For those who hail from the COVID-19 hot spot, isolation from family this Thanksgiving and Christmas is especially painful.
Health
November 11, 2020
Texas Hits 1 Million COVID-19 Cases—More Than Any Other State
A new surge in infections is underway, though transmission rates are down in some areas, and new treatments are reducing the death rate.
Border & Immigration
November 6, 2020
El Paso’s COVID-19 Spike Is a Binational Problem
Leaders on both sides of the Rio Grande claim border crossings, an aspect of daily life in the region, have contributed to the recent surge in infections.
Politics & Policy
October 12, 2020
Virtual or Viral? Candidates Face Tough Choices About How to Campaign During a Pandemic.
An all-virtual election bid might be the right thing to do. But will it cost some Democrats their races?…
Tacos
September 22, 2020
How to Get Your Taco Fix Safely During the Pandemic
Nine tips for sampling the state's taco scene without jeopardizing your health or anyone else’s.
Health
September 15, 2020
Desperate for a Coronavirus Cure, Uninsured San Antonians Flock to Healers and Psychics
As COVID-19 spreads, some Hispanic San Antonians are relying on sage, psychics, and prayer.
Politics & Policy
August 4, 2020
UT’s Plan for Reopening Is to Hope College Students Stop Acting Like College Students
UT-Austin hit students with a request that at any other time would have seemed ridiculous: before classes start, would they please spend 14 days in self-quarantine?…
Music
July 30, 2020
On Texas Time: David Ramirez, a Prolific and Heartrending Austin Musician
The songwriter on creativity in a time of crisis and how he’s seeking camaraderie in isolation.
Politics & Policy
July 30, 2020
Congressman Gohmert Has Had a Louie of a Week
The East Texas Republican tested positive for the coronavirus after refusing to wear a mask—which almost made us forget about his supporters allegedly beating up his opponent’s campaign manager.
Food & Drink
July 27, 2020
This San Antonio Bakery Will Ship Pastries to Your Door—Wherever You Live in Texas
Three words: tequila almond croissant.
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.
Health
July 23, 2020
With Students Returning to Campuses This Fall, Contact Tracing Is Key
Texas A&M epidemiologist Dr. Rebecca Fischer on the critical systems being put in place to maximize safety in an uncertain time.
Politics & Policy
July 22, 2020
Nearly Two Thirds of Texans Say That COVID-19 Is “Out of Control”
New polling indicates that the governor’s office is lagging behind mainstream opinion of the coronavirus pandemic.
Business
July 22, 2020
No Store Did More: How H-E-B Became a Model of Emergency Preparedness
It's not just the pandemic. Texas's beloved grocery chain has been developing its disaster response for more than a decade.
Politics & Policy
July 17, 2020
Greg Abbott’s Penchant for the Path of Least Resistance Has Led Texas to the Brink of Disaster
The COVID-19 crisis is the predictable result of the governor muddling through things.
Health
July 10, 2020
Dr. Peter J. Hotez on How the Federal Government Failed Texas on the Coronavirus
On the National Podcast of Texas, the pioneering vaccine scientist explains why he believes the White House has put Texans in grave danger.
Health
July 9, 2020
Mr. Westbrook’s Last Song
He was a high school band director and the cornerstone of a lively music scene in southeast Texas—and then a Saturday night gig exposed him to the coronavirus.
The Texanist
July 2, 2020
The Texanist: Is It a Good Idea to Visit West Texas in the Middle of a Pandemic?
A Houston man would like to maintain an annual summer tradition.
Politics & Policy
June 26, 2020
The COVID-Related Death of a Local Republican Official Points to the Risks of an In-Person Texas GOP Convention
Days after he attended his county party convention, Bill Baker was hospitalized with COVID-19. In three weeks, more than 7,000 Republicans will descend on Houston.
Politics & Policy
June 18, 2020
The Next Legislature Will Meet Amid an Economic Nightmare. What Could Go Wrong?
It's March 2021 and Democrats are in power again, the state budget is a bloodbath, and the coronavirus stalks the Capitol.
Health
June 9, 2020
Is Texas Headed Toward a Second Wave of COVID-19 Infections?
All of the trend lines in Texas are going the wrong way.
Business
June 4, 2020
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly Yearns for the Days When We Argued About Reclining Seats
On the National Podcast of Texas, the leader of the beleaguered, but beloved, Dallas carrier on what it will take to survive the pandemic.
Health
June 3, 2020
A New Texas COVID-19 Tracker Offers a Ton of Useful Information
The Texas 2036 project organizes information from the state, Google, and the media to provide a clear picture of the state of the pandemic in Texas.
Politics & Policy
May 29, 2020
Congressman Michael C. Burgess on Balancing Public Health and the Economy
On a special edition of The National Podcast of Texas, the legislator and medical doctor weighs in on Texas’s reopening, masks, and Trump’s reelection chances.
Politics & Policy
May 29, 2020
The 29-Year-Old Bodybuilder Behind the Armed Effort to Reopen Texas
A month ago Philip Archibald was a frustrated small business owner locked inside his Dallas home. Now he commands a heavily armed network of anti-lockdown vigilantes, some with extremist leanings.
Tacos
May 22, 2020
José Ralat Believes the Taco Is Pandemic-Proof
On a special edition of The National Podcast of Texas, our taco editor and the author of ‘American Tacos’ on the resilience of “the perfect food.”…
Health
May 20, 2020
The Dr. Fauci of South Texas
Laredo cardiologist Ricardo Cigarroa is on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, making house calls and “dealing hard doses of truth.”…
Politics & Policy
May 20, 2020
Can the ‘Texas Miracle’ Survive?
With a virus-infected economy and an oil bust to boot, the Texas model is facing an unprecedented crisis.