Houston

Fighting Back

Inspired by th O.J.Simpson case, Texas has taken the lead in fighting domestic violence.

What Does “Jolt” Mean?

Why are so many students in Texas unable to read? The answer is obvious: because the school system has failed them.

We Are the World

An ambitious new exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston suggests Texas is becoming less like itself and more like everyplace else.

Bar Hopper

Tainted Mexican pols sign up a Corpus Christi lawyer.

Texas Twenty: Chelsi Smith

Universally appealing.

By Mimi Swartz

Mimi Swartz

Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston.

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Royalty Pain

Ripe Apple

Twenty years after he began critiquing modern society, Houston writer Max Apple is enjoying the fruits of his labor.

Roe v. World

Twenty-five years after Norma McCorvey joined the flight to legalize abortion, the battle is still raging—and so is she.

Post Script

The only surprise about the closing of Houston’s oldest papers was that it took so long.

Pine and Agony

Biting the Bullet

If you plan to pack heat, you’ll have to go to school first. Here’s what you’re in for.

Entrance of the Zapatista Army into San Cristobal, 1994

Great Mexpectations

By Evan Smith

Evan Smith

Evan Smith is the cofounder of the Texas Tribune, a senior adviser at Emerson Collective, and the former editor in chief and president of Texas Monthly.

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Roky Road

Heroes and Villains

Fear and Loathing

Houston’s gonzo TV reporter Wayne Dolcefino is the best show in town.

When Bush Comes to Shove

The Crying Game

When Houston’s pro sports teams collapse late in the season—as they may do this year—faithful fans like me are never surprised. We’ve almost come to expect it.

The Louie File

Just how good were the good ol' days, when Louie Welch was mayor of Houston?

By Mimi Swartz

Mimi Swartz

Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston.

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In the Wings

Backstage at the Houston Ballet is a world of pastel shadows, brilliant spangles, and anxious waiting.

The Training Ground

To wind up on top in the news business, it pays to start at the bottom.

Fantasy Island

It’s a high-rise developer’s dream. Houston’s old guard wants to turn 34 acres of downtown warehouses into an island of classy shops and pricey condos. They thought they had it wired, until Kathy Whitmire was elected mayor.

Johnson & Johnson

In a glass-and-steel world of Houston skyscrapers, there was nothing like an art deco obelisk or a pink Gothic cathedral until architect Philip Johnson.

Main Street

It’s Houston's driveway, a twenty-mile kaleidoscope of bankers, punkers, strippers, surgeons, students, grackles, and cars.

Easy Street

Houston’s black elite have come a very long way to live in MacGregor Way, the swankiest black neighborhood in Texas, but they still don’t feel safe.

Heavy Breathing

Houston’s air may be a slow killer, but the state and the feds spend more time battling each other than fighting pollution.

The Mistress and the Muscleman

A tale of passion in the double-knit aristocracy.

Why Is Houston Falling Apart?

Because nobody at city hall is doing his job, that’s why.

Three Gentlemen, One Ghost, and a Skyscraper

The intrigue behind the building of Houston’s Texas Commerce Tower was almost as monumental as the 75-story structure itself.

Houston is Better Than Dallas

It is boorish, cluttered, aggravating, rich, beautiful, explosive, titillating, cosmopolitan, endearing, and has a full head of steam.

Dallas Is Better Than Houston

Big D is not called Big D for nothing.

What’s Red, White, and Blue . . . And Orange All Over?

The Orange Show’s 75-year-old creator, Jeff McKissack, still goes dancing and is sure he will live to be a hundred.Never heard of the Orange Show? Then you’ve missed a razzle-dazzle piece of American folk art—an amusement park/sideshow that looks like a topless castle designed by a committee

Big Deal

Did the Sharpstown Scandal really make any difference?

Six West

Staying alive day by day . . . by day.

So Long, Cosmic Cowboys

One giant step backward for the Moonmen.

Publishing: Christy Haubegger

Pitching to a rich niche.