Texas Monthly https://www.texasmonthly.com/ Covering Texas news, politics, food, history, crime, music, and everything in between for more than fifty years. Fri, 21 Aug 2026 18:35:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.7 Charley Crockett Is at War With Jack White (and Satan). Thank God. https://www.texasmonthly.com/culture/charley-crockett-jack-white-beef/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/culture/charley-crockett-jack-white-beef/#respond Fri, 21 Aug 2026 18:32:13 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?p=993120 Digital subscribers can listen to this article. Subscribe today for unlimited access to Texas Monthly. Already a subscriber? Log in. Country music in the year of our Lord 2026 has been, well, pretty dang boring. There’s been one good hit song sitting at the top of the charts—“Choosin’ Texas,” which came out last October and still slaps—a very good Kacey Musgraves album; perfectly okay records from Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, and Shaboozey; a listenable country-ish single from Taylor Swift; and not much else to get excited about. The current top five albums on Billboard’s country chart are all by either Ella Langley or Morgan Wallen, only one of which came out this year. (The duo also own four of the top five songs on Billboard’s country…

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/culture/charley-crockett-jack-white-beef/feed/ 0 Come for the Famous Beef Ribs, Stay for the Giant Onion Rings https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/big-smiths-bar-b-q-sulphur-springs/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/big-smiths-bar-b-q-sulphur-springs/#respond Fri, 21 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?p=991256 Digital subscribers can listen to this article. Subscribe today for unlimited access to Texas Monthly. Already a subscriber? Log in. Last December, Steve and Donna Smith announced they’d be closing Big Smith’s Bar-B-Q, in Sulphur Springs, after 36 years in business. It was time for the couple to retire, but some locals thought the place still had plenty of good years left in it. “We hated to see it go,” Jarred Pickett said. When his friend Walt Gamblin called him after seeing the news, they decided to purchase the business—which he estimates is the oldest restaurant in Hopkins County—from the Smiths. After the building was renovated, deep cleaned, and outfitted with a new painted sign, Big Smith’s reopened in April.Both men were born and raised in…

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/big-smiths-bar-b-q-sulphur-springs/feed/ 0 Questions We’d Ask Ken Paxton and James Talarico in a Texas Senate Debate https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/paxton-talarico-debate-questions/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/paxton-talarico-debate-questions/#respond Fri, 21 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?p=992978 Digital subscribers can listen to this article. Subscribe today for unlimited access to Texas Monthly. Already a subscriber? Log in. There are a lot of questions to ask about the Texas Senate race between James Talarico and Ken Paxton, but this week, the foremost among them is: Will the two ever appear on a debate stage together to actually get asked any of the others? Talarico has agreed to three debates proposed by media outlets, while Paxton’s campaign has vowed to debate but failed to respond to any of the invitations—including one that expired at the end of last week, from Hearst and NBC/Telemundo. Paxton has, up to this point, avoided being asked about things he’d prefer not to talk about, occasionally in a fashion that would…

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/paxton-talarico-debate-questions/feed/ 0 The Daily Crossword: August 21, 2026 https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-21-2026/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-21-2026/#respond Fri, 21 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?post_type=game&p=992166

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-21-2026/feed/ 0 Word Wrangler: August 21, 2026 https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-21-2026/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-21-2026/#respond Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:59:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?post_type=game&p=992121

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-21-2026/feed/ 0 Two Big Bend Outfitters Speak Out on Acts of Resistance—and Fractured Relationships https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/big-bend-border-wall-resistance/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/big-bend-border-wall-resistance/#respond Thu, 20 Aug 2026 17:20:15 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?p=992843 Digital subscribers can listen to this article. Subscribe today for unlimited access to Texas Monthly. Already a subscriber? Log in. When construction crews employed by the Department of Homeland Security began bulldozing natural habitat this month at Santa Elena Canyon, an iconic symbol of Big Bend National Park and the region, Tara Shackelford and Joe Lorenz were among the many Texans to look on in horror. The couple operate Hidden Dagger Adventures, an outfitter based in Marathon that leads paddling and hiking trips in the park. For months, they’ve watched the government threaten the land they love; now they’re watching it be destroyed.On Monday, after days of public outcry, Customs and Border Protection commissioner Rodney Scott announced he was pausing the construction until he conducts a…

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/big-bend-border-wall-resistance/feed/ 0 Making Peace With the River https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/kerr-county-flood-david-carpenter/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/kerr-county-flood-david-carpenter/#respond Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?p=992410 Digital subscribers can listen to this article. Subscribe today for unlimited access to Texas Monthly. Already a subscriber? Log in. It was raining steadily the afternoon of July 15 as David Carpenter laid out an array of waterproof headlamps and emergency flashlights on his living room couch. He packed his white F-250 truck with a bag of climbing ropes and gear, another with a wet suit and diving gear, and an arsenal of chainsaws, hatchets, a sledgehammer, a medical backboard, and a first aid kit. It was the third day of heavy rain, and across Kerr County, his friends were packing their own bags of rescue equipment as they prepared for the worst: Meteorologists predicted another catastrophic flood could be imminent. “The neighbors were so vigilant,…

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/kerr-county-flood-david-carpenter/feed/ 0 He’s the Best Up-and-Coming Chef in the Country. It Might Help Him Stay Here. https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/adrian-torres-chef-maximo-houston/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/adrian-torres-chef-maximo-houston/#respond Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?p=992699 Digital subscribers can listen to this article. Subscribe today for unlimited access to Texas Monthly. Already a subscriber? Log in. Adrian Torres was at breakfast when his life changed. The 27-year-old chef sat at a floral-print oilcloth-covered table at Puebla Mexican Kitchen—one of his favorite restaurants, in Houston’s Heights neighborhood—surrounded by his fiancée and friends, all waiting to hear the news. The group shed their morning grogginess with plates of saucy enchiladas, salsa-lacquered chilaquiles, and migas, featuring soft tumbles of scrambled eggs and crunchy tortilla strips.It was March 31, announcement day for the 2026 finalists of the James Beard Awards, the highest honors in the U.S. restaurant and hospitality industries. Torres, the executive chef of contemporary Mexican restaurant Maximo, in Houston’s tony West University Place enclave,…

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/adrian-torres-chef-maximo-houston/feed/ 0 The Daily Crossword: August 20, 2026 https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-20-2026/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-20-2026/#respond Thu, 20 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?post_type=game&p=992164

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-20-2026/feed/ 0 Word Wrangler: August 20, 2026 https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-20-2026/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-20-2026/#respond Thu, 20 Aug 2026 09:59:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?post_type=game&p=992116

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-20-2026/feed/ 0 ‘Texas Monthly Presents: The Story’ Is Back for a Second Season https://www.texasmonthly.com/press-room/texas-monthly-presents-the-story-second-season/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/press-room/texas-monthly-presents-the-story-second-season/#respond Wed, 19 Aug 2026 17:19:11 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?p=992717 After a successful debut season that brought Texas Monthly’s celebrated journalism from the page to the screen, Texas Monthly Presents: The Story is back with a second season. New episodes of the award-winning series will air on Texas PBS stations and in select markets nationwide starting Sunday, August 23. Episodes are also available for streaming anywhere in the U.S. through PBS’s app.Building on the first season, which earned four Lone Star Emmys and led to two national PBS specials within six months of its launch, Season 2 will take viewers even deeper into the magazine writers’ captivating reporting journeys. It will continue to show that the storytelling process can be just as illuminating as the story itself.“Through our writers, we see firsthand how stories that…

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/press-room/texas-monthly-presents-the-story-second-season/feed/ 0 The Joshua Ray Walker Documentary ‘Thank You for Listening’ Is Now Streaming on Yahoo https://www.texasmonthly.com/press-room/joshua-ray-walker-documentary-streaming-on-yahoo/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/press-room/joshua-ray-walker-documentary-streaming-on-yahoo/#respond Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:26:56 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?p=992601 Thank You for Listening, a short film chronicling country artist Joshua Ray Walker’s journey of hope, healing, and resilience following a life-altering cancer diagnosis, is now exclusively available for streaming on Yahoo. The film, presented by Texas Monthly, takes viewers along on Walker’s personal exploration of the fragility of life, the legacy he wants to create, and the sustaining power of music as the Dallas native works toward a return to the legendary Grand Ole Opry. “Josh let us into one of the hardest chapters of his life, and what we found there wasn’t just about a cancer diagnosis or country music. It was about what makes a person want to keep going. We hope that lands for people, wherever they’re watching from,” said Emmy- and Peabody-winning…

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/press-room/joshua-ray-walker-documentary-streaming-on-yahoo/feed/ 0 How to Kill a Cockroach in 34 Easy Steps https://www.texasmonthly.com/culture/how-to-kill-a-cockroach/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/culture/how-to-kill-a-cockroach/#respond Wed, 19 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?p=992478 Digital subscribers can listen to this article. Subscribe today for unlimited access to Texas Monthly. Already a subscriber? Log in. Everyone is jealous of my treehouse. I live on the second floor of a duplex in Austin that is surrounded by ancient pecan trees, each at least four stories high. In the morning my eyes flutter open to the gentle caress of sunlight dappled by leaves.But as any seasoned Texan can and will tell you, with great big trees come great big roaches. Perhaps no one is more jealous of my treehouse than they. Every night they emerge as soon as I dim my lights, and every morning I am greeted by the remnants of what I suspect are nightly insect raves, the casualties splayed on…

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/culture/how-to-kill-a-cockroach/feed/ 0 Why State Leaders Are Finally Breaking Their Silence on the Big Bend Wall https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/big-bend-construction-texas-leaders/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/big-bend-construction-texas-leaders/#respond Wed, 19 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?p=992596 Digital subscribers can listen to this article. Subscribe today for unlimited access to Texas Monthly. Already a subscriber? Log in. Donald Trump once bragged that he could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and not lose his supporters’ faith. In the Big Bend region, the Trump administration has been figuratively shooting Texans in the face while the state’s leaders do virtually nothing. In recent weeks, bulldozers began ripping up Texas’s last, best wilderness—the one place that still honors the state’s mythology of wide-open spaces and endless frontier. Even with the federal boot heel (for now) off the neck of Big Bend National Park, it’s preparing to press down on the rest of the vast region with a mix of thirty-foot border walls, vehicle barriers,…

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/big-bend-construction-texas-leaders/feed/ 0 The Daily Crossword: August 19, 2026 https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-19-2026/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-19-2026/#respond Wed, 19 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?post_type=game&p=992143

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-19-2026/feed/ 0 Word Wrangler: August 19, 2026 https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-19-2026/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-19-2026/#respond Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:59:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?post_type=game&p=992112

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-19-2026/feed/ 0 How One Barbecue Expert Transcended the Social Media Grind https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/jess-pryles-barbecue-influencer/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/jess-pryles-barbecue-influencer/#respond Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?p=991729 Digital subscribers can listen to this article. Subscribe today for unlimited access to Texas Monthly. Already a subscriber? Log in. Having a successful social media career is like “building your dream house on rented land,” Jess Pryles said. In 2023, she thought her lease was running out. Despite producing cooking, hunting, and barbecue content on Instagram for fourteen years, her follower count had plateaued at around 150,000 followers. The previous year, she had completed an online course at Iowa State University to receive a graduate certificate in meat science. She thought some formal education might finally legitimize her meat knowledge to online skeptics who couldn’t quite believe that an Australian woman was teaching Texans about cooking beef, but the algorithm doesn’t reward wisdom. “The older your…

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/jess-pryles-barbecue-influencer/feed/ 0 He Cursed at a Public Meeting. Then He Was Arrested. https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/tarrant-county-arrest-public-meeting/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/tarrant-county-arrest-public-meeting/#respond Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?p=992423 Digital subscribers can listen to this article. Subscribe today for unlimited access to Texas Monthly. Already a subscriber? Log in. At first, nothing felt particularly extraordinary about the August 4 meeting. Once again, the Tarrant County Commissioners Court had convened to discuss a proposal to significantly reduce the number of polling sites in the county—this time ahead of the 2026 midterms. And once again, it was met with fierce opposition from local residents, who took the podium one by one to fervently voice their displeasure. Not long into the public-comment period, E. J. Carrion stood before the five-person body, using his one minute of allotted time to passionately warn members that they would be held accountable in the coming elections and chastise a commissioner who had previously…

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/tarrant-county-arrest-public-meeting/feed/ 0 The Daily Crossword: August 18, 2026 https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-18-2026/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-18-2026/#respond Tue, 18 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?post_type=game&p=992141

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-18-2026/feed/ 0 Word Wrangler: August 18, 2026 https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-18-2026/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-18-2026/#respond Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:59:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?post_type=game&p=992108

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-18-2026/feed/ 0 The Sign-of-Our-Times Allure of a Fake Beach Paradise https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/texas-crystal-lagoons/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/texas-crystal-lagoons/#respond Mon, 17 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?p=992206 Digital subscribers can listen to this article. Subscribe today for unlimited access to Texas Monthly. Already a subscriber? Log in. Texas has 367 miles of coastline. The sand may not be pristine, and the water is rarely blue, but until recently, the state’s beaches were generally considered adequate for our needs. What they lacked in sex appeal they made up for in convenience. Of course, convenience can always be improved upon.Earlier this year, I received an invitation to the grand opening of Texas’s “newest beach destination”—and was surprised that the destination in question was the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Villas, a 300-acre compound on the edge of San Antonio. The occasion for the celebration was the Big Spring Lagoon, a newly constructed 2.2-acre artificial…

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/texas-crystal-lagoons/feed/ 0 The Daily Crossword: August 17, 2026 https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-17-2026/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-17-2026/#respond Mon, 17 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?post_type=game&p=992138

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-17-2026/feed/ 0 Word Wrangler: August 17, 2026 https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-17-2026/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-17-2026/#respond Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:59:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?post_type=game&p=992104

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-17-2026/feed/ 0 The Daily Crossword: August 16, 2026 https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-16-2026/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-16-2026/#respond Sun, 16 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?post_type=game&p=990710

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]]> https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/the-daily-crossword-august-16-2026/feed/ 0 Word Wrangler: August 16, 2026 https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-16-2026/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/games/word-wrangler-august-16-2026/#respond Sun, 16 Aug 2026 09:59:00 +0000 https://www.texasmonthly.com/?post_type=game&p=991630

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