The Troubling Disappearance of ‘El Gallito’
A Rio Grande Valley murder case was botched and evidence lost by local police and by Texas Rangers. Will anyone ever be held responsible?
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From the Plantation to the Thicket: Juneteenth, Black Freedom, and ‘Marronage’ in Texas
Freedom in Texas was achieved both after—and before—formal emancipation.
Betty Simmons, a Texan in Slavery’s Last Years
Narratives collected by the federal Works Progress Administration, like the one recounted here, are an invaluable tool for retelling American history.
In Laredo’s Last Stand Against Trump’s Border Wall, Are City Leaders Making a Deal with the Devil?
“A lot of the same arguments for why you wouldn’t build it in Big Bend are the exact same arguments for why you wouldn’t build it in Laredo,” say opponents of the wall, as local officials have sought to accommodate the feds’ demands.
As World Cup Unfolds, Immigrant Rights Organizers Seek a Reckoning over Dallas’ Relationship with ICE
Activists are tracking and trying to pressure the city over the use of its municipal airport for deportation flights, as visitors from around the world flood in.
Texas’ Fight Against the Screwworm Will Be Nasty and Brutish
And with any luck, it’ll also be short.
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Politics
With Gas Tax Holiday, Are Texas Dems Pushing ‘Irresponsible’ Policy for Political Gain?
For candidates like James Talarico, calling to suspend fuel taxes may be an easy way to sell “affordability” to swing voters. But it would come with its own long-term policy consequences.
Data Center Boom Exposes GOP Faultlines over Local Control
In rural areas like Caldwell County, local Republican officials and citizens are scrambling to find ways to empower counties and slow AI-fueled development.
Can James Talarico Do Better than Beto?
With his scandalized general election opponent now set, the newest Texas Democrat phenom begins his barnstorming of the state.
Border and Immigration
A Texas Immigration Lawyer Breaks Down Family Detention, Habeas Corpus, and Senate Bill 4
The revival of the Dilley detention center and a scorched-earth approach to immigration arrests has led advocates to embrace a novel strategy rooted in old law.
Texas Is Cracking Down on Essential Immigrant Drivers
Professionals like me get Texas kids safely to school. We get food to grocery stores and medical supplies to hospitals. Until the government decides to throw us out of work.
Ruptured Families: The U.S. Citizen Children Left Behind by Deportations
More than 800,000 Texan kids with citizenship depend on an undocumented parent. Trump’s immigration crackdown is tearing their households apart.
Culture
Abilene, Through the Looking Glass
A monumental blown-glass installation inside a sparkling new library reflects a city—one grappling with an AI boom and an insurgent book-banner—that’s defined by its slippery cultural identity.
The Great Wilonsky Returns to the Newsroom
Meet the veteran Dallas newspaperman and devoted follower of “the religion of righteousness and truth-telling.”
‘La Causa’ Continues in South Texas
We cannot ignore César’s influence and leadership. At the same time, we must acknowledge his abuse, support the victims, and condemn any other similar conduct in a movement that was never about one person, no matter how iconic.
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July/August 2026
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