MenuToward the end of most cancer surgeries comes a race against the clock, as the surgeon faces a high-stakes decision. Take out too much healthy tissue along with the tumor, and a patient could require longer to recover and experience a lower quality of life. Leave behind any cancerous cells, and the patient could need a second surgery and face an increased chance the tumor will regrow. “Tumors are sneaky,” said Alastair Thompson, a surgeon at Baylor College of Medicine who specializes in breast cancer. “They can have little threads of tumor cells that may be impossible to feel or see...…MenuToward the end of most cancer surgeries comes a race against the clock, as the surgeon faces a high-stakes decision. Take out too much healthy tissue along with the tumor, and a patient could require longer to recover and experience a lower quality of life. Leave behind any cancerous cells, and the patient could need a second surgery and face an increased chance the tumor will regrow. “Tumors are sneaky,” said Alastair Thompson, a surgeon at Baylor College of Medicine who specializes in breast cancer. “They can have little threads of tumor cells that may be impossible to feel or see...WW…

MenuNo master of the mystic arts ever made a public declaration that Houston sports fans would suffer. There is no all-time great former Houstonian who uttered an oath that, in response to a grand betrayal, the children of the children of the children who watched him play would endure season after season without a championship. No single grand performance from an opposing team robbed Houstonians of hope for the future. No one brought a goat to the Astrodome and invoked a higher power to descend, snatching hope from the breath of fans from Space City, who simply yearned for the experience of...…MenuNo master of the mystic arts ever made a public declaration that Houston sports fans would suffer. There is no all-time great former Houstonian who uttered an oath that, in response to a grand betrayal, the children of the children of the children who watched him play would endure season after season without a championship. No single grand performance from an opposing team robbed Houstonians of hope for the future. No one brought a goat to the Astrodome and invoked a higher power to descend, snatching hope from the breath of fans from Space City, who simply yearned for the experience of...WW…

MenuByIssueShareNotes2 CommentsIllustration by Edward KinsellaAug 22, 2018Aug 24, 2018This article originally appeared in the September 2018 issue with the headline “The Man Who Walked Backward.”His professional life in Abilene had begun six years before, in February 1924, at age 29, when he struck a lease deal with C. Hall for the north half of the lower story of the Morgan Jones building, at 127 Chestnut Street, in Abilene’s busiest district. He opened a restaurant, Crescent Cafe, soon after.By 1925, American capitalism churned like a hungry machine. The number of manufacturing facilities...…MenuByIssueShareNotes2 CommentsIllustration by Edward KinsellaAug 22, 2018Aug 24, 2018This article originally appeared in the September 2018 issue with the headline “The Man Who Walked Backward.”His professional life in Abilene had begun six years before, in February 1924, at age 29, when he struck a lease deal with C. Hall for the north half of the lower story of the Morgan Jones building, at 127 Chestnut Street, in Abilene’s busiest district. He opened a restaurant, Crescent Cafe, soon after.By 1925, American capitalism churned like a hungry machine. The number of manufacturing facilities...WW…

MenuThe tactical withdrawal of Tony Buzbee’s World War II-era Sherman M4A4 tank earlier this month brought the month-long Battle of River Oaks Boulevard to a close.After Buzbee—a trial lawyer, Marine veteran, and proud Aggie alum (and current A&M regent)—parked the fully operational tank on the street in front of his home on Houston’s swankiest residential thoroughfare last month, the unlikely sight brought joy to hundreds of gawkers. History buffs and children thrilled at the sight of “Cheyenne,” the tank’s name as painted on the side by its previous owner, often stopping their cars to get...…MenuThe tactical withdrawal of Tony Buzbee’s World War II-era Sherman M4A4 tank earlier this month brought the month-long Battle of River Oaks Boulevard to a close.After Buzbee—a trial lawyer, Marine veteran, and proud Aggie alum (and current A&M regent)—parked the fully operational tank on the street in front of his home on Houston’s swankiest residential thoroughfare last month, the unlikely sight brought joy to hundreds of gawkers. History buffs and children thrilled at the sight of “Cheyenne,” the tank’s name as painted on the side by its previous owner, often stopping their cars to get...WW…

MenuByIssueShareNotes5 CommentsDim Niang (second from left) and Zam Kap (seated) with, from left, their children, Cing Kim, Go Hau Mang “Abner,” Zen Zuun, and Awi Lin.Photograph by Wyatt McSpaddenThe wind is what struck Dim Niang in those first days—a constant dry wind that knew no boundaries, wind that could lift a stretch of road dust and seem to cast it up to Oklahoma, New Mexico, and beyond. Back home in Myanmar, the tropical humidity would have pounded dirt like this into submission. How different Amarillo was. Paved roads that did not buckle under monsoons. Grocery stores built like...…MenuByIssueShareNotes5 CommentsDim Niang (second from left) and Zam Kap (seated) with, from left, their children, Cing Kim, Go Hau Mang “Abner,” Zen Zuun, and Awi Lin.Photograph by Wyatt McSpaddenThe wind is what struck Dim Niang in those first days—a constant dry wind that knew no boundaries, wind that could lift a stretch of road dust and seem to cast it up to Oklahoma, New Mexico, and beyond. Back home in Myanmar, the tropical humidity would have pounded dirt like this into submission. How different Amarillo was. Paved roads that did not buckle under monsoons. Grocery stores built like...WW…

MenuIt was a crisp Halloween eve in Houston when a swarm of about one thousand bikers wove their flashy and flashing wheels from the East End’s D&W Lounge through the gates and around the paths of three cemeteries north of downtown. Clad in skeleton masks, medical-grade masks, a combination of the two, or no masks at all, the crew was celebrating not only Día de Los Muertos but the return of the East End Bike Ride’s monthly gatherings after an eight-month pandemic-induced hiatus.“We’re Mexican American and that’s kind of like our anniversary ride,” said Judith Villarreal, who founded the...…MenuIt was a crisp Halloween eve in Houston when a swarm of about one thousand bikers wove their flashy and flashing wheels from the East End’s D&W Lounge through the gates and around the paths of three cemeteries north of downtown. Clad in skeleton masks, medical-grade masks, a combination of the two, or no masks at all, the crew was celebrating not only Día de Los Muertos but the return of the East End Bike Ride’s monthly gatherings after an eight-month pandemic-induced hiatus.“We’re Mexican American and that’s kind of like our anniversary ride,” said Judith Villarreal, who founded the...WW…

MenuAbout halfway through the second episode of Texas 6, scrawny quarterback Blaze Duncan cooks fajitas with orange juice. The OJ, he explains, makes the beef more tender, giving the aspiring chef’s signature “Bleetas” (Blaze plus fajitas) their savory flavor. The CBS All Access docuseries, which debuted in late November, is shot through with these small, telling moments—the looks of affection between Blaze and his grandma; the coach and his star player bonding over a Public Enemy song; the way a player describes his job at a pet mortuary—that resonate more deeply than any game...…MenuAbout halfway through the second episode of Texas 6, scrawny quarterback Blaze Duncan cooks fajitas with orange juice. The OJ, he explains, makes the beef more tender, giving the aspiring chef’s signature “Bleetas” (Blaze plus fajitas) their savory flavor. The CBS All Access docuseries, which debuted in late November, is shot through with these small, telling moments—the looks of affection between Blaze and his grandma; the coach and his star player bonding over a Public Enemy song; the way a player describes his job at a pet mortuary—that resonate more deeply than any game...WW…

MenuIn our series we invite Texans to share their coronavirus experiences with us—both the lighthearted moments and the deeply painful ones. Here, 19-year-old Donavan Diaz, a funeral home manager in Deaf Smith County, tells his story to Peter Holley.Since November, when COVID cases began spiking in the Panhandle, my phone has rarely been quiet. The “death calls” arrive at all hours of the day. Before the pandemic, the calls usually concerned an elderly person who had passed away in a nursing home. Now it can be anyone.The coronavirus has infected more than 2,400 people in Deaf Smith County...…MenuIn our series we invite Texans to share their coronavirus experiences with us—both the lighthearted moments and the deeply painful ones. Here, 19-year-old Donavan Diaz, a funeral home manager in Deaf Smith County, tells his story to Peter Holley.Since November, when COVID cases began spiking in the Panhandle, my phone has rarely been quiet. The “death calls” arrive at all hours of the day. Before the pandemic, the calls usually concerned an elderly person who had passed away in a nursing home. Now it can be anyone.The coronavirus has infected more than 2,400 people in Deaf Smith County...WW…

MenuAs Austin is to Texas, so Montrose has long been to Houston: a liberal, weird oasis in a sea of red, a refuge for musicians, artists, bohemians of every stripe, and the nexus of the city’s LGBT community. Indeed, when Austin was still a relatively straitlaced Southern college town, Montrose had already unfurled its freak flag. Founding Texas Monthly editor William Broyles claims Montrose, and not Austin, as .And just as in Austin, Montrose old-timers love to let you know that you are a few years too late for the real party. Hippies, punks, and LGBT folks alike will all tell you, a...…MenuAs Austin is to Texas, so Montrose has long been to Houston: a liberal, weird oasis in a sea of red, a refuge for musicians, artists, bohemians of every stripe, and the nexus of the city’s LGBT community. Indeed, when Austin was still a relatively straitlaced Southern college town, Montrose had already unfurled its freak flag. Founding Texas Monthly editor William Broyles claims Montrose, and not Austin, as .And just as in Austin, Montrose old-timers love to let you know that you are a few years too late for the real party. Hippies, punks, and LGBT folks alike will all tell you, a...WW…

MenuA few days ago, I publicly sought out Senator John Cornyn’s brisket recipe—or, more accurately, that of his wife, Sandy Cornyn. “Don’t do this Daniel,” implored Twitter user who had seen Cornyn’s now infamous brisket photo from Christmas Eve night.Cornyn has since been roasted pretty mercilessly during the past week. The image was lit as harshly as the reactions—his Tweet has elicited almost 13,000 comments so far, most of them negative. A Pyrex dish filled with a presliced brisket was coated in a thick red sauce that made it look like a cross between a meat loaf and a McRib without the...…MenuA few days ago, I publicly sought out Senator John Cornyn’s brisket recipe—or, more accurately, that of his wife, Sandy Cornyn. “Don’t do this Daniel,” implored Twitter user who had seen Cornyn’s now infamous brisket photo from Christmas Eve night.Cornyn has since been roasted pretty mercilessly during the past week. The image was lit as harshly as the reactions—his Tweet has elicited almost 13,000 comments so far, most of them negative. A Pyrex dish filled with a presliced brisket was coated in a thick red sauce that made it look like a cross between a meat loaf and a McRib without the...WW…

Menu —Nadia Chaudhury, freelance writer  —Sarah Hepola, freelance writer  My two favorite books of 2020 were written by good friends of mine, so discount my recommendations if you must. It helps my case, though, that both books have been critically and commercially vetted, and that each speaks in its own way to the reigning preoccupations of our dreadful year.The Zealot and the Emancipator, by H. W. Brands, also caught a wave of timeliness, even though it’s about two people—Abraham Lincoln and John Brown—who lived a century and a half before our own era of racial reckoning. But the book...…Menu —Nadia Chaudhury, freelance writer  —Sarah Hepola, freelance writer  My two favorite books of 2020 were written by good friends of mine, so discount my recommendations if you must. It helps my case, though, that both books have been critically and commercially vetted, and that each speaks in its own way to the reigning preoccupations of our dreadful year.The Zealot and the Emancipator, by H. W. Brands, also caught a wave of timeliness, even though it’s about two people—Abraham Lincoln and John Brown—who lived a century and a half before our own era of racial reckoning. But the book...WW…

MenuSolarWinds Worldwide is neither a solar power nor a wind power company, and its mysterious ways don’t stop there. It isn’t nearly as well-known as Yeti or Bumble or Indeed or most of the other multibillion-dollar outfits that call Austin home. It has kept a relatively low profile since it relocated from Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2006 seeking greater access to tech industry talent. It doesn’t sponsor festival stages at Austin City Limits or South by Southwest. You won’t find its name on billboards, and its southwest Austin office blends anonymously into the scenery.Yet SolarWinds, an IT...…MenuSolarWinds Worldwide is neither a solar power nor a wind power company, and its mysterious ways don’t stop there. It isn’t nearly as well-known as Yeti or Bumble or Indeed or most of the other multibillion-dollar outfits that call Austin home. It has kept a relatively low profile since it relocated from Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2006 seeking greater access to tech industry talent. It doesn’t sponsor festival stages at Austin City Limits or South by Southwest. You won’t find its name on billboards, and its southwest Austin office blends anonymously into the scenery.Yet SolarWinds, an IT...WW…

MenuRead more stories from the pandemic:The stories you want, in one weekly newsletter.24Tags:,The stories you want, in one weekly newsletter.LoginSignupDon't have an account? or .Enter your email below to send a password reset email.…MenuRead more stories from the pandemic:The stories you want, in one weekly newsletter.24Tags:,The stories you want, in one weekly newsletter.LoginSignupDon't have an account? or .Enter your email below to send a password reset email.WW…

MenuOn the warm and perfectly pleasant Saturday afternoon of October 10, Allen West, the newly minted chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, stood on the steps of the Governor’s Mansion, and loudly condemned one of his party’s most high-profile and popular officials, . Elected in July, West was in part responsible for leading the defense against the liberal blitz, supposedly coming in November, when polls suggested that Democrats had a chance of taking control of the state House, winning several congressional seats, and even flipping Texas to Joe Biden. Abbott also had a role to play,...…MenuOn the warm and perfectly pleasant Saturday afternoon of October 10, Allen West, the newly minted chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, stood on the steps of the Governor’s Mansion, and loudly condemned one of his party’s most high-profile and popular officials, . Elected in July, West was in part responsible for leading the defense against the liberal blitz, supposedly coming in November, when polls suggested that Democrats had a chance of taking control of the state House, winning several congressional seats, and even flipping Texas to Joe Biden. Abbott also had a role to play,...WW…

MenuFriday afternoon, after this article published, the Supreme Court dismissed the Texas lawsuit to invalidate the presidential election results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, writing the state lacked standing to bring it.The broken windows theory of criminology holds that lesser crimes and offenses, if met with no response from authorities, create an atmosphere of wrongdoing that encourages greater crimes and offenses. We can only guess what might have been if Texas attorney general Ken Paxton had been taken to the woodshed a few times earlier in his career to...…MenuFriday afternoon, after this article published, the Supreme Court dismissed the Texas lawsuit to invalidate the presidential election results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, writing the state lacked standing to bring it.The broken windows theory of criminology holds that lesser crimes and offenses, if met with no response from authorities, create an atmosphere of wrongdoing that encourages greater crimes and offenses. We can only guess what might have been if Texas attorney general Ken Paxton had been taken to the woodshed a few times earlier in his career to...WW…

MenuAny boxer’s first time inside the ring is intimidating. The knowledge that you are about to be punched in the face can either paralyze you with terror, or fill you with nervous energy. For Evan Walker, it was the latter.“I was just a busy bee all over the ring,” she remembers about her first fight, against a woman from the University of Connecticut. Walker’s coach even told her to slow down. “I lost that fight,” Walker says. “I was so nervous, I got caught up in trying to be first at everything, and so I got smoked.”That was Walker’s freshman year at West Point. The loss haunted her,...…MenuAny boxer’s first time inside the ring is intimidating. The knowledge that you are about to be punched in the face can either paralyze you with terror, or fill you with nervous energy. For Evan Walker, it was the latter.“I was just a busy bee all over the ring,” she remembers about her first fight, against a woman from the University of Connecticut. Walker’s coach even told her to slow down. “I lost that fight,” Walker says. “I was so nervous, I got caught up in trying to be first at everything, and so I got smoked.”That was Walker’s freshman year at West Point. The loss haunted her,...WW…

MenuPass on: The breakfast taquitos at Whataburger might be famous, but theyre also underwhelming, with bland fillings in overly chewy tortillas. The best of them is the peppy breakfast sausage with American cheese. The seed-flecked salsa verde does a decent job of salvaging the taco. I also wasn’t a fan of the breakfast tacos I sampled at the Frisco location of Austin-based Taco Shack. The flavorful chorizo wasn’t enough to overcome the cold, white flour tortillas and soggy cubed potatoes.Pass on:Pass on: Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Tacos. Yes, this famous neon-orange item is a food-science...…MenuPass on: The breakfast taquitos at Whataburger might be famous, but theyre also underwhelming, with bland fillings in overly chewy tortillas. The best of them is the peppy breakfast sausage with American cheese. The seed-flecked salsa verde does a decent job of salvaging the taco. I also wasn’t a fan of the breakfast tacos I sampled at the Frisco location of Austin-based Taco Shack. The flavorful chorizo wasn’t enough to overcome the cold, white flour tortillas and soggy cubed potatoes.Pass on:Pass on: Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Tacos. Yes, this famous neon-orange item is a food-science...WW…

MenuFor the past three years, Jeffery Jasper has escaped the brutal winters of his home in Minneapolis for the tall palms and sunny skies of South Texas. In early October, after considering the risks of contracting COVID-19, the 76-year-old decided he’d rather be “warm and worried than cold and worried” and drove 1,500 miles to the Rio Grande Valley in his 37-foot-long Newmar RV. During the five-day journey, he tried to limit exposure to anyone else, cooking meals in the vehicle’s full kitchen and stepping outside only to fill up at the pump—always while wearing a pair of gloves. But now...…MenuFor the past three years, Jeffery Jasper has escaped the brutal winters of his home in Minneapolis for the tall palms and sunny skies of South Texas. In early October, after considering the risks of contracting COVID-19, the 76-year-old decided he’d rather be “warm and worried than cold and worried” and drove 1,500 miles to the Rio Grande Valley in his 37-foot-long Newmar RV. During the five-day journey, he tried to limit exposure to anyone else, cooking meals in the vehicle’s full kitchen and stepping outside only to fill up at the pump—always while wearing a pair of gloves. But now...WW…

MenuOur latest stories and analysis, sent to your inbox each week.0Tags:, , , , , ,Our latest stories and analysis, sent to your inbox each week.LoginSignupDon't have an account? or .Enter your email below to send a password reset email.…MenuOur latest stories and analysis, sent to your inbox each week.0Tags:, , , , , ,Our latest stories and analysis, sent to your inbox each week.LoginSignupDon't have an account? or .Enter your email below to send a password reset email.WW…

MenuLong before they heard about the Texas bullet train, Mary Meier and her husband were accustomed to companies coming after slices of their land. A fifty-foot-wide oil pipeline easement bisects their 25-acre property in Montgomery County, north of Houston, where they’ve lived for sixteen years. But when she learned that a 200-mile-per-hour Japanese-designed train might speed by every thirty minutes, just two hundred yards from her kitchen window, carrying travelers between Dallas and Houston, she was furious. There was the practical concern: how would she access the half of her property...…MenuLong before they heard about the Texas bullet train, Mary Meier and her husband were accustomed to companies coming after slices of their land. A fifty-foot-wide oil pipeline easement bisects their 25-acre property in Montgomery County, north of Houston, where they’ve lived for sixteen years. But when she learned that a 200-mile-per-hour Japanese-designed train might speed by every thirty minutes, just two hundred yards from her kitchen window, carrying travelers between Dallas and Houston, she was furious. There was the practical concern: how would she access the half of her property...WW…

MenuErrol Spence Jr. sauntered into the ring in the middle of AT&T Stadium Saturday night with his nickname, “The Truth,” written in pink across his chest. The unified welterweight world champion and one of the world’s best boxers looked calm, with sleepy eyes and a wide smile that reveals deep dimples on both his cheeks. Between his easygoing appearance and Dallas drawl, it can be easy to forget that Spence is one of the most dangerous fighters in the world.His opponent, Danny Garcia, waited in the ring. Garcia is from Philadelphia, renowned for its tough boxers. A former world champion,...…MenuErrol Spence Jr. sauntered into the ring in the middle of AT&T Stadium Saturday night with his nickname, “The Truth,” written in pink across his chest. The unified welterweight world champion and one of the world’s best boxers looked calm, with sleepy eyes and a wide smile that reveals deep dimples on both his cheeks. Between his easygoing appearance and Dallas drawl, it can be easy to forget that Spence is one of the most dangerous fighters in the world.His opponent, Danny Garcia, waited in the ring. Garcia is from Philadelphia, renowned for its tough boxers. A former world champion,...WW…

MenuWHO: A very special guest at the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Lubbock.WHAT: A viral effort from followers on the internet to keep her warm.WHY IT’S SO GREAT: Possums are not the most beloved of varmints. They’re not especially cute, they don’t make good pets, and their favorite food is garbage. And yet: We all love an underdog, and the little monsters, with their hideous faces and naked tails, are definitely that. And none more so than Peach, a possum who was dropped off at the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Lubbock in October. Not only was she found...…MenuWHO: A very special guest at the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Lubbock.WHAT: A viral effort from followers on the internet to keep her warm.WHY IT’S SO GREAT: Possums are not the most beloved of varmints. They’re not especially cute, they don’t make good pets, and their favorite food is garbage. And yet: We all love an underdog, and the little monsters, with their hideous faces and naked tails, are definitely that. And none more so than Peach, a possum who was dropped off at the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Lubbock in October. Not only was she found...WW…

MenuDuring a mid-October drizzle, I pulled into a Houston church parking lot to cast a ballot from my car—a pandemic-inspired option meant to help voters avoid congested lines. A poll worker stepped out from under a canopy, exposing herself to the rain, and explained the procedure: I would have to turn off my cellphone, show my ID, and relinquish the blank ballot that had been mailed to me, before recording my votes on a device handed through my car window. Minutes after affixing an “I voted” sticker to my shirt, I reflected that this process established by then–Harris County clerk Chris...…MenuDuring a mid-October drizzle, I pulled into a Houston church parking lot to cast a ballot from my car—a pandemic-inspired option meant to help voters avoid congested lines. A poll worker stepped out from under a canopy, exposing herself to the rain, and explained the procedure: I would have to turn off my cellphone, show my ID, and relinquish the blank ballot that had been mailed to me, before recording my votes on a device handed through my car window. Minutes after affixing an “I voted” sticker to my shirt, I reflected that this process established by then–Harris County clerk Chris...WW…

Menu  The stories you want, in one weekly newsletter.2Tags:,The stories you want, in one weekly newsletter.LoginSignupDon't have an account? or .Enter your email below to send a password reset email.…Menu  The stories you want, in one weekly newsletter.2Tags:,The stories you want, in one weekly newsletter.LoginSignupDon't have an account? or .Enter your email below to send a password reset email.WW…