Editor’s Letter: Introducing Our September/October 2025 Issue
A note from the editor-in-chief
Hill Country
The Texotics
As Texas landowners breed exotic animals like kudu and nilgai, they’re running a massive unplanned and unregulated natural experiment.
The Long Battle to Stop the Kinder Morgan Pipeline
For months, locals and landowners have tried to stop the Permian Highway Pipeline, a piece of infrastructure connecting West Texas’ prolific oil fields to the state’s Gulf Coast refineries. But they’re running out of options.
Landowners Got One Hill Country Oil Pipeline Moved. But Can They Do It Again?
Rule No. 1 of averting pipeline routes: Always bring a high-powered, politically connected oil and gas executive to the negotiating table.
Could Kinder Morgan’s ‘Permian Highway’ Scar the Hill Country?
On its 430-mile path to the Gulf, the natural gas pipeline would gash the iconic Hill Country, a region relatively free from oil and gas development.
Stuck in the Middle: Can a Conservative Democrat Win in the Heart of the Hill Country?
In the 21st Congressional District, Joseph Kopser is trying to beat a Ted Cruz acolyte by running to the middle. The question is whether anyone is there.
As Development Transforms the Hill Country, a Sand Mining Operation Worries Residents
A local dispute over a company’s proposal to dredge 900,000 tons of river sand is the latest sign of rampant growth in the Hill Country.
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Who is Mary Street Wilson?
Her first-place showing in the 21st Congressional District was perhaps the biggest surprise on primary night. Does she have what it takes to win the runoff?
‘The Natural History of Texas’ Celebrates the State’s Lesser-Known Critters and In-Between Places
At first glance, the book appears to be a textbook. But it soon transforms into a welcome collection of oddities, a bestiary of the strange, unexpected and overlooked.
Meet Mary Street Wilson, Underdog of the 2018 Texas Primaries
In a surprising turn of events, the candidate that raised the least amount of money and had the lower profile won the most votes in the Democratic primary for Congressional District 21.