6 Species Slouch Toward Endangered Status

Six Texas species are endangered-species candidates, putting them toward the end of a long line of plants and animals awaiting a final ruling on their status.

Homecoming Mums the Size of Texas

When homecoming rolls around for high school football, it’s the season for making — and wearing — oversized silk mums. And the business of selling homecoming mums is growing despite the economic downturn.

In Dry San Angelo, Global Water Lilies

Ken Landon, who runs the International Water Lily Collection in bone-dry San Angelo, looks more like a 62-year-old rock star than the Indiana Jones of horticulture.

Texas Drought Prompts Fish Rescue

Wildlife biologists have rescued nearly 3,000 sharpnose and smalleye shiners from the Brazos River in a bid to save the fish from extinction during the Central Texas drought.

In Austin and Elsewhere, Vinyl Is Hip

What’s old is new again: Vinyl record sales are growing in Austin as young music aficionados develop a taste for the old-fashioned format.

A Giant Puppet Burns (But It’s Not Burning Man)

It’s not nearly as well known as its free-spirited cousin Burning Man, but New Mexico’s annual Zozobra festival has a rich history all its own.

Heat, Drought, Fire: Not a Good Year for Christmas Trees

Even though Beth and Mike Walterscheidt are among the lucky Christmas tree farmers in the state, they too have suffered during the drought.

Texas State Parks Trying to Cope With Budget Cuts

Fort Boggy  in Centerville, like other state parks, is showing the effects of recent budget cuts  in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Those Bats Also Bring Money to Austin

Bat-watching is estimated to add about $10 million a year to Austin’s economy.

Central Texas Wildfires: A Week of Images

The wildfires of the past week, feeding on high winds and low humidity, destroyed more than 1,500 homes in Central Texas, where thousands of residents were forced to evacuate.

Construction Safety Improving Slowly

It’s been just over two years since three construction workers died in a scaffold collapse at the 21 Rio Apartments. The accident caused some construction companies to listen more closely to workers and advocates about improving job site safety.

Texan’s BBQ Takes On Beijing

On a hot June evening, waitresses carried margaritas and plates of specially prepared Texas-infused Chinese dishes to a crowded table outside Tim’s Texas Bar-B-Q in Beijing’s central business district.

China’s Burgeoning Wine Culture

Within the narrow alleys of Beijing’s historic Mao’er neighborhood, a wine bar with chic, minimalistic décor stands out amid gray stone facades. Wine 26 Twin Anchor is the second venture from Wang Ye Qing, 30, who is part of a new generation of Chinese wine entrepreneurs.

The healing spirit of El Niño Fidencio

One Sunday a month, in a small house in Fort Worth, Texas, “fidencistas” gather to hear mass at the home of Criselda Valencia, a “materia” who then claims to channel the spirit of famed folk healer El Niño Fidencio.

Researchers: Sleeper-Cell Bacteria Elude Antibiotics

Like super agent Jason Bourne, bacterial cells possess the capacity to go off the grid, hiding from antibiotics until danger has passed and then reemerging to attack our immune system, according to scientists at Texas A&M and Brown universities.

More American Women Choosing Midwives

City of Austin Rolls Out Plan to Boost Urban Density

The Downtown Austin Plan includes over 100 recommendations to increase downtown density over the next 10 years. The City estimates that improvements to the area would cost between $250 million and $350 million over the next ten years.

Lagerslature: Craft Brewers Push for Change

Band Adds Twist to Tradition-Based Genres

Online Trolling Sparks Controversy