Facing Down the Issue of Childhood Obesity

What do you get when you super size? Obese kids. One in three American children is now overweight and at risk for some grown-up problems, like heart disease and diabetes. But the causes, and possible solutions, are complex.

Texas Expanding Use of K-12 Electronic Texts

Texas educators are moving toward widespread adoption of to electronic texts and the online tools could start replacing traditional textbooks as early as fall 2010. But in Texas, which is home to 4.7 million students, the digital migration raises questions about whether the change is about embracing technology-or selling more books.

Vet Shortage May Mean Risks for Food Supply

Most folks only encounter veterinarians in the local office where they take their dogs and cats. But about one in six vets work as regulatory veterinarians, inspecting livestock to make sure the American food supply is safe. But as the U.S. population and food supply are growing, the number of regulatory vets is not.

Potential Country Docs Face Roadblocks

Medical care in rural Texas isn’t as healthy as it could be. Rural medicine is restricted not only by lower income than in big cities but also by a state law that bars hospital hiring of physicians. Local leaders have to get creative to get doctors to make a move.

School Experiment Grows, Succeeds

The Knowledge is Power Program, or KIPP, began with a single school in Houston in 1994. Now KIPP schools serve more than 20,000 mostly minority students in 19 states, including 25 schools in Texas. The program is based on high expectations and focuses all students on a single, lofty goal — earning admission to a four-year college.

Natural Causes: Untangling the Mysteries of Aging

Juan Ponce de Leon died in 1521 after a decade-long search for the apocryphal Fountain of Youth. But perhaps his only mistake was that he was looking in the wrong place. Some contemporary detectives are on the trail, only they aren’t looking in Florida – they’re looking inside the human body.

Large Animal Vet Holds Her Own

Wild horses and raging bulls are the stuff of the rugged Marlboro man more so than a woman. But the livestock and the ranchers of Central Texas have learned to like and respect Amy Jo Pilmer, a veterinarian specializing in large animals.

Prison Investigator Finds Humanity Behind Bars

Prison investigator Jesse Coleman goes into Texas lockups to talk to inmates accused of crimes behind bars. Whether it involves a smuggled cell phone or a murdered guard, Coleman often finds himself alone with inmates, gathering the evidence that could hurt or help their case.

Economy Smells Sweet to Cheese Maker

The economy has been rough in all areas, but agriculture has fared better than most. As states go, Texas isn’t the biggest grower…but it also isn’t the smallest. Locally grown food is a big draw at a weekly farmer’s market in Austin, where one producer is making and selling more than ever.

Fly on the Wall: After Hours at the Capitol

The State Capitol is a hotbed of influence and intrigue when lawmakers are in town and a Texas icon day or night. But once the sun goes down and the tourists leave, Elijah E. Myers’ architectural gem becomes the centerpiece of a whole different world. Come along for a look at life after dark at the Capitol.

Riding to Mexico on a Bicycle Made of Trash

Every January, volunteers travel from East Austin to Mexico to deliver hand-built bicycles to workers in Mexican maquiladoras — work camps around American manufacturing plants. Each journey begins with second-hand parts in an Austin warehouse, where the bikes take shape. They end up nearly 400 miles away. Saddle up with reporter Mike Melanson as he takes us over the border.

The Ultimate Sport … Ultimate Frisbee

One University of Texas athletic team is so good that it routinely makes it to the national championship tournament and opponents around the country know the UT squad by name. And you’ve likely never heard of it. Join team member and journalism student Ryland Barton as he introduces us to both the history and intensity that is Ultimate Frisbee.

Electronic Smokes: Healthy or Dangerous?

Smokers are running out of places they can light up, but an electronic cigarette offers a nicotine fix without the tobacco haze, and it’s legal in Texas workplaces. But it’s too soon to tell whether e-cigarettes are any less dangerous than the traditional kind.

Sports Talk – Mike Leach & Texas Tech

Colin, Travis and Eric talk with writer Sam Gwynne about his Texas Monthly article on fired Texas Tech head football coach Mike Leach and the troubles at Tech. Gwynne talked with Leach shortly before he was fired, then followed up for his latest article. Hear his unique perspective and the inside story in this podcast.

Olympic Gold Key to Opening Kitchen Doors

Olympic swimmer Garrett Weber-Gale helped Michael Phelps make history in Beijing in 2008. Now he’s learning that Olympic gold unlocks some of the best kitchens in the world.

Coal Plants: Cheap Energy or Dirty Dozen?

Texas leads the nation in generating power from coal, and as many as 12 new such plants have been proposed. Environmentalists and the EPA are trying to pour cold water on a new plant in Corpus Christi while city leaders tout the promise of new jobs and investment, a familiar skirmish in a larger war that pits the economy against the environment.

UT Women Tackle Texas State in Rugby

Mud, sweat and tears… some University of Texas athletes play rough on the rugby field, with the blood and bandages to prove it. Reporting Texas photojournalist Susie Reineke spent a day with these women on an outing to Texas State University, where the Longhorns won big. Check out what she captured, here.

Byrne Gives Celebrity Boost to Austin Cycling

Austin’s Paramount Theatre hosted Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, and a crowd filed in to watch the show. But Byrne wasn’t there to perform; he was singing the praises of bicycling and earning plenty of attention from fellow cyclists who wheeled in to learn more.

Virtual World Enhances Students’ Real Learning

University of Texas at Austin teachers such as Riley Triggs in the College of Fine Arts are implementing new technology in the classroom. That’s thanks in part to a university division that specializes in using digital tools to push the boundaries of real work and learning across academic disciplines, including art and architecture-real learning in a virtual world.

In Search for Family, Fighting for His Life

A Virginia man desperate to reconnect with his daughter made his way to Texas last fall. But within weeks after arriving here, Michael Watts found himself diagnosed with cancer and fighting for his life. And, at times, living on the streets. Photojournalist Daniel Austin Read chronicles his struggle and a father’s search to find his daughter…while he can.