This week, we feature stories from Gordy Megroz, Max Blau and Zaydee Sanchez, Brendan I. Koerner, Lora Eli Smith, and Pat Cassels.
Texas
Posted inEditor's Pick
One Vigilante, 22 Cell Tower Fires, and a World of Conspiracies
“Inside the mind of the most prolific anti-5G arsonist in the world—and the incoherent, very online political violence of our era.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The (Mostly) True Story of Galveston’s Legendary Deaf Lifeguard
“LeRoy Colombo was a champion swimmer and even landed in the Guinness Book of World Records. But his legacy is complicated.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
“The River House Broke. We Rushed in the River.”
“On July 4, the Guadalupe ripped our home from its pillars, pulling my family into its waters and into the night. Then morning came.”
Posted inCuration
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories from Alyssa Roenigk, Rachel Monroe, Brad Rassler, Will Bahr, and Zachary B. Hancock.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Gone in Seven Seconds
“Racing pigeons hightail it home in competitions across the state.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Crypto Racket
“Public officials at all levels are propping up a Texas Bitcoin mining boom that’s threatening water and energy systems while afflicting locals with noise pollution.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘He’s Trying to Colonize This Community’: Inside Elon Musk’s Plan to Take Over This Texas Town
“Elon Musk gave it a shot in Washington. Now he’s aiming to be the de-facto mayor of a small Texas town.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The King of X
“As Texas led a global revolution in designer party drugs, one restless club kid built an empire of ecstasy. His life is an all-American story of entrepreneurship, moral flexibility, and the heedless pursuit of happiness.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Texas County Where ‘Everybody Has Somebody in Their Family’ With Dementia
“And many people with the condition are cared for at home.”