Leslie Rangel, a first generation daughter of Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants, is former deputy managing editor for The Barbed Wire. Her award-winning journalism is focused on issues of health, mental wellness, race, gender and social justice.
Crime & Justice
Houstonians believe they’ve been victims of hate crimes at much higher rates than what’s being reported to police – and they’re not reporting it because they don’t trust cops will do anything about it, according to a new study. Rice University researchers surveyed 5,000 people in
Culture
Houston can have Michelin. Dallas is too busy building their own national stock exchange. The new leadership group for the Texas Stock Exchange gathered in Austin with Gov. Greg Abbott to announce their new venture has plans to start trading in late 2025 according to Axios. The founders (who, to
Crime & Justice
Whether by a sick twist of fate or cruelty, while the late Botham Jean’s family was left to celebrate his 33rd birthday on Sunday in his absence, the former Dallas Police officer who killed him, Amber Guyuger, became eligible for parole on the same day — Sept. 29 — according to
News
Like a reality show audience buckling up for yet another “most dramatic season ever,” Americans once again find themselves hurtling toward an historic, pivotal presidential election. One candidate would be the first woman elected to the country’s highest office. She’d also be the first South Asian president. The
News
The state attorney general, Ken Paxton, is on a roll. Lately he’s targeted endangered lizards, the State Fair of Texas, and transgender Texans of all ages — and this time he’s suing the Biden Administration to make sure there are no protections for LGBTQIA+ children in foster care (a
Culture
When Hector Flores turned 18, he had to pay to vote. More than 60 years later, he can’t remember the exact rate of the poll tax, maybe $2.50 or $2.75. But vivid in his mind is that the fee was roughly the price of a couple gallons
Health
Texas lawmakers fucked around, and now we’re all finding out. Since the state’s abortion ban passed in 2021, the state’s rate of maternal mortality cases rose by 56%, compared with just 11% nationally, according to NBC News. The Gender Equity Policy Institute took a look at data
Culture
Oh noooooooo. In a devastating turn of events, LGBTQIA+ advocates have begun email-spamming the state with links to sex toys, porn, and the entire script from the cult-classic absurd animated film “Bee Movie” over a new anti-trans policy, which banned Texans from changing the sex listed on
Culture
Texans (not just the NFL fans) love CJ Stroud, and apparently we aren’t alone; the quarterback’s jersey is now the best-selling one among NFL players in the nation. This week, the National Football League Players Association, the union for NFL players, released a list of the top
Crime & Justice
Two 5-week-old baby spider monkeys made it to the El Paso Zoo after being rescued from smugglers who were hiding the animals squished in the center console of a truck during a Border Patrol search at a port of entry. “This rescue also highlights the dangers of keeping
News
Texas may not be a battleground state, but Republicans are making sure their anti-LGBTQIA+ messaging reaches voters, according to the Texas Tribune. To that end, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and the Republican Party of Texas have coordinated to buy $6.7 million in ads, the biggest of the
Culture
EXCLUSIVE An Austin-based Latina CEO with a booming business blasted a Nueces County judge on Monday after he posted a racist comment calling her success “Ozark part 4” in an apparent reference to the Netflix prestige drama about a family laundering money for a drug boss. Gabriela Bucio, 38,