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Sandra Larson on a client's ranchWorking Life is a monthly column in which Texans talk about their jobs. Sandra Larson, who is 72, is an animal whisperer in Anna, 45 miles north of Dallas; she helps pet owners understand what ails their furry friends.I was raised in Wisconsin. Whenever my father saw animals, he always took time to talk with them. At the breakfast table, he would see birds outside and ask them questions and then tell us what they were saying. I just thought it was humorous until I took classes on animal communication.I am a former second grade teacher and real estate agent. I got my master’s in counseling when I was fifty, and someone who knew I loved animals suggested I become an animal communicator. I took a couple…

The post The Doctor Dolittle of North Texas Has a Special Feeling for Fauna appeared first on Texas Monthly.

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The fourth grade classroom at Rucker Elementary in Houston looks like one in any Texas city. The young teacher, dressed casually in slacks and a long-sleeved shirt, stands next to a whiteboard and gazes out at the nine- and ten-year-old students huddled around clusters of desks. A girl wearing a colorful headband dons a sweatshirt to protect herself from the chill of the air conditioner groaning in the background, while the boy next to her taps his foot to the beat of a tune in his head. On the front wall, next to the whiteboard, sits a conspicuous red timer, slightly smaller than a tissue box. Bold black numbers appear on its face. The clock is ticking down on a four-minute lesson segment—1:59, 1:58, 1:57—and the…

The post The Education of Mike Miles appeared first on Texas Monthly.

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Ted Cruz's attacks on Imane KhelifThe Paris Olympics have provided an opportunity for Americans to come together and root for our most gifted athletes against the world’s best. It’s been inspiring to watch talented young competitors for the first time and to witness all-time greats such as Simone Biles or Katie Ledecky add to their caches of Olympic gold. Or, if you’re Ted Cruz, these Olympics have provided an occasion to opine about the gender identity of a previously little-known Algerian boxer named Imane Khelif. You’ve probably heard of Khelif by now. The fighter, a 25-year-old welterweight, forced Italian opponent Angela Carini to concede in their round-of-sixteen match on Thursday of last week, within just 46 seconds. (Khelif won the gold medal on Friday.) After the bout, Carini refused to shake…

The post Why Is Ted Cruz Suddenly So Passionate About Women’s Olympic Boxing? appeared first on Texas Monthly.

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What’s It Like to Star in a Knock-Off Blockbuster? This Small-Town Texas Native (And Lead of 'The Twisters') Can Tell You.Twisters is a box office smash, featuring A-lister Glen Powell, a high-octane soundtrack, and the best visual effects a budget of $155 million can buy. The Twisters, meanwhile, is a product of a studio called the Asylum, which for two decades has been pumping out “mockbusters,” films with similar titles and concepts to current theatrical hits—but shot with minuscule budgets, starring unknown actors, and dropped onto streaming services. Ever hear of Snakes on a Train, Transmorphers, or Top Gunner: Danger Zone? Probably not, but if you’re up late and not paying close attention, you might have clicked to watch one anyway. If so, you may have seen Kayla Fields—a product of the tiny Texas town of Sonora (about midway between Fort Stockton and San Antonio)—in her…

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Wee Fong Ehlers of Wee's Cozy Kitchen.Wee Fong Ehlers calmly plops a preportioned container of mushrooms, chopped carrots, and cabbage into her sizzling wok, unaware of the iPad screen glowing red behind her or the customer waiting at the register outside. “Mama!” exclaims Alex Ehlers from his post as cashier, skidding past a table stocked with Justin’s peanut butter cups, roast beef sandwiches, and $12 fruit juices to enter Ehlers’s universe: the kitchen at Royal Blue Grocery, an upscale corner store, on Congress Avenue in downtown Austin. “There’s an order from yesterday morning. Are you gonna talk to him?” It’s the mid-lunch rush. Ehlers nods to her 21-year-old son and quickly prepares a to-go container with stewed beef, coconut rice, and cucumbers, adding a complimentary Thai green tea to the order as a…

The post When Wee Got Big: How a Restaurateur Handles Overnight Success appeared first on Texas Monthly.

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Texas Country Reporter Festival Has a New Home: The City of Grand PrairieTexas Monthly, owned by Texas Monthly LLC, and the City of Grand Prairie have formed a multiyear partnership to curate special events that celebrate Texans and Texas culture. Those events will include the official Texas Country Reporter Festival, a much-anticipated Texas Monthly taco festival, and a new event for barbecue lovers.  The collaboration not only brings Texas Monthly’s premier events to North Texas, but it also highlights Grand Prairie as a top destination in the state. The official TCR Festival, previously held in Waxahachie, will relocate to downtown Grand Prairie in the spring of 2025 with an array of vendors, food, music, and headliner entertainment. “We are excited to join forces with such a great organization and designate Grand Prairie as the new home for one of…

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For twelve days in 2018, someone was killing sex workers in Laredo. The victims were shot at close range, their bodies were left on the sides of rural roads not far from town. In all, four women were slain: Melissa Ramirez, who was 29; Claudine Anne Luera, 42; Guiselda Alicia Cantu, 35; and Janelle Ortiz, 28. But perhaps even more shocking than the murders was that a U.S. Border Patrol agent committed them.The story of Juan David Ortiz’s deadly spree and authorities’ hunt to find a killer who was hiding in plain sight was well covered by the media, including with a comprehensive story by Texas Monthly’s Skip Hollandsworth. The remaining mystery in this case—as in many others involving serial murders—is how the killer was made.In The Devil Behind the…

The post A New Book Chips Away at the Lingering Mystery of Laredo’s Border Patrol Serial Killer appeared first on Texas Monthly.

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Before Simone, Who Were the Other Greatest Texan Olympians?In the long history of the Olympics (this year marks the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad), hundreds of athletes with Texas ties have vied for the glory that comes with triumph on the global stage. For an individual competitor or the member of a team, just qualifying for a chance to represent one’s nation is the accomplishment of a lifetime for many athletes; succeeding at the world level is an achievement nonpareil.This summer, Texans and Texas-affiliated athletes such as gymnast Simone Biles, shot-putter Ryan Crouser, golfer Scottie Scheffler, and sprinter Julien Alfred have, because of their remarkable successes, become household names. Former Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant has long been among the most famous athletes in the world, but this summer he became USA Basketball’s all-time…

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The Problem with Erik bonus episodeThis is a bonus episode available to TM Audio subscribers only. Connect access to your TM Audio feed to the podcast player of your choice here. To troubleshoot any issues, access the FAQ here. Read the transcript below.“Watching all of these decisions come to this point where two people are murdered in a parking lot . . . That’s what we decided, ultimately, the story is: it’s these characters who all have their different motivations, and they just collide in this fateful way.”—Katy VineIn this bonus episode for Texas Monthly audio subscribers, we’re taking you behind the scenes of our production with a Q&A among host Katy Vine, lead producer Ana Worrel, coproducer Brian Standefer—who wrote the show’s original score—and coproducer and story editor Patrick Michels.This episode was produced by Patrick Michels…

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La Grange Lost Its Only Hospital Last Year. Now an Auction Will Determine Its Fate.Grass has grown wild and tall around what was once St. Mark’s Medical Center. A blue tarp covers a hanging entrance sign, and a piece of plywood on the front door carries an announcement that the hospital is closed. Its hallways are littered with empty beds, medicine carts, and wheelchairs.The shuttering of St. Mark’s last October left a hole in access to trauma care in La Grange, a small town between Austin and Houston. Roughly 40,000 Texans in the surrounding rural communities had counted on the hospital’s services, and the majority of patients were older adults with low incomes. While the area has a handful of urgent care clinics and physician offices, ambulances must now transport patients with more serious conditions to hospitals elsewhere.St. Mark’s…

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