A seven-minute documentary look at U.S. memory champion Ron White, as he prepares for the World Memory Championships in summer 2009.

Preston Wheeler went to Iraq to make a fortune, but came home a wounded man. From the March 21, 2008, issue of the Texas Observer.

New prisons, tougher sentences, with a little love thrown in. From the June 15, 2007, issue of the Texas Observer.

If there’s one issue on which Texas lawmakers tend toward bipartisan comity, it’s criminal justice. Execution versus life in prison is generally the starkest dividing line over what should be done with lawbreakers, and those against execution risk being labeled soft on crime.

The chair of Texas' House Committee on Environmental Regulation, Angleton Republican Dennis Bonnen, is perhaps the Legislature’s biggest impediment to cleaning up the Texas environment. From the May 4, 2007, Texas Observer.

Three South Padre Island artists work on the beach, but don't call them bums. This story originally ran in June 2003 as a Texas Monthly online feature.

She's an up-and-coming starlet seeking more exposure for her talent. He's a fast-talking manager wanting the fortune that comes from his client's success. Together, they are trying to negotiate the low-stakes world of Chicago entertainment. This story originally ran in the Daily Northwestern in October 2002.