Topic: Texas
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
-
Focus
The Monitor's top 11 US stories of 2012
From storms to politics, the year was a wild ride. What are the most meaningful US stories of 2012? Here's the Monitor's list, in roughly chronological order.
-
Briefing
US gun industry by the numbers
As the debate over gun control rages on, the firearms industry in the United States is thriving. Here are seven key figures.
-
Top 10 metros for job growth
Some metropolitan areas have a booming jobs market, thanks to energy, manufacturing, or sometimes just the right mix of highly diversified industries. Here's a look at the 10 metros that have seen the largest percentage increase in jobs over the past 12 months:
-
10 best books of 2012 – fiction
Here are the Monitor's picks for the best novels of 2012.
-
Zig Ziglar: 10 quotes from the motivational author
Ziglar died Nov. 28, 2012 after penning many self-help books and speaking around the country. Here are 10 quotes from the author.
All Content
-
Obama, Hillary Clinton top Gallup's most admired: Who else is on the list?
President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both extended their winning streaks as the man and woman most admired by Americans. The women's list is more diverse than the men's.
-
Change Agent
Restoring US native prairies, acre by acre, yard by yardAcross the US Midwest, homeowners are restoring their yards and former farmland to the native prairie that existed in pre-settlement days. The benefits can be substantial — the need for less water and no fertilizer, and an ecosystem that supports wildlife.
-
GOP governors waver on Obamacare
Republican governors like Rick Scott in Florida, and Chris Christie in New Jersey, are struggling on how to handle President Barack Obama's remake of the health insurance market. While some have said they won't set up state-run exchanges, others say they're open to having a 'conversation.'
-
Horizons
Next Mac Mini might be 'Made in USA'Apple CEO Tim Cook said earlier in December that the company would produce some Mac computers in the US in 2013, but he didn't say which ones. A new rumor from Taiwanese tech magazine DigiTimes says the Mac Mini will be moved stateside.
-
EPA head Lisa Jackson will resign
Lisa Jackson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, says she will step down at the beginning of President Obama's second term. Her four-year tenure includes some victories, especially car fuel-efficiency standards, but was marked with disappointments over global warming and coal ash controls.
-
Tornadoes and deaths in its wake, powerful winter storm aims at Northeast
Cleveland, Erie, and Buffalo can expect up to a foot of snow, as can areas of northern New England, from the winter storm. For coastal cities: high winds, power outages, and travel delays.
-
Christmas snow storm kills 3, tornadoes knock out power in South (+video)
A snow storm caused flights across the country to be cancelled. Three died, and many were injured in dangerous highway conditions and as trees fell on homes. In the South, tornadoes left 100,000 without power on Christmas Day.
-
Let it snow? Christmas may be white in Northeast, southern Plains, Seattle
Snow on Christmas Day marks the start of a week of wet and wild weather through much of the US, including more of the white stuff. Here's where residents will want their shovels and sleds.
-
Audits looking for undocumented immigrants on the rise
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has reported auditing more companies than ever before to look for undocumented workers on the payroll. Though President Obama has supported a path to legal status for many immigrants, he also supports penalties for companies that purposely hire illegal immigrants.
-
Gun enthusiasts pack shows to buy assault weapons
Gun enthusiasts thronged to shows Saturday to buy assault weapons they fear will be outlawed after a massacre of school children in Connecticut prompted calls for tighter gun controls.
-
Illegal immigration from C. America on the rise
From October 2011 to July 31, agents apprehended more than 40,000 non-Mexican migrants, compared to about 39,000 individuals from Mexico.
-
Latin America Monitor
US ex-marine to be released from prison after violating Mexico's strict gun laws (+video)Former US marine Jon Hammar was imprisoned in August for carrying an antique gun into Mexico. Despite record levels of violence, such arms are prohibited without permission from the government.
-
US government waives pollution laws for 1,500 underground water supplies
The Environmental Protection Agency has granted some energy and mining companies permission to pollute underground water supplies across the US, according to an investigation by ProPublica.
-
Opinion: Sandy Hook exposes the logic gap in NRA's opposition to gun control
After Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, we hear arguments against gun control, chiefly that laws won't keep guns from evil-doers. But no one would argue that homicide laws have no place just because they can’t stop all killings. The point is, gun control will reduce carnage, if not stop it.
-
Guns in schools? Sandy Hook rekindles hot debate on arming teachers. (+video)
Across the country, some argue that an armed teacher could have prevented the Sandy Hook massacre. But others say having guns in schools heightens the risk of other tragedies.
-
In Texas, a town where the teachers carry guns (+video)
Harrold, Texas offers a window on how one school manages guns in the classroom. After the Sandy Hook shooting, Oklahoma, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota and Oregon have said they may propose laws allowing teachers and school administrators to carry firearms at school.
-
Gun sales spike in some states, while others stock up on armored backpacks
The Sandy Hook Conn. school shooting has lead to mixed reactions amongst shoppers. Some states have seen record gun sales, while self-defense retailers have also noticed an increase.
-
'Zero Dark Thirty,' 'Amour' capture New York Critics' awards
Kathryn Bigelow's drama was named the best film of 2012, while 'Amour' was cited as the best foreign language film.
-
The Simple Dollar
For cheap travel, avoid souvenirsA truly special souvenir doesn’t need to cost very much, and the best ones are rarely found in an overpriced souvenir shop, Hamm writes.
- Focus
The Monitor's top 11 US stories of 2012
From storms to politics, the year was a wild ride. What are the most meaningful US stories of 2012? Here's the Monitor's list, in roughly chronological order.
-
After Sandy Hook, teachers should be armed, says Texas Gov. Rick Perry (+video)
Texas Gov. Rick Perry says he supports allowing teachers to carry concealed handguns in schools in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting. Perry also said that mental health issues should be considered as a way to make schools safer.
-
Opinion: Sandy Hook massacre: The NRA's gun 'rights' are a fabrication of modern times
In the wake of Adam Lanza's massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, let's try a grade-school exercise. True or false? For most of US history, Americans had broad gun rights. That's false. Until recently, individual gun rights were severely restricted – with NRA support.
-
Energy Voices
Keystone XL oil pipeline hits snag in TexasA judge in Texas has ordered that TransCanada Corp., the company behind the building of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, must stop work on a stretch of the line that will run beneath property owned by Michael Bishop for two weeks, due to that man’s challenge of the pipeline’s intentions.
-
The Monitor's View: A bridge for action after Sandy Hook shootings
Americans were united over the weekend on the need for solutions to mass shootings like that at Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Conn. Now they must also deal with their respective fears over the different solutions being proposed.
- Briefing
US gun industry by the numbers
As the debate over gun control rages on, the firearms industry in the United States is thriving. Here are seven key figures.
Become part of the Monitor community