When Nayeli Calderon’s son Sebastian was 2 years old, a daycare teacher suggested she get him tested for autism. That’s when she said the work, and the waiting, began. Sebastian joined a month-long waitlist for a neurologist, who saw him for a few months and then diagnosed him with autism. After the diagnosis came the […]
Author Archives: Isabella Zeff
Isabella Zeff is one of The Barbed Wire’s trending news fellows. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in May with a degree in journalism and is now based in her home city of Dallas. She has interned in the past for Texas Monthly, KUT and Texas Connect, where she reported on everything from self-driving cars to Texan Olympic athletes.
Posted inNews
Jasmine Crockett Is Running for U.S. Senate. Let’s Revisit Her Most Viral Quotes, Clapbacks, and Provocative Alliterations.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett announced her highly-anticipated run for U.S. Senate on Monday after weeks of rumors, guessing, and national headlines. “Turning Texas blue is what I want to talk to y’all about today. Now, there are those that say ain’t no way,” Crockett said to a crowd of supporters as she officially announced her […]
Posted inNews
Texas National Guard Spent About $4 Million to Never Activate in Chicago. Now They’re Going Home for the Holidays.
Texas National Guard troops are finally returning home from Chicago after a little over a month, CNN reported. The troops could not carry out operations due to ongoing legal holds. On Oct. 8, 200 Texas troops arrived in Illinois, called by President Donald Trump to “safeguard” federal agents carrying out deportation efforts. Trump has used […]
Posted inNews
A Woman Asked 43 Churches If They’d Feed a Starving Baby. The Texas Ones Failed Her Test.
UPDATE, Nov. 20, 2025: On Nov. 18, a spokesperson from First Baptist Church told D Magazine that prior to the call that Monroe recorded in her TikTok, she had previously contacted the church and hung up after they provided information about available resources. The spokesperson also said that the church had been alerted about similar […]
Posted inNews
Gov. Abbott Was ‘Just Joking’ About That ‘100% Tariff’ on New Yorkers Fleeing a Mamdani Win
Zohran Mamdani is favored to win New York City’s mayoral race on Tuesday, and a few Texans are not happy about it. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took to X yesterday with a conservative talking point implying that New Yorkers will flee the city if Mamdani is elected. “After the polls close tomorrow night, I will […]
Posted inTexana
…So Was It the Price of Turkey Legs? State Fair of Texas Attendance Dropped by 400,000
It turns out that attendance at the State Fair of Texas was not doing just fine this year. After viral posts at the beginning of the month showed fewer crowds at the fair and many online commenters blamed higher prices, State Fair representatives downplayed concerns and assured Texans that fair attendance always picks up after […]
Posted inNews
Houston Erased Texas’ First-Ever Gay Pride Crosswalk in the Middle of the Night
A pile of broken, colorful concrete pieces was all that remained of Houston’s rainbow crosswalk as the sun rose on Monday. Construction crews tore up Texas’ first gay pride crosswalk, a beloved feature of the historically LGBT Montrose neighborhood, in the early hours of the morning. The crosswalk, which originated as a memorial for a […]
Posted inTexana
The 13 Spookiest Texas Ghost Stories We Could Find
A state as vast as Texas is home to all sorts of frights: rattlesnakes, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, and many, many ghosts. We interviewed Texas historians and ghost tour guides — and combed the internet — to round up the scariest ghost stories from across the state. (Editor’s Note: Some of the responses have been […]
Posted inSports
Hey, New York Times? Stay Out of Texas Football Family Business.
Hey, New York Times, leave Arch Manning alone. This is family business. Has the University of Texas’ starting quarterback underperformed? Obviously. But is he “college football’s first flop,” as Times asked yesterday? Is he now a “man synonymous with failure?” Not really! He’s been … just okay! Reporter Will Leitch compared Manning to, among other […]
Posted inCulture
Even Corn Dogs Aren’t Safe from Inflation. Now Some Texans Are ‘Done With the State Fair.’
Inflation has come for our corn dogs. Reviews are flowing in from the State Fair of Texas as it enters its second week, and one thing is clear: Big Tex hasn’t been spared from the nation’s cost of living increases. “We are done with the state fair after this year,” Reddit user Lane8323 posted to […]