Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by anna walsh

damned soul-o-man @dansolomon.com · 3d

NOW HIRING: open fact-check position at @texasmonthly.bsky.social, come work with us and potentially save me and my colleagues from ourselves www.texasmonthly.com/about/jobs-a...

Jobs and Internships

Since 1973, Texas Monthly has chronicled life in contemporary Texas, reporting on vital issues such as politics, criminal justice, the environment,

www.texasmonthly.com

20 21

anna walsh @annamccachren.bsky.social · 9d

Our editor in chief Ross also wrote a lovely ode to Skip in this month's issue of @texasmonthly.bsky.social ❤️ www.texasmonthly.com/the-stand-up...

Did you hear? Skip’s in town from Dallas. I saw him walking down the hall. He’s probably talking to IT—a problem with his laptop. I think he’s heading out this afternoon, though I’m not sure. I can’t wait to introduce you. Before you meet him, you should know a few things.

You can’t win a game of conversational chicken with Skip Hollandsworth. The interview skills he’s mastered as a writer for Texas Monthly over four decades means he will let a lull in the conversation linger. I have never met anyone more comfortable with silences. But the thing is, it won’t be uncomfortable for you. The expectant simper on his face will relax you. A Skip conversation is a Zen experience.

The victims, aggressors, detectives, bystanders, aunts, cousins, and coworkers he’s gotten to talk to him about the most terrible crimes—they must have fallen under his spell too. His move is, he allows silences to occur.

“Early in my career, I would read over the transcripts of my interviews, and in the margins I’d write ‘SU,’ as in, ‘shut up,’ ” he told me the other day. “I’d talk over people just as they were about to say something brilliant.”

What few assertions he makes will be funny or poignant. And generous. They’ll probably be about how great you’re doing, about how important you are, about how you’re the best at what you do. You leave a Skip conversation feeling admired.

His conversational approach has always been a little maddening to me because there’s no one else I’d rather hear talk. Not just for the substance but for the tone: His voice is Wichita Falls by way of Texas Christian University, which he graduated from in 1979. A little bit folksy, a little bit patrician, and totally unhurried.

anna walsh @annamccachren.bsky.social · 9d

This essay is excerpted from Skip's forthcoming book, "She Kills," available for preorder now: bookshop.org/p/books/she-...

She Kills: The Murderous Socialite, the Cross-Dressing Bank Robber, and Other True Crime Tales

The Murderous Socialite, the Cross-Dressing Bank Robber, and Other True Crime Tales

bookshop.org

1

anna walsh @annamccachren.bsky.social · 9d

THE Skip Hollandsworth on the case from his teens that set him on the path to becoming a true crime writer: www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/s...

The Murder That Made Me a True Crime Writer

The legendary Skip Hollandsworth revisits the case that launched his lifelong obsession. An exclusive excerpt from his new book, ‘She Kills.’

www.texasmonthly.com

1 1

Reposted by anna walsh

Texas Monthly @texasmonthly.bsky.social · 11d

By any measure, Tim Kennedy’s life is full of genuine accomplishments.

But if you look past the broadest strokes of his résumé to confirm the details of what he says and writes about his life, much of it proves elusive, or just plain wrong. https://txmnth.ly/3Wcwutg

Tim Kennedy vs. the Truth

txmnth.ly

1 3 6

anna walsh @annamccachren.bsky.social · 13d

www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/...

“Stoked as these guys are, as a forty-year-old with arthritic hips and a disconcerting number of gray hairs colonizing my dome, I have my reservations. What exactly had I gotten myself into? A few hours ago I called my wife and three young children back home to tell them good night. “Dada, what are you doing?” my six-year-old asked. “Working,” I told him. In the background, I could hear my wife’s howling laughter.”

“I was curious about these kids, whose antics are often juvenile but are occasionally downright funny. Who chooses to go to a Baptist college and then enlists in a subversive organization? What does it say about Baylor that this group has become such an institution? And how provocative can you be in an era when colleges across the country are cracking down on protests?

Oh, and one other thing. They wanted me to ride with them on their homecoming float through downtown Waco dressed in full brotherhood regalia. But to do so, they had to initiate me, which would require a ritual Evel cryptically described as “involving water” and “not that bad.”

What could go wrong?”

anna walsh @annamccachren.bsky.social · 13d

want to read a palate cleanser this weekend? enjoy this absolute delight of a story by JK Nickell about tagging along with undergrads in Baylor’s irreverent secret society @texasmonthly.bsky.social www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/...

What Happened When I Was Inducted Into Baylor’s Most Profane Secret Society

Over a few days last fall, I learned how the group known as the NoZe Brotherhood has thrived at such a pious institution.

www.texasmonthly.com

1

Reposted by anna walsh

Juana Summers @jsummers.bsky.social · 14d

If you haven't read Aaron's piece for @texasmonthly.bsky.social -- it's a must read. Beautiful, and absolutely heart wrenching. www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...

“The River House Broke. We Rushed in the River.”

The July 4 Texas flooding ripped our Kerr County home from its pillars, pulling us into the water and into the night. Then morning came.

www.texasmonthly.com

1 3

anna walsh @annamccachren.bsky.social · 14d

thank you, Juana, for sharing Aaron's story ❤️

Juana Summers @jsummers.bsky.social · 14d

Today on @npr.org's All Things Considered I spoke with Aaron Parsley of @texasmonthly.bsky.social about his experience during the devastating Texas Hill Country flooding, his sister's resilience and the death of his young nephew. www.npr.org/2025/09/25/n...

Three months later, a survivor reflects on the Texas floods

Three months after floods hit central Texas, senior editor at Texas Monthly Aaron Parsley shares his experience when he and his family were swept away by rushing water and how they're moving forward.

www.npr.org

1

anna walsh @annamccachren.bsky.social · 14d

"Peering out the windshield at the plant’s western side, she said seeing it now 'reminds me of people who died.'" @texasmonthly.bsky.social www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...

America’s Nuclear Arsenal Is Built in Amarillo. Workers There Have Paid a Price.

Spurred by her own painful loss, Sarah Ray has spent two decades helping others seek compensation for cancer and other illnesses likely contracted at the Pantex plant.

www.texasmonthly.com

1

Reposted by anna walsh

Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · Sep 7

Highest level of support since Gallup started asking this question a quarter century ago

Americans' Views on Immigration's Effect on the U.S.
On the whole, do you think immigration is a good thing or a bad thing for this country today?
— % Good thing - - % Bad thing
100%
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
79
17
2001
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025
The percentages who volunteer that the effects are "mixed" or who do not have an opinion are not shown.
GALLUP®

120 1.8K 6.5K

Reposted by anna walsh

William Shakespeare @shakespeare.lol · Sep 6

What is the city but the people?

12 260 1K

Reposted by anna walsh

Rebecca Makkai @rebeccamakkai.bsky.social · Aug 29

Oh, hi there... 👀
We've got THE @bcdreyer.social (of Dreyer's English) teaching an unlimited-enrollment online class for @storystudiochicago.bsky.social on everything that make prose good...

3 16 63

anna walsh @annamccachren.bsky.social · Aug 26

SO good

Reposted by anna walsh

Bradford Pearson @bradfordpearson.bsky.social · Aug 25

It's funny! It's heartwarming! It made me cry a few times!

@phillymag.com's preeminent teen-chronicler Emily Goulet spent months behind-the-scenes with the town that throws America's biggest prom. A must read:

Inside Pennsbury High’s Legendary Prom: The Most Epic School Dance in America

A six-figure budget. Hundreds of helpers. Giant art installations. A tentacled kraken. This prom is like no other.

www.phillymag.com

2 4 4

anna walsh @annamccachren.bsky.social · Aug 25

wow I love this!

1 1

Reposted by anna walsh

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · Aug 21

give me a bag of these and you don't even have to worry about the money

170 290 5.1K

anna walsh @annamccachren.bsky.social · Aug 20

psssttt…..a reminder that the application deadline for @texasmonthly.bsky.social’s research chief role is AUGUST 25, aka MONDAY! www.texasmonthly.com/about/jobs-a...

Jobs and Internships

Since 1973, Texas Monthly has chronicled life in contemporary Texas, reporting on vital issues such as politics, criminal justice, the environment,

www.texasmonthly.com

4 3

Reposted by anna walsh

The Associated Press @apnews.com · Aug 10

Broadcaster Al Jazeera says its correspondent Anas al-Sharif has been killed in Gaza City, and Israel’s military confirms it.

Al Jazeera says its correspondent Anas al-Sharif has been killed in Gaza, and Israel confirms it

Broadcaster Al Jazeera says its correspondent Anas al-Sharif has been killed in Gaza City, and Israel’s military confirms it.

bit.ly

59 250 410

anna walsh @annamccachren.bsky.social · Aug 6

from 2022: www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...

3 9

Reposted by anna walsh

Kameron Hurley @kameronhurley.com · Aug 6

Colleague and I were setting up LinkedIn ads yesterday. Colleague asked LI's new "AI assistant" where to find a field. It gave wrong answer. Colleague said "tell me I'm not crazy. It's not here, is it?" It was not. He reverted to old interface. I found answer via help page. We are not saving time

Daniel José Older @djolder.bsky.social · Aug 6

But even if something lies to you "only" 15% of the time, it's not helpful, it's not saving you time, it's not making you smarter, it's just lying to you. That's more work. If your research assistant lied to you 15% of the time you would no longer work with them.

4 39 210

Reposted by anna walsh

Aaron Parsley @freshparsley.bsky.social · Aug 5

Texas Monthly announced the fund yesterday: www.texasmonthly.com/the-stand-up...

Help the Family in Our Guadalupe River Flooding Story Help Others

A fund has been established in memory of the nephew of senior editor Aaron Parsley, whose recent account describes the family’s harrowing experience during the July 4 flooding in Central Texas.

www.texasmonthly.com

1 5 10

Reposted by anna walsh

Aaron Parsley @freshparsley.bsky.social · Aug 5

So many have asked how to help after a tragedy that affected so many families, including mine. We hope that the Clay Parisher Legacy Fund will be a way to channel the kindness, love, and support of friends, family, and followers through a gift or gifts in the future made in my nephew’s name.

1 1 9

Reposted by anna walsh

Aaron Parsley @freshparsley.bsky.social · Aug 5

Thank you to everyone who read my family’s story in @texasmonthly.bsky.social. The response in letters, emails, messages, comments, and from people I’ve met in person has been overwhelming. We are so grateful. www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...

“The River House Broke. We Rushed in the River.”

The July 4 Texas flooding ripped our Kerr County home from its pillars, pulling us into the water and into the night. Then morning came.

www.texasmonthly.com

2 9 27

Reposted by anna walsh

Texas Monthly @texasmonthly.bsky.social · Aug 4

Y'all read? 👀 📚

We're partnering with Texas Book Festival to bring you the Texas Book Club. Whether you’re a longtime reader with a towering to-be-read pile or someone who hasn’t hit a rhythm turning pages in a while, the Texas Book Club is for you.

Texas Monthly and Texas Book Festival Announce a New Book Club

For decades, Texas Monthly has partnered with Texas Book Festival, the state’s premier literary event, serving as a media sponsor and regularly

www.texasmonthly.com

9 37