The State of Texas: Hear about the engine that might get us to Mars on the National Podcast of Texas

What Texas is talking about today No Images? [Click here]( [Texas Tech University]( [Texas Monthly]( February 12, 2018 QUOTE OF THE DAY "You’re not being punished for being an alcoholic. It’s the driving that’s the problem." —Sammy McCrary, chief of the felony division for the Comal County criminal district attorney’s office, in reference to San Antonio resident Ralph Alfred Friesenhahn's attempt to have his four-year prison sentence for his fourth driving-while-intoxicated conviction overturned. [Friesenhahn claims]( that the state's driving limit of .08 blood-alcohol concentration discriminates against the "protected class of alcoholics" because heavy drinkers have a higher tolerance for alcohol, and therefore may not be impaired despite having that much booze in their bloodstream. BIG NEWS [The National Podcast of Texas, Episode 6]( BY MONTE WILLIAMS The engine that might get us to Mars and the unexpected pressures of taking a break in the music industry. [Read Story]( [Texas Tech University]( OUR TOP STORIES [The Empire Strikes Back, Texas Republican Style]( Abbott and Patrick are bringing the power of incumbency to bear against a rebellion of educators, business leaders and moderate Republicans. [Read Story]( [The Texanist: Isn’t the Summer Heat Great? Or is That Just Me?]( In the midst of a cold, wet winter, an Abilene woman longs for the dog days of August. [Read Story]( [Elizabeth Crook’s Gripping New Western]( The Which Way Tree owes a small debt to True Grit—and then heads off in its own direction. [Read Story]( MEANWHILE, IN TEXAS... Statewide Election of Judges, R.I.P.? The latest voting rights challenge to Texas's electoral system [begins today]( in Corpus Christi, where U.S. District Court Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos will hear a case alleging that our method of electing judges to our highest courts discriminates against Latinos. Texas's statewide election of judges—which has been in place for 150 years—has long been controversial, because it forces judges to run as partisans, which might affect their impartiality on the bench. But seven Latinos and a civil rights organization argue that the system is unfair for another reason: they claim it "submerges" Latino preferences beneath those of the white majority. In 1992 [we wrote about]( a state senator who was trying to pass a new state constitution that would, among other things, reform our method of electing judges. Good Morning, Johnny Manziel Tyler native and onetime A&M football phenom Johnny Manziel [appeared on Good Morning America]( today to try to explain what he called his "huge downfall." The Heisman Trophy winner, who washed out after two years in the NFL, said that his very public drinking problem stemmed from mental health issues. "I was self-medicating with alcohol. That’s what I thought would make me happy and get out of that depression," Manziel said. "What did that get me? Where did that get me except out of the NFL? Where did that get me? Disgraced?" Manziel noted that he wants to return to football in some capacity. Read [our 2013 cover story]( on Manziel. Killer's Accomplice Stays Put David Owen Brooks, the accomplice to the notorious Houston-area serial killer Dean Corll, [was denied parole once again](. As a teenager during the early 1970s—before the term "serial killer" had even been coined—Brooks assisted Corll in luring more than two dozen young boys to be tortured and murdered. Though this was not the first time Brooks has been denied parole—he has tried more than twenty times—this denial is different than the previous ones. Thanks to a 2015 law, Brooks can't apply again for another ten years. Executive editor Skip Hollandsworth [wrote a brutal story]( about the Dean Corll case five years ago. NEWS & POLITICS [Dan Patrick Says He Will Block the Filming of “Let Her Speak” from the Texas Senate Chamber]( BY R.G. RATCLIFFE "They’ve already disgraced it once. I’m not going to let them do it a second time." [Read Story]( [Tastemakers: Austin]( [Tastemakers: Austin]( Supported by [Kissing Tree]( For the third installment of our video series,“Tastemakers: A Local’s Guide to Our Favorite Cities,” we go along for a ride in professional BMX rider Aaron Ross's 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera as he spends a fun-and food-filled day in his hometown, from hitting golf balls to enjoying his favorite grilled cheese. [Watch now]( [Texas Tech University]( MORE FROM TEXAS MONTHLY [A Family’s Dream Mountain Home in El Paso]( BY LAUREN SMITH FORD [The Most Expensive BBQ Sauce in Texas]( BY DANIEL VAUGHN [Why Does Austin Want a Soccer Team So Badly Anyway?]( BY DAN SOLOMON [A Deep Dive Into How Dallas Got Its Name]( BY JOHN NOVA LOMAX [Subscribe to Texas Monthly and Save!]( Get the best of Texas with Texas Monthly. [SUBSCRIBE TODAY]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Website]( Texas Monthly PO Box 1569 Austin, TX 78767 Texas Monthly has sent you this alert because you signed up to receive it either online at texasmonthly.com, at the website of one of our business partners, or when you filled out a reader response card. You may cancel your subscription to this and other Texas Monthly newsletters at any time. Please see our Privacy Policy. [Like]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](