The State of Texas: Ellen DeGeneres gives $1 million to a Texas high school

Plus: West, five years after the explosion No Images? [Click here]( [Texas Tech University]( [Texas Monthly]( April 17, 2018 QUOTE OF THE DAY "We don't celebrate holidays or birthdays anymore. Friends invite us over for holiday dinners. But we can't celebrate in the house and look at her chair." —Rick Vandagriff, testifying during the punishment phase[in the murder trial of the man who killed his daughter](. The remains of Jacqueline Vandagriff—a student at Texas Woman's University in Denton—were found burning in a kiddie pool in 2016. Charles Bryant Jr. was found guilty of the murder and given a life sentence. THE LATEST [Ellen DeGeneres Gives $1 Million to Rockport-Fulton High School]( LAUREN SMITH FORD Eight months after Harvey, Ellen DeGeneres gave the students of Rockport-Fulton High School a generous gift. [Read Story]( [Texas Tech University]( OUR TOP STORIES [An Ode to Bartolo Colon and the Imperfect Game]( Rangers pitcher Bartolo Colon pitched seven perfect innings against the Astros Sunday night. But it’s OK that he came up short. [Read Story]( [Selena Air Fresheners, Spoons, and Other Handmade Ways to Celebrate La Reina’s Birthday]( In our current moment of Selenamania, Stripes and H-E-B have nothing on the dedication from crafty fans. [Read Story]( [Did a Prominent Republican Donor Have a Hand in Helping Beto O’Rourke?]( Oilman Tim Dunn is investing in a super PAC trying to defeat the Democratic senate nominee after helping him win a seat in Congress in 2012. [Read Story]( MEANWHILE, IN TEXAS... Emotional Update The day after the Bush family announced that former first lady and Bush matriarch Barbara was in failing health and would not undergo additional medical treatment, her granddaughter [Jenna Bush Hager]( appeared on NBC's Today show. "She's in great spirits. She's a fighter," Bush Hager assured viewers. Fighting off tears, Bush Hager, a correspondent for the show, said that she and her sister, Barbara, had spoken with their grandmother Sunday night following the announcement. "She's with my grandpa, the man she's loved for over 73 years," she said. A spokesperson for the family [called Barbara Bush]( "a rock in the face of her failing health." West, Five Years Later It has been five years since the small town of West, just north of Waco, was rocked by an [explosion]( at the West Fertilizer Company plant that killed fifteen—many of them first responders—and injured hundreds more. The town continues to rebuild following the horrific accident, much of the efforts centering around the [town's school district](, which opened a joint middle school and high school in 2016. We recounted [the heroic efforts]( from members of the West Volunteer Fire Department after the explosion. Land Grabs An email[sent to lawmakers](by the Department of Homeland Security on Monday indicates the federal government will soon be reaching out to Texas landowners along the border with Mexico to begin surveying their land for potential construction of President Donald Trump's border wall. The landowners will receive notice of the federal government's intent to enter their land to assess real estate, environmental, and design processes. The email does not say when this process will start. Congress spared a[South Texas wildlife refuge]( from wall construction, but not much else. TRAVEL & OUTDOORS [The Alamo Is Still Under Siege]( ROBERT RIVARD How San Antonio handles the Alamo Plaza redevelopment will say a lot about what kind of city it wants to become. [Read Story]( [Guiltless Pleasures]( [Guiltless Pleasures]( [Sponsored by Laura's Lean Beef]( Everybody loves a good burger, including Texas chef Claire Smith, who owns Alice Blue, in Houston. Claire shows us how she makes simple, yet delicious patty melt sliders. Watch the video for the full recipe. [Watch Now]( [Texas Tech University]( MORE FROM TEXAS MONTHLY [Women’s Adventure Group Brings Vintage Trailers to Round Top]( LAUREN SMITH FORD [Why San Antonio Is the Best City in Texas for Artists]( JOHN NOVA LOMAX [Beychella Was a Celebration of Beyoncé’s Southern Black Culture]( DOYIN OYENIYI [Not Your Grandfather’s Conjunto]( KATY VINE [Subscribe to Texas Monthly and Save!]( Get Texas Monthly for $1 an issue. [SUBSCRIBE]( [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](