The State of Texas: Is Beto O'Rourke a problem for Julián Castro?

What Texas is talking about today No Images? [Click here]( [Visit Toby Keith's Barr & Grill]( [Texas Monthly]( November 15, 2018 QUOTE OF THE DAY "Luby's can work very hard to provide a good, hot, fresh meal at an affordable price, but they're just not what millennials are thinking about. There's nothing really Instagrammable about going down the cafeteria line and getting a meal." —David Littwitz, a restaurant broker with Houston-based Littwitz Investments, [to the]([Houston Chronicle](. Luby's, which was founded in San Antonio more than seventy years ago, recently closed 21 restaurants and laid off corporate staff amid declining sales. Where [will we eat Thanksgiving dinner]( if not at Luby's? THE LATEST [Is Beto O’Rourke a Problem for Fellow Democrat Julián Castro’s Presidential Prospects?]( CARLOS SANCHEZ Castro has been enormously politically adept ahead of an expected run. O’Rourke’s popularity could present new challenges. [Read more.]( QUIZ We’re awarding one lucky quiz participant a $25 gift card to the [TM General Store](! Look here every Thursday for our weekly news quiz, and reply to this email with your answers to enter. Check back on Friday for answers. There will be no quiz next week, because we'll be eating turkey. 1. Toki, a _________, was found in a Goodwill sorting facility [months after he went missing](. 2. Dennis Bonnen is likely the [new House Speaker](. He is taking over for Joe Straus, who once named him as his _________. 3. This week Amazon named the new home(s) of its second headquarters, passing up Texas cities _________ and _________, which were on the shortlist of final destinations. 4. Fixer Upper duo Chip and Joanna Gaines announced late last week that they would launch a new network in partnership with _________. 5. Appearing [on Saturday Night Live](, representative-elect Dan Crenshaw said _________ looked like a "Troll doll with a tapeworm." Look here every Thursday for our weekly news quiz—and check back on Friday for the answers! [Visit Toby Keith's Barr & Grill]( OUR TOP STORIES [Go Inside Austin’s New Carpenter Hotel and Restaurant]( A former union hall near Zilker Park has been transformed into a boutique hotel, complete with a restaurant from chef Grae Nonas. [Read More]( [Medical Marijuana Leads Bill Count on First Day of Filing for Next Texas Legislature]( Nearly 300 bills were filed by Monday morning. The vast majority of them will never make it to the governor’s desk to become law. [Read More]( [Pair Your Barbecue Sandwich With a Drive Around a Race Track at the New BBQ on the Brazos]( The BBQ Top 50 joint has reopened, now offering one of the most unique barbecue meal experiences in Texas. [Read More]( THE STATE OF TEXAS Construction Contract A Galveston company [has secured its second contract]( in a month for the construction of President Donald Trump's border wall. On Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that SLSCO has been awarded a $167 million contract to build eight miles of border wall in South Texas. Earlier this month, the company won a $145 million bid to build six miles of the wall. Construction is slated to begin in February. Chance Meeting Senator Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke [came face-to-face]( for the first time since the election at everyone's favorite place: an airport. Tiffany Easter, a Texas A&M student in the Bush School of Government and Public Service, uploaded photos of the two politicians to Facebook on Tuesday. “It was the first time they had seen each other since the election and the entire conversation was both of them talking about how they could move forward together,” Easter wrote. “The Texas Senate race was one of the most contested and most watched in the nation. Today we literally watched them come together. This is America.” Saved by a Selfie A Texas man avoided a 99-year prison sentence thanks to, of all things, [a selfie](. Cristopher Precopia, of Williamson County, was arrested in September 2017 after his ex-girlfriend accused him of breaking into her home in Temple and using a box cutter to carve an "X" into her chest. He was charged with burglary of a habitation with the intent to commit other crimes. But Precopia had an alibi for the night of the alleged attack: he was with his mother at a hotel in Austin. And he had proof. A geo-tagged, time-stamped selfie was uploaded to Facebook, offering key evidence that led to charges being dropped. "Most of the time, we deal with gray matters," attorney Rick Flores said. "It's not normally black or white. But this is one of those cases where I could definitely prove he did not commit this offense." TEXAS MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTIONS [G]([ive the Best of Texas]( For a limited time only, give a gift subscription to Texas Monthly at a special holiday rate—just $10 for 12 issues. [O]([rder Now]( THE CULTURE [Amazon HQ2 Isn’t Coming to Texas. That’s a Good Thing.]( DAN SOLOMON It would have been great for tech workers, but a disaster for infrastructure, equality, and the identities of Austin and Dallas. [Read More]( [The Energy Department]( [T]([he Energy Department]( From the oil fields of West Texas to the climate change debates in Austin and the wind turbines in the Panhandle, energy is ever-present for Texans. The Energy Department, brought to you by Direct Energy, is a collection of stories, tips, and guides on how energy impacts you, your home, and your community. [Read More]( [Visit Toby Keith's Barr & Grill]( MORE FROM TEXAS MONTHLY [Green Book Is a Poor Attempt to Make Racism Funny]( DOYIN OYENIYI [Beto O’Rourke’s Endless Livestream]( DAN SOLOMON [Root, Root, Root for the Amarillo Sod Poodles]( AUSTIN CORONA [Shop the TM General Store 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 opt-out from Texas Monthly newsletters at any time. Please see our Privacy Policy. If you would like to manage which Texas Monthly Editorial newsletters you are receiving, click Preferences, below. To unsubscribe from our Editorial newsletters, click Unsubscribe. [Like]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](