The State of Texas: The Simpsons take Marfa

What Texas is talking about today No Images? [Click here]( [Shop the Texas Monthly General Store!]( [Texas Monthly]( January 9, 2019 QUOTE OF THE DAY "Because of her life I just want to believe that all of us will be better, that all of us will work harder, that all of us will strive to make this world a safer place for our children." —Houston mayor Sylvester Turner [at the funeral]( of seven-year-old Jazmine Barnes, who was killed in a drive-by shooting on December 30. On Tuesday, mourners gathered at Houston’s Community of Faith Church to remember the second grader. THE LATEST [Marfa Is Now Such a Stereotype They Can Mock It on The Simpsons]( DAN SOLOMON Bart, Homer, Lisa, Marge, and Grampa Simpson made the trip on Sunday night. [Read more.]( MEANWHILE, IN TEXAS... [So That's Where That Spare Went]( [via [Chron.com](] A man was captured on video chasing a tire down Interstate 45 in Houston on Sunday. The man eventually caught up to the tire and was unharmed. As the Chron noted, it "was likely one of the few times Houston traffic helped the situation, as cars were driving at slow speeds when the man appeared on the highway." We’ll feature our favorite piece of weird news here each Wednesday. Tomorrow, and every Thursday, tune in for our weekly news quiz! [Shop the Texas Monthly General Store!]( OUR TOP STORIES [The Texanist: What, Exactly, Is a “Hard Freeze”?]( An Austin man thinks everyone knows that water turns to ice at 32 degrees. [Read More]( [The Best Texas BBQ Bites of 2018]( There’s so much great barbecue to eat outside of our Top 50 list. Here are our best bites of the year, from pork belly burnt ends to sausage wraps. [Read More]( [Veteran Journalist Dan Goodgame Joins Texas Monthly as New Editor in Chief]( Our eighth editor in chief will take the helm on January 28. [Read More]( THE STATE OF TEXAS Second Arrest On the same day that family and friends gathered to reflect on the life of seven-year-old Jazmine Barnes, [a second suspect]( was charged in connection with her shooting. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office announced on Tuesday that it filed capital murder charges against 24-year-old Larry Woodruffe, who was arrested on January 5 along with 20-year-old Eric Black Jr. Unlike Black, who quickly admitted to his involvement in the crime, Woodruffe was initially booked on felony drug charges pending further investigation. "Credit is due the discipline and persistence of homicide investigators, who worked around the clock to corroborate tipster information with actual evidence," Harris County First Assistant District Attorney Tom Berg said in a statement. Where in the World is Dan Patrick? There was a notable absence on the first day of the legislative session: Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. Earlier Tuesday, state Senator Jane Nelson said that Patrick was “called by the White House to discuss some issues that are critical to Texas.” But after President Donald Trump’s address to the nation calling for border wall funding later that night, Patrick explained that he attended a border security meeting and [helped with the speech](. "Texans see first-hand the tragedies that take place at our border every day," Patrick said in a statement. "I was in Washington today working with the president’s team on his historic first address to the nation from the Oval Office and I am committed to doing everything I can to help the president end this crisis." Goodbye, Tornillo The now-infamous tent city in Tornillo, which has served as a detention center for young migrants for six months, [could be closing]( for good. Mark Weber, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said that he expected the “vast majority” of the unaccompanied minors at Tornillo to be released to sponsors by the end of the month. If a sponsor can’t be secured, Weber said that the children will be transferred to a shelter with the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Weber added that the goal was to “close Tornillo as quickly but as safely as possible – for both the [immigrants] and all the personnel who have worked faithfully for months providing excellent care for these vulnerable children.” HHS said on Tuesday that the population at Tornillo is down to 850 children. TRAVEL & OUTDOORS [Big Bend Ranch State Park: Where Nothing Is Everything]( COURTNEY BOND The untouched vastness of the largest state park in Texas makes you feel like you’re exploring a whole other world. [Read more.]( [Texas' Best Beach]( [T]([exas' Best Beach]( Escape frigid winter temperatures for a tropical destination full of warmth and leisure at Texas's Best Beach. From wind and water sports to bay and offshore fishing, South Padre Island has it all. Discover your next holiday destination here. [Read More]( [Shop the Texas Monthly General Store!]( MORE FROM TEXAS MONTHLY [Texas House Unanimously Elects Dennis Bonnen New Speaker]( CARLOS SANCHEZ [The 2019 Bum Steer Awards Are Here!]( TEXAS MONTHLY [Carol Burnett is the Perfect Namesake for a Lifetime Achievement Award]( DAN SOLOMON [Subscribe to Texas Monthly and save!]( [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. 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