
Port Aransas’s much-loved alligator Boots finds new home at Gator Country
by Sam Cohen
| February 25, 2026
animals | Beaumont | Boots the alligator | Community | CULTURE | ENTERTAINMENT | Gator Country | HARDGATE | LIFESTYLE | local | Local news | neighborhoods | News | outdoors | Port Aransas | SAFETY | TEXAS
Boots the alligator has become a neighborhood icon in Port Aransas. He was recently relocated to Beaumont’s Gator Country.

Celebrating Black excellence: 7 Houstonians honored for their contributions to the city
by Sierra Rozen
| February 20, 2026
The Feb. 19 Black History Month Celebration, hosted by Houston City Controller Chris Hollins, honored seven Black Houstonians who have left a lasting impact on the city and the communities they call home.

How the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo went from 2,000 people to millions of visitors in less than a century
by Sierra Rozen
| February 19, 2026
2026 houston rodeo | Community | CULTURE | ENTERTAINMENT | HARDGATE | HOUSTON LEAD STORY | houston livestock show and rodeo | houston rodeo | HTX | LIFESTYLE
From 2,000 attendees to millions: How the Houston Rodeo became bigger than Texas The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is known for two things: creative food combinations and a genre-diverse concert lineup that ranges from R&B to country. Of course, there’s the predictable lineup of rodeo events: barrel racing, bull riding, mutton bustin’, and steer […]

TXST’s Wittliff Collections celebrates its legacy with ’40 Objects’ exhibit
by Sam Cohen
| February 19, 2026
Art | arts | celebrities | central texas | CULTURE | EDUCATION | ENTERTAINMENT | family friendly | free things to do | fun | HARDGATE | LIFESTYLE | LITERATURE | Local news | locals | News | recreation | TEXAS | TEXAS HISTORY | texas state university | THINGS TO DO | Wittliff | Wittliff museum
The “Spirit of the Wittliff in 40 Objects” exhibit includes items from Cormac McCarthy and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Here are all the details.

2 Texas schools break into TIME’s top global university rankings
by Sam Cohen
| February 19, 2026
Affordability | celebration | college | CULTURE | EDUCATION | EQUALITY | HARDGATE | HIGHER ED | HIGHER EDUCATION | LIFESTYLE | Local news | NATIONAL NEWS | Rice University | schools | TEXAS | Texas A&M | TEXAS HISTORY | TEXAS POLITICS | University of Texas at Austin
TIME Magazine’s 2026 list of the World’s Top Universities included three Texas schools. Here are the 2 that made the Top 50.



