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an hour ago
- Business
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Family Beef: Black's and Terry Black's barbecue feud still burning
In Texas' state-designated BBQ capital, two legendary Lockhart families run the town's most iconic barbecue joints as a rising star joins the scene — and all vie for coveted spots on the Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ list. Explore our project online now and watch the documentary June 5 at 7 p.m. on the KXAN+ smart TV app. LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) – 'In no way, shape, or form do I ever see there being a 'Kumbaya' moment where we come together and are buddy-buddy.' That is how Mike Black, co-owner of Terry's Black's Barbecue, describes the current state of his relationship with his uncle Kent Black, owner of Black's Barbecue. The family's tense and prickly dynamic dates back more than 15 years and has become the latest of two prominent barbecue family feuds in Lockhart. Dubbed the 'Barbecue Capital of Texas' by the state legislature in 1999, the city draws thousands of meat-loving pilgrims each year to its historic joints. After years of mistrust, firings, lawsuits and intense rivalry, both sides acknowledge that repairing the relationship will be hard to do. One sticking point in particular is still quite visible. Directly across the street from the original Black's Barbecue location in Lockhart is a building with two large signs that read 'The Corporate Office of Terry Black's Barbecue.' While Kent said the sign across the way is something 'I don't even notice anymore,' it's indicative of the lingering issues the families have not resolved. When twin brothers Mike and Mark Black were growing up in Lockhart in the late '90s, the two would spend their summers, sometimes in 100-degree heat, chopping post oak in the lot behind their grandparents' restaurant. It's the same undeveloped lot where cord after cord of wood still sits, lining the restaurant's delivery entrance while drying out in the Texas heat. At the time, Edgar Black Jr. and his wife, Norma Jean Black, owned Black's Barbecue. Originally opened in 1932 by Edgar Jr.'s father, Edgar Black Senior, the restaurant holds the claim to fame as the state's oldest barbecue joint owned by the same family. Years later, when Mike graduated from Texas State in 2010, he needed a job, and he said his grandfather was happy to employ him. It was a family affair with Kent serving as general manager, his brother Terry Black the accountant, and Mike trimming and serving meat. From the outside, it appeared the family was working together in harmony. But like baked beans on the back burner, in reality, they said a strain was simmering. 'It was a tumultuous three years to say the least,' Mike said. 'We butted heads from day one. My uncle always looked at me as kind of a spy, like I was watching over him.' How did Lockhart become the Barbecue Capital of Texas? Sitting in an empty dining room before his restaurant opened for business, Kent denied being an overbearing boss to his nephew. However, the third-generation pitmaster — dressed in a cowboy hat, red handkerchief around his neck, and work shirt with his name and job title embroidered in it — said he was bemused by his nephew's hiring. 'When they were younger, they didn't have any interest in working here,' Kent recalled. 'So, yeah, we were all surprised.' What was already a strained relationship boiled over in September 2013 when Mike and Mark, then 26 at the time, made a move to open Black's Barbecue Austin, along with their dad Terry and older sister Christina. Mike, now 37, said an agreement had previously been reached inside his grandmother's Lockhart home that his side of the family would open and own a new location in Austin, while Kent's side would open and own a restaurant in San Marcos. Kent, a former prosecutor for the state of Texas, tells a different story. 'I was never asked about whether or not they were going to open a place in Austin. That just kind of appeared,' he said. There are no public records confirming either version of the alleged agreement. For Mark, who was re-entering the barbecue industry for the first time since working at his grandparents' restaurant as a kid, it was a wake-up call on what can happen when you mix family with business. 'I don't know why they did what they did,' Mark said. Kent said, for him, it was the name 'Black's Barbecue' that was the sticking point. He said his parents legally owned the name and never gave Terry's side of the family permission to use it. When the sign went up on Austin's Barton Springs Road announcing the new joint, Kent said he initially asked his brother and the twins to change the name. When they didn't, he sent them a warning. Kent called it a 'letter,' while Mark called it a 'cease and desist order.' Regardless of its legal weight, it was enough to get them to rename the restaurant after their dad. 'My parents owned the business, and they pushed back on Terry and his kids for not running the business the way my parents wanted it to run,' Kent said. In between the original opening and re-opening under a new name, Mike said Kent fired him, Mark, Terry and Christina, from Black's Barbecue. 'Lawsuits started flying and all that,' Mark said. 'Terry was completely cut out of the family. Still don't know why.' In 2017, the patriarch of the family, Edgar Black Jr., died at 91 years old. In the days that followed, brothers Kent and Terry reopened their lines of communication to plan a visitation and funeral. Stories differ on what the two families disagreed about during the visitation. However, both said it resulted in a heated argument at the funeral home. The funeral still went on as planned the next day, but it was the last time Mike and Mark saw or spoke to their now 93-year-old grandmother, Norma Jean. Mike and Mark both spoke to us separately from the dining rooms of their restaurants, with Mike in Lockhart, and Mark in Austin. Both said the families' next public feud occurred four years later in 2021, with a dispute over a billboard. Along the side of U.S. Highway 183 on the south end of Lockhart sits an old shed, a few shipping containers and lots of tires. As told by Mark, his father Terry owns the land and leases it out to the Rodriguez Tire Shop. There's also a billboard on the land, towering over the road. It used to contain an advertisement for Black's Barbecue, attempting to lure in drivers to stop for a meal as they entered town. 'It was a sign that I owned, and I had the permits, and I had all of the state licenses,' Kent explained. But Terry Black's Barbecue wanted it gone. 'We told Kent, 'Hey, since we're no longer involved in Black's Barbecue, we're going to put our billboard up, so you need to take yours down,' Mark Black said. Mark said rather than take his sign down, Kent cut the whole billboard down with a saw. In response, Terry Black's Barbecue sued. When asked about the allegations of cutting down the billboard and the lawsuit, Kent cited the settlement terms. 'They were not supposed to discuss the case, and so I'm respecting the settlement order that says to not discuss the case,' Kent said. A Terry Black's billboard now sits on the property. The billboard dispute kicked off the first of three conflicts, all involving signs. In 2022, two signs popped up directly across the street from Black's Barbecue, just a block away from the historic Lockhart Square. A nondescript wood and brick building painted tan now has a sign reading, 'The Corporate Office of Terry Black's Barbecue' hanging on the front of it and plastered on its side. In the front window to the right of the front door is black lettering that spells out 'Terry W. Black / Certified Public Accountant / Certified Financial Planner.' Written after the address on a sign screwed in above the door is an asterisk followed by the message 'not affiliated with the location across the street.' 'I don't understand why they had to put those signs up there,' Kent said. 'That was a little bit of overkill.' Kent owns the building that has his brother's name and family business written all over it. For years, Terry worked out of the building during the time he helped run Black's Barbecue before Kent took over. Mike said his father has a long-term lease on it, and as a result, is free to put up whatever signs he wants. 'It just eats him a lot,' Mike said about his uncle. 'His little minions come outside and they cry about it. They get so upset. It cracks me up.' The sign across the street from Black's Barbecue went up at the same time Terry Black's Barbecue was making a significant expansion into Lockhart. After first opening in Austin, then Dallas, Mike and Mark began construction on a third location, this time in their hometown, and on a lot their father owned. Just a half mile from the restaurant where the twins worked as boys, they opened Terry Black's Lockhart, making it the first restaurant people reach when driving in from Austin. 'They're like, two blocks from Black's Barbecue,' said Texas Monthly Barbecue Editor Daniel Vaughn, who's followed and written about the feud. 'They're also just 45 minutes from their Austin location. From a business standpoint, this is not a wise decision. They were really trying to send a message that they can compete in Lockhart, too.' However, the twins point out that Lockhart holds a special sentiment for them. Regardless of the message being sent, there's still a line of people each day, at times out the door, looking for good barbecue. Barbecue's Kingmaker: Meet the man with the final say on BBQ's most important list '(We) finally made our way back to Lockhart, Texas, which is our hometown,' Mike said. 'It's been a raging success.' When asked about the new Lockhart location, Kent said, 'It's a free country.' However, he also questions his brother's motives. 'I don't quite understand why he decided to come to Lockhart and compete against his mother and father,' he said. Before the Terry Black's Barbecue Lockhart restaurant even opened, the marquee was up and taking shots at its new neighbor, Blacks Barbecue. During construction, the sign read 'another 230,353 reasons why you should eat at Terry Black's BBQ.' That number was a not-so-subtle reference to the $230,353 Black's Barbecue was ordered to pay in 2022 as part of an investigation into illegal tip sharing. The Department of Labor recovered the money in back wages for 274 workers after an investigation found Black's Barbecue gave a portion of employee tips to restaurant managers. That practice is not allowed under federal law. In a statement to KXAN News at the time, Black's Barbecue said in part:'Black's BBQ was not aware that Department of Labor (DOL) rules had recently changed in 2020 and that managers should not receive tips… When notified of the rule change, we quickly and voluntarily came into compliance…' 'There was a ton of publicity about that, so we tried to use it as help for us opening,' Mark said. Central Texas barbecue joints make Texas Monthly's Top 50 list But Mike also said the tips investigation indirectly affected Terry Black's. 'People were pointing the finger at us saying, 'they don't pay their employees tips,''' he said. 'We had to quickly go on the defense and say, 'No, no, that's not the case. That's these guys. Totally different brands.'' Both families expressed frustration with the confusion between the two restaurants. 'A lot of people think they're part of the original Black's Barbecue company, but they're not,' Kent said. 'I'm sorry to the public if it's a little confusing.' At present, Black's Barbecue has four locations. In addition to the original Lockhart location, there are also restaurants in Austin, San Marcos and New Braunfels. Terry Black's has expanded even further. After opening in Austin, the restaurant added Dallas, Lockhart, Waco and Fort Worth, with plans to open in Houston and San Antonio. Any potential resolution to the feud feels elusive, though both sides point to the family matriarch, Norma Jean Black, as a person to start with. 'Terry, Michael, Mark and Christina – they need to talk to their grandmother,' Kent said. 'They don't interact with her anymore. They have never reached out to her on Mother's Day, her birthday, Christmas, any of that. She's 93-years-old. She's at home. She's not driving around in a car. She's homebound. She would love to talk to them. They know where she lives.' Mark said he believes his grandmother needs to be the one to extend the olive branch, while Mike is more pessimistic about reconciliation between the families. 'That relationship, it's sailed,' he said. 'It's been done for many years, and at this point, I see no reason in trying to reconnect.' Behind the Beef: Documentary creators cut to the heart of Texas' BBQ capital Since opening in 1932, a year after Norma Jean was born, Black's Barbecue has weathered many seasons, but none as bitter as this 15-year family feud. Like a storm-damaged oak, Kent hopes the fractured limbs can mend, and that new growth might still take root. 'I'm over it,' Kent said. 'I would hope they would be over it.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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an hour ago
- Health
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These 5 KXAN investigations sparked bills landing on the Texas governor's desk
AUSTIN (KXAN) – This session, Texas lawmakers filed around 50 bills sparked by or following KXAN investigations on a wide range of important topics from schools and health care to criminal justice and constitutional law. Many of those advanced far in the legislative process, while a handful even made it the governor's desk and will likely become law. Two bills related to the state's 'Do Not Hire' registries made it to the governor. He already signed Senate Bill 1437 into law, allowing the Texas Juvenile Justice Department to designate former employees or volunteers permanently ineligible for certification if they engage in conduct that threatens juvenile safety. The other expected to be signed is Senate Bill 571, which expands the Texas Education Agency's authority to investigate volunteers and third-part contractors who work on school campuses and are accused of misconduct. These bills were filed after KXAN revealed a juvenile corrections officer was able to get a tutoring job at an Austin ISD campus while under investigation for sexual misconduct by a state agency. Part of Senate Bill 1, the budget bill sent to the governor, includes a change to the state's crime victim compensation fund, which pays victims and their loved ones for recovery costs and other items like funeral expenses. It requires the Texas attorney general's office, which manages the fund, to give a more accurate picture of how quickly victims are paid and how well the program is working. It comes after KXAN discovered a flawed data formula was showing a much shorter wait time than the actual eight-month average to receive a first payment. The new law aims to have that happen in under 90 days. Another bill signed by the governor that will impact the attorney general's office is Senate Bill 1403, dealing with the agency's child support division. It allows the attorney general to speed up procedures to cut down on unnecessary delays in delivering child support payments. The agency will also now be able to get information directly to families at courthouses and on its website. The measure comes after a KXAN investigation highlighted concerns from parents owed billions of dollars in child support. A measure pushing Botox patient safety and transparency will also become law. Senate Bill 378 prohibits barbers, cosmetologists and estheticians from administering Botox and other injectables unless they are licensed or authorized to give the shots. It also gives the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation more disciplinary authority over those professionals. Several Texas estheticians and injectors registered their opposition to the bill this session. KXAN's reporting revealed anyone in Texas can become certified to do injections, including Botox, and highlighted the lack of oversight concerning medical experts. Another measure, Senate Bill 660, related to patient safety and sparked by a KXAN investigation didn't make it over the legislative finish line. The hospital security measure cleared the Senate but stalled in a House committee. In its original form, it would have required hospitals to have security barriers at their entrances statewide. The bill was filed after KXAN's coverage of a deadly crash into an Austin emergency room last year, which led to a local ordinance requiring those devices at all new hospitals in the city. The state legislation, however, met heavy resistance from the Texas Hospital Association, largely over costs, even as lawmakers used KXAN's data to illustrate the frequency of these kinds of crashes into medical centers. The dataset now lists more than 580 over the last decade nationwide – many of those in Texas. The bill's author, Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said he plans to re-file next session. Another medical-related bill filed after KXAN's reporting would have expanded the use of medical examiners for death investigations in more counties across Texas. It came after we revealed most counties don't have medical examiners – doctors trained for that purpose – and instead rely on elected justices of the peace who often lack expertise in this area. Senate Bill 1370 died along with many other bills at a midnight House deadline in the session's final week, just one step from the governor's desk. But its sponsor, Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, tells KXAN he plans to call for an interim charge to study how to attract more doctors with this expertise to fill the growing need in Texas ahead of the next session. Also, looking ahead to next session, the author of House Bill 1738, Rep. Venton Jones, D-Dallas, said he plans to re-file his legislation aimed at repealing the state's unconstitutional ban on 'homosexual conduct.' KXAN's analysis shows, since the 1980s, there have been at least 60 attempts to do just that – most of those since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2003 ruling struck down the law as unenforceable. HB 1978, which was filed after a KXAN investigation, made it further in the legislative process than any of those past bills. Critics say leaving the old law on the books allows for police and policymakers' misinterpretation of it. The governor has until June 22 to sign, veto or allow bills to become law without his signature. Several this session – including others on open government and state hospital beds – started with KXAN viewer tips. If you have something you think we should investigate, reach out to our investigative team. The following KXAN journalists contributed to this report: Digital Data Reporter Christopher Adams, Senior Investigative Producer David Barer, Investigative Photojournalist Richie Bowes, Investigative Reporter Arezow Doost, Investigative Reporter Matt Grant, Investigative Producer Dalton Huey, Investigative Photojournalist Chris Nelson, Digital Special Projects Developer Robert Sims, Investigative Reporter Kelly Wiley, Digital Director Kate Winkle Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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a day ago
- Climate
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Tropical tracker: Timeline of the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season
This story is part of the KXAN Data Hub, where numbers help tell the whole created several data-driven stories and databases on topics including weather and climate, politics, education, sports and growth in Texas. Each story in the KXAN Data Hub is updated as new data becomes available. Editor's Note: The video above shows the latest from the team. AUSTIN (KXAN) — Each year, the Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. This year is expected to be active, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicting a 60% chance of an above-average season. Hurricane history: How many storms have made landfall in Texas? Follow along as we track each storm throughout hurricane season. Looking for the 2024 season? Click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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a day ago
- Entertainment
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‘Surreal moment': Lester Holt signs off, passes baton to Tom Llamas on NBC Nightly News
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Lester Holt officially signed off Friday, May 30, as the anchor of NBC Nightly News, following his final broadcast. He will transition to Dateline NBC full time now. He is now handing off the baton to Tom Llamas. KXAN's Avery Travis spoke with Tom Llamas about when he received the announcement he would take over as Lester's replacement and what his future holds for Travis: Tom, congratulations and thank you so much for joining us today. I want to start with when you found out you had been named the new anchor of NBC Nightly News. What were you feeling in that moment? And did you ever dream of being in this position? Tom Llamas: Yeah, you know, it was a surreal moment. It was incredibly emotional. There was every emotion you can imagine, happiness, laughter, anxiety. I mean, there was there was everything. It was great. And it was really great to tell my wife, who has always been by my side, and she's just been so incredible, my kids as well. I mean, we couldn't tell all my kids because it hadn't been announced yet. And my little guy's got a really big mouth. He's only 7 years old, so he learned pretty much last. But then just to talk to my parents, who sacrificed so much for me. I mean, there were a lot of tears there as well, but it's been a lot of happiness, and now it's excitement to kind of get going and to take over. Avery Travis: Well, just so deserving to be stepping into this big role. We want to note for people, you're not just the anchor, but the managing editor. So talk about what kind of pressures you're expecting taking over this job, and how are you preparing right now? Llamas: Yeah, you know the managing editor. It's interesting, because not everyone knows really what that means. So as a news anchor, you obviously read the news, but that's about, I'd say, a small percentage of the job. Most of the job, probably more than 90%, happens before that light comes on and millions of people tune in and how we put the show together. And as a managing editor, you're working with the reporters and the producers on the stories. What stories are inside to cover the questions we want to ask, the investigations we want to launch, and then we have this great franchise at the end of the show — there's Good News Tonight. Because regardless if you're a Democrat or Republican or you're independent — there are stories that bring us together as Americans. And I always want to spotlight those stories at the end of the day, because we live in some wild times. But there are still things that bring us together as a nation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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2 days ago
- Business
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Texas budget bill passes with crime victim compensation fix sparked by KXAN
AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas budget bill, following conference committee agreement, has passed the legislature and will soon head to Gov. Greg Abbott for consideration. Included in Senate Bill 1 is a fix to the performance reporting process of the state's Crime Victims' Compensation Program sparked by a KXAN investigation. EXPLORE: KXAN's Crime Victims' Compensation fund investigations In 2022, KXAN began reporting on the impact of delayed payments by the CVC program, which is run by the Office of Attorney General. Amid that investigation, KXAN found the OAG was reporting an inaccurate picture of its performance to state officials and lawmakers. KXAN discovered the office was using a flawed formula that mixed two different types of payments in its calculation: victim claims and sexual assault examination reimbursements, the latter of which take just days and are paid directly to hospitals. That method made it appear crime victims and their loved ones were paid much faster for items like funeral expenses and medical restitution, on average, than the months-long reality our team documented through victim interviews and related records. After KXAN's reporting, the OAG acknowledged to lawmakers that the measurements weren't accurate. The budget bill directs the measurements be split apart, and it provides a 90-day average goal for victims' first payments. The bill also indicates the OAG 'shall submit a report detailing the expenditure of funds' for victim assistance. That report – which is to be submitted within 100 calendar days after the close of each fiscal year to the Legislative Budget Board, governor, Senate Finance Committee and House Appropriations Committee – will include 'audit and oversight activities conducted' related to the grants, thus increasing transparency and accountability for victims under the program. SB 1 next heads to the State Comptroller for certification. The comptroller will confirm the spending bill does not exceed the amount of revenue available. After certification, the bill heads to the governor for approval. The governor does have the power to line-item veto specific appropriations in the bill. Once signed, the bill becomes law. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
