Email Author Wendy Grossman

2001 Stories by Wendy Grossman

• A Lavender Christmas

  published December 27, 2001

  Two guys wearing bathrobes and fuzzy purple slippers storm onto the stage. Standing on mauve carpet, a choir sings beneath a stained-glass Jesus.... More >>

• Winning Ways in a Losing League

  published December 27, 2001

  On a chilly October day, the Houston Energy took on the Austin Rage. The sky was dark and the game was mean. But by the end, the Energy's 47-14... More >>

• A Gay Rights Suit Returns

  published December 27, 2001

  Attorney Robert Rosenberg couldn't help but note what he viewed as an ultimate irony. On the re-election campaign trail, Mayor Lee Brown... More >>

• Daddy's Girl

  published November 22, 2001

  Early Sunday morning, June 24, Gregory Wade Beard finished a 12-hour shift repairing Compaq computers. He walked quietly into his double-wide... More >>

• Sick Kids

  published November 8, 2001

  The names of all adolescents in this story have been changed. With a state-issued razor blade Becky scraped the skin off her... More >>

• Protective Wrapping

  published November 8, 2001

  When administrators discuss early- intervention and prevention programs, they talk about families. The idea is to focus on what a family does... More >>

• Backing Off

  published November 8, 2001

  After continual criticism that the Houston Independent School District's contract with Community Education Partners is unfair, changes are finally... More >>

• Down at the Boardwalk

  published November 1, 2001

  On the first anniversary of his father's death, David Foreman wanted to visit his mother. As general manager of the three-story Landry's Seafood... More >>

• Fowl Deed

  published September 27, 2001

  In 12 years of running a pet store, Lewis Dooling has learned to deal with crimes both common and uncommon. Shoplifters have made off with his... More >>

• Olympic Dings

  published August 16, 2001

  The Houston 2012 Committee has enlisted the Internet in its high-powered push to bring the Olympic Games to the city. But type "Houston 2012" into... More >>

• Lost Boys

  published August 9, 2001

  Three days after Christmas, 1998, Judy Ann LaVergne Walker visited her son Reginald at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Michael Unit.... More >>

• Naked Shame

  published June 28, 2001

  Lupe Cantu lay in the back of her brother's Ford Mustang wanting to throw up. It was Good Friday, so instead of a beef taco, the 41-year-old... More >>

• Learning How to Survive (at) CEP

  published May 31, 2001

  At 5:53 p.m. the phone rings. Joseph Flores picks it up and puts it right back down. A recorded message says Joseph wasn't at school today. This... More >>

• It's Ale Over

  published May 31, 2001

  After nearly 100 years in a three-story white house on West Alabama, Maggie's being evicted. One of three ghosts that has haunted The Ale House... More >>

• Called on the Carpet

  published May 31, 2001

  Gloria Flores says her classroom's carpet was covered in standing water at Pasadena's Southmore Intermediate. She says her students splashed each... More >>

• Flashing Lights

  published May 3, 2001

  Officers shall maintain a professional demeanor and shall perform their duties in a calm and firm manner acting together to assist and protect... More >>

• Does Not Compute

  published April 5, 2001

  Maria Angulo opened the door to her home and found a couple who said in her native Spanish that they were from the school district. They showed... More >>

• Elbow Greece

  published March 15, 2001

  They call her Hitler. Eleni Fetokakis runs her Greek-American cafe, Niko Niko's, with a German work ethic. She tells employees if they want to... More >>

• Late Bloomers

  published February 22, 2001

  Five years ago my brother sent me a dozen red roses because he wanted to make sure I got flowers from a boy. That made me so happy, he sent bigger... More >>

• Heir Time

  published February 15, 2001

  It's the Debra Duncan Show's first live taping of 2001. Right at the beginning, a pony named Saint takes a huge, unscripted crap on the... More >>

• Hot Shots

  published February 8, 2001

  Even in ordinary times, the meningitis vaccine is pretty pricey -- it wholesales for $60 a pop. But the outbreak of the disease has brought on... More >>

• No Parking

  published January 11, 2001

  On Saturday nights, parking in Woodlake Square is almost impossible. The only way to get a good space is to get there by 8 p.m. (which is uncool... More >>