Baytown

Workers at ExxonMobil's Massive Baytown Plant (Almost) Went On Strike over safety

The folks over at Exxon Mobil's Baytown refinery were facing a possible Norma Rae situation last week when local United Steelworkers representatives threatened a strike if the Exxon people didn't put in the health and safety provisions they'd asked for in their contracts. Local USW rep Rich "Hoot" ... More >>

Run with the Bulls....IN BAYTOWN?

This December 7 in Baytown at the Royal Purple Speedway, you can run in sheer, pants-shitting terror from raging bulls just like they do in Pamplona, Spain, each summer. The Great Bull Run's organizers urge participants to "grab life by the horns and experience the rush of a lifetime as you sprint ... More >>

Old Photos Mashed with Modern Houston, Volume 5: Baytown

Welcome to the fifth installment of vintage photos mashed with its present-day locations. This time we leave our comfortable city of Houston, cross the Fred Hartman Bridge and venture into Baytown, Texas. Baytown was originally three separate towns: Goose Creek, Pelly and East Baytown. The three tow ... More >>

County Attorney Sues David J. Hester & His "Illegal Game Room"

Saying that owner David J. Hester is operating an illegal game room at 7304 East Freeway in Baytown, Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan has filed a lawsuit asking for a temporary injunction to shut down this "common nuisance." According to the lawsuit, "Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia's office h ... More >>

Contessa Andrea Von Schmidt, Dwayne Gator Liggins: It's the Quarterly Strange (Accused) Criminal Name Report

As we head into what passes for fall down here, it's high time we came up with another list of the strangest, funniest and most awesome names to pass through the Harris County Criminal Justice Center over the last few months. (Or years. We stumbled on some older ones.) As always, some of these peop ... More >>

Pasadena, Home to Some Sickos, Is Also a Nifty Place to Retire

Retire to this in Pasadena.​The economy blows, especially for old folks, who aren't as able to kick it with an umbrella drink at some beachside hang like in the old days. No worries, according to Tom Corley, author of The Top 100 Cheapest Places to Retire in the U.S. in 2012. Instead of sink ... More >>

The Red-Light Camera Circus

Step right up, folks: Passion, deceit, money, lots of money, double dealing and a mayor with more flip-flops in her than a Cirque du Soleil acrobat!

The Lost Tribe

Crimes of the Heart

Dijwun Morgan, The Greensheet Bandit: Not Difficult To Find

Part of a master criminal plan​The Greensheet is a good way to buy or sell a TV, a hopefully not-too-mysteriously stained mattress, or your antique china. But Dijwun Morgan found another use for it, according to Baytown police: He used it to rob people. Morgan confessed to the robberies, according ... More >>

ExxonMobil's Baytown Refinery Sued For Being So Damn Leaky

Headed to court​Following in the footsteps of Shell and and ChevronPhillips, ExxonMobil has been sued by environmental groups who say its refinery routinely violates clean-air regulations and doesn't really do anything about it. The Sierra Club and Environment Texas announced their lawsuit to ... More >>

Acid Bombs: Sure, Set Them Off Next Door To A Cop's House. And Throw One In His Yard For Good Measure

I can haz felony on my record?​There's a certain lack of common sense inherent in building homemade acid bombs, but it's the type of lack that can be common in males in their teens and early 20s.There's a very special lack of common sense, however, in building such a bomb and setting it off in you ... More >>

Baytown's 4th of July Parade and Celebration

Houston's small-town neighbor throws a big, big independence bash

Exxon Leads The Environmental Fight By Suing The U.S. Over Winning World War II

​If there's one company out there that won't put up with illegal oil dumping, it's Exxon. These guys are hawks about pollution, and they will sue whoever the hell they need to in order to bring evildoers to justice.So they're suing the United States, which blithely went ignored all sorts of Enviro ... More >>

This Week In Deliciousness

They run a great coffee shop, but the ambiance suffers a little from all the squished mushrooms and empty turtle shells lying around.​ Welcome back to the weekly round-up here at Eating Our Words, where we have a lovely bouquet and notes of walnut and oak in our boldly earthy flavor. Efferves ... More >>

Ceviche at El Sinaloense

​On the southwest side of Baytown, sandwiched between the giant ExxonMobil Baytown Refinery and the City Hall, is a neighborhood I call "old Baytown." It's an area of older shops and houses, with what appears to be a largely Hispanic population. Market Street runs through the middle of it. I c ... More >>

Arrest Made In That Infamous Baytown Arby's Prank

​Baytown police have filed charges against one of the "men" who pull idiotic phone pranks such as making people drink urine or having them break windows in hotels. They do this by convincing the listeners they are talking to officials of some sort, and some kind of emergency action must be taken.O ... More >>

ExxonMobil Fined $600,000; We Think They Can Come Up With It

​Let's be honest.There aren't a lot of "bad days" for a global petrochemical company that made a record $45.2 billion profit last year, so we'll just say ExxonMobil had a less than stellar day on Wednesday when state regulators penalized it more than $600,000 for environmental crimes.ExxonMobil's ... More >>

MP3 of the Day: Ghost Mountain

​Rocks Off had heard a lot of great things about Ghost Mountain, but until the Buxton 7-inch release party, the Baytown-based electro duo's merit had yet to be proven. When the two high-schoolers took the stage, we thought it was some kind of joke. No way could tracks like "Good Heart" and "Eye Ri ... More >>

Where The Stimulus Jobs Will Be, By Congressional District

Photo by dcJohnThe winners and losers of Barack Obama's stimulus plan can be figured out -- to a degree -- by a new study by the White House's Council of Economic Advisors.It breaks down by congressional district how many jobs will be created or saved by the act; the big loophole there, of course, c ... More >>

Your Chance To Drive A Top-Of-The-Line Dragster

If you've ever wanted to race a full-blown, 8,000-horsepower NHRA dragster down the strip, this crummy economy is giving you the chance. If you can afford it.Urs Erbacher, who as you well know is a four-time drag-racing champ, is offering to train drag fans at his Baytown facility and then let t ... More >>

"Chili When It's Chilly" Chili Cook-off

January in Houston is when Rodeo season really starts to kick in. One of the most popular events is the "Chili When It's Chilly" Chili Cook-off sponsored by the Baytown/Highlands Subcommittee of the Houston Metro Go Texan Committee. This year's event took place January 9 and 10 at San Jacinto Mall ... More >>

A Handy Guide To Terror Targets In Houston

Sometimes it seems like organizations that want to protect Americans from terrorism end up doing all the terrorists' research for them. The Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank headed by John Podesta, formerly Bill Clinton's Chief of Staff, has compiled a handy guide to the nation' ... More >>

"Gulf Coast Beach Boys" the Coastliners Return...with the Beach Boys

Still 'Alright'

The Shredder

One Show, One Sentence

How Not To Blog About Ike

Let The Polluting Begin Anew!

Another Day, Another 1,300 Pounds Of Benzene Accidentally Released

No Saggy In Baytown

Houston Still Seeing Job Growth (Thank Christ)

Creole Heritage Zydeco & Crawfish Festival

Great music and all the mudbugs you can eat — who could ask for more?

Happy Record Store Day

Buxton: A Family Light

Mayor McCheese Could Not Be Reached for Comment

The Bards of Baytown

Scattered Pages' urban art-country music is as pretty as its hometown is ugly

Kinky Talk

A Force in Drag

Close to the Vest

Some HPD officers aren't so hot about safety

Boobs, Balls and Beer

Check out what's brewing for Super Sunday

Bigger and Battered

Where does Baytown Seafood get those enormous shrimp?

Club Directory

In the (O)Zone

What's the fuss, TNRCC? We've got air to die for.

Best Racetrack

Houston Raceway Park

Prog's New Face

Deadwood Forest isn't your father's progressive rock band

Waste Not, Want Not

Local residents unite to fight the mountain of landfill trash headed their way

Static

Phenomena

The Fire Next Time?

Downsizing, outsourcing, deferred maintenance ... It all makes for a volatile mix at Baytown's Exxon refinery.

Days of Living Dangerously

The Year of Living Anxiously

Are We Having Fun Yet? Or is it just the jangly buzz of advanced urban stress syndrome?