Ben Taub

Tales from Transit: Proxima Estacion

Little Joe Washington Gravely Ill

The Year of Living Anxiously

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

Downing

American Dreams

A Night in the Tub

An angel named Grace, a doctor who's a real Trip and fresh gore flooding the ER -- the new Ben Taub gets old quick

First They Came For The Trans-Fats...

El Paso Senator Eliot Shapleigh is worried about the country's obesity epidemic. He has seen the horrid results of unchecked waistlines - diabetes, heart disease, guest spots on Jerry Springer. So he recently authored a bill that would ban trans-fats in Texas restaurants starting in 2010. Shapleigh ... More >>

First They Came for the Trans-Fats...

El Paso Senator Eliot Shapleigh is worried about the country's obesity epidemic. He has seen the horrid results of unchecked waistlines - diabetes, heart disease, guest spots on Jerry Springer. So he recently authored a bill that would ban trans-fats in Texas restaurants starting in 2010. Shapleigh ... More >>

Hermann Park or Parking?

City and Harris County hospital officials play let's make a deal

Gazing Ahead into 2009, Part 2

[Note: see here for Rocks Off's previous prognostications.]   U2 (March) Best Case Scenario: Armed with the backing of Live Nation, they release their best album in over a decade and Bono shuts his face as they sell out Reliant Stadium in two minutes. Worst Case Scenario: The recession (fi ... More >>

Psychotic Reaction

Need emergency psychiatric care in Harris County? Have a seat. Or call a cab.

Getting the Lead Out

A Mexican folk remedy stymies attempts to cleanse Houston of a heavy metal

Trauma Mama

Leandra Vilardi works at the city's busiest emergency room. She only wishes it were busier.

Protests Over The Proposed Shutting Of Ben Taub's Pediatrics Unit

Photo by John Nova LomaxA few years ago, Carla Sageth was in high school, and she was dying. Her lungs were wasting away. Doctor after doctor at clinic after clinic diagnosed asthma and sent her on her way. She became unable to walk, and still her mom, who had no insurance, kept trying to find a doc ... More >>

The Most Dangerous Game: Man Vs. Metro

Photo by Mike GiglioLomax, keeping to his strict warm-up regimen for the big raceIt was to be the ultimate contest between man and machine. Hair Balls announced in earnest at this afternoon's staff meeting its plans to sample the new 402 Quickline Bellaire, which was unveiled by Metro on Friday ... More >>

Little Joe Washington's 70th Birthday

Photo by Mike GiglioLomax, keeping to his strict warm-up regimen for the big raceIt was to be the ultimate contest between man and machine. Hair Balls announced in earnest at this afternoon's staff meeting its plans to sample the new 402 Quickline Bellaire, which was unveiled by Metro on Friday ... More >>

Reality Check

Houston is scrambling for psychiatric and emergency medical services. But hoping for better state funding is just another psychotic episode.

Letters

Houston is scrambling for psychiatric and emergency medical services. But hoping for better state funding is just another psychotic episode.

Souchin' into Bethlehem

Greg Wood's latest health scare costs him a few pounds of flesh and almost takes his arm

Wood Redux

Greg Wood puts his old band and a young heart attack behind him with Ash Wednesday

Back To Basics

Steven Van Zandt is dedicated to garage rock

Flogging Molly

Friday, March 29

Paying the Price

Hospital district officials wanted a simple one-sentence policy on immigrant health care. What they got instead was a criminal probe and plenty of politics.

Warded Off

She got into a suspect nursing home. And the probate system got most of her money.

Downing

Texas Lottery. Let's buy our tickets and bet on the day that Robert Arthur Pearson finally kills himself in public while we all watch

Letters

Texas Lottery. Let's buy our tickets and bet on the day that Robert Arthur Pearson finally kills himself in public while we all watch

Mack Brown vs. Iraq & John Lomax vs. a Metro bus

Highlights from the Blog at HOUSTONPRESS.COM

The TSU Trae Day Shootings: A Near-Eyewitness Account

Rocks Off just got off the phone with our man Shea Serrano, reporting from the Trae Day afterparty at Galleria-area nightclub the Roxy. He found an eyewitness - or at least someone who was close enough to the action Wednesday to have the living shit scared out of him - to Wednesday evening's shootin ... More >>

The Ike Baby Boom That Wasn't

Photo by bbaunach​Whenever a city suffers a blackout for any extended period of time, you can be sure that journalists will trot out the old story about a "baby boom" happening nine months later.It's definitely been enough time for any local Ike babies to get themselves out into the big ol' world, ... More >>

The Baby Boom That Wasn't and Allen Stanford Deserves a Break, Right?

Highlights from the Blog at HOUSTONPRESS.COM

Here's One Vote Against A New Dynamo Stadium

​So the Houston Dynamo are upset that Harris County hasn't yet given them money for their planned pleasure palace. Well cry me a river.I'm not sure if the Dynamo have noticed, but there's a rather severe recession going on in the country right now. And though the Dynamo are only asking for ten ... More >>

Unidentified Male, 22, Bayou Body Count No. 109

Driver hardly injured; passenger not so lucky​The driver of a Lincoln Town Car who smashed his way into some trees in a median has been charged with intoxicated assault for the death of his passenger.Police say Adrian Mendoza-Alvarez, 22, was driving northbound in the 3600 block of Briarpark about ... More >>

Little Joe Washington Hospitalized In Ben Taub ICU

[Updated at 2:33 p.m. with information from Reg Burns, who saw Joe at the hospital Monday and has more information on his condition.] Mark Britain Little Joe Washington at House of Blues, May 8, 2010​Little Joe Washington is in the intensive care unit of Ben Taub Hospital after undergoing e ... More >>

Ronald Keith Foreman, 21, Bayou Body Count No. 129

Shoot-out in broad daylight at the Marq-E​A drug deal gone bad in the parking lot of the Marq-E entertainment complex resulted in the death of a 21-year-old man.Houston police say Ronald Keith Foreman and Glenn Earl Hickman, 26, "met with two male suspects in the parking lot of the Marq-E Entertai ... More >>

Unidentified Male, Bayou Body Count No. 133

Love hurts on the southwest side of town​A love triangle exploded into gunshots early this morning on the southwest side, resulting in one death and two injuries, police say.An unidentified man was shot and killed in the 6900 block of River Bluff about 1 a.m. Two other unidentified people -- a ma ... More >>

Little Joe Washington Moved To Private Room At Ben Taub

Jay Lee​Rocks Off just received this update on Little Joe Washington's condition from his friend (and ours) Reg Burns: Just left from seeing Joe. He was been moved out of SICU and is on the same floor, unit 4B, room 7, bed 3. He immediately recognized me and seems more cognizant than the last time ... More >>

Christopher Jones, 29, Bayou Body Count No. 220

Photo curtesy HPDHerbert Goldsmith, charged with murder​A double shooting left one man dead and one injured Friday evening on the northeast side, police say.Houston police sources told reporters that a drug deal was suspected in the death of a man found dead in the 9700 block of Galaxy shortly bef ... More >>

Sarahi Rosales Gutierrez, 19, Bayou Body Count No. 251

Teen shot "without provocation"​A teenager who was chatting with friends was shot "without provocation" by one of the group and has died, Houston police say.Sarahi Rosales Gutierrez, 19, was in a driveway in the 200 block of Tallant on the northside about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, visiting with ... More >>

Unidentified Male, Bayou Body Count No. 256

A man was shot to death as he and his two brothers tried to stop a man from breaking into his car on the northwest side early Thursday morning, police say.The victim, whose identity was not released, saw the suspect about 4:20 a.m. and went out to confront him with his two brothers, HPD says.An alte ... More >>

One Last Hit of K-2

Fake weed's final freewheeling days

Deylan Braxton, 27, Bayou Body Count No. 11

Drunk driving leads to a death, police say​A late-night traffic accident near downtown has resulted in intoxication manslaughter charges against the driver, Houston police say. Deylan Braxton, 27, was in the backseat of a silver BMW traveling southbound on Dowling when the driver, Jason Deran ... More >>

Things You Should Know Before You Start A Band

​A few weeks back we asked our round table what advice they would give other bands in town. Their answers ranged from solidly DIY nuggets from April Brem Patrick to smart business ethos from Andrew Karnavas. Now Rocks Off even feels like we could be in a band. Our powerviolence/noise project ... More >>

Samuel Mireles, 29, Bayou Body Count No. 14

Shooting leaves one dead, one wounded​One man was killed and another critically wounded in an apparent robbery attempt north of downtown early Saturday morning, police say. Samuel Mireles, 29, was killed after being shot in the head. An unidentified man was in critical condition in Ben Taub, ... More >>

Omar Ventura, 29, Bayou Body Count No. 20

Cop leaves bar at closing time and finds trouble​An off-duty cop leaving a bar shot to death a man involved in a scuffle and wounded another, Houston police say. Jose Coronado, who has been with HPD for almost five years, was leaving Sherlock's Pub in the 1900 block of West Gray about 2:20 a. ... More >>

Comment of the Day: In Houston, It's Machetes Instead of Samurai Swords

​We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it's time we paid some damn attention to them. So we'll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day's work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula involv ... More >>

Man Doesn't Notice Knife Sticking Out of Bed He Jumps On, Killing Him

How not to store your knife.​We're not sure why anyone would position a knife pointing upwards on a hotel bed, but someone did and a 24-year-old Garland man is dead because he didn't notice it before he dove right into it, Houston police say. The man, whose identity has not been released, was ... More >>

Singer's Health Scare Prods Horseshoe Reunion

Artwork via Horseshoe on Facebook​With a band reunion facing him in a little less than three weeks, Greg Wood is just happy to be here. "Man, I had that heart attack when I was 35 and I never figured I'd ever see 47, but here I sit," he gestures expansively around the twilight Sunday scene at ... More >>

Mehmood Ghaznavi, 52, Bayou Body Count No. 96

Shootout in a northside jewelry store​A northside jewelry-store owner was shot and killed in a robbery attempt last night, Houston police say. Mehmood Ghaznavi, 52, was in his store, Java Gold, in the 5500 block of Yale about 8:15 last night when one or more males entered the store and attemp ... More >>

Kevin Quintanilla, 16, Bayou Body Count No. 111

Dead at 16​A 17-year-old male was shot to death about 2 a.m. today in Gulfton, Houston police say. The victim, whose name has not been released, was shot in the chest outside an apartment complex in 5800 block of Glenmont. (Update: Police have identified him as Kevin Quintanilla.) He was tak ... More >>

Jessie Shepherd, 24, Bayou Body Count No. 197

Shot by five men.​One man was killed and another injured when a group of attackers fired shots at them near downtown last night, Houston police say. Jessie Shepherd, 24, was shot in the 2200 block of Briley southeast of downtown about 10:35 p.m., HPD says. He was pronounced dead at Ben Taub. ... More >>

Health Department Roundup

For your holiday pleasure: An artist's rendition of Houston Press blog editor Rich Connelly, in ornament form​In the spirit of the season, we're going to throw in more clean inspections than usual. In hard news, if it bleeds, it leads; and for the Health Department Roundup, if there's slime, i ... More >>