Brenham

Toxic Town: Contamination in Somerville Schools

Prosecutors Hate Bible-Lovers

A Whole Lot of HEB Stores Are Now Open

Some Randalls Stores Open Too

Texas Tailgating 2008

Wearing Two Hats

Gatesville warden Susan Cranford talks about the contradictory roles of running a prison for women

Miami, Meet Blue Bell Ice Cream

Another day, another territory conquered by the little creamery in Brenham.In stories that echo the hyperventilation that accompanied every opening of a Krispy Kreme here (and what ever happened to them?), media in Florida are breathlessly counting down the days until Blue Bell ice cream hits Miami ... More >>

Skin Deep

If nudism is not about bodies, what's it about?

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 >>

News of the Weird

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 >>

News Hostage

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 >>

Forever Plaid

Not even death can keep these guys from singing

Toxic Runoff : Somerville Mayor Tommy Thompson Discusses the Public Health Situation

Not even death can keep these guys from singing

Toxic Town: Birth Defects

Critics say contamination from the tie plant caused severe problems for these babies

Graeter's Makes a Sweet Texas Debut

Graeter's ice cream -- the only delicious food to come out of Cincinnati (we're looking at you and your abominable bastardization of a perfectly good dish, Cincinnati "chili") -- has been a favorite among dessert fans since its creation in the 1920s. Spanning four generations, the ... More >>

Doug Supernaw

Former country superstar. Now starring in a courtroom near you.

Darden Smith

Darden Smith performs on Tuesday, April 24, at McGonigel's Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk, 713-528-5999.

Baby, Please Don't Go

It's not too late to keep the Hammer

Beer Brawl

Starbucks tries to step on the start-up of Starbock beer

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Starbucks tries to step on the start-up of Starbock beer

Jana's story

Everyone in Brenham was shouting about the rape case. Now the victim has her say.

Farm to Market

Kody Ellis shows pigs. What have pigs shown him?

Texas Traveler: Bluebonnet Wine Trail

While in Navasota lovin' on some alpacas, Texas Traveler had a hankerin' thirst. So we got on our trusty iPhone and found the closest winery, a funky l'il shack called the Purple Possum Winery. While in the air-conditioned comfort of the Purple Possum's tasting room, we met a lovely couple we'd se ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Juneteenth Celebrations

Juneteenth, the holiday celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the United States, first began in Galveston, and as such, the area around Houston is home to some of the biggest and most lavish Juneteenth celebrations in the world. The June 19 holiday, also sometimes called Emancipation Day or Fre ... More >>

Room At The Inn

Photo by Katharine Shilcutt Canapes with house-made chevre and garden herbsAs the fourth course of the meal was set in front of me, I marveled at its elegant construction but was more struck by a far subtler thing: Every ingredient in the dish had been plucked fresh from the organic garden o ... More >>

Talley’s Folly

Web exclusive!

Last Call for Art - "Oh, Man" and Talley's Folley

Mark Todd's art exhibit "Oh, Man" closes this coming week. The bright, colorful work prompted Houston Press contributor Dusti Rhodes to note, "It's no wonder Mark Todd calls his exhibition 'Oh, Man.' Because that's exactly the kind of stunned/amazed response his paintings and illustrations coax from ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Lavenderfest

Photos by Brittanie SheyRows of lavender​Long after the bluebonnets have shed their petals, another lilac flower blooms in the Hill Country of Texas. Lavenderfest, August 8 in Chappell Hill, is devoted to the 2,500-year-old herb that is used in everything from cooking to aromatherapy to fragra ... More >>

The Scoop

We all scream for Houston's best ice cream

A Video Tour of the Blue Bell Creamery

So where would you rather be on a hot day in August than the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory in Brenham? Tours are $3 for adults and $2 for kids and seniors, weekdays only. Better get there early in the morning to sign up, the tour is very popular this hellaciously hot summer.

Texas Traveler: Waterin' Holes

Photo by David A G WilsonHamilton Pool, Austin​School starts soon and Labor Day will eventually herald the unofficial end of summer. But as Houstonians know, the sweaty season lasts well into fall around here. There's still time to dip your toe in a stream or two, so Texas Traveler presents to ... More >>

Roasted Pig Snout

Photo by J.C. Reid​When the chefs at Feast, Richard Knight and James Silk, opened their nose-to-tail dining establishment on Westheimer in mid-2008, the response from many Houston diners was "What's nose-to-tail?" The technique of using every part of the animal in dishes, often involving "offa ... More >>

Landowner's Challenge at West Alabama Ice House

Photos by J.C. Reid​The West Alabama Ice House recently hosted the final round of the "Win Texas Land" promotion sponsored by Lone Star Beer. The premise is simple: Pass various tests which prove your true Texan-ness and win some Texas land. Three finalists participated: Corey Lossing of Ingle ... More >>

You May Be Dead, But You Can Still Get A (Too Late) Pardon, Texas AG Rules

​Good news if you were wrongfully imprisoned by the state of Texas for a long, long time, but you then died before you could be pardoned -- and face it, in those circumstances you could use some good news -- state attorney general Greg Abbott ruled today that you can be pardoned posthumously!!Yay? ... More >>

Hlavaty On The Hloose At SXSW: Boy, Do We Have Our Hands Full...

Photos by Craig Hlavaty12:58 p.m.: "Yo Damn Right!"​ 1:17 p.m.: Rocks Off Sr. reached Hlavaty by phone, wondering why it had been more than 15 minutes since we'd heard anything from him. "I just met Sean Padilla from Cocker Spaniels and bought some of his cookies," he reported. "Snickerdoodles, fi ... More >>

Headed to Round Top? Eat in Brenham.

BLT with avocado from Must Be Heaven.​This week and weekend is the annual Round Top Antiques Fair, a gigantormous event that draws tens of thousands of people from all over the country, all looking to score the very coolest in antique furniture, knick-knacks and jewelry. Thinking about head ... More >>

Headed to Round Top? Eat in Burton.

​This week and weekend is the annual Round Top Antiques Fair, a gigantormous event that draws tens of thousands of people from all over the country, all looking to score the very coolest in antique furniture, knick-knacks, jewelry, and finds. Thinking about heading up? With so many out-of-to ... More >>

This Week in Deliciousness

The food is great and the service is fast, but sometimes the manager can be a little... prickly? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA​ Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, the only food blog on the Internet that bothered to stencil obscene words onto our dyed Easter eggs. If you care enou ... More >>

Houston's Growing Garden Party

Chef Ryan Pera tends the garden at the Grove.​If food is fashionable, local food is the flashiest piece on the Paris runways. These past few years have seen the locavore movement skyrocket like mad in Houston. The city now boasts dozens of farmers' markets, and people are beginning to explore ... More >>

Why You Should Buy an Ice Cream Maker

​Ice cream is delicious. This is simply a fact of life, like--birds sing, dogs bark, people who live in the Heights think they're superior to everyone else, and ice cream is delicious. While there are plenty of places around town to acquire delicious ice cream, if you're really hard core, con ... More >>

Local Spotlight: Jolie Vue Farms

​WHAT: Farm-fresh meats, delivered right to your doorstep. That's right -- beef, pork, poultry and eggs. It's an all-organic, ecologically sound, raised-with-love virtual meat market that arrives as regular as a newborn baby once per month. Honi and Glen Boudreaux have agriculture in their b ... More >>

Blue Bell Scoop Shop

​August in Houston is not for the weak, which is exactly why we've come to rely heavily on our beat-the-heat home remedies: things like sweet tea, snow cones, gazpacho and ice cream. Not at the same time, of course. All of that means that August is the perfect month to visit the Blue Bell Cr ... More >>

A Fertle Farewell

​August in Houston is not for the weak, which is exactly why we've come to rely heavily on our beat-the-heat home remedies: things like sweet tea, snow cones, gazpacho and ice cream. Not at the same time, of course. All of that means that August is the perfect month to visit the Blue Bell Cr ... More >>

Ice Storm II -- It Cometh Again? (With a Closings List)

Photo by Abrahan GarzaThe re-reckoning​The forecasters got everything right about the big snowstorm that hit us last week, except for the fact it didn't include snow. It did include plenty of dangerous icy road conditions, though. Get ready: The sequel is here. It's been drizzling all day an ... More >>

Get Your Passport Stamped Along the Texas Wine Trails

​While the trail riders rode into town last Friday, you could be riding out one weekend soon to hit one of Texas's 11 wine trails just as the bluebonnets are beginning to bloom this spring. The fifth most productive wine-producing state in the nation, Texas features more than 200 vineyards wi ... More >>

Capsule Stage Reviews: 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Billy Elliot, A Fertle Farewell, An Inspector Calls, Shards of Love

​While the trail riders rode into town last Friday, you could be riding out one weekend soon to hit one of Texas's 11 wine trails just as the bluebonnets are beginning to bloom this spring. The fifth most productive wine-producing state in the nation, Texas features more than 200 vineyards wi ... More >>

Capsule Stage Reviews: A Fertle Farewell, I Do! I Do!, The Miracle Worker, The Pearl Fishers

​While the trail riders rode into town last Friday, you could be riding out one weekend soon to hit one of Texas's 11 wine trails just as the bluebonnets are beginning to bloom this spring. The fifth most productive wine-producing state in the nation, Texas features more than 200 vineyards wi ... More >>

Texas Repubs Say Allowing Transgender Marriages Was a Terrible Oversight And They Promise Never To Do It Again

Lois Kolkhorst wants to take it all back​Republican state legislators are seeking to correct a historic mistake they say should never, ever have happened: Allowing Texans who are transgendered to marry, like they can in almost every other state in the union. How this diabolical heresy first g ... More >>

Yes, That's Wildfire Smoke You're Seeing and Smelling (UPDATE: HISD Cancels/Re-Schedules Some Games)

Photo by GalgenTXThis is the Bastrop fire, but smoke is smoke.​The weather here is pretty perfect right now, in terms of heat and humidity. But in terms of dryness, it's still a bitch. You probably noticed a smoky smell this morning and even some haze. And yes, the source is probably what you ... More >>

Update: Rough Weather, Tornados Rolling Through Houston, Affecting Airports

Courtesy Weather Underground​As has been mentioned by weather forecasters in recent days, some pretty rough weather is passing through Houston this morning as part of a cold front. The storms are spanning high winds, torrential rain (some areas could receive up to five inches), flash flooding ... More >>