Domestic Policy

Virtual Vouchers

Passing a Buck to the Smokers

Janet Jackson’s Wardrobe Malfunction, Revisited

Aggies Dissed, Miss Out On Getting A Dangerous New Lab

Department Of Bad Timing (Press Release Div.)

Public Radio Inc.

Local Music News

Taxing Tales

Two trustees didn't pay their bills, even if HCCS wants yours to go higher

Tax Rebate Waste?

Lest tax payers forget about the rebate, U.S. Rep John Culberson drives the message home with $36,000 worth of mailings

Trainspotting

Here's how Metro wants to sell us on light rail

Joel Osteen Teams Up With Guns N Roses To Rock Your Face Off

Here's how Metro wants to sell us on light rail

Ain't No Party Like A Libertarian Party

Here's how Metro wants to sell us on light rail

Passing the Budget Buck

The hospital district gives the county $30 million, it gets a budget back. Good deal.

Term limits and a domineering mayor have combined to make the City Council little more than a rubber stamp. And Houston may pay dearly for that down the line.

The hospital district gives the county $30 million, it gets a budget back. Good deal.

Letters

The hospital district gives the county $30 million, it gets a budget back. Good deal.

Archer's Way

Don't like the IRS? Neither does Bill Archer. And now the mild-mannered Houston congressman is pushing a radical plan to shut it down.

Gun-Control Advocates Revel In Their Texas Triumph

Photo by don schulteThe folks at the gun-control organization The Brady Center are crowing over their victory in Texas. All you gun-loving yahoos couldn't pass a bill allowing concealed weapons on college campuses, the center all but said, and nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah."Common sense is alive and well in T ... More >>

Cozy Ties

In the battle to privatize welfare services in Texas, corporate bidders have enlisted some inside help

All in a Day's Work

Lockheed Martin's welfare-reform efforts have cost taxpayers across the country millions. So naturally, Lockheed Martin has been hired to train and find jobs for the poor in Houston and Harris County.

Easygoing George W. Bush

With help from Democrats Pete Laney and Bob Bullock, Bush has been a Republican governor Texans love. But who'll be his pals if he sets his sights on the presidency?

Was Cesar Chavez Really Against Illegal Immigration?

With help from Democrats Pete Laney and Bob Bullock, Bush has been a Republican governor Texans love. But who'll be his pals if he sets his sights on the presidency?

The DREAM Act Might Be Dead, But These Kids' Hopes Are Not

They are American in everything but name. They can go to college in Texas and improve themselves. Doesn't matter. At the end of the day, they're just illegal immigrants without social security numbers or futures.

How to Hide Your Weed

An ex-cop from East Texas decides to switch sides

Bring It On

Why Houston should want a nuclear power plant

Blocked Signals

City, county officials silence a proposed radio station inside the Dome

Draining the Swamp

A scorched-earth management philosophy is sucking the life out of our region's wetlands

Up in the Air

Was this the punch line to a bad racist, homophobic joke or a dry run for a terrorist bombing?

Welcome to Fire Island

While communities across the country block LNG terminals, Quintana just shrugs

Bill's Bargain Tax Bill

The county says a candidate's home value is no White lie

Million-Dollar Babies

Some CEP students have been locked in for years

Needling the Mayor

Former drug czar Lee Brown has trouble negotiating a question about why there's no needle-exchange program for addicts in Houston

Net Loss

The government killed TV, and Hollywood's begging it to revive the corpse

Campaign Appearances

For Bush, the legislative session shows it's better to look good than do good

Silence on the Dial

Two weeks ago the FCC shut down Montrose Radio. Can the pirate station survive the bust? Can the pirate station survive itself?

Stimulus Money: How To Stop Homelessness In Houston Before It Happens

​When Lorenzo Timmons was hurt and out of work last summer, and finally ran out of money to pay the rent, he had little choice but the unthinkable: to gather his wife, daughter and whatever he could carry and move his family into a homeless shelter. The Houston Press reported in a cover story ... More >>

Weed Takes Root

Marijuana's steady creep toward legalization nationwide.

SPECIAL MINUTEMAN PROJECT EDITION

Marijuana's steady creep toward legalization nationwide.

Even Rick Perry Can't Support Arizona's Immigration Law

Rick Perry appeals to Move On, ACORN and Daily Kos​People, if there is one rule in life, it's this: If Rick Friggin' Perry thinks you've gone too far to the right, it's time to check yourself before you wreck yourself.Perry's office has just issued a statement saying the controversial new Arizona ... More >>

The James Baker Institute Embraces Drugs

Photo by Chris CurryDean Becker​When talking publicly about illegal drugs and butting heads with the U.S. government over its prohibitionist policies, respect is hard to come by.Over the years, though, local Houston radio host Dean Becker has earned high regard for getting top-tier guests and hav ... More >>

KTRH "News": More Of A Joke Than Ever

Unfair and unbalanced, perhaps unhinged​KTRH used to be the radio-news powerhouse of southeast Texas, filled with aggressive and competent reporters who covered the city well.Now....well, budget cuts have affected all media, so it's no surprise the newsroom staff ain't what it used to be. But the ... More >>

Seized

Inside the brutal world of America's kidnapping capital

FAIR-y Tales

Russell Pearce and Other Illegal-Immigration Populists Rely on Misleading, Right-Wing Reports to Scapegoat Immigrants and Terrify Penny-Pinched Americans.

FAIR-y Tales: Mexican Macro-economics

Russell Pearce and Other Illegal-Immigration Populists Rely on Misleading, Right-Wing Reports to Scapegoat Immigrants and Terrify Penny-Pinched Americans.

KTRU Deal A "Black Mark" On Rice University, Says Yang

Photos by Marc BrubakerThese pictures are from a slideshow from KTRU's The Local Show shortly after the Rice-UH negotiations became public. See here for the rest.​If you've got a spare hour or two this holiday season, Rocks Off recommends you take a gander at the petition to deny Rice Universi ... More >>

Return to Sender

What Would Comprehensive Immigration Reform Look Like If the Feds Got Off Their Duffs?

May Day Immigration Rally Draws Thousands (and Opponents) in Houston

Photos by Christopher Patronella, Jr.​Some three thousand people joined together in Houston on Sunday to take part in May Day rallies held all across the nation as the battle over immigration laws has taken center stage. Demonstrators blanketed the streets around Burnett Bayland Park as they flow ... More >>

Gun Control: Texas Is A Namby-Pamby Liberal State, New Study Shows

Don't mess with Texas, Brady Center​If there's one piece of pride Texans can hang their hat on, it's that our legislators can be counted on to bring the crazy when it comes to (lack of) gun control. So it is with a heavy heart we bring you the state-by-state rankings of the Brady Campaign to ... More >>

Texas: Immigration Detention Capital of the Country

In Texas, illegal immigration is often extremely lucrative.​Texas is number one again today. To our trophy case of great honors, we add Most Beholden To Private Corporations, When It Comes To Illegal Immigration. The Detention Watch Network recently released aggregated data about the big busi ... More >>

Ron Paul Wants Feds' Hands Off Your Weed

Ron Paul and Barney Frank, probably discussing Phish​It takes a big issue to get US Reps Barney Frank and Lake Jackson's Ron Paul leading the fight together, but they have found one: Weed. Paul and Frank and four other Democrats (only one of whom has a last name that's also a first name) are ... More >>

Gun-Control Group Gives Rick Perry Great Boost (Among Gun Nuts)

WHAT? Rick Perry opposes gun-control laws?​The Brady Campaign, perhaps the nation's most prominent gun-control group, has just given Rick Perry a big ol' helping hand in the GOP primaries. They've released a report called Gunslinger: Rick Perry's Reckless Record on Guns, highlighting his reco ... More >>

Rick Perry the Gunslinger: Report Released from Brady Campaign on Perry's Gun Record

Rick Perry the Gunslinger​Governor Rick Perry's love of guns has been well documented and he is more than happy to share his thoughts on the matter, particularly when it comes to killing a coyote on a morning jog and his affinity for laser sights on his weapons of choice. In Texas, loving you ... More >>