Domestic Policy

Gladys House, Fourth Ward activist pays her tax bill (swears revenge)

Last week, Gladys House had every reason to think she was about to see her property auctioned off for failure to pay her taxes, before someone swooped in to loan her the money. "I always felt like it was going to be all right. I just didn't know how it would happen," House said. Linebarger Gogga ... More >>

Fourth Ward Activist's Property to Be Auctioned Off Tuesday

Death and taxes are the only certainties in life, but in the case of Gladys House, the actual tax bill has been a question she's been wrestling with since the late 1990s. House is a longtime Fourth Ward activist and head of the Freedmen's Town Association who has fought for years to preserve the ... More >>

Rick Perry: Mum's The Word

Rick Perry has adopted a more behind-the-scenes approach this time around. That doesn't mean he hasn't been busy.

Constitutional Right to Bear Arms Found in Only Three Nations -- Rest of World Smothered in Tyranny, Apparently

We've known for some time that the American Constitution, that yellowed document containing all our inalienable and God-given rights, was a special slip of parchment. The first of its kind, we've been told. The example. The lodestar. The exceptional. But recent research, publicized last week in Blo ... More >>

How Many Texans Own Guns? A Whole Freakin' Lot, Poll Shows

Hey, we all know Texans like their guns. We just didn't realize how much they love them. (Well, to be honest, we did if we gave it much thought, but we hadn't, and now there's new evidence showing it.) For most of those interested, the key finding of the new University of Texas / Texas Tribune poll ... More >>

Texas Attorney General Wants New York Gun Lovers to Move to Texas

Even for Texas this ranks about a 9.8 on the "YEE HAW, WE'RE FROM TEXAS" crazy shit-o-meter. Attorney General Greg Abbot has launched a quasi campaign to encourage people in commie states like New York, who feel like their liberties are being infringed upon because they can't own a garage full of as ... More >>

Perry to Obama: It's the Video Games, Not the Guns. Let Us Pray.

In response to President Barack Obama's executive orders mostly relating to the sale and possession of firearms, Governor Rick Perry issued a release that sounds like it was pulled directly from the talking points of the National Rifle Association, which isn't all that surprising considering his sup ... More >>

Karma

To the media outed by the gun owner: You had it coming.

To the Media Outed by the Gun Owner: You Had It Coming

To the Staff of the Journal News, When I read recently about how a gun owner published the names and addresses of many of you on a Web site in retaliation for you publishing the names and addresses of gun owners in your area, I have to admit my first reaction was, "Sucks to be you." I should note ... More >>

The Ten Most Corrupt Tax Loopholes

If Mitt Romney won't tell you which need to be closed, we will.

Sen. Dan Patrick Named Senate Education Chair, Re-dedicates Himself to Private School Vouchers

Conservative Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston) probably wasn't expecting broad accolades from the education community when he was named chair of the Senate Education Committee on Thursday, and the quick negative reaction from mainline education groups did not disappoint. The dean of Harris County conser ... More >>

Rick Perry Stands Tall Against Socialism, Obamacare and Godless Federal Dollars

Governor Rick Perry has confirmed in a letter today to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that he's no pal of socialism and as such, must reject two key measures of Obamacare - a state insurance exchange and expanding Medicaid. To embrace a state exchange would mean playing ... More >>

Will HISD Thumb Its Nose at Rick Perry & Go for the Race to the Top?

The deadline is looming for the next round of the Race to the Top, a program federal education department officials all but admit was drafted for Houston Independent School District after Texas refused to compete for federal grants. When Education Secretary Arne Duncan hinted such a district-based ... More >>

ICE Sweep Nets 74, Including Child Molesters, in Houston Area

A nationwide sweep of convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and "egregious" immigration violators resulted in almost 100 arrests out of the Houston field office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE took in 3,100 people nationwide in its six-day "Cross Check" operation, with 74 com ... 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Return to Sender

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

FAIR-y Tales

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

Seized

Inside the brutal world of America's kidnapping capital

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 >>

SPECIAL MINUTEMAN PROJECT EDITION

Weed Takes Root

Marijuana's steady creep toward legalization nationwide.

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 >>

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 >>

Janet Jackson’s Wardrobe Malfunction, Revisited

Was Cesar Chavez Really Against Illegal Immigration?

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.

Virtual Vouchers

How to Hide Your Weed

An ex-cop from East Texas decides to switch sides

Passing a Buck to the Smokers

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?

Net Loss

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

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

Taxing Tales

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

Public Radio Inc.

Local Music News

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?

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?

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.

Cozy Ties

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

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.

Letters

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.

Passing the Budget Buck

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