Ford F-150

The Top 10 Car Models in Desperate Need of a Redesign

Car years are like dog years. They age much faster than we do. The average life cycle of a car is getting shorter and shorter as automakers compete to have the latest and greatest redesign on the block. In between redesigns, many automakers try to trick you into thinking that a car is "all-new" when ... More >>

Man Murdered for Playing Loud Music in His Truck, Perpetrators on the Loose

On December 3 around 3:30 a.m., Silas Armando Najera-Hernandez and three other men were driving around the parking lot at Bar Uno, located at 5829 South Gessner Drive in southwest Houston. As Najera-Hernandez navigated the silver Ford F-150 pickup through the crowded lot, loud music screamed out o ... More >>

America's Petro-Terrorists

Wall Street and Washington conspire to destablize the U.S. economy, one barrel of oil at a time.

4-Month-Old Girl Dies in Bizarre Accident

A four-month-old girl was killed in a bizarre accident yesterday morning, police say. The child was being carried by her mother, who was walking towards the gated entrance of the Casa del Sol Apartmens at 9501 South Sam Houston Parkway. She was bringing an access card to the gate to let someone in ... More >>

Unidentified Male Drive-By Victim, 24, Bayou Body Count No. 40

A man walking along the 1400 block of Tarberry Sunday evening died when he was shot from a passing truck, Houston police say. The 24-year-old male, whose name has not been released pending notification of family members, was walking in the northside neighborhood about 7:15 p.m. when, witnesses said ... More >>

Nosey Neighbors

Xavier Jamar Clinton, 27: March 1 Murder Victim ID'd, Two Suspects Arrested

The man who was was found shot to death March 1 has been identified, and two men have confessed to the crime, police say. Xavier Jamar Clinton, 27, was found shot to death in an apartment complex in the 10900 block of Tanner Park Court about 8:30 p.m. March 1, after police got a report of shots bei ... More >>

A Wrong Turn

Once Galveston emergency personnel discovered the dead motorcyclist was "one of us," a Bellaire teenager's nightmare revved into overdrive.

The 2011 Houston Press Crimes of the Year

From a fake vampire to a getaway guy in a wheelchair, a defendant peeing in court to a cop-car backseat blow job, it's been a wild year.

The 2011 Houston Press Crimes of the Year

From a fake vampire to a getaway guy in a wheelchair, a defendant peeing in court to a cop-car backseat blow job, it's been a wild year.

Magic Bus: Ford Discontinuing Econoline, the Van of Choice for Bands

Stryper and their custom Econoline... we call it the "God-mobile"​We learned today about this unfortunate development: This week Ford Motor Co. said it is ramping up development and production of its Transit commercial van to make it into a truly global vehicle. The plan includes building the ... More >>

Marcos Juarez's Killers Drove This Truck

Photo by HPD​The killers of 18-year-old Marcos Juarez in a drive-by shooting November 20 were in the truck pictured above, Houston police say. The suspects -- "described only as three Hispanic males and one white or Hispanic female with curly blond or brown hair" -- were "last seen in a 2002 ... More >>

Ruben O. Agostadero, 15, Bayou Body Count No. 181; Third Teen Killed in a Week

A 15-year-old kid was killed in a southwest-side drive-by shooting Monday night, Houston police say. Both the victim, Ruben O. Agostadero, 15, and his companion, Raul Pillado, 16, suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Pillado is hospitalized in guarded condition. HPD says the two were standing outside ... More >>

Rogelio Martinez: Police Seeking Allegedly Unrepentant Habitual Burglar

Photo by HPDRogelio Martinez: Not bashful about his work​In recent months the near-northwest neighborhoods of the Heights, Timbergrove Manor, Oak Forest and Garden Oaks have been plagued with daylight home burglaries. Sadly, even after police have smashed one such ring of thieves, another cont ... More >>

North Houston Battle Royale

Machetes, grenades...and a wedding

Connie Shaukat: Fugitive at Center of Two Home Invasions; Three Bullet Wounds Didn't Stop Her from Wedding While on Lam

Machete, grenade, garden hoe -- use whatever you got.​Okay, this is a weird one. A really weird one, involving accusations of parents smoking weed with children, divorce and remarriage, divided families, indestructible young women, hand grenades, garden hoes, machetes, and other assorted weapo ... More >>

David McIntyre: Worst Cop Impersonator Ever, Possibly

David McIntyre: the South will rise again.​A red 2003 Ford F150 extended cab pickup speeding in a Montgomery County trailer park by a guy wearing a Confederate-shirt flag: It's a scene that takes place every weekend, probably. But things were different recently, according to the Montgomery Co ... More >>

Willie Koehler: Child Rapist Suing From Prison Over Repo'd Pickup

Willie Koehler demands his rights​In 2006, Willie Koehler of Texas City borrowed $19,000 to buy a 2007 Ford F-150. He agreed to have Amoco Federal Credit Union automatically debit $355 from his account every month, and Koehler always made sure he was flush enough to cover the payments. But t ... More >>

The Most Unbelievable East Texas Crime Ever

Photo courtesy The Dunbar CollectionDunbar: Was only a few dozen credits short of his GRE degree at arrest​Just when we think we'd seen it all, there comes a story like this one... If the events described in an indictment unsealed in Angelina County Court today are true, it's one of the most ... More >>

Earline Garcia: Attempted Petty Orajel Theft Leads to Felony After Employee Narrowly Escapes Getting Run Over

You stay classy, Earline.​Come on, people. Do we really need to give you a refresher course on how to shoplift? Apparently so. 1. If you really have to steal stuff, keep the value of the items you swipe under $50. That way, if you get caught, it will only be a Class C Misdemeanor, and you wil ... More >>

The 10 Biggest TV/Music Crossover Fails

kimkardashian.celebuzz.com​Kim Kardashian's release of her new single, "Jam" makes Rocks Off sick to our stomachs. It's been our philosophy that while an ass can sell a TV show or low-budget porn, it can't sell an album. You can't mute a CD and still "watch" it. So in lieu of Kardashian's sic ... More >>

DJ Buddha Tells His Side Of The "Truck Flies Into Greens Bayou" Story, Including His Arrest

If only this sign had been up​While Houston police investigate the death of a man whose truck smashed through a guardrail and plunged into Greens Bayou Wednesday, the man who says he was chasing the driver told Hair Balls his side of the story. Aryan Kaivani, a DJ and producer who goes ... More >>

Houston's DJ Buddha Disputes DWI Charge

​The above mixtape touts Missouri City's DJ Buddha, as a "Hustler to the End," but HPD thinks he may have been hustling a little too much. Buddha was involved in a bizarre chain of events in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. It began as, according to the associate of Trae the Truth, he was ... More >>

Kareem Kentriell James, 31, Bayou Body Count No. 224

Shootout in an apartment complex​A shootout in a southwest side apartment complex left one person dead Sunday afternoon, police say.Kareem Kentriell James, 31, was shot in his apartment comples in the 5400 block of Birdwood about 2:30 p.m. Sunday and was pronounced dead at the scene.Police say he ... More >>

Shane Rushing: Throws Puppy Off A Bridge For Getting Into His Trash

Lucky, the aptly named dog​Dogs can be lovely companions, but like all lovely companions they can have their little quirks.Maybe they back ferociously at butterflies, maybe they wake you up for a walk early in the morning, maybe they get in your trash and make a mess.What to do?Shane Rushing thoug ... More >>

Oscar Salvador Fierro, 23, Bayou Body Count No. 178

A fight leads to a fatal shooting​A fight that began outside a near-downtown club led to a fatal shooting early this morning, police say.Oscar Salvador Fierro, 23m was killed in the 2800 block of Smith after an incident that began as he was leaving Club Plush about 2 a.m., police say.Fierro suffer ... More >>

New Texas License Plates: The Burger Option

You want fries with that?​ Those ever-inventive folks who have the Texas vanity-plate franchise are rolling out a new bunch of plates for people to consider.Like this one, for Mighty Fine Burgers, which is in Austin. We suggest you get these plates on your Ford F-150 before you pull up to the vale ... More >>

New Texas License Plates: The Burger Option

You want fries with that?​ Those ever-inventive folks who have the Texas vanity-plate franchise are rolling out a new bunch of plates for people to consider.Like this one, for Mighty Fine Burgers, which is in Austin. We suggest you get these plates on your Ford F-150 before you pull up to the vale ... More >>

Game Time: Tennessee Whiskey -- Jack Daniel vs Willie Wonka

caption goes here​Having just returned from vacation literally about eight minutes ago, today's pearls of wisdom will not be sports-related (sports resumes in this space tomorrow). In my best efforts to derive some sort of synergy out of the 18-hour odyssey I just endured (Elkhart, IN to Houst ... More >>

It's Five O'clock Somewhere

We scout out happy hour in Houston.

Capsule Art Reviews: "2010 School of Art Annual Student Exhibition," "Maurizio Cattelan"

Capsule Art Reviews: "2010 School of Art Annual Student Exhibition", "Francesca Fuchs", "McKay Otto", "Ron Hoover — A Retrospective: 1972-2006"

The Buzz Is Building, Somehow, For Houston And Its Alleged Love Of Electric Cars

​Earlier this month city officials announced they'll be buying more electric cars and also providing (temporarily) free charging stations for such vehicles downtown.The photo op seems to be paying off -- there seems to be the beginning of a small groundswell in the national media citing Houston as ... More >>

Bayou Body Count: Son Kills Mom, Heads To Mexico

​Laura Palacios of Houston died with her son at her side. Though it was hardly a comfort to the 51-year-old woman: It was her son who allegedly killed her. That's the story told by Harris County Sheriff's homicide detectives who have charged Jose Palacios, 24, with murder. But he is not behind ba ... More >>

Bayou Body Count: Trouble Out On The Roads

It's said that at 3 a.m. there are just a few basic types of people on the road: those leaving a bar, those who are up to no good, and the cops who are trying to catch them both. That seemed to be the situation early yesterday morning when a case of road rage turned deadly. Alfredo Vasquez an ... More >>

Ford Honcho Tells Houstonians The Domestic-Car Market Ain't Dead Yet

Mark Fields, the flashy young head of Ford's Americas division, ran through the many woes of the auto industry before a group of mostly white-haired local car dealers who gathered for a luncheon yesterday at the Galleria Westin Hotel. There were the massive stock dips and job losses, the government ... More >>

Kobain Lounge

Insert Nirvana joke here

Young Jeezy's Party Is Off the Heezy

Young Jeezy's Party Is Off the Heezy

Collision Course

Cyclists are finding out what really lurks along those serene country roads

Dead Wrong

Relatives say Hollywood Cemetery sells the same plot over and over, stacks graves and buries people where they don t belong. And then forgets about them.

The Dutiful Son

Galveston prosecutors say David Hisey stole more than $700,000 from his elderly parents, murdered them, then lived with their dead bodies. David says he did what his parents wanted.

This Sand is Your Sand

At the Village of Surfside, it's not just the beaches that are eroding. It's the Open Beaches Act.

Run to Ground

Inmate Terry Banks broke out of jail in Missouri, prison guard Lynette Barnett by his side. They disappeared for seven weeks - until the law caught up with them in a Victoria County, Texas, trailer park.