Fort Worth

State Rep Wants to Force Universities to Allow Faculty to Research Intelligent Design, Thousand-Head Giants, and Earth-Creating Ravens

The current legislative session has been, as far as we can tell at Hair Balls, a series of marginal victories for the state's education system. The voucher system State Sen. Dan Patrick attempted to instill -- the same kind that's beset Georgia in corrupt conflicts; the same sort that's hollowed Lou ... More >>

30 Essential Texas Restaurants

Eat here before you die.

The 30 Best Texas Albums

Ranking the 30 best Texas albums of the past 30 years seemed like an impossible task. We did it anyway.

Internet Commenters Joke About Homeless Man Crushed in Trash Compactor

Just the other day, I wrote about a man who commented up to 70 times per day on the Sacramento Bee Web site and how he wouldn't even make the top 20 on the site, according to the paper's managing editor. Internet commenters are a strange and fascinating breed, to be sure. They can be witty or vile, ... More >>

Those Concerns Over Fracking Haven't Gone Away

A lot of people still hold onto fracking as the latest great hope for a clean, efficient, prosperity-producing bit of environmental manna from heaven. But doubts and concerns across the nation continue to grow, and the picture has become more clouded. Fluctuating markets don't help clear things up, ... More >>

Pat Green: "I Don't Feel Like I Needed Rebooting"

Did Pat Green save country music? That is a contentious question no matter on which side of the Red River you're standing, but it's also a little beside the point. Nurtured by the storytelling culture of legendary Central Texas singer-songwriter rooms like New Braunfels' Gruene Hall and San Marcos' ... More >>

Some Girls: Live in Texas '78

Mary Gonzalez: The Lege Gets Its First Out Lesbian

Texas voters, even in the midst of a so-called "conservative uprising," managed to elect the first openly gay woman to the Texas House on Tuesday night. Mary Gonzalez, to be more specific, will be both the first woman to win House District 75 in El Paso and the second openly gay candidate to secure ... More >>

Last Night: Steve Earle & The Dukes At Stafford Centre

Steve Earle & the Dukes, The Mastersons Stafford Centre for the Performing Arts April 25, 2012 After three decades of music, mischief and critical accolades, it might come as a surprise to some to find Steve Earle performing at the relatively out-of-the-way (by Inner Loop standards) Centre for the ... More >>

Texans Getting Dumber: More Are Playing the Lottery

Step right up.​In these tough economic times, there's no greater financial plan than putting your money into a game where the odds of winning are relatively microscopic. Right? Apparently that's what a lot of Texans think: This year, for the first time in ten years, there has been an increas ... More >>

Ten Tunnels Of Texas: Some Pretty, Some Odd, Some Bat-Infested

Love tunnels not included​A while back we presented a dozen of the most beautiful bridges in Texas, a state most people don't normally associate with bridges. They associate it even less with tunnels. Texas isn't exactly a mountainous state, and wherever there's a big outcropping there's gene ... More >>

The 10 Worst Things Texas Has Given To The Modern World

It's not nature's way, it's Houston's​If we were to list all the great, terrific things Texas, Our Texas has given to civilization, we would be here all day. (Two words: Jessica Simpson.) Unfortunately, Texas has also gifted America and the world with some things the world and America would n ... More >>

Possum Kingdom On Fire: The Official Video

Possum Kingdom, the beloved state park west of Fort Worth -- celebrated in song by The Toadies -- has been very unlucky when it comes to the wildfires hitting west and north Texas. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department has released some official video of the event, including interviews with firefig ... More >>

Google Street View, Houston Circa 1891 and 1912

Milam & Pease: Current home of the Houston Press​We seem to be all about the zooming in on graphics today. A site called BigMapBlog apparently specializes in adapting old bird's-eye map illustrations of cities into Google Street View-like zoomability. They've got Fort Worth in 1891 and Amaril ... More >>

“Dance: Loli Kantor”

Chef Chat, Part 2: Ozzie Rogers of III Forks

​Yesterday, EOW sat down with Chef and Proprietor Ozzie Rogers of III Forks Houston to discuss all things beef. Today, we find out what he likes to snack on when he's not behind the broiler. And then we talk more about beef. Eating Our Words: You haven't been in Houston that long, but are ... More >>

Weed In Texas: The Top Seven Stories Of The Year

Merry Christmas: our Top Weed Stories. ​It's been a decent year for potheads. So what if Prop 19 didn't pass in California, because medical marijuana laws, even in places outside that dirty hippy state, expanded. This year ends with two more states, Arizona and New Jersey, along with Washington, D ... More >>

Visiting One of America's Top Ten New Restaurants

Shrimp toast.​As a longtime subscriber to Bon Appetit magazine, I am generally disappointed year after year when Houston's illustrious restaurant scene is completely neglected in the magazine's annual restaurant issue. Sadly, this year was no different, but I was at least able to take a bit o ... More >>

RealFilms Screening: Living with the Trinity

How the Trinity River made political history

Readers Miss Robb

And viewers of our chef tats piece weigh in on the ink.

Cowboy Tales From The Rodeo: From The Hockey Rink To Steer Wrestling

Steer wrestler Nick Guy. ​Rodeo cowboys basically live on the road, traveling with men and women crazy enough to ride, rope and wrestle live animals for a paycheck. Each day, Hair Balls is asking a different cowboy to tell us a little bit about himself and his wildest story from a life of rodeo. N ... More >>

Dan Jenkins's Favorite Cheese Enchiladas

​Yesterday, I ate some of Molina's "Enchiladas de Tejas," old-fashioned cheese enchiladas in chili con carne topped with raw onions. When I was researching the "Temples of Tex-Mex" feature, I heard about this dish from Tex-Mex enthusiast and legendary sports writer Dan Jenkins. "The first ti ... More >>

Fort Worth Police, TABC Clear Themselves In Gay-Bar Raid

Courtesy Chuck PotterThe raid, where everything was fine and dandy​A lot of people were up in arms about the raid by Fort Worth police and TABC agents on the Rainbow Lounge, a gay bar in Fort Worth.Patrons were beat up because, cops reportedly said, they were making goo-goo eyes at police, or howe ... More >>

Houston Companies Don't Do Too Badly In Survey Of Gay-Friendly Workplaces

​The Human Rights Campaign Foundation has issued its latest rankings of how businesses treat their gay and lesbian employees, and things look a little better than last year.The report gave 305 businesses a top score of 100 this year; that's an increase from last year's 260. Eleven of the top 20 Fo ... More >>

Gay Panic in Fort Worth, Best Burgers and Taylor Hicks Defenders

Texas Blind Salamander Blues

Photo by Robb Walsh​The Texas blind salamander lives in a dark cave in San Marcos and doesn't see very well, hence the blues-guitarist moniker. It's also an endangered species. Blind Salamander Pale Ale from Rahr Brewery in Fort Worth is the first of a new series called "Rare Breed" beers. Eac ... More >>

Gay Panic in Cowtown

The police raid on the Rainbow Lounge rocked the calm world of Fort Worth gays.

A Musical Guide to Post-Secession Texas, Part 2: "Trinity"

[Note: This week Rocks Off is looking at the musical heritage, highs and lows, for each of the five possible states that might result should Texas secede from the U.S. like Gov. Rick Perry wants it to. Yesterday we began with the Panhandle/West Texas "Palo Duro" territory; today it's northeastern qu ... More >>

How To Celebrate Gay Pride Day In Fort Worth: Bust Some Heads

How did cops in Fort Worth celebrate the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, that epic day when gays fought back against cops harassing them in a bar? By harassing gays in a bar. Allegedly.Protests have sprung up in Cowtown over events at the Rainbow Lounge Sunday night.The Dallas Voice reports: Sources ... More >>

School Districts Don't Need To Close To Protect Funding, TEA Says

When the Fort Worth school district made the seemingly bizarre decision to close down for a week even though they hadn't experienced a single confirmed case of swine flu, there were some rumblings that FWISD officials were more concerned about budgets than parents.Parents might have to spend a week ... More >>

Swine Flu Closes Three HISD Schools, Episcopal High -- And All Of Fort Worth ISD (UPDATED)

HISD has announced two schools have closed until further notice because of possible -- but not confirmed -- cases of swine flu.Harvard Elementary and Hamilton Middle School, both in the Heights, are the schools."Late last night the City of Houston Health Department informed HISD Superintendent Abela ... More >>

Tea Parties and Tex-Mex:

There's always someone offended over something these days

Tonight: Son Volt at the Continental Club

No doubt we'll hear this, a highlight from the band's most recent album, 2007's The Search... "Methamphetamine," live at Fort Worth's Main Street Arts Festival, April 2008

The Roosevelt Special at the Original in Fort Worth

Commenting on the Palmetto Inn's Number #10 Dinner, a plate of cheese enchiladas with chili and queso Jim Sherman wrote: "Needs a sunnyside-up fried egg on top!" That reminded me of another famous Tex-Mex dish--the "Roosevelt Special" at the Original Mexican Eats Café on Camp Bowie Boulevard in F ... More >>

Fort Worth's School Superintendent Has A Bigger Salary Than Houston's

Houston, you have been dissed by Fort Worth. Fort Worth.That cowtown up north has gone all big-time, paying its school superintendent the highest salary in the state. Abe Saavedra here in Houston has been relegated to the poverty line.Fort Worth ISD superintendent Melody Johnson received a 1.4 perce ... More >>

Temples of Tex-Mex: A Diner's Guide to the State's Oldest Mexican Restaurants

We took a pilgrimage in search of old-fashioned tamales, chili con carne and cheese enchiladas

No Show: EMC Expos

A long line of people say they've been stiffed by Rolando Dumagan and company.

So Bad They're Good? Not Exactly.

We Heart CFS

We Heart CFS

I Love CFS

Thank goodness it's still popular in the small towns of the Chicken-Fried Steak Belt.

Beating a (Nearly) Dead Horse

Young Gun

Collin Herring hits somewhere between Merle Haggard and Hüsker Dü -- and that's a good place to be

And the Winners Are

Houston Press does well in a two-state contest

Songs of Sorrow

American Analog Set rocks lightly

Catching Elevators

Dr. Hitoshi Nikaidoh stepped on a St. Joseph Hospital elevator and died. His death was gruesome and horrifying. But it wasn't unique.

All-You-Can-Eat Bait

At this sushi buffet, the lobster is gone Todai. Will it be here tomorrow?

Faith's Fusillade

The gunman moved methodically, killing cowering churchgoers, before one of them stood up for the final confrontation. Then came the last shot.

News of the Weird

Make It Ugly, By All Means

Montrose-area neighborhoods broach a novel idea: Let freeway expansion improve the inner city