Freeport (New York)

Chemically Burned: Dow Chemical Tries to Avoid Hot Water in Worker's Death

Brian Johns suffered chemical burns over 65 percent of his body in a Deer Park plant explosion. A representative of his company, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical, tried to tell doctors Johns had just encountered some really hot water.

We Scare Coyotes: Ambient Chupacabra Lies

It's a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off we're trying hard to find meaning in the oddest monikers. Normally if you hand me a bunch of instrumental music I will respond with some variation on the famous Cave Johnson Lemon Speech except that I wi ... More >>

The Ten Most Corrupt Tax Loopholes

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

Melissa Rendon and Sabrina Pierce: Jailed After Christmas-Morn Hammer Attack

Two women from east Houston's trailer-riffic Cloverleaf section are behind bars after they allegedly used a hammer to separate a man from his wallet on Christmas Day. According to a criminal complaint, Melissa Rendon flagged down the man's car in the 1100 block of Freeport, near the plush, lavishly ... More >>

Some Freeport Folks Don't Want to Live by Proposed LNG Plant

Residents of a quiet community near the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge are worried that their hood won't be peaceful if a new neighbor moves in -- a liquefied natural gas plant, complete with new pipelines delivering billions of cubic feet of fuel daily. You can pretty much guess the story: The ... More >>

Houston-Area Represent!! We've Got the Most Wanted Fugitive and the Most Wanted Sex Offender!!

Photos via DPSJavier Cortez Jr.: Made sure the job was done.​The Houston area has racked up a rare double honor from the Department of Public Safety: Not only do we have the Most Wanted Fugitive from the agency's top 10 list, we have the Most Wanted Sex Offender too. We're just a bunch of ver ... More >>

TS Don: And Then, Depression Set In -- Tropical Storm Could Bear Down on Texas by Friday (Updated)

Courtesy National Hurricane CenterLittle Donnie is getting bigger.​The National Hurricane Center reconnaissance plane found winds strong enough in Invest 90 to declare it the fourth tropical depression tropical storm of the 2011 hurricane season -- their next full report is at 6 p.m. As we m ... More >>

Drought Time: Five Fun Alternative Texas Water Spots When Rivers And Lakes Are Low

Twin Lakes Scuba Park: There's a bus under that water​As we noted yesterday, the ongoing drought is kicking the ass of Texas rivers and lakes. The Guadalupe is just inching along, low in its banks, formerly underwater roots exposed, making toobing not the traditional summer romp it usually is ... More >>

Five Reasons Another Tropical Storm Allison Won't Happen in Your Lifetime

Now THAT is some serious flood water.​When Tropical Storm Allison hit in 2001 and dropped almost three feet of rain on central Houston, there were all sorts of terms like the "100-year storm" or the "500-year storm" thrown around. These kinds of weather events do more than just destroy propert ... More >>

Jason Kresse: Freeport Man Has 375-Pound Shark Jump Into His Boat

Jason Kresse and a pal were dumping fish guts out of their boat into the Gulf about 4 a.m. yesterday, because apparently that's something to do. They heard a thud, reports the Associated Press, and looked back to see that a 375-pound shark had jumped into their freaking boat.

Duct Tape Holding Pollution Equipment Together: So Bad Even Texas AG Acts

Greg Abbott goes after polluters!!! Take that, Obama!!​Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott took precious time off from suing the federal government to get it to stop forcing Texas to enforce Clean Air provisions in order to do a little Clean Air-ing of his own. Abbott's office charged Gulf Che ... More >>

Prized Possessions

Homeless in Houston share their most important objects.

From Fish to Feast: Breaking Down a Yellowfin Tuna

Photos by GroovehouseTo see the entire slideshow, click here.​When you have a landlord that occasionally goes deep sea fishing, you can expect some goodies to come your way every once in a while. That's what happened this past Sunday afternoon, when my boyfriend came home to find his landlord ... More >>

Beauty School Dropouts

HISD might close cosmetology program.

Cage Match: KISS Vs. Fiskadoro

​Ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow night a battle for your musical soul will be waged in our fair city. In this corner, wearing make-up, black leather, and underpants made of your money, the knights in Satan's service, KISS! And in this corner, weighing in at 600 lbs, the masters of the jungle c ... More >>

Greenpeace Says Dow's Freeport Chemical Plant Has Lousy Security

You won't be smiling when the leak comes​Think all those toxic chemicals stockpiled at industrial plants around Houston are safe and secure? Well, think again.According to Greenpeace, the giant holding tanks and railroad cars full full of hazardous materials are ripe for disaster -- be it by terro ... More >>

Anti-Hurricane Consortium To Hold First Meeting...Just in Time for Hurricane Season

​A mere 19 months after Hurricane Ike treated the upper Texas coast like its musical namesake used to treat Tina, the Gulf Coast Community Protection and Recovery District is holding their first planning session: Galveston County is joined by Harris, Brazoria, Chambers, Jefferson and Orange c ... More >>

It's Roller Derby Time Again...So Get Ready To Rumble

Photos by Jay Lee / Click here for a slideshow​Few fans were cheering louder than Shirley Rivera, mother of Baby Face Assassin, aka Rita Roxanne Rivera. Sitting on a fold-out chair only a few feet from the action, Rivera hollered every time her 27-year-old daughter took her turn on the rink. River ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Matagorda

The Sunday drive. Sometimes it's more about the trip than the destination, y'know? Texas Traveler needed to get out of town for the day. We didn't know where, just someplace new. Someplace different. We looked at a map and picked a place. Matagorda? Why not.View Larger MapWe took 59 out there, becau ... More >>

Dow Chemical, Always Helping The Kids. By Polluting The Air

If you worry about pollution -- especially in light on the EPA's latest study of the cancer risk posed by air pollution -- you might see that instead of threatening our lives, air pollution actually helps all of us, especially those of us who are most vulnerable, the kids.For purposes of illustr ... More >>

Dow Chemical Thankful It's In A Pollution-Loving State Like Texas

The Dow Chemical Co. got whacked last week with a $202,325 fine for air pollution violations, but if we had to guess, we'd say the world's second-largest chemical company thanks its lucky stars it does business in a state like Texas, where a history of violations doesn't mean much.In calculating th ... More >>

Out of the Park

Second Ward slugger Aaron Treviño scores a scholarship and prepares to leave the barrio behind

Letters

Family Ties

A tale of two sisters, and a father who wouldn't quit pursuing a killer

Welcome to Fire Island

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

House Music Scratches for a New Vibe in Houston

Club Directory

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.

Chalee Tennison

This Woman's Heart (Asylum)

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.

Blue Highways

A trip to Surfside will land you a prize catch: The bait-camp delights of the Red Snapper Inn

The Outcasts

After the Littleton massacre, Brazosport High cracked down on its own "freaks" which only left them more alienated

Coming to No Good End

Undertaker Jay Herman shot his lover, Edwina Prosen, to death in 1991. That's the only thing he and her family have agreed on since.

Space Odyssey

Tom Moser wants to put Texas on the map as a commercial launch pad for cargo-carrying rockets

Looking for Laura

First Friendswood rallied to find Laura Smither. Then it rallied to find her killer.

Press Picks

Press Picks

In The Rough

In its quest for a Municipal golf course, Lake jackson learned a valuable lesson: Never buy land without checking it out first. Unfortunately, the lesson came six years too late.

Among Friends

Buster Brown's financial disclosure includes an interesting omission -- and addition

Murky Water

State Senator Buster Brown wants to make Lake Jackson safe for development. Guess who's one of the developers.

Truth or Consequences

Jon Lindsay is an admitted liar and an accused perjurer. Should Harris County voters take him at his word - again?

The fight to save the Katy Prairie

How many winters more will Arctic waterfowl make their 10,000-year-old journey to the western edge of Houston?