Subject: Harris County

• Sucks to be Gary Block

  January 16, 2007

• Out of Order

  May 29, 2007

• Still Sucks to Be a Librarian, Even If You're Not Passing Out Drugs

  August 8, 2007

• County Government's Ethical Problems Solved

  July 24, 2008

• The 99-Cent Store Of Dogs

  September 3, 2008

• Baby, Please Don't Go

  September 10, 2008

• Some Ike Statistics

  September 23, 2008

• It May Be Easier To Early-Vote In Montrose This Year

  September 26, 2008

• Ozone Levels Getting Nasty

  October 2, 2008

• Political Winds of Change

  A new county study predicts an explosive minority population increase

  June 8, 2000

• Subpoena Envy

  A legislative panel summons local GOP leaders to a show-and-tell

  August 10, 2000

• Punched Out

  Have patience: From the wrath of dangling chads comes computerized dial-a-voting

  August 9, 2001

• Early Voting Still Shattering Records

  October 23, 2008

• The 2008 Voting Charts: The Harris County DA Race

  October 30, 2008

• Harris County Criminal Courthouse To Become Like A Sports Bar

  November 4, 2008

• Harris County Becomes Democratic

  November 5, 2008

• Major Dog-Fighting Ring Busted Here

  If you were planning to go to a dog-fight this weekend, change your plans. And contact the DAs office. Federal and local authorities announced today they'd busted a major dog-fighting operation based in Harris County. Standing before an armored truck, representatives of the US Marshal's Office, the DPS and the Harris County DA told reporters they'd arrested eight people -- including a teacher from Aldine ISD arrested today at school -- for running dog-fights. Up to 55 people have been charge

  November 14, 2008

• Cheerleaders Indicted For (Unfortunately Enough, Non-Sexual) Hazing

  Let the drooling begin! The Harris County DAs office announced this morning that they have indicted seven high school cheerleaders for hazing. Glenn Quagmire of Family Guy immediately went into overdrive with his giggity-giggitys. Cosmo Kramer started stuttering "ca-ca-ca-catfight." What kind of naughty fun did these imps get into? And did it lead to, you know, the kind of things these always lead to in the minds of men?

  November 19, 2008

• The Houston Group Children At Risk Unfortunately Still Finds Its Name Relevant

  Children at Risk's 10th report on Houston-area children is out, and it's as grim as ever."The 2008-2010 edition of Growing Up in Houston continues to underscore the many needs of our children," the respected organization says.Among the highlights:-47% of Harris County children live in or near poverty.-Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured children at 24.6%. -Over 21% of Harris County students are overweight.-Only half of the estimated 214,064 children with a diagnosable mental disor

  December 23, 2008

• The Nation Notices Harris County Ain't Killing People Much These Days

  We first broke the news in October; the Houston Chronicle noticed it earlier this month, and now Time magazine has discovered it: There will be no one sent to Death Row from Harris County this year.Which, in historical terms, is kind of like saying Texas high schools will not be sending anyone to big-name college football programs.As we noted, 2008 was the first year since 1977 -- when the death penalty was reinstated -- without a capital murder conviction in Harris County. Time says its prime e

  December 23, 2008

• The Land Of The Killer Trains

  It's bad news when the state lists you as the absolute most dangerous county when it comes to deaths involving railroads.It's worse when you take into consideration the report doesn't even cover the treacherous, havoc-wreaking collision machine known as Metro's light-rail system.The Texas Rail & Relocation Association, whose activities you no doubt have followed for years like an obsessed fan, has put out its list of the 12 most dangerous counties when it comes to railroad accidents.Topping

  January 8, 2009

• Where To Indulge Your Obama-Mania In Houston

  No one's going to be getting much work done around 11 a.m. Houston time tomorrow.That, of course, is when John McCain will be sworn in as the nation's first old-white-guy President; assuming you're down from the amazing high of Sunday's Lee Greenwood/Hank Williams Jr. concert at the Mall, you'll want to watch his uplifting Inaugural Speech.The rest of us in Real World will be watching Obama.Assuming you didn't make it to DC -- hey, at least you won't be freezing your ass off -- where best to wat

  January 19, 2009

• Making a Killing

  December 28, 1995

• A Taxing Situation

  March 21, 1996

• Bikers -- Someone Actually Wants To Hear From You

  Bikers, the city of Houston wants to hear from you. Some of us only want to hear how you're going to get out of our way during rush hour, but city officials would rather hear about what you think is needed here to help you bike better, or whatever it is you do.An online survey is being conducted in connection with an overhaul of the 1993 Comprehensive Bikeway Plan."The new plan will be used to help guide us through improving our existing network, connecting into Harris County trails as well as e

  January 30, 2009

• The Last Safety Net

  August 15, 1996

• Dissecting Dr. Carter

  March 5, 1998

• Momentarily Idiotic Teens Won't Get The Book Thrown At Them

  You're young, you do stupid things. That's pretty much a given.If you're a girl, the classic thing is shoplifting. If you're a boy, I don't know, criminal mischief, graffitti, something like that.The problem is if you're caught, there's a chance it stays on your record forever. And these days, when any swinging dick with a computer can look up criminal histories, you can find yourself at middle age trying to deal with the consequences of a decades-old momentary lapse of reason.In Harris County,

  February 26, 2009

• March Madness Now Includes A DWI Crackdown

  Illustration by Mike "Dakinewavamon" KlineIt's March!! Time for Spring Break!! And March Madness!! And, ummm, a DWI crackdown by the Harris County DAs office.We don't know what kind of crazed marketing mind came up with the title "The 'March Madness' Anti-DWI Enforcement Campaign," but someone did, and DA PAt Lykos's office is putting out the word."Prosecutors and area law-enforcement patrols will be using the 'No Refusal' program to target widely varying sections of Harris County on Friday and

  March 13, 2009

• News Hostage

  May 20, 1999

• Good Times, Bad Times

  May 27, 1999

• What If They Gave a Primary...

  January 13, 2000

• Joe Harris County spends his days in court, keeping score on the trials he watches

  Court Watcher

  July 10, 2008

• Useless Protest

  Homeowners find the rules can change from county to county

  June 26, 2008

• No Pain, No Gain

  Our solution for saving Texas's claim to capital punishment fame

  May 26, 2005

• Best Place to Meet Raging Singles

  September 23, 2004

• Keeping It Real

  Spring Creek stands poised to ride into history, one way or another

  September 16, 2004

• Best Champion of the Underdog

  Texas Defender Service

  September 25, 2003

• Bench Blues

  The judiciary starts scrambling after state cuts in visiting judges

  June 19, 2003

• The Old West

  He looks like Clint Eastwood and loves John Wayne; now this county official faces a showdown with Tomball's elderly

  August 22, 2002

• Lethal Legacy

  Yates isn't dying to prove the equity of Harris County executions

  March 21, 2002

• Change Change

  Visitors to the county jail can now get the most for their money

  March 7, 2002

• Unfunding a Mandate

  By falling behind in reports on educating kids, Harris County may lose hundreds of thousands in state grants. Or more.

  December 20, 2001

• Drug Resistant

  Harris County jailers are in no hurry to hand out meds to inmates with AIDS. Inmates claim this and other lockup practices endanger their lives.

  September 13, 2001

• Not Worth A Dam

  Clear Creek is on the rise, and local flood-protection methods have been helpless against it. Soggy residents, tired of being perpetual victims, are ready for a fight.

  September 13, 2001

• Rib Ticklers

  Brother-in-Law's

  August 2, 2001

• Borderline Bond

  Local judges go anti-immigrant in bail policies

  October 7, 1999

• This Weekend's DWI Crackdowns Will Include Boaters, Baby

  Photo by jvh33Tired of all those pain-in-the-ass DWI crackdowns? Thinking you can get around them and still indulge your urge to endanger yourself and others by operating heavy, moving machinery while drunk by tossing back some Jack Daniel's on your boat?Think again. This Memorial Day weekend, the DWI crackdown will be on the water.The Montgomery County DAs office will announce tomorrow a drunk-boating crackdown it says is the first of its kind in the nation. Fourteen boats will be patrolling La

  May 20, 2009

• It's A Nice Taxpayer-Supported Gig For Former Chronicle Reporter Alan Bernstein

  As we told you last month, 29-year-veteran Houston Chronicle reporter Alan Bernstein started off his new gig as communications director for Harris  County Sheriff Adrian Garcia by promising openness and transparency, a policy that did not quite include divulging his new salary."That will be a matter of public record once I start getting paid," he said.It turned out to be not the easiest matter of public record to uncover once he started getting paid -- it took a surprising amount of time fo

  June 9, 2009

• BloggingFAIL, Right Here In Houston

  ​Paul Kennedy is a DWI lawyer in Houston with a blog called The Defense Rests.Let's check some recent highlights!!Friday, August 7: Remember to Think Before You Post Online. "In a talk at the ABA's Annual Meeting [Judge Susan Criss] reminded the attorneys in the room that what you put up on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or a blog is out there for all the world to see....Just as I warn my clients to watch what they put up on their Facebook pages while a case is pending, we need to be careful what

  August 14, 2009