Houston City Council

We're Not Sure About Cathy Mincberg, But You Definitely Have a Problem Writing Original Headlines

The Initial Bill For Clean-Up In Houston: Almost $100 Million

Some Relief From Those Booting A-Holes

Best Politician

Carol Alvarado

A City's Shame: Inflatable Gorillas

Carol Alvarado

A Man. A Plan. A Small Battery-Operated Device.

How many times have you wished you had your own drumset, so you could bust out a rim shot every time your buddy says something outrageously funny, like "Get-r-done!"? Well, one Houston man is trying to turn that dream into reality. Glen Jackson, a 48-year-old refinery worker, recently patented the ... More >>

Sheila Keeps Quiet

How many times have you wished you had your own drumset, so you could bust out a rim shot every time your buddy says something outrageously funny, like "Get-r-done!"? Well, one Houston man is trying to turn that dream into reality. Glen Jackson, a 48-year-old refinery worker, recently patented the ... More >>

Battle of the Retreads

Two soon-to-be-unemployed politicians may be headed for a City Council showdown

Lounge Act

Two soon-to-be-unemployed politicians may be headed for a City Council showdown

The Nanny State Hates The Cars On Your Front Lawn

As goes Port Arthur, so goes Houston.The noble Golden Triangle town recently passed an ordinance banning people from parking their cars on their front lawns.Always eager to take their lifestyle cues from Port Arthur, the Houston City Council has followed suit with an ordinance of its own.Homeowners ... More >>

Residents File Their Own Suit Against Treatment Plant

Less than a month ago, Houston City Council members responded to an avalanche of complaints about explosions and sickening smells coming from a CES Environmental Services Inc. waste treatment plant in southeast Houston and decided to sue the company under nuisance laws in an attempt to remove the fa ... More >>

Letters

Less than a month ago, Houston City Council members responded to an avalanche of complaints about explosions and sickening smells coming from a CES Environmental Services Inc. waste treatment plant in southeast Houston and decided to sue the company under nuisance laws in an attempt to remove the fa ... More >>

Breaking News: Cops Don't Like Being Told They're Fat

Photo by sylvarSo far, no one's pointed to any evidence linking lack of physical fitness among some Houston Police Department officers with problems like the disproportionate Tasering of minorities, the shootings of quite a few mentally ill folks, or even the supreme fuck-up that put an innocent man ... More >>

Take the Cash and Talk That Trash

The hotel six sting hits the little screen

City Says Smoking Ban Has Had No Impact On Bars

Photo by porcelaingirlTwo years ago, Houston City Council approved a smoking ban for local bars. This week, it was announced that the city had spent $12,000 to measure the impact of the ban.Their conclusion? It had no impact on bar sales whatsoever. "It's reassuring that we did the right thing ... More >>

Letters

Photo by porcelaingirlTwo years ago, Houston City Council approved a smoking ban for local bars. This week, it was announced that the city had spent $12,000 to measure the impact of the ban.Their conclusion? It had no impact on bar sales whatsoever. "It's reassuring that we did the right thing ... More >>

Under Siege

City Council took away South Houston Mayor Cipriano Romano's keys. They took away his secretary. They told the 27-year-old he can't use the fax or copy machine after hours. Now they're ready to impeach him.

Santa's Push Cards

City Council took away South Houston Mayor Cipriano Romano's keys. They took away his secretary. They told the 27-year-old he can't use the fax or copy machine after hours. Now they're ready to impeach him.

Model-Netics Hooks City Hall

City Council took away South Houston Mayor Cipriano Romano's keys. They took away his secretary. They told the 27-year-old he can't use the fax or copy machine after hours. Now they're ready to impeach him.

After-School Aftershocks

Advocates unite to tell HISD and Houston not to overlook vital program

Best Band to Leave Houston

I-45

Smackdown at City Hall

Candidates clash in a castaway district, exes attack, and Bell wringers rumble for a final round with Brown. Voters, pick your fight.

An iFest Fan (and Former Music Programmer) Responds

An open letter to Racket from Rick Mitchell, with Racket's reply

Do Not Enter

Outside the gates of the Forbidden City

Taking Aim

Marching with an evolving minority electorate, a Vietnamese immigrant may just whip the GOP's old guard

Moovin' On Up

Does DQ's new drink ring some racist bells?

Law? What Law?

City Council proposed; City Hall didn't dispose

Star-Crossed

No World Series this year, an Astro-loger says

Best Lobbyist

Bill Miller

The Schmooze Returns to City Hall

Facing an out-of-control council, Brown recalls a veteran vote saver

Chow Time

Could the Food Network finally be coming to Time-Warner's analog offerings?

Landrush

The city of Houston is being carved into special taxing districts, promising windfalls for some, financial burdens for others

Insider

Board Out of Its Gourd!

The Insider

Board Out of Its Gourd!

Press Picks

Board Out of Its Gourd!

No Changes Needed At Houston's Messed-Up Fingerprint Lab, City Council Decides

Photo by umboodySome council members think money won't make the problems at HPD's fingerprint lab go away. ​The Houston City Council approved today -- despite concerns from several council members -- a contract to keep paying a consulting firm to basically run the police department's fingerprint l ... More >>

Jarvis Johnson Tweets, But Doesn't Talk, After His Arrest

Photo courtesy HCSO No press conference after all​"Leading by example" still remains on the web site for City Council Member Jarvis Johnson but the councilman is being charged with evading arrest by the Houston Police Department. According to the HPD, Johnson was arrested Wednesday night&nb ... More >>

Post KTRU/KUHF, Possible Houston Mergers & Acquisitions To Come

Photo illustrations by John Seaborn GrayGozer has designs on the Galleria.​Rice University and the University of Houston have reached a deal to convert KTRU into a 24-hour white-noise station to help our city's insomniacs. Fitzgerald's was just bought out by the guys who made Mango's a viable ... More >>

Heights-Area Walmart Poised For Vote Today: Let's Look At Three Recent Stop-Walmart! Fights

The City Council could vote today to bring a Heights Walmart one step closer. ​This morning, the Houston City Council is set to vote on a proposed "380 agreement" with developer Michael Ainbinder that would help him build a Walmart-anchored retail center near the Heights. The agreement, posted on ... More >>

The Strange Saga of The Muffin Man

Above: Jason "Muffin Man" Perry speaks, um, passionately at a Houston City Council meeting on September 28, 2010. Sitting at home one August day in the Montrose, I watched as a young man walked up and down my street, rolling up flyers and sticking them into gates and doors up and down Hyde Park. H ... More >>

Dynamo's Stadium: A Date for the Groundbreaking Has Been Set

Groundbreaking this month​Barring some last-minute glitches, the Houston Dynamo plan to have a groundbreaking ceremony for their $80 million stadium January 29, the club announced today. The Houston Business Journal reports that the only formality remaining before the team can go ahead is for ... More >>

R.I.P Kathryn McGuire, Houston's Transvestite Socialite

Kathryn McGuire, dead at 68​Kathryn McGuire, who made a big splash in the Houston social scene as a transvestite before undergoing a sex-change operation and moving away, has died. Her son James tells Hair Balls she passed away at the age of 68 in Palm Springs, California, last week. We did ... More >>

Jessica Tata: Legislature Acts to Help Increase Daycare Inspections

Jessica Tata spurs lege to act​Blink once and you might have missed state rep Carol Alvarado's bill in the House Urban Affairs last week that offered at least one more stopgap measure to prevent the West Houston daycare fire that took the lives of four small children. Former day care operator ... More >>

Pools And Community Centers Come Under Parker's Budget Ax

Pool's closed today, and all summer​Eight swimming pool pools and seven community centers won't open this summer and about 750 city employees will be laid off under the new budget proposed by Mayor Annise Parker today.The fire and police departments avoided layoffs. "Developing this budget h ... More >>

Five Jobs for Fastow

Enron honcho needs work.

Glenbrook Valley, Our Recent Cover-Story Subject, Becomes a Historic District

​Just before 10 a.m. today, Houston City Council approved the historic district applications for Glenbrook Valley, Woodland Heights and Heights South. The mid-century modern neighborhood Glenbrook Valley, at the center of a contentious debate and the subject of the Press' June 23 cover story, ... More >>

HPD Kingwood Under Investigation for Alleged Overtime Abuses

Bryan Bennett became the HPD Kingwood captain two years ago ​An anonymous source has chronicled to Hair Balls a recent history of overtime funding abuses by the Houston Police Department Kingwood Division. The first, according to the source, occurred on May 22 during a private benefit for Ser ... More >>

HPD: No Crime Found in Gay-Mag Publisher's Claims

The article on Ellen Cohen that started it all has been pulled​After investigating a magazine publisher's claims that he was threatened by the head of the GLBT Political Caucus last week, Houston Police have determined no criminal activity occurred and have closed the case. Caucus President ... More >>

Sex & the Coach

Cops say she raped, sexted 14-year-old girl

Occupy Houston: Where Everything Is An Emergency That Local Media (Including Us) Fall For

Photo by Brittanie SheyOccupy Houston holds an impromptu assembly.​Hair Balls now has something in common with the local Fox and CBS affiliates. We're all suckers. On Tuesday afternoon, in light of the recent shutdown of Occupy Oakland, Hair Balls did some recon by contacting one of our sourc ... More >>