Margaret Downing

Opening for Houston Press Web Editor

The Houston Press has an immediate opening for a full-time web editor. This position combines journalism with social media marketing and analytical data management to increase the audience for the Press on its desktop and mobile applications. The web editor assigns and edits photo slideshows, manag ... More >>

Managing Editor Job Opening at the Houston Press

The Houston Press has an immediate opening for a managing editor. We're looking for a journalist with exceptional writing, editing and management skills who can meet the daily challenges of our rapidly expanding online content while supporting high-quality print work. The ideal candidate will have s ... More >>

Suggested Baseball Fan Behavior: An Ode to Detroit's Comerica Park

Last week, the Press' Margaret Downing, in Detroit for the Association of Alternative Newsmedia convention, took in a Tigers game at Comerica Park. She brought a souvenir back to the office: A full-color, 60-page "A-Z Guest Guide," which basically breaks down how to be a fan in verbose and silly l ... More >>

RenFest: Your Last Chance To Get All Medieval This Weekend

Check out even more of our RenFest pictures gathered up as we wandered the grounds on Friday. This is it, the final countdown. With two days left in RenFest season for this year, it's today and tomorrow to haul yourself up to the fields south of Plantersville, lace yourself into a bodkin, loin clo ... More >>

Wildfire Evacuees Pause for a Breath at Lake Conroe KOA

Margaret DowningScott Ross had to flee his house​Scott Ross had held out past the wildfire evacuation order. The father of six didn't want to leave his place off at Southall Drive and FM 1486 to looters and in his case, it wasn't idle speculation. He'd already had a guy run out from under his ... More >>

Trade Off

Readers on the cutting of career-based programs at HISD.

Redrawing Fiefdoms in Ye Olde HISD

Margaret DowningGene Locke walked HISD trustees through redistricting, Chapter 1​The Hispanic population continues to boom, the Anglo drip-drip-drip away to suburbia continues, there's a small decline among African Americans in Houston ISD and the district's biggest gain percentage wise is in ... More >>

A Night At TUTS' Little Shop of Horrors: Don't Forget The Bug Spray

Photo by Margaret DowningTUTS' Audrey with the famed "corpse flower"​The Theatre Under The Stars acting company is staging its usual summer freebie at Miller Outdoor Theatre. This year's installment is the Broadway staple, The Little Shop of Horrors.    Hair Balls decided to check i ... More >>

Openings and Closings

Photo by Margaret Downing​Just in time for summer, a cool-sounding restaurant with an even cooler concept has come along. Oceans, the ceviche-only restaurant that took over the old Bistro Vino location, is officially open to the public. We took a first look at Oceans a few weeks ago and found ... More >>

Oh, The Weather Outside Is Frightful

...but your photos are -- pardon the holiday cheer -- delightful. So keep sending in those wintery pictures to the Houston Press Flickr pool and let it snow! For more information on any of the photos, including location and photographer, simply click on them.

Boating on Buffalo Bayou

Photos by Margaret Downing​Buffalo Bayou Partnership is promoting its boat tours -- tying them into the Christmas season -- as part of its continuing effort to try to get Houston residents out of their cars and down to the bayou to see what all the clean-up has achieved. So Thursday, after two pr ... More >>

Straits Singaporean: A Different Kind of Fire

Photos by Margaret Downing The Roti John Sandwich, Straits' signature dish, is braised beef (or chicken), with onion, tomato, spicy mayo and garlic fries.​There we were, looking at what appeared to be eyes staring back at us in a faintly orangish sauce. "It's messy," my dining companion pr ... More >>

Customized Cupcakes

Photos by Margaret DowningSummery cupcakes at CRAVEApparently one new way to show your business has really arrived is to have its logo, or a symbol of the type of work it does (think oil derrick), made into a roller image that can then be ironed into every fondant placed atop the cupcakes at your re ... More >>

Cure For Swine Flu Is Here!!!

Photo by Margaret DowningWell, maybe the cure for swine flu is here.Note to self: The BBQ fund-raisers at Stafford's Calvary Church are probably not worth the drive. On the other hand, someone definitely should tell the Centers for Disease Control about this.

Sunday's Walk for the Breast Cancer Network of Strength

Photo by Margaret DowningBetty Trobaugh was there in a wheelchair. She enlisted the help of her three daughters to push her through the three-mile course. The first half of the non-competitive walk which started at Sam Houston Park and went down Allen Parkway wasn't bad -- all downhill. Coming back ... More >>

Food Fight at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Photo by Margaret Downing Click here for plenty more photos of fried goodness. The food was carefully laid out on each judge's plate. First up, a beef burrito taco. We had palate cleansers (pickles, crackers and green grapes) and water at the ready. Cameras were clicking and video was running ... More >>

Food Fight at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Photo by Margaret Downing Click here for plenty more photos of fried goodness. The food was carefully laid out on each judge's plate. First up, a beef burrito taco. We had palate cleansers (pickles, crackers and green grapes) and water at the ready. Cameras were clicking and video was running ... More >>

High School Debate

MasterMinds -- Deadline Approacheth

The Triumphant Return of the High School Photo Contest

Poor Treatment of Returning Veterans

Mental Anguish for West Oaks Hospital

West Oaks Story

No Child Left Behind?

Letters to the Editor

Getting Our Props

Houston Press writers do well in national and state contests

And the Winners Are

Houston Press does well in a two-state contest

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Cut the Apple

Plus: Buck Rogers, Harvesting Knowledge, Star Pizza Resolve

The Fate of Yates

Plus: Leaf Them Alone, Thais to Houston, Culture Stock

Fostering Praise, Down on Westbury, TEA Trickery?

Letters from Novemeber 1

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Music Mayhem, Poisoned Pooch, In the John

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Last Chance, Revival of the Fittest

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Mind Games, Bad Form, Executioner's Wrong

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Mental Health Madness, Residental Revelations, English or Else?

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Investigate CEP, Santa Fe's Shame, Politics Makes Strange...

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The French Connection

This week signals a change in leadership at the Houston Press.