Subject: Paul Knight

• Web Extra: Martin Draughon in Prison, Part One

  March 26, 2008

• Web Extra: Martin Draughon in Prison, Part Two

  March 26, 2008

• Web Extra: Martin Draughon in Prison, Part Three

  March 26, 2008

• Web Extra: Martin Draughon in Prison, Part Four

  March 26, 2008

• This Just In: Not All Serial Killers Are Sex-Depraved Evil Geniuses

  July 8, 2008

• FLDS Son Cuts Deal With Prosecutors

  August 15, 2008

• The DWI Bride and Houston's Love for Rush

  Highlights from the Blog at HOUSTONPRESS.COM

  April 9, 2009

• Quanell Critics, Harvard Law and Extreme Recycling

  Highlights From The Blog at HOUSTONPRESS.COM

  March 12, 2009

• $7 at Bubba's Texas Burger Shack

  Photo by Paul KnightWhere: Bubba's Texas Burger Shack, 5230 Westpark Dr., 713-661-1622 What $7 gets you: Your pick from ten burgers made with beef or buffalo. Bubba's has a long list of other menu items, like a bowl of chili or patty melt, but it's no chili shack. Any place that has "Bubba's," "Texas" and "Burger Shack" in its name, along with a location that's pretty much underneath a highway interchange, makes us wonder, What the hell goes on in there? The "shack" part is not a joke, and w

  May 18, 2009

• Comics, MasterMinds, Revolutionaries, Apartments and Transsexuals

  Comic Love

  February 5, 2009

• Ike, Cancer, KBR and Oysters

  Waking Life

  January 15, 2009

• Restitution, Mental Illness, DNA Evidence, Oysters and White People

  January 8, 2009

• Fire Department Deals With A Tough Two Weeks

  Photo by Paul KnightIt's been a rough two weeks for the Houston Fire Department.Two firefighters died Easter morning inside a burning house, trying to rescue a married couple that wasn't there, and on March 30, two fire trucks collided in Montrose while responding to fire that didn't exist, injuring nine firefighters and a 29-year-old pedestrian who died on Saturday."We'll always look to get better," Rick Flanagan, a spokesman for the department, told Hair Balls. "We respond to provide service a

  April 15, 2009

• "Nicest Guy" Gets Break

  Still on death row, though

  December 25, 2008

• Spanish Only at Spring Branch Schools

  September 4, 2008

• Nudist, Tex-Mex, X and Y

  July 17, 2008

• Machinist and Truck Drivers

  The College Question

  June 12, 2008

• Foreclosures, Multiple Personalities, and Swampy's

  Nobody's Home

  May 8, 2008

• Luv Ya Maroon

  February 7, 2008

• The Joys Of Forwarded E-Mail

  Ah, the joys of replying to forwarded e-mail.You get an e-mail forwarded to you from someone, you think you're replying to the guy who forwarded it but instead you're replying to the original sender. So your e-mail that says something like "This is the single most idiotic pitch from a PR person ever" goes not to the staffer who forwarded it to you, but to the PR person doing the pitching.Awkward.Usually it's me doing these things, and I've done some pretty bad ones. At least this time I get to r

  April 27, 2009

• Swine Flu 1, Lyons Elementary 0

  Photo by Paul KnightAlejandra Bravo and Alejandra ReyesHISD is working on its first swine flu evacuation, which started with about an hour left of TAKS testing. The students at Lyons Elementary will have to take the whole thing over again, according to district spokesman Norm Uhl. The infected child that caused the evacuation wasn't at school today, but this morning, the district received a call from the city alerting them of a confirmed flu case from Lyons, and the city suggested the school clo

  April 30, 2009

• Car Trouble

  May 7, 2009

• The Miniature Horse Show: Because You Need To Know

  Photos by Paul KnightThe Greater Houston Miniature Horse Club was out in Katy this weekend hosting a horse show, and Hair Balls paid a visit to find out what the animal is all about.Miniature horses look eerily similar to real horses -- exactly almost -- but smaller. The mini-horse club advertised horses that were 16 inches tall, but we didn't see any that small; most of the horses looked about three feet tall.

  May 11, 2009

• Local Self-Described Rap Supergroup Admires... Nickelback?

  Photo by Paul Knight Young Problemz, a self-described "supergroup" of local rap talent, joined Mike Jones Monday evening at the Arena Theatre, and the group's "Boi" was one of the high points, if not the high point of the night. The five Houston-bred performers - Chyco, Just-O, JM, J Yung and Star Struck - have talent. A lot. After a recent signing with Warner Bros/Asylum Records, the group seems to be at the breakthrough point. "We went from no shows to opening up for Mike Jones," Star Struck s

  May 13, 2009

• Mature Strippers and Lottery Money:

  May 14, 2009

• A Quicker Way Through Customs At Bush Intercontinental

  Photo by Paul KnightHair Balls was escorted by a customs agent out of the Bush airport today, and we left through a door with a big red sign that said, "Do Not Exit, Alarm Will Sound." When we exited and the alarm didn't sound, the agent chuckled a bit and said, "That's government."We were at the airport to check out another government device, a new electronic, self-service kiosk for international travelers. Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection are promoting the kiosk to get more t

  May 15, 2009

• Two Houston newsmen take different paths

  May 21, 2009

• This Week In Deliciousness

  Photo by Jay FrancisJapanese peppers: God's own napalmWelcome back to our weekly food blog round-up. This has been an unusually delicious week for all of you, because, like the universe, it begins and ends with me. Yes, Monday kicked off with my in-depth investigation into the roll-slowing prowess of various extreme relaxation beverages, with the conclusions that a) none are quite as effective as alcohol, and b) I should probably start seeking help. After a quick dahi poori Snackshot, Robb Wals

  May 22, 2009

• $7 at Putty's Pizza

  Photo by Paul KnightWhere: Putty's Pizza, underneath One Allen Center, 500 Dallas St., 713-951-9369 What $7 gets you: A greasy slice of pizza and any item from a menu that would make any bar proud. Unfortunately, Putty's doesn't serve booze. The lunch options in the downtown tunnels are diverse, but unless you're hungry for fast food, come armed with more than $7. You'd probably make it at Ninfa's or Murphy's Deli, but don't even think about the Post Oak Grill or Café Basil. You can definit

  May 21, 2009

• Kill Bill

  May 28, 2009

• $7 at Bodega's Taco Shop

  Photos by Paul KnightWhere: Bodega's Taco Shop, 1200 Binz St., 713-528-6102 What $7 gets you: A Bodega taco plate that includes three tacos built to order and a choice of two sides, and that pretty much means rice and beans. The first step to get food at Bodega's Taco Shop is "pick the pallet," which might confuse you, and if you're standing at the counter with glassy eyes the waitress might recognize that and ask, "Are you confused?" You'll say yes, and she'll explain, "It's like Subway.

  June 8, 2009

• He's 24 And Has Down Syndrome, Which Makes Him A Hot Commodity In Texas

  Photo by Paul KnightTrevor FalkBefore our first trip to Richmond State School, we imagined it as a dark place with prison-type buildings, a prime spot for the type of abuse stories that have been widely publicized in the last several years.  It wasn't that way.When we started going to privately-owned facilities -- often called community-based services -- in Harris and Fort Bend counties, we pictured a family-type setting that was a progressive alternative to the institutionalized state scho

  June 10, 2009

• A Guilty Plea And 15 Months For That Big Dogfighting Bust

  Photo by Paul KnightThe announcement of the big bust.That much-ballyhooed dogfight bust last year has yielded some jail time: A 35-year-old Houston man has pled guilty and will receive a 15-month state-jail sentence for both causing and attending a dogfight, the DAs office has announced."Belinda Smith, an Assistant District Attorney in the Animal Cruelty Section, said evidence showed the fight involving Bates' dog went on for more than an hour and caused injuries to both dogs in that fight," the

  June 10, 2009

• $7 at Poppa Burger Hamburger Stand

  Photo by Paul KnightWhere: Poppa Burger Hamburger Stand, 1622 N. Main St., 713-227-6721 What $7 gets you: A combination of two or three items from a menu that features just about anything you could expect from a roadside hamburger stand. It's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even on holidays. A burger from Poppa Burger isn't too big, but it's cheap, and with $7, you can load up on anything from breakfast tacos to onion rings to shrimp baskets. The most expensive burger on the menu is t

  June 11, 2009

• This Week In Deliciousness

  Katharine Shilcutt ate all this chicken and did not save any for you.Welcome back to the weekly Eating Our Words round-up, where the food is well-prepared, plentiful and, more often than not, weird as all hell. To start with, Robb Walsh introduced us to the concept of a Wal-Mart supermercado, which might not go over as well as Wal-Mart is hoping, because the main competitor to the Hispanic-style Wal-Mart is the regular Wal-Mart. After some quick tacos and a tall, frosty mojito limonada, J

  June 12, 2009

• $7 at Hank's Ice Cream

  Where: Hank's Ice Cream, 9291 South Main, 713-665-5103 What $7 will get you: We tried to utilize the full expense allotment. We failed. The banana split comes in at $5.50, which includes tax and three toppings. We went for more toppings, but the girl behind the counter refused to charge for them. We threw in a can of root beer, listed on the menu as 75 cents. She insisted on making the bill an even $6. Hank's has been serving its famous homemade ice cream out of the same small, cozy location f

  June 15, 2009

• Black Firefighters Protest Lack Of Action On A Noose In A Locker

  Photo by Paul KnightA senior captain in the Houston Fire Department kept a noose hanging in his locker, and according to the Houston Black Firefighters Association, the fire department, city council and mayor haven't taken the incident seriously. "They basically gave him a slap on the wrist," firefighter Michael McCook tells Hair Balls. "The mayor said that he was probably just practicing tying knots, but there are no tactical procedures performed with a hangman's noose."The whole thing started

  June 23, 2009

• Confined Youth

  June 25, 2009

• The Life of Brian

  July 16, 2009

• Moratorium Is Over, So Foreclosures Spike Locally

  Photo by Paul KnightHarris County is seeing the result of failed government efforts to fix the housing crisis by issuing 90-day moratoriums on foreclosures.July was the worst month for foreclosures in the county since the savings and loan debacle, just 73 properties short of the record month -- October 1987 -- according to numbers from the Woodlands-based Foreclosure Information & Listing Service. "If you were three months behind on payments, it's not like you were going to get caught up in

  July 21, 2009

• The Houston Fire Department Mess Just Keeps Stumbling On

  Photo by Paul KnightA small rally was staged today on the steps of city hall as a "show of solidarity" for Jane Draycott and Paula Keyes, the two women firefighters who were victims of racist (to say the least) graffiti on their lockers.A group of women church leaders offered prayers and general support, including a rendition of Psalms 23 in Hebrew, to let the women know that they are not alone in their "goal of change," said city councilwoman Wanda Adams. "Any racism in any city department is s

  July 22, 2009

• Friday Night Lights, Houston Style: What Ever Happened To The Yates-Madison Rivalry?

  Photo by Paul Knight​Hair Balls traveled to HISD's Barnett Stadium on Friday to check out the James Madison Marlins play the Jake Yates Lions, a refreshing change of pace from last week's Battle of the Super Suburbs. Madison and Yates are apparently old rivals, and we went to the game with high expectations. But after walking around the stadium that stayed fairly quiet and empty through the first couple of quarters, we started wondering, What happened to the Madison/Yates rivalry?"The names --

  September 14, 2009

• $13 at Brothers Taco House

  Photo by Paul Knight ​Where: Brothers Taco House, 1604 Dowling St., 713-223-0091 What $13 gets you: More than enough food to feed us, a dining companion and a guy who was panhandling. After we finished getting our food at Brothers Taco House, we walked out to the small patio and rain started pouring down, bringing in a man from the street who started dragging a plastic cup along the patio's wooden railing, saying, "Amigo, amigo, tienes dinero para comer." We told him that we

  October 8, 2009

• This Week In Deliciousness

  Hopia baboy is a lard-based Filipino pastry, not the name of the new Sigur Ros album.​Welcome back to Eating Our Words' weekly round-up, where we separate the wheat from the chaff and then have Robb Walsh make us a bitchin' spiced blackberry chaffshake. We started off the week with some gourmet-style pig face. That picture looks kind of incredible. It makes us imagine eating a bacon-flavored sea urchin. So in other words, it's awesome, like Hostess cupcakes, which are still going strong

  October 9, 2009

• The Food at Lucky Strike Lanes

  Photos by Paul Knight​Arnetta Yardbourgh was sitting on a couch in the lounge at the new Lucky Strike Lanes during Thursday's Grand Opening party, eating barbecue chicken bites and pepperoni pizza, trying to talk to her friends over the mind-numbing techno beats blasting through the speakers. "The atmosphere is great here," Yardbourgh said, adding that she hadn't checked out the bowling lanes, Lucky Strike's main attraction. That was no big deal, she said, because she was having a great

  October 12, 2009

• Getting Lucky, Or Trying To, At The Lucky Strike

  Photo by Paul Knight​Hair Balls was prepared for an evening of stale beer and possibly mullets at this weekend's opening party for the new Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge in the Houston Pavilion. Then we noticed a small warning at the bottom of the invitation: "dress code enforced."Our confusion mounted as we climbed to the Pavilion's third floor to find a mile-long line of overly groomed folks dressed in things like suits and sultry dresses, along with an unsettling amount of chest hair poppi

  October 12, 2009

• This Week In Deliciousness

  Smallpox vaccination scars are sexy as hell.​Welcome back to the weekly roundup at Eating Our Words, where we never roll less than three sous-chefs deep, y'all. Paul Knight started off the week by attending the Grand Opening of Lucky Strike Lanes and sampling their grub. We'll spare you the inevitable bowling puns. Get it? "Spare"? No, come back. That's it, we promise. All further bowling puns will be stricken from the record. (Get it?) Olivia Flores Alvarez spent $13 at Kojak's Timberbro

  October 16, 2009

• Boosted Booze and Marvin's Angels

  October 22, 2009

• Friday Night Lights, Houston Style: The Difference Between High School Football In Texas And Pennsylvania

  Photos by Paul Knight​Hair Balls traveled to a high school football game this weekend with a native Pennsylvanian to see how high school football in that state matches up against high school football in Texas. We went to Rosenberg to watch a Saturday night match up between the B.F. Terry Rangers and the Bay City Blackcats. In our first 4-A game of the year, Terry beat a struggling Bay City 17-0 in a fairly uneventful night. But the game was Terry's homecoming and, apart from our first we

  October 26, 2009

• Friday Night Lights, Houston Style: Another Hurricane Beating For Galveston

  Photos by Paul Knight​After the high school football playoff schedule was released last week, Hair Balls was ready to jump on the Galveston Ball High bandwagon and follow the team on what we hoped would be a miracle playoff run. Ball had already exceeded expectations by making the playoffs, considering Hurricane Ike made football in Galveston an afterthought just a year ago. Shortly after the storm, rumor had it that Ball would cancel the whole season, and Ball's head coach, Ron Holm

  November 16, 2009