Paul Knight

Web Extra: Martin Draughon in Prison, Part One

Web Extra: Martin Draughon in Prison, Part Two

Web Extra: Martin Draughon in Prison, Part Three

Web Extra: Martin Draughon in Prison, Part Four

Spanish Only at Spring Branch Schools

Nudist, Tex-Mex, X and Y

Machinist and Truck Drivers

The College Question

Foreclosures, Multiple Personalities, and Swampy's

Nobody's Home

Luv Ya Maroon

Nobody's Home

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 ... More >>

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 ... More >>

Car Trouble

Readers respond to "Wild Ride"

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 h ... More >>

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 a ... More >>

$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, ... More >>

Kill Bill

Readers respond to ill-defined proposed legislation.

$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," ... More >>

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 ... More >>

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 Smi ... More >>

$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 ... More >>

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," firefi ... More >>

Confined Youth

Reader weigh in on youths in state homes and behind bars.

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 -- Octo ... More >>

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 sup ... More >>

$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 ... More >>

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 ... More >>

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 m ... More >>

$7 at El Cuscatleco

Photos by Paul Knight​Where: El Cuscatleco, 6041 Bissonnet, 713-666-2690What $7 gets you: A tall stack of pupusas. Driving through southwest Houston earlier today, we started wondering something about all the random little restaurants that seem to appear at every intersection. How do you cho ... More >>

Happy Hour Scene: Leons Lounge

Photos by Paul Knight​The road in front of Leon's Lounge is torn up -- really bad torn up -- and there were only a couple cars parked behind orange safety cones when we walked up, so we thought, 'This is going to be one lame happy hour.' We walked in and, besides the bartender, there were t ... More >>

Happy Hour Scene: Cielo Mexican Bistro

Photo by Paul Knight​We had the wind knocked out of our sails, or stomach or lungs or whatever, on a Tuesday night trip to Cielo Mexican Bistro downtown, at 300 Main St. It started with a late night in the office and me desperately wanting to not go to Midtown. One of our own society columni ... More >>

Happy Hour Scene: Shuck Daddy's

Photos by Paul Knight​Obsolete August, a cover band that plays live music at Shuck Daddy's on Wednesday nights, was in the middle of a rendition of Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville" when we walked in. To make matters worse, it was a slow-rolling version, almost like a love ballad. The song se ... More >>

They Came, They Saw, They Protested....A Not-Yet-Opened Planned Parenthood Office

Photos by Paul Knight​The enormous crowd in the parking lot of the Catholic Charismatic Center, just south of downtown, began to thin out at about noon as people headed for the streets, or school buses, to make their way across I-45 to protest the opening of a Planned Parenthood clinic (it hasn't ... More >>

Happy Hour Scene: Nick's Place

Photos by Paul Knight​Certain bars have this game -- a machine, really -- that has a mechanical arm with a punching bag on the end, and when a person puts in money, the bag swings down, waiting to be belted. Usually it's a group of three of four guys playing, standing around the machine, and ... More >>

Teen Porn Troubles

Plus: Readers reaction to Wild on Washington.

Porn Again: Readers discuss our take on porn addiction

Readers discuss our take on porn addiction.

Soap In Fountains: A Sure Sign School's Out For Summer

Photos by Paul Knight​People driving through the Museum District this morning probably noticed soap suds floating in the fountains at the Main/Montrose/Hermann Drive roundabout. Perhaps they gave a little chuckle and thought, "Classic."But we saw something far more serious. This is real, tangible ... More >>

A Rail Issue

METRO responds to our cover story, at length.

Happy Hour Scene: Voice

Photos by Paul Knight​The Place: Voice Lounge at Hotel Icon220 Main St. 832-667-4470www.hotelicon.comThe Hours: The "Traditional Happy Hour" at Voice runs on Fridays 4-7 p.m., but drink specials also are offered on Wednesdays 4-7 p.m., and Thursdays, for the "legal community," 4-9 p.m.The De ... More >>

Basketball Diaries

Readers respond to "Trash Talk"

Happy Hour Scene: The Petrol Station

Photo by Paul Knight​The Place: The Petrol Station 985 Wakefield Dr. 713-957-2875www.facebook.com/PetrolStationThe Hours: Monday through Friday 3-7 p.m.The Deals: All $4 beers are $3.The Scene: On Wednesday afternoon, the Petrol Station, a little bar tucked away in the Oak Forest neighborhoo ... More >>

Happy Hour Scene: Cheerz Bar and Grill

Photo by Paul Knight​The Place: Cheerz Bar and Grill 2416 Brazos Street713-522-0118www.cheerzmidtown.comThe Hours: Nightly drink specials. The Deals: On Mondays, Bud Light drafts are $1, pitchers are $4, and wings are 50 cents. Domestic drafts are $1 on Tuesdays, and domestic pitchers are $7 ... More >>

Open Tab: Rocks Off's New Houston Bar Column

Pull up a chair, start a tab and order a round of shots, because this is Rocks Off's weekly roundup of the goings-on in the Houston bar scene. Ups and downs, openings and closings, we will cover it all. Hit us up with any hot tips at craig.hlavaty@houstonpress.com. Paul Knight​ Rocks Off has ... More >>

The Volcano Roll at Blue Fish House

Justine Schmider​Paul Knight's recent post on the happy hour at Blue Fish House led me to venture there instead of Miyako recently when I was longing for cheap "American" sushi. By "American" sushi, I am specifically referring to sushi and maki rolls and nigiri, etc., etc., that are inflected ... More >>

Downtown's Sheraton-Lincoln Hotel Coming Down

Photo by Paul KnightThe once-glamorous arched entryway​We've written before about the long-empty Sheraton-Lincoln hotel downtown, and the myriad attempts to save itNow it looks like it's Demolition Time.Swamplot reports that Brookfield Office Properties, which owns a skyscraper across the street f ... More >>

Openings & Closings

Photo by Robb Walsh​First things first. It doesn't seem like any kind of loving and righteous God would do this to us, but Cheese Berry Asian Pizza (9888 Bellaire) has closed. What kind of world is this?! While there are still a few other fusion pizza places around town, where else are we goin ... More >>

No-Good Goods

Readers on American Grocers

Montrose Muffled

Residents take sides on bar noise issue.

Upcoming Events: A Taste of Triniti and Brews on the Bayou

Photo by Paul KnightBrews (and booze, if you go inside and order it) will be served on the bayou at Brenner's upcoming Beer Fest.​This weekend, if you aren't headed to our own BestFest, check out the 3rd annual Wine Festival on the Kemah Boardwalk on Saturday, September 24, from 2 to 5 p.m. Mo ... More >>

Tea Time at the New Marquis II

Photo by Paul KnightThe unchanged Long Island, sitting on the pre-renovation bar​Seeing people smoking outside of the newly renovated Marquis II is strange enough to distract you from the other changes, like the exterior coat of dark paint and the windows that make the place seem less like the ... More >>