Sam Houston

Roadside Breakdown On Sam Houston Parkway Reveals 16 Undocumented Aliens In Truck

When using a U-Haul sized truck, most of the time you're transporting big and heavy things, like luggage, furniture, plants or people. Wait, people? For one dude, yes, people. On Thursday night, a truck was found on the Sam Houston Parkway in southwest Houston. Naturally, Harris County Toll Road A ... More >>

Molly Flogs Houston

Flogging Molly makes the walls sweat at the House of Blues.

Revisiting Robertson Stadium's Forgotten Concert History

After years of dreaming, planning and even a little begging, the University of Houston broke ground on a new on-campus football stadium this month. It's a pretty darn exciting development for the Cougars that marks the beginning of a new era of UH athletics: The program will play its first season in ... More >>

Bruce Kessler's Incredible Houston Concert Photo Archive

Houston Babylon

Four of the spookiest true tales in our city's history

Early Victorian Houston and Texas: Suicide City for the Elite

Houston Babylon, the feature coming out this week, dissects a few of the creepiest and most chilling events in Houston history. In coming up with four of those tales, we stumbled over many more -- too many to fit the print edition. All this week we'll bring you some extra, online-only stories. Che ... More >>

UPDATED: Memorable Houston Concerts of 1992

UPDATE (2:03 p.m.): Alice In Chains was advertised but dropped out, and was replaced with Australia's Baby Animals. The year 1992 was an important one for me as far as Houston concerts are concerned: It's the first time I went to a concert within the Houston city limits, the "Outside Broadcast" leg ... More >>

Sir Paul McCartney, Rihanna Houston Bound

Rewind: Dear Paul McCartney: Please Come Play Houston Two pretty big concert announcements this Friday morning. First, Rihanna, last seen missing most of her hair at Thursday night's VMAs, is bringing her just-announced Rihanna Diamonds World Tour to Toyota Center April 15, according to Live Nati ... More >>

1965: Remembering Houston's Summer of Beatlemania

Forty-seven years ago this week, full-scale Beatlemania descended upon Houston in all its glory. On August 19, 1965, the Fab Four played their only Houston concerts--one in the afternoon and one in the evening--at the Sam Houston Coliseum downtown. The completely hysterical response to the Beatles ... More >>

The 10 Greatest Summer Concerts I Never Saw

Well, kids, summer has arrived. If you have ever noticed, all the good concerts seem to come during the summer -- with May being more like a pre-show. My parents, when I was younger, took me to many concerts at some of these venues, mainly Contemporary Christian concerts. I myself had only been to ... More >>

HISD Wants $1.89 Billion To Rebuild, Renovate Schools

The Houston Independent School District's Board of Trustees is considering asking voters for a $1.89 billion bond issue that would rebuild or renovate 42 schools. The board must decide by August whether to place the item on the November 6 ballot. If voters approve the bond package, HISD would "most ... More >>

Jason Windham, 40, Bayou Body Count No. 75

A man was shot to death after several men forced their way into his motel room early Monday, Houston police said. Jason Windham, 40, was staying with his girlfriend at the America's Best Inns & Suites in the 700 block of North Sam Houston tollway, HPD says. About two in the morning, he answered a ... More >>

RIP Adam Yauch: Beastie Boys' MCA Dead At 47

Well, damn. Adam Yauch, the gravel-voiced third of Noo Yawk '80s and '90s rap-rock superstars the Beastie Boys, has died at age 47, Rolling Stone reports. The exact circumstances of his death were unknown at press time, but Yauch had been battling cancer since being diagnosed with a tumor in his sa ... More >>

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 5 Martinis

Photo by Jonathan Cohen​For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year's winner is no easy task. We'll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston b ... More >>

Josefus

2012 Starts Out Deadly on Houston's Roads

Drive better, Houston. The first two days of 2012 saw four fatal traffic accidents, three of them on or near the Loop. Two occurred in the early morning hours of January 1, meaning they were probably New Year's Eve-related, but still: That's way too much dying going on. The deaths included a drun ... More >>

Comment of the Day: Another Sign You're Not From Houston

​We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it's time we paid some damn attention to them. So we'll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day's work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula involv ... More >>

Don Juan Davis, 31, Bayou Body Count No. 124

The death of Don Juan Davis.​The third killing in less than a week in an obscure Houston neighborhood happened Sunday evening, Houston police say. The death of Don Juan Davis, 31, came about 10:30 p.m. after an argument in a parking lot in the 10100 block of Forum Park Drive. The location is ... More >>

Nathaniel Deron Kelley, 19, Bayou Body Count No. 122

Murder on the Sam Houston Parkway​A drive-by killing on the Sam Houston Parkway was fatal to a 19-year-old male early Saturday morning, Houston police say. Nathaniel Deron Kelley, 19, had attended a party with a friend at the Milan Pavilion at 6303 Harwin, HPD says. As they were leaving they ... More >>

The 10 Most Lucrative Red-Light Cameras In Houston

Monica Fuentes​As we noted earlier this week, Houston's red-light camera cash cow money machine is up and running at full speed again, with more than 2,700 citations issued in the first six days of operation. So everyone should be careful out there unless they want to get hit with a bothersom ... More >>

Unidentified Female Killed By Alleged Drunk Driver, Bayou Body Count No. 116

HPDJonathan Lacier Davis: Suspected of DWI in fatal accident.​A woman driving a Honda Civic was killed about 3 a.m. today when an allegedly drunk driver ran a red light and smashed into her. Jonathan Lacier Davis, 22, has been charged with intoxication manslaughter. He was driving a PT Cruise ... More >>

Top Four Patriotic Sex Positions

Recently, Houston's patriotism has been questioned by Stephen Colbert, who took us to task for our fireworks ban, and Men's Health magazine, who ranked us the 89th most patriotic city. Houston was beat by Austin (21), Dallas (60), and San Antonio (78). Well! We can't stand for that. We're unable to ... More >>

Miguel Almaquer, Bayou Body Count No. 53

Killed by a drunk driver, police say​A man has been charged with intoxication manslaughter after police say he was drunk and crashed his car, killing his passenger. The victim, Miguel Almaquer, was thrown from the vehicle in the single-car crash in the 6900 block of the East Sam Houston Parkw ... More >>

Unidentified Male, 20, Bayou Body Count No. 38

Traffic​Houston roads are never the safest places and there have been several recent traffic fatalities as proof. Tuesday night, around 10:50 p.m., the unidentified male victim, 20, ran a red light in his Ford Taurus in the 6700 block of the West Sam Houston Parkway North service road. A blac ... More >>

Openings & Closings: February 2011

A plate of nigirizushi at Blue Fish.​As we showed you in our sneak peek earlier this week, The Blue Fish is now open at Bayou Place downtown. The Dallas-based sushi bar will also open a second Houston location in a few months next door to benjy's on Washington Avenue., where a new build-out is ... More >>

Houston's Six Best Archeological Sites

Where's Indy when you need him?​We were intrigued by Brittanie Shey's visit to the Camp Logan ruins in Memorial Park last month, so we wondered: Where are the best spots in the Houston area to do some archeological exploring? We asked Louis Aulbach, one of the best Houston historians, for som ... More >>

Comments of the Day: Dealing with Unhealed Wounds

​We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it's time we paid some damn attention to them. So we'll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day's work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula involv ... More >>

Dual Citizenship and Loving the Gold

The Black Crowes: Say Goodnight To The Bad Guys

Josh Cheuse​The Black Crowes need a break. Since their 2005 reformation, the group has toured incessantly (tonight's Verizon show is their fifth Houston stop), released three studio records, one live record, two DVDS and now Croweology. That double-disc effort features new, acoustic recordings ... More >>

Unidentified Male, 20, Bayou Body Count No. 212

Found dead in his apartment​A 20-year-old man was found shot dead in his apartment on the west side Saturday night, and a young child was wandering about the complex when police arrived.Houston police were called to an apartment complex in the 2400 block of West Sam Houston Parkway a little after ... More >>

Unidentified Woman, Bayou Body Count No. 208

​An unidentified woman's body was found Sunday morning near the 10500 block of Richmond, just west of the Sam Houston Tollway. Shortly before 10:30 a.m., police received a call about a person being down. When officers arrived, they saw a woman lying in a grassy ditch. It appeared as though she ha ... More >>

Adios Houstonist, Hello H-Town Rock

Keep Houston Rich posts this video from Chingo Bling and Fade Dogg's new collaboration, "Let Me Know". The song is featured on Chingo's new mixtape, Stuntin 4 The Summer. As you well know, the HMPAs are coming up in the next few weeks, but you can find out what Texas bands from north of the Sam H ... More >>

Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, Shoots Hoops With Yates

Photos by Paul KnightSecretary of Education Arne Duncan made an appearance at Sam Houston High School.​Arne Duncan, the federal Secretary of Education, had to cut his trip to north Houston's Sam Houston High School a bit short, because there were more pressing matters. Duncan was headed to the Thi ... More >>

Unidentified 3-Year-Old Girl, Bayou Body Count No. 68

​Someone gunned down a 3-year-old girl, and police have vowed to catch the killer.It all went down on Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of the Live Oak Bend apartments in north Houston. The father and his two kids -- a daughter, 3, and son, 1 -- were getting into their car, police say, when a ma ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Independence Day

Photo by photine​How did you celebrate the 174th anniversary of Texas' independence from Mexico? You probably didn't do anything like what a group of stalwart runners spent their weekend doing -- running the 203 miles from Gonzales to the San Jacinto Battleground in Deer Park.Dozens of teams ... More >>

Mayday, Mayday: Van Morrison Opens Woodlands' 2010 Season May 1

​This weekend word came from Live Nation that legendary Irish crooner and songwriter Van Morrison will be open the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion's 2010 season Thursday, May 1, Van the Man's first Houston appearance in more than 30 years. According to songkick.com, Morrison first hit Houston in J ... More >>

Houston 101: The Election Of 1838: Doom For Houston As Capital Of Texas, Death For Two Candidates

​The Texas Presidential Election of 1838 was likely unique in the history of democracy, if for no other reason than its body count.At the time, there were two political parties in Texas -- Houstonites, and anti-Houstonites. The former favored annexation to the United States, relatively gentle trea ... More >>

"The Monumental Sculpture of Bernar Venet"

The French artist's latest outdoor exhibit has curves ahead

The Ultimate Oyster Cracker?

​My brother Dave got me hooked on these hot and spicy saltines. He says they're the perfect oyster crackers. I haven't tried them with oysters yet, but I will soon. The home version of these has been around for a long time. You mix up a package of dry ranch dressing mix, some kind of dried ch ... More >>

Dive Bar-ology 101: What A Dive Bar Is Not

​These days, there are a lot of misconceptions about what constitutes a dive bar. Going by lists on sites like Yelp and Citysearch, and especially this laughable list from the Houston Chronicle, apparently any drinking establishment that does not sport bottle service, valet parking and a velvet r ... More >>

Coming To La Carafe: More Room To Smoke and Drink

Photo by photine​In our Best of Houston issue last year, we selected the scant few tables in front of La Carafe as the Best Place to Smoke and Drink in town. We loved the place for its "prime view of the skyline" and the fact that outside speakers allowed patrons to "bathe in the sweet sound ... More >>

Meet the Beatles... Again: Live From the Sam Houston Coliseum, August 1965

​ More Beatles for you (and more to come). While researching the group's Texas history, Rocks Off stumbled across this gem: a live recording of the Beatles' one and only Houston appearance - though they played a matinee and evening show - at the Sam Houston Coliseum on August 19, 1965. Listen to t ... More >>

Houston 101: The Short Happy Life of Dick Dowling

​Aside from the city's namesake, no 19th-Century Houstonian was more famous than Dick Dowling, the Irish-born saloonkeeper/businessman and Confederate war hero. In fact, when city leaders commissioned Houston's very first public monument in 1905, it was Dowling and not Sam Houston who got the hono ... More >>

HISD To Announce It's Done Better Than Ever In State Rankings

​HISD has broken its record for schools ranked as "exemplary" or "recognized," spokesman Norm Uhl says.Last year 57 percent of its 296 schools achieved that ranking; this year 70 percent of its schools have."This is one for the HISD history books and a highlight for me as I end my career at HISD," ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Huntsville

Most Houstonians probably know Huntsville for the colossal Sam Houston statue, designed by Texas artist David Adickes, himself a graduate of Sam Houston State University and a Huntsville native. At 67 feet tall, "Big Sam" is dubbed The World's Tallest Statue of an American Hero. Or maybe they know ... More >>

Last Call For Art: Shows Closing this Weekend

Photo courtesy San Jacinto MuseumThe Gothic comedy The Miss Firecracker Contest closes on Sunday. Pulitzer-Prize winner Beth Henley's play is about Carnelle, a young woman with a less-than-perfect past who has entered the local beauty pageant in order to restore not only her reputation but her self- ... More >>

What If They Gave A Horse Show And Nobody Came?

The Kantemirov family calls its famous Russian circus, which has toured all over the world for the last 62 years, a "celebration of life and of man's love for horses, demonstrating the harmony between mankind and nature."So when the troupe needed a city to host its first show in the United States, H ... More >>

What This Area Needs Is A Good Nanotechnology Center

David Goswick is thinking small -- very, very small. No, even smaller than that. Goswick, the head of Historic Real Estate, wants to build the Nano World Headquarters right here in River City, ah, ... we mean Houston. The idea behind the Headquarters is that Houston (well, at least the Sam Houston T ... More >>

Quanell X

The Houston activist says he's dumped the hate