Sam Houston

Report Card for All HISD Schools

Over the Hills and Not That Far Away

This Just In: Texas Education Commissioner Orders Sam Houston High School Closed

Construction of Bank Branches Finally Slowing Down

Houston On The TV: The Top Five

Haunted Houses Laugh, Maniacally, At Ike

Happy New Year Grilled Oysters

What goes better with cold Champagne than hot grilled oysters? Also known as barbecued oysters, they are made by putting a fresh shucked oyster on a gas grill and spooning in some melted butter and garlic--you can add parmesan if you like. It was Drago's in Metairie that made char-grilled oysters fa ... 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

Notable tour sponsorships in U.S. history

Take It On the Run

What Happened to Honky Tonk in Houston

Turn out the lights, the party's over

The TSU Toronadoes

The twisted history of "Tighten Up"

2007 Halloween Guide

Haunted houses, parties, festivals and other trails to terror

Trails to Terror

2007 Halloween Guide

NOTSUOH'S

TEXAS PRAIRIE FIRE

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

"The Monumental Sculpture of Bernar Venet"

The French artist's latest outdoor exhibit has curves ahead

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Dual Citizenship and Loving the Gold

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

2012 Starts Out Deadly on Houston's Roads

2012 starts out busy for fatal accidents.​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 ... More >>

Josefus

2012 starts out busy for fatal accidents.​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 ... 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 >>