Subject:

Social Policy

  • Blogs

    April 30, 2012

    Rick Perry's War on Planned Parenthood Suffers Setback

    A federal judge has put a hold on Governor Perry's war on Planned Parenthood, in part because he doesn't believe Texas will keep Perry's promise to make up for lost federal funding. Texas, of course, has banned Planned Parenthood clinics from receiving Women's Health Program funds, beginning tomorr ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 23, 2012

    Catholic Schools To TAPPS: Your Treatment Of Muslim & Jewish Schools Is Biased, Insensitive

    The education department of the Texas Catholic Conference, which represents the 43 Catholic high schools in the state, has sent a strongly worded letter to the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools criticizing it for biased treatment against Muslim and Jewish schools. TAPPS has been un ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 21, 2011

    Nationwide ICE Crackdown Nets 91 Illegal-Immigrant Arrests In Houston

    ICE nets some bad guys​The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency announced today that more than 2,400 criminal illegal aliens or fugitives had been arrested in a nationwide crackdown last month, and 91 of them were in Houston. "All of the criminal aliens taken into custody had pr ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 7, 2011

    Between Passing Standards and State Funding, HISD Remains in Free Fall

    Margaret DowningHISD Chief Financial Officer Melinda Garrett warns there's no tax increase -- yet.​It wasn't just the budget numbers that remain in free fall as Houston ISD trustees discovered at today's agenda workshop. Next fall, board members and Superintendent Terry Grier's administration ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 21, 2011

    Texas Lousy at Reporting Food Poisoning, Study Says

    You'll never know what gets you in Texas​If you live in Texas and eat food, you will probably die, or at least become violently ill. That's what we're taking away from a study that gives the Lone Star state an "F" in reporting outbreaks of foodborne illness. The Center for Science in th ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 21, 2011

    Texas Lousy at Reporting Food Poisoning, Study Says

    You'll never know what gets you in TexasBetween tainted peanuts and fatal spinach, we feel like there have been a lot of Texas food scares lately. But it's the stuff we don't hear about that gave Texas a failing grade in a new study of how states report icky food outbreaks. If you live in Texas an ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 7, 2010

    Robert Redford, Annise Parker And Terry Grier Green Up Houston Schools

    "Green up those schools, dammit!"​Spurred on by Robert Redford, Mayor Annise Parker and HISD superintendent Terry Grier announced today a joint effort to get Houston and its schools greener and more environmentally friendly. The two officials attended a summit last month at Redford's Utah hea ... More >>

  • News

    December 2, 2010

    FAIR-y Tales: Whose Dole Is It, Anyway?

    "Green up those schools, dammit!"​Spurred on by Robert Redford, Mayor Annise Parker and HISD superintendent Terry Grier announced today a joint effort to get Houston and its schools greener and more environmentally friendly. The two officials attended a summit last month at Redford's Utah hea ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 30, 2010

    Willie Nelson's Pot Bust: A Milestone In Marijuana Policy?

    ​You gotta love a sumbitch like Willie Nelson who, unlike Bill "I-Never-Inhaled" Clinton, has always 'fessed up to using copious quantities of herb. Two days ago, in response to his pot bust last Friday at a Border Patrol checkpoint near Sierra Blanca (that's a Spanish geographical term for th ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 6, 2010

    Sheriff Adrian Garcia Helps Feds Trumpet Stats On Illegal-Alien Removals

    Photo by Austin MillerSheriff Adrian Garcia, hyping the Obama administration​The Immigration & Customs Enforcement department brought in some help for today's announcement in Washington about how great they're doing removing illegal aliens: Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia.Garcia appeared w ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 17, 2010

    Obama Birth Certificate: San Antonio Demands The Truth, Via Billboard

    Dude, where's the birth certificate?​While the mainstream media continues to perpetuate the myth that Barack Hussein Obama is American as apple pie and waterboarding, one publication has been brave enough to answer the single-most important and totally unanswered question of our times: Where's the ... More >>

  • Calendar

    September 9, 2010

    Made in Lanus

    Two couples, two choices, one reality

  • Calendar

    August 26, 2010

    "My Community Through My Eyes"

    Things look decidedly different when you're only four feet tall

  • Blogs

    June 9, 2010

    Aquatico: Feds Make An Example Of Sugar Land Company For NOT Hiring An Immigrant

    Hire those immigrants, dammit!​When the Department of Justice puts out a press release about a local employer getting penalized over immigration issues, it's usually because the company has been hiring illegal aliens.Not so with Sugar Land's Aquatico Pool Managment: The DOJ announced today they ha ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 27, 2010

    ACLU Doesn't Like Obama's Border Plan; Cites Need For Further Studies

    Time to do some more research, ACLU says​President Obama's plan to send a bunch of National Guard troops and a ton of cash to the U.S.-Mexico border has a new critic: The American Civil Liberties Union.The ACLU has come out against the plan, saying Obama needs to...do other things before he does t ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 25, 2010

    Jennifer Martinez: Posing As A Bribe-able Immigration Official

    If you're going to bribe someone, at least make sure they're legit​A woman who posed as an immigration officer took cash from hopeful immigrants, promising to get the papers, will get almost five years in prison for her trouble.Jennifer Martinez, 36, of McAllen, was sentenced here in Houston today ... More >>

  • Culture

    May 20, 2010

    Special Potpourri Edition

    If you're going to bribe someone, at least make sure they're legit​A woman who posed as an immigration officer took cash from hopeful immigrants, promising to get the papers, will get almost five years in prison for her trouble.Jennifer Martinez, 36, of McAllen, was sentenced here in Houston today ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 12, 2010

    Former Fed Prakash Khatri Says The Immigration Fast Track Takes 130 Years, On Average

    Approximate time on hold remaing...130 years​Some people seem to believe that for a Mexican immigrant to become a U.S. citizen and come here legally, all he needs to do is to sign some forms, pay a fee, and then wait a little while. "Eventually they'll have their day," these people say, "just like ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 5, 2010

    Amongst Us: A Series On Immigration By Village Voice Media

    ​Our sister paper Phoenix New Times is at Ground Zero in the burgeoning debate over immigration and Arizona's efforts to control it.Village Voice Media, the chain that owns the Houston Press and publications in other such immigration hotspots as LA, Miami and New York, is beginning an extensive lo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 5, 2010

    Aggies & Illegal Immigrants: A Sudden Bout Of Common Sense

    The Student Senate holds off on whether illegal immigrants should pay out-of-state tuition​Maybe it's just people steeped in Aggie stereotypes who hold their breath when hearing Texas A&M is wading into something like the debate on illegal immigration, but it's certain that breath is being hel ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 7, 2010

    Alleged Aggie Doctor Brags Of Firing Obama-Voting Employee

    ​The TexAgs political message board is probably not the best place to go for nuanced, sophisticated discussion of the day's issues, unless you think Fox News is fair and balanced.But things can get lively. Like recently, when a poster named dermdoc put up an item headed "Laid off my first Obama vo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 9, 2010

    Latest Poll: Is Kay Bailey Hutchison Headed For Third Place?

    ​The latest poll on the GOP gubernatorial primary has just been released, and it's got some surprising stuff in it.Rick Perry still leads the field, albeit with an uninspiring 39 percent. After that, though, is where the surprise comes in -- Kay Bailey Hutchison leads tea party favorite Debra ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 28, 2009

    Health Department Roundup

    ​The Thierry Andre Tellier Café and Pastry Shop (2515 River Oaks) was closed last week because of a health code violation but has reopened. There was a consultative visit by the Houston Department of Health and Human Services last Thursday, during which inspectors found that food was not prot ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 16, 2009

    Astronaut Causing Some Heartburn For NASA With His Immigration Stance

    Photo courtesy NASA​Astronaut Jose Hernandez, just back from two weeks in space, is gathering some attention for his statements on immigration policy.The Los Angeles Times reports that "NASA went ballistic" over comments Hernandez made on Mexican TV, comments which were definitely not along the li ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 1, 2009

    This Just In: BARC No Longer Part Of The Health & Human Services Department

    Photo by abcrumley​The Bureau of Animal Regulation and Control will be removed from the Health and Human Services Department, according to Frank Michel, the Mayor's communications director."We will be working to remove BARC from the Health Department over the next couple of weeks," Michel told Hai ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 5, 2009

    BARC's Alleged Dog-Puncher Is Out Of A Job

    Murray Bailey, the BARC kennel attendant accused of punching a puppy in the head in June, is no longer working at the facility, Health and Human Services Spokeswoman Kathy Barton tells Hair Balls. We're waiting to hear if there's an official explanation, but Barton said Bailey was still on his proba ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 7, 2009

    BARC Chief Is Fired, With Little In The Way Of Explanation

    BARC Bureau Chief Ray Sim was fired today, spokeswoman Kathy Barton confirmed. She would not give specific reasons, saying only "I think it was just an issue of timing...[it was] not the right time for this guy." Sim began his job in May, after the Department of Health and Human Services conducted a ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 1, 2009

    HISD: Too Big For Mere Texas Meetings

    The Texas Association of School Administrators is a high-powered organization of superintendents and other education bureaucrats. They recently held an important legislative conference in Austin, dealing with pressing issues like stimulus funds.Attendees got updates from key state senators and reps, ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 11, 2009

    UPDATED: Miguel Tejada Pleads Guilty To Making Misleading Statement

    Miguel Tejada appeared in court today and pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of making a misleading statement to Congressional investigators. Tejada acknowledged that he lied when he denied to investigators any knowledge of banned substances being used by other major league players. Prosecut ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 11, 2009

    Pearland Gets The State's Newest Superfund Site! Take That, Pasadena!

    There's an ugly mess of chemicals in the groundwater on the south side of Pearland. The contamination is severe enough that the abandoned tank farm has become the latest addition to the state's Superfund Registry.This is no surprise to nearby residents, some of whom are being given bottled water ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 11, 2009

    UPDATED: Miguel Tejada Pleads Guilty To Making Misleading Statement

    Miguel Tejada appeared in court today and pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of making a misleading statement to Congressional investigators. Tejada acknowledged that he lied when he denied to investigators any knowledge of banned substances being used by other major league players. Prosecut ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 17, 2008

    Obama's Education Pick Brings Back Memories Of HISD's Rod Paige

    Barack Obama has truly broken the mold in picking a Secretary of Education -- he's chosen the superintendent of the largest school district in his home state.Wait -- that sounds familiar. George W. Bush did the same thing, of course, when he tapped HISD's Rod Paige to come to Washington in 2000.The ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 10, 2008

    ICE Raids Getting Flack

    Barack Obama has truly broken the mold in picking a Secretary of Education -- he's chosen the superintendent of the largest school district in his home state.Wait -- that sounds familiar. George W. Bush did the same thing, of course, when he tapped HISD's Rod Paige to come to Washington in 2000.The ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 2, 2008

    "O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" -- HISD Won't Make Up Missed Days

    Barack Obama has truly broken the mold in picking a Secretary of Education -- he's chosen the superintendent of the largest school district in his home state.Wait -- that sounds familiar. George W. Bush did the same thing, of course, when he tapped HISD's Rod Paige to come to Washington in 2000.The ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 14, 2008

    You Can Ignore Evolutionary Theory In Texas

    Barack Obama has truly broken the mold in picking a Secretary of Education -- he's chosen the superintendent of the largest school district in his home state.Wait -- that sounds familiar. George W. Bush did the same thing, of course, when he tapped HISD's Rod Paige to come to Washington in 2000.The ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 1, 2008

    Legal Action Stirring On Illegal-Alien Raid

    Barack Obama has truly broken the mold in picking a Secretary of Education -- he's chosen the superintendent of the largest school district in his home state.Wait -- that sounds familiar. George W. Bush did the same thing, of course, when he tapped HISD's Rod Paige to come to Washington in 2000.The ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 6, 2008

    Recommended Reading: The New Yorker’s Story About T. Don Hutto Residential Center

    Barack Obama has truly broken the mold in picking a Secretary of Education -- he's chosen the superintendent of the largest school district in his home state.Wait -- that sounds familiar. George W. Bush did the same thing, of course, when he tapped HISD's Rod Paige to come to Washington in 2000.The ... More >>

  • News

    January 3, 2008

    Anthony Bourdain, Illegal Immigrants and Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen

    Barack Obama has truly broken the mold in picking a Secretary of Education -- he's chosen the superintendent of the largest school district in his home state.Wait -- that sounds familiar. George W. Bush did the same thing, of course, when he tapped HISD's Rod Paige to come to Washington in 2000.The ... More >>

  • News

    May 31, 2007

    Border Fence May Destroy Wildlife Habitat

    U.S. Fish and Wildlife services spent $80 million to reclaim wildlife habitat in South Texas. Now Homeland Security is ready to wipe that out.

  • News

    May 4, 2006

    Letters to the Editor

    U.S. Fish and Wildlife services spent $80 million to reclaim wildlife habitat in South Texas. Now Homeland Security is ready to wipe that out.

  • Calendar

    January 5, 2006

    Pro-Choice Punch

    U.S. Fish and Wildlife services spent $80 million to reclaim wildlife habitat in South Texas. Now Homeland Security is ready to wipe that out.

  • News

    April 22, 2004

    Bye-Bye Bongs?

    Tubing without beer bongs? Why?

  • News

    October 31, 2002

    Dead Heat

    Veteran Danburg tries to hang on against Wong in the new 134th District

  • Best of Houston

    September 20, 2001

    Best Local Boy Made Good

    Rod Paige U.S. Secretary of Education

  • News

    February 15, 2001

    Changing of the HISD Guard

    Positions open as top Paige deputies depart on the Northbound Train

  • News

    March 4, 1999

    Adding It All Up

    What does it really mean to pass the TAAS?

  • News

    January 21, 1999

    An Award for Our Writer

    What does it really mean to pass the TAAS?

  • News

    March 13, 1997

    Basic Ballard

    Donna Ballard and her Christian conservative cohorts have transformed the State Board of Education. But will they transform the way Texas teaches its kids?

  • News

    April 4, 1996

    Joel Carmona's Last Ride

    A confused custom car show, and a dispute over money, mar the memory of a beloved community activist

  • News

    December 15, 1994

    Stay or Go?

    Houston's Salvadorans are given more time to worry

  • More >>
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