West University Place

West University Warns Residents: Hawks May Kill Your Beloved Pets

West University has issued an ominous warning to residents: Your beloved small pets might get carted off by a hawk. "There has recently been a resident report of hawks or other large birds of prey nesting in the central portion of West University Place, seen near the intersection of Auden and Plumb ... More >>

Miles Michael Lacy: West U-Bred Former UH Linebacker Popped for Impersonating a Cop in BMW

A West University Place man was arrested after pretending to be a cop on the Katy Freeway. Unfortunately for 22-year-old Miles Michael Lacy, one of the people he attempted to pull over was a real off-duty cop. According to a criminal complaint filed on February 24, the incident took place on Januar ... More >>

Three Charged in Another Midtown Barroom Beatdown

Hard on the heels of another Midtown brawl, three young men have been charged with felony aggravated assault/serious bodily injury after a December 20 beatdown at Celtic Gardens on Louisiana Street in Midtown. Steven Weil and Grant Woodruff, both 22 and from Bellaire, and Joey Arcidiacono, also 22 ... More >>

Towering Townes

Fifteen years after the death of a legend, there are a few stories left untold.

West U & The Galleria: The Most Rat-Infested Places In Town?

Rats stay in only the best neighborhoods in Houston.​D-Con, the pest-control people, have released a survey of the "Rattiest Neighborhoods" in Houston. In reality, it seems more like "The Neighborhoods Rich Enough To Call d-Con if they see a mouse or rat." The company says "approximately 200 ... More >>

William Radovan Tyler: River Oaks Teen Accused of Destructive West U, Bellaire Raids

William Radovan Tyler​He came howling out of the north, under cover of darkness, like a Viking raider of yore. And soon the legends passed among the villagers in the peaceful homesteads of Bellaire and West University Place would tell of a young man who knew not terror for his own. Nay, he kne ... More >>

Downtown West U Now Sports A Drug Corner, Chain E-mail Warns

Omar comin', yo, to West U​"Body Bag! Got that Body Bag right here!" "Yellow Top! Who wants to get up on that Yellow Top!" "Yo, G, want some o' that Sheed Wallace? Got that Sheed Wallace, yo!" If that sounds like a scene from The Wire to you, if you are so naive that you think such brazen d ... More >>

Openings & Closings

​It's been a week of good news, which is a rare and precious thing around here. No real closings to report, only a few openings and some chef shuffles, which makes for a happy Friday around these parts. News that San Antonio's Freetail Brewing Co. is planning a three-story brewpub in downtown ... More >>

The Sex Offenders In Five Ritzy Houston Zip Codes

If you live in the Houston area, chances are good there's a sex offender living nearby. That's no matter how well-off your zip code is. The Department of Public Safety's sex offender registry allows you to look up sex offenders by zip code; we chose some of the best neighborhoods in town and took ... More >>

Mud Flies in West U City Council Election; Incumbent George Boehme Accused of Drunkenness

Jim Shields plays in the band, yo.​It's election season in West University Place, and in the race for city council, shit just got real. In one corner, there's incumbent George Boehme, a sometime restaurateur, amateur Negro Leagues historian and daredevil tree surgeon. In the other corner, t ... More >>

Former State Rep Ellen Cohen Gearing Up for a Council Race?

Ellen Cohen doesn't sound like she's ready for retirement​With Anne Clutterbuck term-limited out of representing her posh and semi-posh southwest side district in 2011, who's going to take her place? Former state rep Ellen Cohen, fresh off being a victim of the GOP tsunami, apparently is read ... More >>

The Five Most Sex Offender-Riddled Zip Codes In Houston

​We'll get to our list of the five zip codes with the most sex offenders in Houston, but first let's discuss other areas of note. Outside of one of the zips in the list that follows, the area with the most sex offenders inside the loop is zip code 77009, which takes in both the Woodland Heig ... More >>

Coyotes And Bobcats Invade Area Yuppie Enclaves

​Back in 2004, we covered the battle of man vs. coyote in League City. Now it appears the wily canines have moved the battlefront closer to town.WestUInstantNews picks up the, um, tail: Coyotes and bobcats have recently been spotted prowling the border of Bellaire and West University Place, prom ... More >>

Houston 101: The End Of Gaslight Video Spells The Final Demise Of The West U. Tenderloin

​With the recent verdict against Eugene Etheridge and the permanent closure of his infamous Gaslight Video on Bellaire Boulevard in the West University area, an era has drawn to a close. No longer can the 3500 block of Bellaire be accurately described as the Red Light District of West University P ... More >>

West U? They're Robbing Banks In West U?

Famous bank robber Willie Sutton -- who lived in a time when bank robbers became famous -- was once asked why he robbed banks."Because that's where the money is," he replied.So probably we shouldn't be surprised that Houston's rash of bank robberies (it's been a record-setting year) has come to incl ... More >>

Letters

Race for the House

Chris Bell finds it's lonely being white on this campaign trail

Trainspotting

Here's how Metro wants to sell us on light rail

Bush Envy

When Democrats try to impersonate Republicans, the results ain't pretty

Dead Heat

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

Party Like It's 1982

The Gatsby's Sauza Cosmopolitan

Squashing the Competition

Cleburne Cafeteria

Best Club Sandwich

Edloe St. Café & Deli

Chow Time

Could the Food Network finally be coming to Time-Warner's analog offerings?

GOP Mayoral Pipe Dreams

West U rejected them, so how will they ever win Houston's City Hall?

The Party's Over

A classic Houston hell-raiser dies after two decades of debauchery

Letters

Overkill, Saint Joe, Pick of the Litter

Best Cafeteria

Cleburne Cafeteria

Expect the Wurst

Schadenfreude

Still Stumbling

Houston Chronicle faces the Hispanic community and anchor confustion

Shame, Shame, Shame

Judge Ted Poe's shame-based punishments have brought him fame and the D.A.'s job...if he wants it

You Gotta Want It

And other lessons for the Sharpstown All-Stars

Tales From the IRS

Three stories of taxman terror

Stolen and Forged

The check is in the mail takes on a whole new meaning in West University Place

Letters

The Insider

Besieged by the Bay

Beset by skyrocketing tax assessments and wary of encroaching development, property owners in San Leon-Bacliff wonder if their "poor man's Riviera" may soon go the way of other waterfront zones along Galveston Bay.

Renaissance Play?

Julio Laguarta makes a Fourth Ward purchase from a bankruptcy creditor and business partner

Would You Buy a Revolution From This Man?

Is Quanell X the new Malcolm? Or does he just want you to think so?

The Insider

The Insider

Alison Cook looks back at 1996: Year of the Rat

The Insider

The Insider

Rim Shots

A basketball hoop strikes terror into the hearts of some Bellaire residents

Class War

The "neighborhood school" concept is a simple one. But not in River Oaks.

Fairness Doctrine

In music, as in law, David Rodriguez tries to fit things together

A Gay Old Time at Fuzzy's

In a turnabout, homosexuals raid a police bar

Rudy T's Spin Move

Rudy T Drives the Lane

In Clutch City, nothing's too good for our champions