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Houston Bookstore Crawl Celebrates Small Businesses and Literary Diversity

Houston Bookstore Crawl Celebrates Small Businesses and Literary Diversity

There's Plenty of Puccini in ICCC's Operatic Lecture Series

There's Plenty of Puccini in ICCC's Operatic Lecture Series

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Houston Punk Legends the Hates Traverse to the Upside Down

By Bob Ruggiero
Jan 15, 2024

While that central Texas college town off I-35 has long laid claim to being (and marketed itself as) “The Live Music Capital of the World,” Houston has always had at least a fighting chance at the same designation for the state. However, many Houston bands seem to have shorter life...
Larry McMurtry: The Texas Literary Titan Did Time in Houston

By Bob Ruggiero
Oct 20, 2023

When writer Larry McMurtry died on March 25, 2021, it seemed a cosmic coincidence that it was also the date of the final screening—for now at least—at Houston’s historic River Oaks Theatre (which was showing the Frances McDormand-starring road film Nomadland). For the wry thinkers, that means the date marked—literally—The...
Down Home and Through the Lens: The Story of Chris Strachwitz and Arhoolie Records

By Bob Ruggiero
Oct 19, 2023

When Chris Strachwitz died earlier this year at the age of 91, his name was probably not familiar except to a specific school of record liner note readers and aficionados of certain types of musical genres. He called it “down home music.” But it’s mostly known today as “roots music,”...
Pearlman Collection Makes a Definite "Impression" at the MFAH

By Bob Ruggiero
May 16, 2023

Today, most people take it for granted that if they want to get somewhere, they can. Be it by plane, boat, car, motorcycle or Segway (remember those?), moving from Point A to Point B is simple. But in the early 19th and late 20th centuries, travel took a bit more...
The Third Time's Still Charming for CMCH's Philly Soul Tribute Show

By Bob Ruggiero
Apr 3, 2023

In the realm of movies, the third installment in a series usually doesn’t live up to the previous entries. Think Godfather III, Superman III, and, um, Jaws 3-D. But sometimes, that third go-round can introduce something new to shake things up. Think Mr. T’s Clubber Lang in Rocky III (good!)...
Houston Animal Groups Worked Together to Help Pets Stay Warm During the Freeze

By Faith Bugenhagen
Dec 30, 2022

While warming centers opened their doors for Houston residents with the start of the freezing weather last Thursday, some also catered to the furry friend populations in the area. The George R. Brown Convention Center, Fonde and Moody Community Center, and Acres Homes Multi-Service Center provided shelter space for owners...
City Lights Downtown Holiday Magic Lights Up The City

By Sam Byrd
Nov 17, 2022

Thanks to Houston First Corporation and Central Houston, Inc. are transforming Downtown Houston into the ultimate holiday destination dubbed City Lights Downtown Holiday Magic. The festivities will include events running Friday through January 2, 2023 at eight different spots in the downtown district.
COVID Metrics Improve Across Texas As U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Pass Grim Milestone

By Schaefer Edwards
Oct 5, 2021

The United States finally hit the tragic milestone of over 700,000 COVID-19 fatalities over the weekend, solidifying the coronavirus pandemic as the most deadly pandemic in the history of our country. But thankfully, key COVID-19 metrics across the country, Texas and in the greater Houston area continue to trend downward...
Proposed Texas House District Maps Would Protect GOP Advantage Statewide

By Schaefer Edwards
Sep 30, 2021

If the new Texas House district maps unveiled by the Republican-led House Redistricting Committee Thursday are approved as expected, incumbent Republicans across the state would by and large be protected, likely solidifying the GOP’s grip on the House for the next decade. That advantage would come at the expense of...
Trump Tells Texas Four County Audit Isn't Good Enough

By Schaefer Edwards
Sep 30, 2021

Days after Gov. Greg Abbott’s administration hastily announced a partial audit of Texas’ 2020 election results, former President Donald Trump declared that the limited audit wouldn’t be enough to satisfy him or the legions of MAGA diehards in the Lone Star State. In a statement to the Texas Tribune Wednesday,...
Over 1.2 Million Marriage Licenses Added To Harris County's Website

By Schaefer Edwards
Sep 30, 2021

Access to Harris County’s marriage records took a leap into the 21st century on Wednesday, as the Harris County Clerk’s Office announced it had added more than 1.2 million marriage license records to its website, making it possible to view copies of them and purchase them online. All Harris County...
GOP-Drawn Texas Congressional Map Gives Wesley Hunt A New Red Seat For The Taking

By Schaefer Edwards
Sep 29, 2021

When the GOP Texas Senate on Monday unveiled its proposed new district maps for Texas’ seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, the likely impact on greater Houston’s slate of congressmen and women was pretty clear. Local red districts would get redder and blue districts would get bluer under the...
Abbott Tells Fox News A Rape and Incest Exception To New Abortion Ban Won't Happen

By Schaefer Edwards
Sep 27, 2021

In a recent Fox News interview, Gov. Greg Abbot didn’t flinch when questioned as to why Texas’ new “heartbeat bill” that’s effectively banned abortions as early as six weeks after conception doesn’t have any exceptions for rape or incest, and said he believes there’s no way the Republican-led Texas Legislature...
Trump-Backed Audit, a Hasty Senate and a Sleepy House Mark Week One of Texas' Third Special Session

By Schaefer Edwards
Sep 27, 2021

One week into the Texas Legislature’s third round of overtime, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s Senate has already cranked out plenty of GOP priority legislation and even a first stab at new Senate districts maps at a breakneck pace. Meanwhile, the biggest news to come out of the Texas House is...
Pro-Choice Groups Beg U.S. Supreme Court To Hurry Up And Rule On Texas Abortion Ban

By Schaefer Edwards
Sep 24, 2021

Sick of being forced by Texas’ controversial “heartbeat bill” to tell Texans seeking abortions they’ll have to venture hundreds of miles out of state to have their pregnancies terminated, Texas abortion providers and pro-choice groups filed an emergency request Friday asking the U.S. Supreme Court to bypass the normal appeals...
Texas COVID Deaths Surge While Hospitalizations Fall As Delta Wave Continues

By Schaefer Edwards
Sep 24, 2021

As public health experts predicted all along, the quick rise in Texas COVID-19 cases from the summer’s Delta surge has finally been followed by a dramatic uptick in deaths from the virus. While there are now thousands fewer Texas hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients than there were a few...
Exonerated Doctor Accused Of Stealing Vaccines Sues Harris County For Over $1 Million

By Schaefer Edwards
Sep 21, 2021

Dr. Hasan Gokal was fired by Harris County Public Health for allegedly stealing COVID-19 vaccine doses in December. But after he was found to have committed no crime by a local judge, a county grand jury and the Texas Medical Board, Gokal — a Pakistani immigrant — has now sued Harris County...
Trial Shows Pfizer Vaccine Safe For Kids As FDA Panel Breaks With Biden On Booster Plan

By Schaefer Edwards
Sep 20, 2021

Millions of parents with young kids breathed a collective sigh of relief across the United States Monday morning, as Pfizer announced its trial of its two-dose COVID-19 vaccine found the shots were safe and effective for children ages five to 11. While full authorization for Pfizer’s vaccine in kids five...
Over 14,000 Harris County Residents Are Overdue For Second Vaccine Dose

By Schaefer Edwards
Sep 17, 2021

More than 14,000 people in Harris County are overdue for getting their crucial second COVID-19 vaccine shot, despite public health officials’ attempts to persuade folks who’ve received their first shot of a two-dose coronavirus vaccine how important shot number two is in granting maximum coronavirus protection. Those under-vaccinated residents coupled...
Over 80,000 in the Houston Area Still Lack Electricity Post-Nicholas

By Schaefer Edwards
Sep 15, 2021

Nicholas may have weakened into a Tropical Depression and hightailed it out of Texas for Louisiana already, but for the tens of thousands of Houston area residents who still haven’t had their power restored, the storm's impact is still far from a memory. CenterPoint Energy reported that 83,878 of its...

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