Hola, Houston. It's rodeo time. Everyone get happy. Throw ya hands in the air if you love Hannah Montana! Musical acts like Montana, rather the lack of Tejano acts on the rodeo bill, are just what have folks around Houston up in arms. Former State Senator Gonzalo Barrientos is calling for "friends across the whole great state of Texas not to attend the Houston livestock show, period." According to the ABC13.com story, the issue......

Straight outta TX-22 and in front of the microphone: Rep. Nick Lampson is teaming up with the Veterans Service Office and communications students at UH to help document the stories of American veterans for the Library of Congress. From the department of Did You Know?: “Houston is proud to have the largest concentration of veterans in the United States. We are obligated to do all we can to honor their service,” Lampson said. “The Veterans......

Former Houston Oilers linebacker John Grimsley was found dead in his Missouri City home this morning. After receiving a 911 emergency call from the Grimsley household, police rushed to the scene at 9:00am only to find a lifeless body. An autopsy is set to be performed by the Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office, however initial reports claim that an accidental gunshot wound was the cause of the untimely death. Grimsley was a sixth round......

Sick of re-warming the soy milk for that pretentious jerk’s soy latte? Is your work place just like “The Office,” but without actually being ironically entertaining? Need to get out of your parents’ garage apartment? Well, we’ve got just the resume boost for all of you. VH1 is pulling out the “Help Wanted” sign for Sean “P Diddy” Combs, although we think it’s “Sean John” now. The cable channel responsible for such quality programming like......

Local tech news in a compact, digital format. NASA Plans TV Coverage Space Station Holiday Delivery NASA Television is planning to provide live coverage on Wednesday, December 26th when the International Space Station will receive a post Christmas gift, a new shipment of food, fuel and supplies as well as holiday gifts. Check your local listings for coverage of this event. Grand Stream Dreams Grand Stream Dreams has been busy this week. He's got......

Good morning, Houston. So you say you're a Dynamo fan, eh? Well, here's your chance to prove it: The back-to-back MLS champs are auctioning off a chance to get close to the team's two MLS cups — literally. If you win the auction, the cups will be dropped off at your house on Christmas Eve and picked up Dec. 26; in between, you can do whatever you want with 'em (within reason, of course).......

Here are a few books Houstonist thinks your friends and family won't use for doorstops (that's the fruitcake, right?). Everyone likes a good read, or at least a smart-looking book to sit on the nightstand. Give these a try. And shop at your local independent bookstore -- they can give you even more recommendations, and probably a good cup of coffee as well. Fun, mostly fiction books for people who are... Houstonians and/or architecture......

Good morning, Houston. Did you know that we're now in a bold new Fluorescent Age thanks to Mayor Bill White and his colleagues in Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and El Paso? The collective His Honors gathered in San Antonio on Friday to name the compact fluorescent bulb the "state bulb of Texas." If that doesn't make you want to switch to CFLs, try this: December is Compact Fluorescent Light Month in Texas. What's so......

On Monday, we told you about the super groovy Houston: It's Worth It campaign, the brains behind it, and the accompanying photo book that will be released tonight at a special event at Lawndale. Check. So what else is happening tonight? Glad you asked. Hey, we can't do it all, we need your help in this fight to cover the mean streets of the H. Now get out there and get your event on. The......

Local tech news in a compact, digital format. Indra Vishnampet: Local Entrepeneur Indra Vishnampet who was recently named "Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur of the Year" by The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce Greater Houston sat down with Purva Patel of The Houston Chronicle and answered a few questions about her local multi-million dollar software integration business which has offices in Houston, Canada and India. Missouri City Not Experiencing "Comcastic" Service Hats off to a group of......

Good morning, Houston. Looks like our freewheeling land-use policies have gotten some national attention: The Wall Street Journal has a story focusing on the proposed residential tower at Bissonnet and Ashby. "The condo-tower dustup is just the latest in a string of odd situations allowed by Houston's lenient land-use rules," the article explains. "Rowdy cantinas, rock-crushing operations and commercial dumps sometimes pop up in residential neighborhoods. Condo towers sprout next to schools. A pay-by-the-hour......

So many good shows this week, that we don’t have enough space to highlight all of them. Tonight, our pick is the pure pop sounds of Office tonight at The Mink (congratulations to Cynthia for winning tickets through us!). Singer/songwriter fans will have a touch choice Thursday night – Ryan Adams makes a rare Houston appearance at Verizon Wireless and former Toad the Wet Sprocket front man Glen Phillips plays two shows at the......

Houstonist loves good pop music. We’re not talking about Britney, or anything else you’d hear on local pop radio for that matter. We’re talking about good indie-pop. Catchy melodies, clever lyrics, and overall sophisticated (yet, fun). Well, that basically describes Chicago-based Office. Office (not to be confused with the popular TV shows) originated in 2001, but Office leader Scott Masson didn’t get serious about it until 2004 – that’s when he left his job waiting......

Good morning, Houston. Are you registered to vote? Do you need to make changes to your registration? Better take care of it fast: Today is the last day to register or alter your registration if you want to vote in the Nov. 6 elections. Voters in 34 jurisdictions will elect candidates this year, and the state has 16 bond issues on the ballot — and, of course, there are big-ticket items like HISD's $805......

If Amy Winehouse has inspired you to hear more fantastic women's jazz voices (rather than go to rehab), you're in luck tonight. The 2007 version of Jazz Cross Roads presents "Women in Jazz" showcasing the work of the great Sarah Vaughan through female jazz vocalists Kamil Bonner and Mickie Moseley and saxophonist Theresa Grayson. The women will perform both in small ensemble and with the Scott Joplin Chamber Orchestra. The evening is presented by the......

We at the Gothamist network would like to express our heartfelt wishes to the people of Minnesota in the days after their tragic bridge collapse. We're not trying to discount the severity of the accident by making note of it in opposition to our usual -Ist lightheartedness – we just wanted to take a moment and recognize those affected last week. After the Minneapolis bridge collapse, Bostonist did a little research and found that Massachusetts......

Houston Shakespeare Festival That which we call a free show , by any other name would smell as free. And with that poor, poor attempt at Shakespearean quote alteration, Houston kicks off the annual Shakespeare Festival. Love's Labor's Lost Directed by Sidney Berger Performances | July 27 , August 2, 4, 8, 10 Romeo and Juliet Directed by Carolyn Houston Boone Performances | July 28 , August 1, 3, 9, 11 Now celebrating its thirty-third......

Good morning, Houston. Where do you go when you want to get away? The Chronicle asked some of its readers that and published their answers Friday — and it's not such a bad list, with day trips, museums and natural attractions. (Also on the list: the mausoleum at Forest Park Westheimer cemetery, which definitely takes a certain kind of person to enjoy.) The suggestion we're most interested in checking out is ex-state Rep. Debra......

The Doyle House was built in 1906 by William A. Wilson, an important person in the early growth of the Heights and who was the developer of Woodland Heights and Eastwood. The house is located at the southwest corner of Heights Blvd. and 10th St., and was recently acquired by local builder Harry James who has been constructing and rehabbing homes in inner Houston, with a recent concentration in the Heights. James plans on demolishing......

Anyone who's been to Crystal Beach knows it can be busy — but is it dangerous? We wouldn't have thought so, but we might have to think again after a woman was found raped and murdered on the beach early Sunday morning. The victim was 28-year-old Bridgette Gearen of Orange, who was visiting friends at a beachhouse near the corner of Crystal Beach and Redfish roads. After they spent Saturday at the beach, the group......

Beehive: The Musical! Now through July 18th, head out to Miller Outdoor Theater to see the sensational "Beehive: The Musical!"producned by Houston TUTS. Performances are nightly at 8:15pm. Grab the hairspray and come on down to the rockin' 60s musical, featuring more than 35 of the hottest hits of the girl groups and female singers of the era. FIVE WAILING WOMEN, ONE HOT BAND, AND 25 CANS OF HAIR SPRAY A WEEK can only......

A tragic story continued unfolding this week in the case of Dennis Ray Driver Jr., the 8-month-old Houston boy who died late last year while asleep on his father's chest: The father, Dennis Driver, has been charged with murder in connection with the infant's death — and police say the boy died from taking cocaine. It happened Dec. 28, when Driver says he fell asleep with Dennis Jr. asleep on his chest; when Driver woke......

So we're all familiar with the Emergency Alert System, right? It's the thing that breaks into television and radio broadcasts to let us know about emergency situations, from explosions or terrorist attacks down to severe weather. Well, the local EAS system is on the blink right now — and, ironically enough, it was taken out by severe weather. The antenna for the radio-based alert system is atop the 31-story Five Greenway Plaza, and it seems......

So it rained a lot yesterday, and it looks like we're not going to get much of a break today. Or tomorrow. Or — well, actually, it's looking like the rail will continue for at least the next seven days. The bright spot in all this is that the rain may hold off for the big fireworks show Wednesday night: "We have seen, the last four or five days, rain in the morning and rain......

So it looked for a while like we were going to have a story that was sure to end up on one of those forensic investigation shows: In the past few days, a dismembered foot and a couple of hands were found in northwest Harris County, and no one was sure who they belonged to. "How horrible," we thought, reaching for the phone to call Dayle Hinman. And then we found out the rest of......

Juneteenth Celebration at Miller Outdoor Theater Happy Juneteenth! Join the city in celebrating the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation when slavery in Texas offically became a thing of the past. Tonight, Miller Outdoor Theater presents “Sarah and Joshua – a Juneteenth Musical” – the premiere of a new musical drama by Texas Southern University playwright Thomas Meloncon in commemoration of Juneteenth. The play tells the story of two slaves in love and the events leading......

Houston Symphony Summer Nights The Symphony must have heard what you said about Miller Outdoor Theatre, readers. Tonight they will perform a concert at the auspicious venue, and - like all Miller events - it's totally free. It might be a little wet, so remember that tickets for the covered seating area are available at the Miller Theatre Box Office between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm on the day of the performance. Remaining tickets are......

More details on the story of Claudia Cortes, the 23-year-old mother in whose closet a newborn baby's body was found Sunday: The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office has ruled that the baby girl was strangled to death. Cortes, who was charged with tampering with evidence after she showed up at Ben Taub and insisted she hadn't given birth, though doctors found that she had, could face additional charges pending the outcome of an interview by......

Good morning, Houston. We all know there are some perennially bad traffic spots around town — seriously, we all know — and now one of our local traffic nightmares has made Forbes' list of America's worst traffic traps. The spot is the Katy Freeway/West Loop interchange, which Forbes says costs drivers a whopping 25 million-plus hours of delays each year. That makes the 10/610 interchange the second worst in the country, by Forbes' reckoning,......

Dollar Dog Night @ Minute Maid Park Sure it's been raining for days, and so what the 'stros are in the midst of a 9 game losing streak. There's only one thing that can make either of those things better: Dollor Dogs. That's right, folks. Dollar Dog night is back at Minute Maid. What better way to soak up a $9 beer than with a few dozen $1 hot dogs? Join the Astros tonight as......