AltWeeklies Wire
Pay a Company to Get Rid of Your Debt by Saying it Never Really Happened in the First Placenew
You've been duped, deluded and taken for a ride. Everything you think you know about money is wrong. Federal law has never allowed banks to extend "credit," because there is no such thing as credit. At least not the way you've been led to believe.
Houston Press |
Craig Malisow |
12-08-2009 |
Economy
One Man's Jail Misery in Harris County, Texasnew
Monte Killian has many of the health problems that people have who wind up in jail -- cavities in his teeth, blood clots in his leg, Hepatitis C and a full-blown case of AIDS. And without proper treatment, he continues to get sicker in the Harris County Jail.
Houston Press |
Randall Patterson |
11-24-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Is Houston About to Become America's Coffee Capital?new
While Seattle may be the center of American coffee culture, it's Houston that's becoming the center of coffee commerce. William Dunaway, a Honduran coffee exporter who relocated to Houston to set up a micro-roasting operation here, is convinced Houston will soon dominate the U.S. coffee business.
Houston Press |
Robb Walsh |
11-17-2009 |
Food+Drink
Ghost Riders: Bicycling in Houston is a Killernew
According to data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Houston is almost always the most dangerous place in Texas to ride a bike. There is also lots of anecdotal evidence.
Houston Press |
John Nova Lomax |
10-13-2009 |
Transportation
Superthief: Joshua Paul Calhoun Likes to Take Things ... BIG Thingsnew
Calhoun was already known to law enforcement in rural counties all over East Texas for stealing trucks, horse trailers, tractors and cattle, but the local cops never could keep Calhoun behind bars for long. But now, after stealing a plane in March, he's in federal custody.
Houston Press |
Paul Knight |
09-29-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Was Roland Carnaby a Con Man or a Super Spook?new
Either way, he wasn't supposed to meet his death on a Houston highway in a high-speed chase with the cops.
Houston Press |
Chris Vogel |
09-22-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Life in Texas, One Year After Hurricane Ikenew
Back in December, we spoke with a number of people in Galveston, Bolivar and along the bay about how they were coping with the storm. For the one-year anniversary, we tracked most of those same people down and talked to a few more. Here are their stories.
Houston Press |
John Nova Lomax |
09-15-2009 |
Disasters
The 1969 Texas International Pop Festival is History's Forgotten Festivalnew
This entire summer, pop culture has been inundated with Woodstock nostalgia. But another landmark festival happened just weeks later. While Texas International Pop Festival's attendance was quite a bit smaller than Woodstock's, it was still a lot of folks, perhaps the largest public gathering in the state to date.
Houston Press |
Chris Gray |
09-08-2009 |
Music
The Burmese Come to Houstonnew
Get in, get out. Refugees have a shrinking window of support until it's time to fend for themselves.
Houston Press |
Mike Giglio |
09-08-2009 |
Immigration
Health Care Consumer, Beware: They're Called 'Limited Insurance Plans' for a Reasonnew
The real problem with limited insurance plans appears to be the way they're marketed. Like the rent-to-own or payday-loan industries, these types of insurance agencies seem to make their money off the most vulnerable segments of the population.
Houston Press |
Craig Malisow |
07-21-2009 |
Science
How Michael Jackson (Sort Of) Introduced Me to the Rolling Stonesnew
Now that Michael Jackson's gone, it's how seeing that poster in my cousin's room led to "State of Shock" and a lifelong love of (and occasional obsession with) the Stones that I remember most.
Houston Press |
Chris Gray |
07-07-2009 |
Music
Tags: Michael Jackson, rolling stones
How Identity Thieves Get Away Free and Clearnew
Police and prosecutors can't seem to catch up to the growing number of identity theft crimes each year. The Houston Police Department alone receives about 1,400 identity theft complaints each month, and usually, those result in about 25 arrests. Not 25 percent. Twenty-five arrests. Meanwhile, the victims are often forgotten, left to deal with cleaning up the mess on their own.
Houston Press |
Paul Knight |
06-30-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Defending the Polkanew
What's the difference between an accordion player and a terrorist? Terrorists have sympathizers.
Houston Press |
Chris Gray |
06-23-2009 |
Music
Tags: Grammy Awards, polka
As a 24-Year-Old with Down Syndrome, Trevor Falk is a Hot Commoditynew
The population of disabled residents in private group homes in Texas has grown to about 14,000, and the industry generates about $896 million in revenue from state funds alone, according to the state's figures from 2008. It does so by targeted people like Falk.
Houston Press |
Paul Knight |
06-16-2009 |
Business & Labor
On Music Royalty Policy, Does the U.S. Belong with the Axis of Evil?new
The only industrialized countries that don't compensate performers when their works are played over the air are Iran, China, North Korea ... and the U.S. The Performance Rights Act hopes to change that.
Houston Press |
Chris Gray |
06-09-2009 |
Music
