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Chron •

Houston man feels 'ripped off' by high cost of fajitas

Fed up with the rising cost of dining out, a Heights-area man posted a spreadsheet to Twitter this weekend that compared the cost of an order of fajitas at several different central Houston restaurants.

"Houston, thank me later," wrote the Twitter user, who goes by the handle @WestTxGeo. "Attached below is the fajita prices for every restaurant I could think of near the Heights. After feeling continuously ripped off, I’ve reached peak dad life of spreadsheeting this thing out."

He then attache
Chron •

Pappas Restaurants denied stay of Hobby Airport eviction for 2nd time

For a second time, a Harris County judge has declined a request to postpone enforcement of a newly-awarded contract that will change which restaurant groups manage concessions at Hobby Airport.

The decision is the latest in an ongoing legal battle between Pappas Restaurants and the City of Houston over what Pappas' representatives say has been a flawed contract bidding process. Pappas, under the umbrella company 4 Families of Hobby, sued the city in April after losing a bid to Spain-based compa
Chron •

Report: Texas man took break from dinner date to kill man outside

A Corpus Christi-area man has been arrested after allegedly shooting and kiling another man while on a date with a woman at an East Downtown Houston restaurant earlier this month.

According to CrimeStoppers and Houston Police, Erick L. Aguirre, 29, shot and killed a man while having dinner with a woman at EaDo burger spot Rodeo Goat on the evening of April 11. Authorities say Aguirre and his date arrived at Rodeo Goat in separate cars and were told by 46-year-old Elliot Nix to pay $20 each for
Chron •

Pappas lawsuit against Houston over Hobby contract on pause—for now

Correction April 27, 2023: Attorneys for 4 Families withdrew on Wednesday their request for a temporary injunction that would have paused the new Hobby Airport contract. A previous version of the story stated that attorneys for 4 Families withdrew their lawsuit. This story has been updated throughout to reflect this change.

The legal back and forth between Pappas Restaurants and the city of Houston over a concessions contract for Hobby Airport is on pause—for now at least. During a brief but at
Chron •

Is a serial killer stalking Austin? Theories spread after latest death

Following a series of deaths in Austin over the past year, speculation has been growing on social media that a serial killer may be operating around Texas' capitol. The latest death, that of a 33-year-old man named Jonathan Honey, occurred sometime after 2 a.m. last Friday, March 31. Honey's body was recovered from Lady Bird Lake the next day, making him the second person to be found in the lake over the past six weeks, and at least the seventh body to be pulled from the lake in the past 10 mont
Chron •

Texas Observer avoids closure, layoffs after new board vote

Updated March 29, 5:15 p.m.: After meeting on Wednesday afternoon, the Texas Democracy Foundation, which publishes the Texas Observer, voted not to shutter the 68-year-old publication. In a statement, Laura Hernandez Holmes wrote: "The vote to rescind layoffs was unanimous, and the board is eager to move the publication to its next phase." She cited the significant fundraising efforts staff have undertaken since the closure was first announced—they raised nearly $300,000 in just two days. She al
Chron •

Pappas Restaurants files protest over Hobby Airport contract process

Days after being ousted as the main concessionaire at Houston's Hobby Airport during a contentious — and controversial — bidding process, Pappas Restaurants has filed a formal protest with the city alleging that City Council violated local and state laws over the course of a convoluted procurement process that spanned nearly four years and several rounds of bidding.

Locally-owned Pappas, operating as 4 Families, has managed concession operations at the airport since 2002, when they won the firs
Chron •

Why did Houston just start enforcing 11-year-old homeless ordinance?

A local advocacy group that provides free meals and other resources to Houston's unhoused population claims to be "under attack" by the city of Houston, in what some members speculate is an attempt to clean up the city before the NCAA men's basketball tournament arriving at the end of this month.

Houston Food Not Bombs (HFNB), a loose collective of independent volunteers that share free vegan and vegetarian meals at the Downtown library, has recently been subject to a crackdown thanks to the Ho
Chron •

Houston faces dusty gray skies as Texas haboob arrives in town

A massive dust storm, also known as a haboob, is currently wreaking havoc on some of West Texas's largest cities.The dust blew into Lubbock and other West Texas cities from New Mexico late last week, and caused hazy conditions this morning in Houston.

KHOU meteorologist Tim Pandajis has said the dust was carried in a weak cold front that moved into Houston Monday morning. The storm may also lead to some spectacular sunsets for Houstonians later this week.
Chron •

Houston artists assess the aftermath of a massive fire

A fire that broke out Tuesday morning at Winter Street Studios has damaged countless works of art and left many Houston artists without workspaces or gallery space. The fire, which began around 6:30 a.m., is being investigated as arson, according to the Houston Fire Department and numerous accounts from artists who work at the building.

The fire started on the first floor, in the studio for Bohemian Photography, a commercial photography business owned by Jack Potts. A GoFundMe for Potts states
Chron •

Giant spools fall off truck, snarling Houston traffic yet again

A number of giant industrial spools tangled up traffic in the Bayou City on Thursday, according to tweets from the Houston Police Department.

At least two large metal spools fell off a truck on Interstate 10 under the Houston Avenue bridge. Photos from HPD appear to show one spool actually wedged underneath the bridge. Police blocked the two rightmost lanes of traffic as they worked to clear the mess.

It's just the latest in a series of incidents dating back to at least 2016 in which such spoo
Chron •

Lina Hidalgo urges service industry workers to apply for free childcare program

Houston-area parents who work in the service industry — restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and even arts and entertainment — have just over a month left to apply for a program that could provide them with free childcare for a year, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced during a press conference Wednesday.

The deadline to apply for the program is March 31. Of 12,000 available slots, only about 1,700 have been filled, according to Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis. That leaves more tha
Chron •

Houston Heights serial groper identified by police as local resident

Officials have named a suspect in a string of assaults on women that have taken place in the Houston Heights over recent months. In a posting to NextDoor.com, officials with Harris County Constable Precinct 1 said that they had identified David Torres, a Heights resident, as the man suspected of assaulting at least two women in the neighborhood. The identification was based on an anonymous tip after one woman shared home security camera video to NextDoor of a man stalking and then lunging at her
Chron •

Retirees celebrate 5 years protesting outside John Cornyn's Houston HQ

A group of Houstonians who have been meeting every Tuesday to protest at Republican Senator John Cornyn's Memorial Park-area office just celebrated their five-year anniversary.

Consisting of a core group of about a dozen retirees, the protesters meet every Tuesday at around 11:30 a.m. at 5300 Memorial Drive. This week marked their 262nd consecutive protest, a string of demonstrations unbroken save for a short break caused by Hurricane Harvey—and they don't envision themselves stopping anytime s
Eater Houston •

Food Vendor Alleges Disorganization and Communication Issues in the Lead-Up to Houston’s Fatal Astroworld Festival

A food vendor who took part in rapper Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival on the weekend of November 5 is speaking out about what she describes as disorganization and chaos in the weeks and days leading up to the event, at which nine people died during a crowd crush, in what is now considered one of the most deadly live music events in U.S. history.

Patsy Vivares, co-owner of Sticky’s Chicken and Trill Burgers, worked previous Astroworld festivals (the event also took place in 2018 and 2019, and
Eater Houston •

EaDo Hangout Truck Yard Faces Blowback After Marquee Message Seen as Insensitive by Local Cycling Groups

Truck Yard, the open-air beer bar and live music venue in Houston’s EaDo neighborhood, is facing backlash after displaying a message on its marquee that some local cyclist groups viewed as insensitive and antagonistic, just weeks after cyclists were assaulted in a highly-publicized Waller County case.

A photo of the message, which read “Study shows 90% of bike accidents can be avoided by buying a car like normal people,” was posted to Truck Yard’s Instagram and Facebook accounts on Sunday. It d
Eater Houston •

Taiwanese Boba Chain Alleges U.S. Franchise Operator Is Misleading Customers

Note: This story has been updated with statements from the CEO of Xing Fu Tang USA.

A Taiwanese boba chain is alleging that its U.S. franchises — including one that recently opened in Houston — are operating without authorization and using questionably sourced ingredients to make the chain’s trademarked Brown Sugar Boba Milk drink.

The company, Xing Fu Tang, is known as the Hermes of bubble tea due to signature drinks like a gold foil-topped boba milk and the afore-mentioned brown sugar boba m
Eater Dallas •

Working Through the Weekend, Dallas Restaurants Distributed Thousands of Free Meals

The temperatures started to thaw this weekend, but the troubles for many Dallas/Fort Worth residents aren’t over. Boil water notices, damage from the storms, spoiled food from days without power and other issues meant may residents had to turn to local restaurants for sustenance.

In response to the need, a number of eateries across the city immediately jumped into providing free meals for those who needed them. On Saturday, Cane Rosso announced its its social media profiles that it would be giv
Eater Houston •

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Will Distribute Groceries, Bottled Water to Houstonians in Need

The office of Sheila Jackson Lee has tweeted that the Congresswoman, along with nonprofit organization NACC Disaster Service, will be handing out bottle water and groceries to Houston communities affected by the winter storm, starting at 1 p.m. Thursday at Emancipation Park.

Lee and the NACC, a coalition of Christian churches, will start handing out water and groceries at 3018 Emancipation, before moving to Texas Christian University and later the Greenspoint area. Exact timing and locations fo
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