As a public service announcement, don't forget that tomorrow night marks the beginning of Daylight Saving Time. At 2:00am on Sunday morning (late Saturday night for us party-going types), we will all be forced to set our clocks ahead by one full hour. As a result, we'll have one more hour of sunlight in the evening and one less hour in the morning. You know what this means? No more early cracks of dawn......

Yes, Houston - The Black Godfather is gracing us with his presence this Friday night!!! Houston's own, The Allen Oldies Band will be backin' up Andre Williams at the Continental Club and the show begins at 10 p.m. You don't know who he is? We'll hook you up. A ladie's man from way back, Andre was born in Bessemer, Alabama in 1936 and eventually ended up in Detroit, where he recorded over 50 songs for......

Good morning, Houston. Sure, the national economy may be going to hell in a handbasket, but look on the bright side: Houston's housing market is remaining pretty strong, so at least you homeowners have something of value! According to a new report, the median home value in Houston fell just $500 between the end of the third quarter 2007 and the end of the year, to $119,300 from $119,800 — still a gain of......

Good morning, Houston. If the dearth of new TV in the wake of the writer's strike has left you willing to watch anything, we've got some news for you: HTV, the municipal station, is launching a new program! Woohoo! Entertainment Houston, a 30-minute show, will focus on — wait for it — Houston's facilities, included the Wortham Center, Jones Hall, the George R. Brown Convention Center and the not-quite-finished Discovery Green. A new episode......

>> Poll shows split over Clemens, McNamee: The court of public opinion currently stands divided in Harris County regarding the Roger Clemens steroid scandal according to a poll by The Chronicle. According to the results published yesterday by David Barron, 35.5 percent said believed McNamee; 32.8 percent sided with The Rocket; and, 31.7 percent did not respond. The margin of error is listed at 4.1 percent. These numbers may prove initially encouraging for Clemens......

As the Astros start their Spring Training schedule today in Osceola County, the college baseball season has been underway for a couple of weeks now. The annual Houston College Classic returns to Minute Maid Park this weekend as one of the premier regional showcases of top-level NCAA baseball. Starting on Friday and continuing through Sunday, the Juice Box will be host to an almost non-stop flow of games. The teams participating in the tourney are:......

Just when you thought that the return of actual baseball would distract us from the off-season drama, a Congressional committee has taken the first steps toward starting a criminal investigation of Roger Clemens on a charge of perjury in his testimony about whether or not he used HGH and other steroids. But what about McNamee? Thusfar, he's home free: a draft letter that mentions Clemens--and only Clemens, not his former trainer--was drawn up by the......

::Land Use in Houston: Two Different Approaches:: As demand for more residential and commercial building in Houston continues, the question of how to develop (and how to preserve) becomes more and more important. Houstonians for Responsible Growth is sponsoring a free public forum tonight about land use decisions under consideration of City Hall. Houstonians for Responsible Growth appear to support market- and consumer-driven growth of the city, as opposed to land use regulations and......

In a classic case of keeping up with the Joneses the Houston Rockets executed a player swap late last night with less than 24 hours before the expiration of the NBA’s trade deadline. As their Western Conference cohorts have made headlines over the last three weeks with the acquisitions of All-Star talent such as Shaquille O’Neal (Suns), Jason Kidd (Mavericks), and Pau Gasol (Lakers), the Houston Rockets found their crusade to climb in the......

Spring Training is the time for all things to be made new, for minor league farmhands to have their shot at the big league club, for mid-career players to reinvent themselves, and veterans to try to hang on for one more year. As the Astros assemble the position players who will come off the bench in 2008, there are some familiar faces, one very home town name, and a lot of unknowns. As we did......

Former Houston Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon has been named amongst the 15 finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Arguably the face of Houston sports, the Dream has been synonymous with the Bayou City since first emigrating from Nigeria in 1980 as a skinny prospect with a world of potential. Local sports fans know all about Olajuwon’s storied career, which commenced at the University of Houston and progressed onwards to the Houston......

So maybe you're like us and lacking in companionship on Valentine's Day. Maybe you're like us and just a wee bit distressed about the prospect of having no one to share chocolate-covered strawberries with this evening? Maybe you're even like us and plan to go out with your friends tonight to drown your sorrows in a river of Apple Martinis? But why be the clichéd lonely person sitting at the end of the bar......

• A fatal accident occurred this morning on Chimney Rock near Highway 90A. As of 7:30 A.M. the area around the accident has been cordoned off and traffic was being diverted. No further details are available as an investigation is under way. • Health officials are calling this latest round of the flu a "moderately severe epidemic." Flu cases are up 31% over last year and three children have already died as a result.......

For those of you who missed the introduction, we're in the midst of a search for Houston's best margarita. Now before we dive into the first 'rita review, we must say we were overwhelmed by the positive response and the numerous dining options that readers ranted about. We'll do our best to visit as many spots as our livers will let us, but if you'd like to assist in our margarita march through Houston by......

Though Open City has only been open a few months, we've been hearing nothing but rave reviews and felt the need to check it out ourselves. Best decision we've made in 2008 (well, besides deciding to ignore our New Year's diet resolution). We've heard that coming to Open City is like coming home for Thanksgiving. Upon arrival, we were immediately greeted by the owner, Nadine. We even felt like hugging her which is saying a......

It's official: Houston is taking it's A game to Austin for the 2008 South By Southwest music showcase. From March 12 through 16, you can catch some of your favorite local acts play in the so-called music mecca of the American South. Some of our favorites get to tackle the festival, including Katie Stuckey and (The Band Formerly Known As) The Dimes. In fact, Austin will get the full spectrum of Houston music this year.......

As you might have heard by now, after five excellent years or celebrating the local music scene in every shape, size, form and capacity, the Proletariat is closing. But it's not going out without a bang. Start the your mourning period on Friday when the Fatal Flying Guilloteens, Cop Warmth, O Pioneers!!! and Whorehound rule your senses. If you’ve never seen them before, there are three things you need to know about the Fatal Flying......

Ah, Nielsen's Deli - home of Houston's most luscious, and best ever homemade chicken salad and one very mean deviled egg. For over 55 years, Nielsen's has been the Afton Oaks area's source for deli sandwiches and salads, homemade desserts, stuffed jalapenos, luncheon trays, finger sandwiches and homemade soups. This lunchtime jewel is located on Richmond Avenue, just inside Loop 610, near the Galleria. It's convenient from downtown too, peeps! Open 7 days a week,......

Houstonist is at it again, we are rebelling hard against our very own New Year's Resolution to be healthier and perhaps a touch on the thinner side. We are going to turn into a cartoon tire spokesperson, but, hey, the sooner we hammer out a top ten list of burgers, the sooner we can, oh hell - move on to the fried chicken and chicken fried steaks. Who are we really kidding? We just have......

We're not claiming to be winos, but Houstonist is just like any other Joe Schmo who likes a good glass of wine. . .or two. Maybe three. That being said, we were more than thrilled to stumble (not literally—that comes afterwards) across Sonoma Wine Bar and Boutique. Okay, so we didn't even bother checking out the "boutique" part, but do you blame us? Even though there was an extensive wine list at our fingertips, we......

They tell us we should always dance as if no one is watching, but this weekend a big group of dancers will be dancing away at the Rice Student Union Center (6100 Main) with or without you in the audience. Ah yes, it is hot and sultry milonga time at the Houston Tango Festival, a happy weekend indeed for Argentinian dance lovers and high-slitted skirt enthusiasts. Organizers have lots of great events planned all......

Good morning, Houston. We freely admit that we don't like bugs, so we've tried quite a few home extermination methods — but we've never blown the roof off our house while doing it like Patricia Espiricueta of Galveston did. It seems Espiricueta was fed up with her home's roach problem, so she set off five bug bombs and left the house. While she was gone, the fumes hit a pilot light and exploded, lifting......

She's back Houstonist! Taucha Hogue has advanced to the championship round for College Cheerleader of the Year and she needs your vote! Taucha squares of against Arkansas' Laura Cole and she currently trails 54% to 46% as of Monday night. Ok, Taucha, here we are in championship round. Are you starting to feel the pressure of being in the BIG game? There is pressure out there for the fact there are so many people......

Good morning, Houston. Remember the plans for the Dynamo stadium on the east side of downtown? And remember Metro's plans for two new light rail lines heading out from the east side of downtown? Turns out there's a question about whether the stadium will be in the way of the rail lines — and it's not clear yet whether the proposed stadium will have an effect on the rail alignments. "We are evaluating a......

He can make you burn, make you rock, or teach you about triangles. Houstonist recently caught up with Trevi "Big Daddy" Biles, local hot sauce maker/ Whorehound band member/ geometry teacher. Here's what Big Daddy Trevi had to say about Big Daddy's Ass Burn "Hell Goin' In Hell Goin' Out" Hot Sauce: What made you want to create a hot sauce? Was the stuff in the stores not hot enough? Actually the whole thing started......

As part of our many resolutions made at this time every year, we thought we should get our hands on some tarts -- and luckily, Central Market is there to oblige us. Confident Cook: Tarts (Hands On) Saturday January 19th from 10AM to 12:30PM A bargain at $45 The Central Market Cooking School has a variety of classes from the practical Knife Skills and Seafood 101 to Souffles Galore and those couples cooking classes (Hmmm,......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • Recent Katy Freeway closures are sure to cause a few headaches. As of 10 p.m., Friday night, the Katy Freeway eastbound ramp to Beltway 8 northbound will be closed until April 2008. The westbound ramp to Beltway 8 northbound will be closed until August 2008. • Three Houston area residents have filed a lawsuit against Microsoft for breach of contract because they......

CBSSports.com hand-picked 16 cheerleaders around the nation and decided to hold a College Cheerleader of the Week Playoff system with the winner being crowned College Cheerleader of the Year on January 21. UH's Taucha Hogue defeated what Southern Cal had to offer in the first round and now she's in the quarterfinals. Hogue took time out of her busy schedule to chat with Houstonist. First off, please give us some information about your high......

Good morning, Houston. If you've ever been driving around in the 'burbs and wondered who names the streets, well, it just might be someone like Susan Vreeland-Wendt, who the Chronicle's Nancy Sarnoff interviewed yesterday. Vreeland-Wendt, marketing director for The Woodlands Operating Co., has come up with more than 1,600 names for roads, parks and neighborhoods in The Woodlands in the last 20 years. Turns out she gets inspiration from all kinds of places: paint......

Happy New Year’s/In Rainbows Day! As you may well know, Radiohead’s In Rainbows was one of our favorite records of 2007. The album is out in stores today after being available for digital “pay what you want” download online last fall. If you've grown a bit tired of your mp3 download’s low 162kbps bit-rate quality, purchasing a copy of the CD might be a good idea. And if you haven’t purchased In Rainbows in......