Good morning, Houston. If you've been working on a list of things you can do with cow patties, we've got another item for you: You can make pens out of them. Just ask John Lopez of Poteet, who has gotten semi-famous in South Texas by making pens from ground-up cow patties. No, really — the ground poop is mixed with a plastic resin, milled into cylinders and fitted with pen parts; the finished product,......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • The saga of Riley Ann Sawyers continues. This Chronicle article discusses how Riley's Mom ended up in Texas. • A ten year old fourth grader was cuffed in a school in Cleveland, Tx. • Four teenagers have been arrested in the murder of off-duty Precinct 6 reserve deputy constable Carltrell Lewayne Odom. • Six local firefighters were injured during a fire in......

Good morning, Houston. If you're hoping that the United States will one day be free of its dependence on foreign natural gas — and we're sure at least one of you is — this isn't your lucky day: According to a report from the Energy Forum at Rice University's Baker Institute, there's no end in sight to our use of imported gas. Natural gas accounted for 22 percent of total primary energy use in......

Remember when you were a little bitty Houstonist and someone would read to you at night and you could just lose yourself in the story, abandoning all other thoughts of the day? Well you can still do it now, you know. In fact, you might be all the more eager to shed your quotidian annoyances now that you're grown. Here are a few places to hear some stellar writers read from their work: Friday......

Good morning, Houston. Have you ever wondered why our freeways have multiple names — for example, I-45 south of downtown is also called the Gulf Freeway, the section through downtown is the Pierce Elevated and the part north of downtown is the North Freeway? Yeah, we have, too — and it seems we're not alone: The Chronicle's Tex-Arcana column tackled that question this weekend. The answer? In Houston, at least, the names tell where......

Good morning, Houston. You might not remember it, but many local beaches used to be much wider than they are now — and soon, they'll be that wide again, thanks to a multimillion-dollar restoration project that's going to be announced today. The project will widen three miles of eroded beaches west of the Seawall in Galveston, Sylvan Beach in La Porte and other beaches in Surfside; the goal is to combat the erosion that's......

With this weekend's 20th anniversary celebration of legendary local punk/rock venue The Axiom, we thought we'd go searching for some live video from those days. We found this clip, captured live on June 3, 1989. The band Dead Horse was no stranger to The Axiom during the club's popular years. Watching them perform the thrashy "Murder Song" makes us realize that they were nothing like the other popular rock bands at the time (think......

We promise that we're not Ethan Hawke groupies here at Houstonist. But don't blame you for thinking that given last week's Flick and this one. Hawke, Texan via Austin, hits the screen in a new film, The Hottest State, and a cult classic, Gattaca. He wrote the book; now Hawke is behind the camera to direct the film. Despite what you may be thinking, State deals with a young couple's romantic issues and not the......

Good morning, Houston. Yeah, we remember how (relatively) mild the first part of the summer was, and we're grateful for that. But now, after weeks of oppressive heat, we're sick of the weather — so you can imagine how excited we were when we checked out the long-range forecast and saw highs in the low 80s and lows in the low 60s coming in early September. But it might not come as early as......

With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-A-Verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to. After cooling down from a hot weekend of many badass Sunset Junction Street Fair photo dispatches, LAist asked......

August in Houston is horrific enough, but why not give yourself an old-fashioned scare this weekend. Really old-fashioned. As in 88 years old. Considered to be the first horror flick ever, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) has got all the wacked-out trappings of German Expressionism but no sound. Last fall, Houston's Two Star Symphony Orchestra played its own original soundtrack alongside a screening to a sold out show at the MFAH. This weekend, they're......

Chicagoist is gearing up for this weekend's annual Air & Water Show along the lakefront. In what's becoming an annual tradition around there, staff member Todd McClamroch even got to fly with one of the participants. Chicagoist's decidedly opinionated readership was also appalled that one of their staffers found a popular local brewpub to be a great place to bring a kid. They also think that an unlikely activist for immigration rights should just take......

Good morning, Houston. If you'd like a little more Kinky in your life, you may be in luck. Erstwhile gubernatorial candidate and the bane of Chris Bell's existence Kinky Friedman said he might make another run for the office in 2010. This time, though, he's thinking about losing the independent label and running as a Democrat. Consultant Kelly Fero said, "They're going to be looking for real serious, legitimate candidates. Kinky should throw his......

This week, don’t be looking for the big, A-list concerts, but that doesn’t mean that there’s a void of good live music choices. Last week’s big winner at the Houston Press Music Awards, The Dimes, will be playing at The Proletariat with several other bands Friday night. Sam Houston Race Park continues their summer concert series with Cory Morrow the same night. Saturday, you can take a step back into the 80’s with legendary......

Need to know just a little bit about something? Ask a dilettante. When/where is it ever appropriate/cool to wear a band's t-shirt? Obviously not to their concert, but should you be a certain distance away from where the band is known/popular? I would think the goal would be to evangelize to people who don't know they exist. Also, I have a Phil Collins concert T from the early 90's. How should I destroy it? --Mason......

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......

A couple of concerts original scheduled this week were either canceled or postponed. The "Smooth Groove Tour," featuring Cameo, Morris Day and others has been postponed. If you have tickets, check the Reliant Arena website soon for the new date. If you had tickets to see American Idol Taylor Hicks, you can get a refund, but you won't get a chance to see the premature gray-haired Idol. His show was canceled due to bad......

Good morning, Houston. Noticed a sharp increase in the number of mosquitoes this summer? You will, observers say — and now, Harris County's first confirmed 2007 human case of West Nile virus has been reported. Break out the insect repellent, check up on the West Nile symptoms and do your best not to get stung — although, these days, we guess that's about like saying "stay out of the humidity." >>A break in Gearen......

Good morning, Houston. Have you wondered lately what Music World Entertainment founder Matthew Knowles is up to? You might never have guessed: He's releasing a new line of toys aimed at urban toddlers. The line is called Baby Jamz, and they're meant to be a twist on traditional kids' toys: "Think about it," Knowles told KTRK. "'Old McDonald' has been the same since we were kids. So what if we change 'Old McDonald' and......

Good morning, Houston. You might want to grab a drink before you get started on this morning's news: According to KHOU, a shift toward growing corn in Mexico could lead to a spike in the price of tequila. It seems a lot of Mexican farmers are getting rid of their blue agave fields to make way for corn, which is in demand thanks to the growing popularity of ethanol — and as the amount......

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......

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......

A little more information today on the plea deal that Ashley Benton's attorneys turned down this week: According to the Chronicle, the deal would have resulted in no prison time for Benton in exchange for a murder plea: Schaffer said the first offer from prosecutors included 10 years of deferred adjudication for the 17-year-old, a form of probation where defendants avoid conviction if they complete the terms. He said Benton's camp is hoping for a......

Lawyers on both sides of the Ashley Benton murder trial are in court this morning for a hearing in which prosecutors were expected to say whether the intend to retry Benton on the original murder charge, try her on a lesser charge or drop charges altogether — or, perhaps, to accept a plea counteroffer from Benton's attorneys. Lawyers for Benton, who is accused of murder in the stabbing death of gang member Gabriel Granillo at......

More today on Shelby Sendelbach, the 12-year-old Katy junior high student who was shipped off to alternative school for writing a love message in marker on a gymnasium wall: The Katy ISD is now reconsidering its punishment. "I am looking at what happened and what options we have per state law and local policy," Katy Superintendent Alton Frailey told the Chronicle. "It is always my practice to follow the law and policy while looking out......

Last Night to check out Murder Mondays Since June 25th, the Alley Theatre and Angelika Film Center have presented Murder Mondays. A film series that complements the Alley Theatre’s ExxonMobil Summer Chills production of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile (July 6–July 29). Screenings are held at the Angelika Film Center and introduced by James Black, director of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile. Tonight will be the final film in the series: Death on......

So there's a lot for school officials to worry about these days: drugs, gangs, arson, sexual assault — and writing stupid graffiti on gym walls. Don't believe those are all in the same category? Just ask Shelby Sendelbach, the 12-year-old Mayde Creek Junior High student who was sent to an alternative campus through Dec. 31 for writing "I love Alex" in blue marker on a gymnasium wall. You hear that, Alex? She's willing to......

Misty Ann Weaver, the woman charged with three counts of felony murder and one case of arson in connection with the March 28 office building fire she confessed to setting, pleaded not guilty yesterday. Weaver, 33, told investigators in April that she set the fire in the office of her boss, plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Capriotti, to cover up the fact that she hadn't finished paperwork related to an accreditation audit for the doctor. After......

Dark Matter: 5 Gothic Horror Tales of Horror Appropriately enough for the rain and gloom (going on week 6--yes, we are counting), today opens a new series of gothic horror by Don Nigro at the Midtown Art Center. Presented by Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company, these five short plays take the audience on a journey to the dark side of romance. Beginning today, the plays run at 8:00pm each night July 5th-14th, 16th, 19th-21st (7:30pm on......

After jurors deliberated for 17 and a half hours on the fate of Ashley Benton, the 17-year-old charged with the murder of a fellow teen during a gang fight last summer, we found out what'll happen to Benton — or rather, we didn't. Noting that the jury had been deadlocked for six hours, state District Judge Devon Anderson declared a mistrial Friday. Brian Wice, a member of Benton's defense team, said one juror had voted......