From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • A Fort Bend Co. teenager is dead after an argument led to his fatal shooting. The incident occurred on Orchard Mist near Westmoor. • An Alvin teenager is dead after portions of a carnival ride that was being dismantled fell on her. • A wrong way driver on West Bellfort near Dairy Ashford crashed into a fence after swerving into the wrong......

Ok, it's officially time: skip a Sunday in front of the NFL, ignore Terry Bradshaw's fake hillbilly schtick and dozens of former players pretending that they're still relevant, and watch your Houston Dynamo take on the New England Revolution for the MLS Cup. Here's five reasons why the Dynamo game should take precedence over the NFL on Sunday: 1. In case you haven't noticed: Boston sports fans, once the loveable Charlie Brown-esque losers of the......

The Rockets have been afflicted with shooting woes on a couple of occasions already this season. But the injury bug had stayed away so far, leaving many people optimistic about the team's chances for a high playoff seed in the Western Conference. But then Tracy McGrady's elbow barged in to the discussion. In the waning seconds of a disappointing first half against the Lakers at Toyota Center, T-Mac collided hard with Lakers forward Luke Walton......

The big question heading into the Texans matchup against the San Diego Chargers has nothing to do with Matt Schaub's hip, Andre Johnson's knee, or Gary Kubiak's recent coaching decisions, but when and where the game will be played. As you're no doubt aware, George Bush started a series of fires in Southern California to distract attention away from the Iraq war, and a lot of people around the San Diego area were forced......

Reservation Road is the "Feel Like Crap Hit of the Fall." The latest offering from director Terry George (Hotel Rwanda) stars Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line), Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac), Jennifer Connelly (our Rocketeer crush) and Mira Sorvino (Replacement Killers) in the adaptation of John Burnham Schwartz's novel of the same name. When one family's son dies tragically in the opening minutes of the film, you'll feel like you just got punched in the stomach. But,......

Two Be Wed Open House Does the mere thought of planning a wedding make you want to slit your wrists with your Save The Date cards? You're not alone. Brides around the world (well, at least in Houston and Phoenix) rejoice, as the newest fad in wedding planning lands in the Bayou City. Two Be Wed [2303 Dunlavy], with locations in Phoenix, AZ, and now Houston (between Westheimer & Gray), attempts to be a one......

Jacoby Jones is still running. The Texans 3rd round draft pick out of of Division 2 Lane College continues to be the highlight maker for the team this preseason. On Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals in Phoenix, Jones ran back a punt return 80 yards and showed off some ankle-shattering moves in the process. Could Jones be this year's Devin Hester? Too soon to tell, but he could be a Sportscenter staple at this rate.......

We've long known that Houston was a popular place for singles to relocate (and rightly so), but here's some new news: according to this map, we've got more than our fair share of single men. A LOT more than our fair share - that big blue dot = 20,000 - 40,000 more single men than women. Men in Austin and the DFW metropolis suffer similarly. So why the disparity? Creative Class commenters had a few......

Houston and four other Texas cities were among the big American cities that gained the largest number of new residents last year, according to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau today. The estimates show that 26,600 people moved to Houston in 2006, bringing the city's population to 2.14 million — and we're sure every one of them is already joining the fray on the Katy Freeway. San Antonio and Fort Worth gained the second-......

We haven't had a good story about a Houston-related airplane disturbance since everyone's favorite co-pastor pitched a fit and got thrown off a Continental flight a year and a half ago — but Wednesday night, someone else made a stink and forced a Houston-bound Continental Express plane to make an unscheduled landing. About 20 minutes after the plane took off from Dallas, 23-year-old passenger Brian Thomas Vande-Stouwe of Phoenix reportedly got out of his seat......

So you've heard all the discussion about how cities must lure the so-called "creative class" if they want to be great places, right? Basically, the idea is that the creative class — knowledge workers, artists, intellectuals and creative types, a subset of workers identified by economist and author Richard Florida — spurs economic power, high-tech industry, new ideas and growth in places that court it. Sounds like something Houston should be trying to attract, right?......

In the environmentally-friendly department, Houston has some great news. UPS, the world's largest shipping carrier, will introduce big, brown hybrid trucks to four American cities, including Houston. The company said that they have 50 hybrid trucks ready to go in Dallas, Phoenix, and Atlanta (where the company is based), as well as our own fair city. The trucks will reduce UPS' fuel consumption by 44,000 gallons a year. UPS already has 20,000 low-emission and alternative-fuel......

Spring appears to have, er, sprung, at least temporarily, in most of the Ist-A-Verse, so naturally, we're all feeling pretty good. (Yes, we know that spring doesn't officially start till later this month. Just let us enjoy our weather!) And that makes us that much more eager to share all of the nifty things we're up to... Over at Sampaist, spring has more than sprung: it's sweltering! But, as everyone knows, museums are an ideal......

It's no secret that in certain circles, the city of Houston just doesn't get as much respect as other, “elite” cities like New York and Boston. But according to a recent opinion piece by Joel Kotkin in the Wall Street Journal, Houston, and other “newcomer” cities like Phoenix and Charlotte, may have the last laugh. He argues that "superstar" cities have become too expensive and overrated for their own good, driving immigrants and the......

Even with Houston's crime spike at the end of last year, we still have a long way to go before we catch up with Dallas: According to the FBI, Houston is the seventh safest city in the United States — and guess who tops the list for crime per capita? That's right: the Big D. Crime statistics from the nation's 10 largest cities came from the FBI's Uniform Crime Statistics report for 2005, which compares......

The Dixie Chicks' new album Taking the Long Way is appropriately titled, considering the winding route their tour has taken — particularly if you're in Houston. The Chicks have officially announced that they are cancelling a number of tour dates including the stop at the Toyota Center originally scheduled for Sept. 30. Other cities on the tour that have had shows cancelled include Kansas City, Memphis, St. Louis and Knoxville; the band is pushing back......

If you've recently been dumped by someone who told you, "It's not you," well, take heart: Maybe it's really not you. Maybe it's the city you live in. Forbes has released its list of Best Cities for Singles 2006, and Houston ranks a rather lonely 34th out of 40, a sharp drop from last year's ranking at No. 17. You know what that means? That means Milwaukee, Sacramento and Detroit are all more happenin' places......

An immigration-related billboard unveiled alongside the Katy Freeway yesterday is raising some eyebrows from people on both sides of the immigration issue, KTRK reports. The sign, which faces westbound traffic on the Katy at Heights Boulevard, was paid for by Grassfire.org and U.S. Border Watch; it reads, in bold red, white and blue lettering, "Stop the invasion — secure our borders." Steve Elliott with Grassfire.org told the Chronicle that the billboard is intended to let......

Somehow we missed another of Houston's national top 10 list appearances: According to the folks at Old Spice, Houston is the ninth sweatiest city in the U.S. We suppose that explains the smell. Really, people, use some deodorant! The study estimated the amount of sweat a person of average height and weight produces walking around outdoors for an hour in a city's average high summer temperature, then ranked 100 cities based on the findings. According......

San Antonio and Ft. Worth were the second- and third-fastest growing big cities in the U.S. in the year ending in July 2005, according to the Census Bureau's latest statistics — but that doesn't include the population shift from last fall's hurricanes, which hit a couple of months later. San Antonio and Ft. Worth both added about 21,000 people between July 2004 and July 2005, meaning San Antonio overtook San Diego as the seventh-largest American......

A couple of weeks ago, Chronicle energy blogger Lynn Cook wrote about spotting a Smart Car on Buffalo Speedway — a pretty rare sight, considering that there are only eight dealerships in the U.S. selling the cars, and the closest are in Phoenix and Colorado Springs. Still, Cook reports that ZAP, the company marketing the Smart Cars in America, has big plans for the tiny vehicles. In case you're not familiar, Smart Cars are......

LAT TV, Houston's newest Spanish-language TV station, is having a little trouble getting off the ground here: The station missed its scheduled debut Friday because the FCC hadn't filed the paperwork required to "flip the switch" and begin broadcasting. Station officials said broadcasting should start by Wednesday on Channel 30. LAT will offer a variety of shows, from sports to soap operas to cooking shows and educational programs. There will be a 30-minute national news......

Houstonist's out-of-town friends have long chided us about what a crappy town we live in. And statistically, we guess they're right, sort of: According to a national survey, Houstonians are the nation's worst at scooping their dogs' poop. Well, there go the 2016 Olympics. The survey, conducted by animal health company Merial, was meant to promote awareness of health threats that come from failing to pick up after your pet (hookworms and roundworms can be......

The Queen of Pop has just announced her tour dates for the "Confessions" spring tour, and she'll be hitting all the major cities — L.A., New York, Philly, Chicago, Miami, Boston. Heck, Madonna's even taking her pointy boobs to Phoenix, Fresno, Hartford and San Jose ... but not Houston. Houstonist isn't a diehard Madge fan, but we're curious enough that we might check out her show if she came to town. But now, we're......

After months of anticipation — or was that construction? — RA Sushi finally opened its doors this weekend with private parties Friday and Saturday. The sushi restaurant/lounge's first Texas location is above West Elm in Highland Village; RA already has restaurants in San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tuscon, Chicago and Palm Beach. So here's what to expect after you climb the custom wood spiral staircase (ladies in heels, don't worry: there's an elevator): Menu RA......

U.S. District Judge Sim Lake has refused to move the trial of former Enron execs Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling, the AP reports. The judge said he wasn’t persuaded by defense arguments that a fair jury can’t be found in Houston because the questionnaire answers reveal inherent prejudice against Lay and Skilling. Lake said questionnaires with unbiased answers and his intention to question the pool during jury selection next Monday “provide adequate safeguards to defendants......

In a burst of civic pride, the Chronicle yesterday carried a glowing description of the soon-to-open Harris County Civil Courthouse. It's big! It's modern! It cost a lot! And it has a dome! The new building's facade combines the sleek style of glass skyscrapers with the bulkier style of stone buildings capped by arched roofs and ornamental designs. The building's four corners are all glass while the middle of the building is composed of brown......