Good morning, Houston. When it comes to politics, we suppose there's a lot to be said for the shock factor — which is why Brian Klock, a candidate for Congressional District 22, is getting some attention. Klock, one of 10 people vying for the Republican nomination for CD 22, has put up a billboard showing downtown Houston being destroyed by a huge explosion. "The Threat Is Real," the billboard reads. "Ask Brian Klock." And......

Wow — it's still six months to Christmas, and yet we're getting gifts already: The AP reports that everyone's favorite golden-haired politico, Shelley Sekula Gibbs, is laying the groundwork for her campaign to return to Congress. Oh, yes. Sekula Gibbs (notice that she's dropped the hyphen, which she worried could be a problem during her write-in campaign for Congress last year) announced that she has some high-profile Republican supporters for her 2008 campaign, including homebuilder......

If you were planning not to vote this fall because the government might be trying to mess with you through those eSlate machines, well, find another excuse: Harris County's voting machines have passed a state-mandated accuracy test, which means they should record your vote properly. We can't guarantee they won't steal your soul, but hey, that's a chance you take anytime you use electronics. County clerk's office employees put 2,400 fake votes into eSlate machines......

City Council on Wednesday delayed a vote again on renewing federal funding to a Second Ward day-labor site after some citizens claimed funding the facility was a violation of federal law. The debate started last week when some councilmembers expressed concern over the best use of the $100,000 from the Community Development Block Grant — particularly the honey-maned Shelley Sekula Gibbs, who has supported day-labor sites in the past but did a 180 on the......