::Troy Winscott at Max's Wine Dive:: Troy Winscott's designy giclee prints will be on display at Max's, and the reception for his work is tonight. Winscott studied illustration at the Art Institute of Houston and has a background in jewelry design as well. Both crafts are at play in his tantalizing prints. Max's will host live music, light hors d'oeuvres and offer wine specials for the night. And, of course, the artist. It's a......

The revamping of the Astros roster is starting to look more and more like an episode of Extreme Makeover. Today, the Astros announced that they've reached an agreement with the Baltimore Orioles for former MVP shortstop Miguel Tejada in exchange for (deep breath): Luke Scott, Matt Albers, Troy Patton, Dennis Sarfate, and Lou Costanzo. Patton, Sarfate, and Albers are all young pitchers with some major league experience; Patton was the Astros' most experienced and highest-rated......

Houstonist had a thought yesterday as we were boarding our 7 AM flight to Dallas for yet another business trip, "This sucks," which got us pining for the way-too-few days sandwiched between our college graduation and our 8-to-8 gig inhabiting cubes around the country. Then a scene from Ben Stiller's 1994 release, Reality Bites, flashed through our head: Winona Ryder's character, LeLaina a.k.a. Lainey, is "show[ing] some ingenuity" by using her dad's gas card to......

Good morning, Houston. If you ever stop to think about all the ordinances in effect in the city — admit it, you do — you probably wonder just how much space all those laws would take up if they were written down. Well, now we know: around 5,000 pages. That tidbit comes from the Chronicle's Matt Stiles, who recently reported that the city approved a new three-year contract with the Municipal Code Corp. of......

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......

Good morning, Houston. If you have an outstanding municipal warrant, it's time to start watching out: More than 150 law enforcement agencies, including HPD, are gearing up to arrest you next week. It's part of the Great Texas Warrant Roundup, which runs for a week beginning Friday; if you don't take care of your warrant, KHOU warns, you risk "being arrested and embarrassed in front of family, friends or even co-workers." No, not co-workers!......

A few guys that are in the rock and roll history books are coming to town this week. Blues great BB King (and his guitar Lucille) will be in Galveston at the Grand 1894 Opera House Thursday night, and Fleetwood Mac singer/songwriter/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham brings his solo tour to Verizon Wireless on Friday. In a darker part of the history books is Vanilla Ice (pictured above -- yes, we know that's an old photo,......

Next time you're enjoying pizza and Skee-ball with the family, you'd better take care who you piss off. The suspect, Brandon Glover, allegedly shot acquaintance Troy Reed in the parking lot of a Sugarland Chuck E. Cheese. Police are still seeking Glover who's bond has been set at $200,000 on an aggravated assault charge. Motive for the shooting is not yet clear, but Houstonist would not be surprised if the fight was a a spillover......

Today's helpful hint from Houstonist: If you owe tens of thousands of dollars in back child support, you might want to make sure you don't end up on TV. Jesus Silva found out the hard way — he was arrested yesterday for failing to pay child support less than 24 hours after being listed as one of the state's top child support evaders. Officials said someone saw Silva on TV and called the state's child......

The internet is full of ads for ways to reclaim one's virginity. From creams to prayers to motivational speakers promoting abstinence, the industry of secondary virginity is booming, but no "cure" has reinduced actual physical virginity. Until now, of course. San Antonio surgeon Dr. Troy Hailparn has built up a practice in reconstructive vaginal surgery, the Houston Press reports this week. According to the article she's treated wives who want their husbands to re-deflower them......

We shouldn't see any more rolling blackouts heading into the summer, the Public Utility Commission told a state Senate panel yesterday, but PUC Chairman Paul Hudson said the Electric Reliability Council of Texas needs to communicate better with officials and the public in the future. The Senate hearing was prompted by last week's blackouts, which were caused by a spike in electric demand as temperatures across the state climbed into the 90s and 100s. Up......

Wednesday Been stuck in a quiet office or cubicle all day and need a change of pace? The Fall of Troy may be able to help you with that. The Washington state punk-rock trio plays with At All Cost and Jonbenet. 8 p.m. at Walter’s on Washington | info Thursday The touring scene is quiet in Houston today, so why not check out some local acoustic talent. Longtime favorite folk venue Anderson Fair continues......