Is international bike and walk trail a pipe dream?
By Dug Begley
A lot of Kinder Baumgardner's ideas are shot down, but it doesn't matter: He's got plenty more, to go along with the others the team churns out at the Houston office of landscape planning firm SWA. When it comes to remaking a rather harsh and flawed landscape, there's plenty of options for change on the local level or across the globe. Some ideas border on extravagant, and maybe to some outrageous. Baumgardner and Natalia Beard, another SWA planner in Houston, chuckle when asked about some of the skeptical reactions to one of their latest plans: Turning the controversial Keystone XL pipeline into an international, 3,100-mile biking and walking trail along four different routes.
Texas
Texas court hears same-sex divorce case
Jim Vertuno, Associated Press
4:11 PM
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Supreme Court is tackling whether a state that bans gay marriage can grant divorces to same-sex couples who married in other states. The court heard oral arguments Tuesday on two cases of gay couples in Austin and Dallas.
Historical markers losing fight against time
By Allan Turner
HUNTSVILLE - Deep in the Great Depression, Texas leaders - bursting with a pride that perhaps only Texans can understand - went on a celebratory centennial building spree. From San Jacinto to the West Texas mountains, statues, monuments, markers and museums sprouted along roadsides, in pastures and in towns and cities.
Potato growers turn tide on Zebra Chip
By Lynn Brezosky
SAN ANTONIO - About 13 years after Rio Grande Valley farmer Jack Wallace got the fateful call from Frito-Lay, Zebra Chip - the disease that has since blotched potatoes as far away as New Zealand - appears to be under control.
Foster's Taylor draws inspiration from older brother
By Corey Roepken
Foster's Brandon Taylor thought he had another touchdown reception Friday but turned around to see a penalty flag. The back judge called him for pass interference in the end zone. No problem.
Service dog's story is getting even better
By Ken Hoffman
About 15 years ago, I heard about a group of Italian women who make spaghetti sauce and sell it at the Nutcracker Market each year and donate the profits to charity. That sounded like a column item.
Featured Columnists
Wedding bells are in session at traffic court
Carrie Bradshaw did it in the "Sex and the City" movie. So did Liz Lemon on "30 Rock." Also the tragic teenage couple in Springsteen's "The River," but let's not think about them. Getting married at the courthouse is a great American tradition, and now, for the first time, you can do it in Houston municipal courts.
Coaches' heavy workloads put health at risk
When he was coaching, Jon Gruden was known to his players in Tampa Bay as "Jon 3:11.'' He set his alarm for 3:11 each morning so he could be at work long before anyone else. In his previous job, with Oakland, he set his alarm for 3:17 each morning.
Promising game takes a U-turn
That heartbeat Gary Kubiak said he saw for the first time a couple of weeks ago in Kansas City was evident early Sunday night. All was right in the Texans' world. The game was going better than any had all season.
In Case You Missed It
Compiled by Leila Merrill, Houston Chronicle
Top stories from the past week include a rock-star quilter, a proposed high school stadium, a popular restaurant's backstory, the Rockets' deal for James Harden, and a lost WWI training camp. Plus, Randy Harvey explores the question of the Texans' top quarterback.
Deal of the Week
TAM International has moved into a new plant that will enable the Houston-based down-hole tools and equipment maker to double its capacity and expand its product line.