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Houston Restaurant Weeks Returns

August is approaching. And Houston food lovers know that's a time for rejoicing. Houston Restaurant Weeks returns next month with more than 100 restaurants participating. The month-long event is designed to bring business to area eateries during a typically slow period and also raise money for the Houston Food Bank. If Houston Restaurant Weeks is new to you, here's how it works: lunches are typically two courses for $20 while dinners are $35 for three courses (a few restaurants do it a…

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Summer at Alley Theatre and a Preview of Next Season

For the 18th year, the Alley Theatre is staging its Summer Chills production, a seasonal, lighthearted whodunit that continues to entertain audiences. Returning to the works of Agatha Christie, the Alley company tackles Black Coffee in 2012, one of the more popular plays from the mistress of mystery. Set in a British manor house during the 1920s, Coffee dissects the inner workings of a well-to-do family suffering under a conniving and inventive patriarch. When Sir Claud Amory (played by Alley…

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Headlines from NAACP in Houston

The 2012 NAACP Convention continues at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston this week. Roughly 5,000 attendees are in town for the election year-conference of the nation's largest African American organization. Here is a running recap of headlines from the convention. July 12 Biden's rousing speech makes NAACP crowd forgive Obama no-show (Houston Chronicle) July 11 NAACP cool toward Romney's overtures (Washington Post) Romney speech to NAACP draws boos, raises questions on…

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TUTS Names Artistic Director

Bruce Lumpkin has joined the staff of Theatre Under the Stars as artistic director. The artistic director position at TUTS was previously held by the organization's founder Frank Young. In his new role, Lumpkin will maintain artistic oversight of the theater company's productions and provide creative direction to TUTS' Humphreys School of Musical Theatre. A Houston native, Lumpkin's experience includes working with Tommy Tune on the Broadway productions of Grand Hotel, Nine and My One and…

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Valet Service Launches at IAH; Spirit to Begin New Service to DFW

If you're running late for your flight or just don't want to deal with the hassle of parking at the airport, you're in luck. This week George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) launched valet parking service. Customers can now valet park in each of the airports terminals and arrange to have their car delivered to whichever terminal they fly into upon return. Valet service is $25 per day. A similar service is expected to launch at Hobby Airport later this year. Meanwhile, Spirit Airlines…

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Annual NAPE Conference Brings $17M to Houston

One of Houston's biggest annual expos is expected to contribute $17 million to the local economy this year, according to new figures. The NAPE Expo, which happens twice a year, is likely to have a $17 million impact in 2012 based on figures of $2 million for the summer show and $15 million in the winter. The world's largest upstream energy and petroleum expo has been held in Houston for more than 20 years. "NAPE is such a strong asset to Houston's economy," says Greg Ortale, president and…

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Annual NAPE Conference Brings $17M to Houston

One of the biggest annual expos in Houston contributes is expected to contribute $17 million to the local economy this year, according to new projections. Now in its 20th year the twice-annual NAPE Expo is forecasted to bring $17 million in spending, with $2 million coming from the group's summer event and $15 million from the winter expo. NAPE is the world's largest upstream energy and petroleum expo. The Summer Expo is slated for August 22-24, 2012 at the George R. Brown Convention Center…

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Improved Bike Trails to Offer More Commute Options

Good news for bicycle-loving Houstonians: The Department of Transportation recently awarded the city a $15-million TIGER Grant to improve and expand H-Town’s trails and bikeways. More than 18 miles of hike and bike trails, sidewalks and on-street bikeways are being added or enhanced, helping link Northside Village, Fifth Ward and Third Ward to Downtown, Midtown and the Medical Center. Joined by Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez, U.S. Representatives Sheila Jackson Lee and Gene Green…

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TUTS Revival of "Best Little Whorehouse" a Winner

A country brothel in rural Texas may not seem like the best fodder for a musical. But anyone who has seen the stage or film productions of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" knows it's the stuff of legend. Based on the true story of the Chicken Ranch that once operated in LaGrange, "Whorehouse" is a romping, upbeat and colorful homage to Texas culture, in all its glory and infamy. The story is set in the 1970s when Miss Mona Stangley is the proprietor of the Chicken Ranch, a brothel that has…

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Megabus.com Rolls into Houston

Megabus.com is launching new service in Texas and the Southern U.S. with daily departures and arrivals between Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and other cities. Megabus.com began taking reservations this week for service beginning June 19. Fares start as low as $1 each way. Adding to the attractiveness of the service is the fact that each double-decker bus is equipped with free wireless Internet, power outlets and restrooms. In Houston, the company will have buses arriving and departing…

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