Two hundred years ago, three of the four current candidates seeking the position of Mayor of the city of Houston Mayor would not have been allowed to vote let alone run for office.

Annise Parker, a native Houstonian and Rice University graduate, served on Houston’s City Council for 6 years. She’s the current city controller. Her family includes her life partner and two children.

Gene Locke, community leader, former city attorney, former congressional staffer and sole African American candidate, joins this group of contenders. He’s a native of East Texas and a University of Houston and South Texas College of Law graduate.

Peter Brown, a council member who has been in office since 2005, is a small business owner and an architect. He’s a Houston native and a University of Houston graduate with advanced degrees in Architecture and Urban Planning.

The government’s most vital secret agent is back, and this time he’s got a pocket protector full of new tricks when Warner Home Video releases Chuck: The Complete Second Season on DVD and Blu-ray on January 5, 2010. Executive producers Josh Schwartz (The O.C., Gossip Girl), McG (Supernatural, Charlie’s Angels), Chris Fedak and Scott Rosenbaum (The Shield) bring you more action and espionage than ever before.

A bipartisan bill to combat youth violence was passed by the House Subcommittee on Crime today. The bill, H.R. 1064, would fund prevention and intervention programs that are comprehensive, community-centered and evidence-based efforts to combat gangs and youth violence.

Khan, a Republican council member who was first elected to office in 2003, served on a number of committees, including Budget and Fiscal Affairs, Housing and Community Development and Human Services and Technology Access committees.

When Salsa aficionados gather in Tokyo for the Japan Salsa Congress on Saturday, Oct. 31, Vanessa Pinon, a junior majoring in general business at the University of Houston-Downtown will be there to compete with her dance team, reKreation Dance.

Project GRAD Houston has been awarded an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant from the Gulf Coast Community Services Association (GCCSA) to implement a “Parent Empowerment Program (PEP) – Putting ‘PEP’ in Parents’ Steps Forward!” In addition to providing college access programs and $4,000 college scholarships to high school students at Davis, Reagan, Sam Houston, Wheatley and Yates High Schools in the Houston Independent School District (HISD), GRAD recognizes the value of educating parents as critical to breaking the cycle of poverty and transforming lives.

Holm, a Republican council member who was first elected to office in 2003, is the Chair of the Pension Review Committee. She also is a member of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Aviation Committee and the Quality of Life Committee

Ronald Green, a council member who was first elected to office in 2003, wants to be your next controller. He is running to succeed Annise Parker, the current controller, who is now running for mayor.

Prairie View A&M ended 22 years of futility on a rainy Saturday evening at The Cotton Bowl as the Panthers held on to defeat Grambling State 35-32 before 42,786 spectators for the first time since 1986.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) and Congressman Henry Cueller (TX-28) convened a Congressional Briefing, to discuss the local, state, and federal response to the H1N1 flu virus.

On October 2, 2009, Lieutenant Colonel Melvin Myers (U. S. Army, Retired) was honored with the Cross of Military Service Award for his service during the Viet Nam War.

Let the holidays begin! Halloween is unofficially the start to the holiday season. A time of year that we all enjoy, yet struggle through as we try to reconcile our health with the food-centric festivities.

Perfect your Halloween table with the combination wine glass and costume from Lolita. The delicious drink recipe featured on the bottom of the glass, a Lolita trademark, inspired the festive orange and black design.

Attention… Attention! The Niceguys are in the building and they are ready to turn the hip- hop game up side down. Are you ready?

Trust me; he gave enough dumb advice to former President George W. Bush during their eight years in office together that it’s best that he just keep quiet on anything dealing with Iraq or Afghanistan.

“Enough is enough.” “Bust up the big banks.” “Too big to fail is too big to exist.” All of this and more can be heard this week at the American Bankers Association.

A black owned store in my neighborhood was robbed by young black men who had no masks or disguises on their faces. They were not from the neighborhood. Later that day, the store owner, who by the way knew my family very well, informed my friend and me about the robbery while we were at the store.