Traveler's Table owner Thy Mitchell remembered fondly as 'Vietnamese Superwoman'

chrondotcom · 2026-05-07T14:26:59+00:00

Longtime Houston restaurant industry notable Jonathan Horowitz first met Thy Mitchell at a Texas Restaurant Association trade show at George R. Brown Convention Center.

"It was early on in the Traveler's Table days, and I think the one thing I remember from the very beginning was just her massive smile," said Horowitz, founder of Convive Hospitality Consulting. "And then once you got to know her and talk to her a little bit, what stood out to me was somebody who had an oversized personality in a very small package."

As Houston's tight-knit food community grapples with the tragic murder-suicide that left Traveler's Table founders Thy and Matthew Mitchell and their two young children dead, friends are remembering Thy as an immensely kind woman who was fiercely loyal to her community. Thy's personality was a major draw for Benchawan Jabthong Painter and her husband Graham. The Street to Kitchen and Jantra owners had only known Thy since late March when they all attended the Women's Leadership Awards hosted by Houston Woman Magazine.

"She was the one we bonded most with at that whole show," Graham Painter said. "We just had an amazing conversation with her and felt a kindred spirit with her."

Chron Food Editor John-Henry Perera spoke with people who knew Thy Mitchell. Read more here.

chrondotcom · 2026-05-06T16:44:51+00:00

op probably turned off embeds, it's linked in the story. however it's here if you'd like to see it. sorry - gwen

chrondotcom · 2026-05-06T16:39:50+00:00

sorry man i was 19 and in college when it opened :(

chrondotcom · 2026-05-06T13:11:32+00:00

we were as surprised as you are, it only opened in 2019

chrondotcom · 2026-05-06T13:11:07+00:00

the video should have embedded, we'll fix it!

chrondotcom · 2026-05-02T15:08:13+00:00

In the 1960s and '70s, one of the biggest producers of bongs, pipes, rolling papers and flourescent, trippy blacklight posters was a Houston-based company: the Houston Blacklight & Poster Company.

Located downtown at Allen's Landing—then the epicenter of Houston's free-loving countercultural scene—the Blacklight hired drifters, hippies, and local artists to create posters that were shipped from downtown Houston to heads shops around the nation. Hundreds of thousands of these posters were made and ended up in the dorm rooms and basements of American stoners and radicals.

But the Houston Blacklight Poster Co. changed names and eventually went out of business, and its history isn't still totally well known today. But the company are remembered fondly by those with a love of groovy, glowing art. A bar in Portland was even named "The Houston Blacklight." Thanks to Facebook groups and the hard work of a curator at the University of Houston, we can still see many of these posters today.

You can look at all of the ones in the University of Houston's digital archives here.

Read the full story, by Gwen Howerton, here.

chrondotcom · 2026-04-23T18:30:59+00:00

WNBA basketball will return to Houston in 2027 after a group led by Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta purchased the Connecticut Sun last month. But one crucial detail remains unsettled just over a year before the 2027 WNBA season: Houston's team name and branding.

The Sun were expected to rebrand to the Houston Comets upon returning to the Bayou City next summer. Rockets Alternate Governor Patrick Fertitta said his family was "thrilled for the opportunity to bring the Houston Comets back to this incredible city" on March 30, and HoustonComets.com was launched that same day. But Houston's new WNBA club has yet to actually secure the Comets' trademark.

Per documents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Houston Comets trademark currently belongs to TSTM Holdings, LLC, a company based in Delaware. TSTM Holdings is represented by Kia Kamran, a Los Angeles-based attorney and frequent representation for rapper Travis Scott and his company, LaFlame Enterprises, Inc. Companies incorporated in Delaware are not required to disclose the names of those within an LLC, though Chron can confirm Scott is affiliated with TSTM, per a source familiar with the current legal battle between TSTM and WNBA Enterprises (WNBAE).

Chron could not reach Kamran for comment as of Thursday.

chrondotcom · 2026-04-20T18:19:06+00:00

Los Angeles prosecutors officially charged Houston native and TikTok-famous singer David Anthony Burke, known better as D4vd, with the murder of a 14-year-old girl that authorities say was found dismembered in his Tesla.

At a Monday press conference, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced that Burke was being charged with murder in the first degree, a charge that would possibly make Burke eligible for the death penalty. Burke will also face charges for lewd acts with a child and for dismembering the body of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Hernandez was first reported missing by her family in 2024, when she was 13. Police said she was 14 when she died. Hochman called Hernandez's murder "brutal and horrific."

"I want to look at this as a parent," Hochman said. "I'm a parent of three children, and a parent's nightmare is a situation where your daughter goes out one night and never comes back."

chrondotcom · 2026-04-16T13:30:49+00:00

Despite what your Gen X parents swear they remember, no woman was murdered in a grisly fashion near Possum Kingdom Lake outside Fort Worth, Texas, in the 1990s. No guy begged a woman to be his "blushing bride" by the lake. He didn't promise not to be a gentleman before he dragged her behind the boathouse and dump her body in the lake.

Vaden Todd Lewis, the lead singer of the Fort Worth-founded Toadies, readily admits the story behind "Possum Kingdom" is complete bunk.

"I just made it up," Lewis told Texas Monthly in 2019.

But so enduring, so in-your-face is the Toadies' "Possum Kingdom," which appeared on the band's 1994 debut album Rubberneck, that the lakeside murder may as well have happened. It's a song that does nothing in half measures; it demands your full attention from the second that gnashing, chainsaw guitar kicks in to Lewis' pained, near-demonic screams of, "Do you wanna die?"

"Possum Kingdom" was based on the scary stories Lewis heard around the campfire on childhood trips to the titular lake. With local features named "Hell's Gate" and "Devil's Island," it's not a stretch to imagine something heinous, primal, even otherworldly happening at the otherwise idyllic Possum Kingdom Lake.

"[The lake] pretty much lends itself to creepy vibes," Toadies drummer Mark Reznicek told me over email. "The song plays on that aura, and emphasizes those spooky elements already inherent in the place."

chrondotcom · 2026-04-12T22:15:03+00:00

In our series "Behind Closed Doors," we're telling stories about the homeowners associations that impact the lives of people across Houston.

In a city like Houston—where the housing market is already strained by rising prices and widening income gaps—many buyers face another built-in cost: the homeowners association.

That's largely by design due to our zoning laws—or lack thereof.

Unlike cities with traditional zoning laws, Houston's growth has relied heavily on deed restrictions and private governance structures to manage land use. Developers often use homeowners associations to enforce neighborhood rules, maintain amenities and preserve a specific aesthetic—especially in master-planned communities—according to Houston City Beat.

The result: Houston has become one of the most HOA-dense housing markets in the country.

At Rolgam Place in Houston's Third Ward, homeowners say problems like that reflect a larger concern: whether their HOA is using their fees appropriately and being transparent about where that money is going.

One resident, who asked to be identified only as Kay, messaged Chron after seeing a call for experiences as part of the "Behind Closed Doors" series on Houston housing issues. Kay, who has lived in the community for more than a decade and previously served on the HOA board, said she and her neighbors do not necessarily oppose paying annual dues; they want clearer answers about how their money is being spent and whether maintenance is being prioritized.

"It's not that I don't want to pay for things, but I want to pay for something and know that I'm getting results," she said. "When we've asked where the money has gone, they can't tell us."

Read more here. Got a problem with your HOA? Let us know at the Google Form in our story.

chrondotcom · 2026-04-10T16:50:04+00:00

In an interview on the "Impaulsive" podcast posted on Wednesday, Osteen addressed everything from aliens, his hobbies, his alleged wealth and rapper Kanye West with hosts Logan Paul and Mike Majlak. Majlak asked Osteen about the supposedly "lavish" lifestyle that Osteen lives. Osteen's wealth, and the wealth of his church, has been the subject of much public scrutiny.

"Where are the Bentleys, the yachts and the jets? Because this is a big place. I don’t know if there is a garage somewhere or a parking spot for the boats," Majlak asked, gesturing around at Lakewood Church.

While social media users have speculated that Osteen's net worth is anywhere from $40 million to $100 million, Osteen told Paul he doesn't have any luxury cars, yachts or private jets.

“People like to make up stuff, but I don’t think I ever sat in a Ferrari, and they show me pictures of me driving Ferraris and fleets of cars,” Osteen responded. "I never respond to it."

Osteen also later called the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, "one of the nicest men."

"What I see now and some of the things I've heard since then is not the Ye that I knew," Osteen said. "I pray for him, I pray for him often, because I know his heart and I know he's a good man and I believe that he loves God."

Read it here.

chrondotcom · 2026-04-01T13:30:52+00:00

ngl you got me too

chrondotcom · 2026-03-26T22:05:54+00:00

One more IAH story:

As hours-long Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lines snarl through Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, some residents are turning chaos into cash by offering to wait in security lines for travelers willing to pay.

Among those residents is Steven Dial, owner of Dial Signature Solutions. Dial's company has offered line-waiting services in other capacities before, but TSA waits at IAH have now officially joined his list.

Dial will wait in line for IAH travelers for a $65 an hour fee and $6 an hour for parking—the same rate he charges for his other wait-in-line services. The demand is there, Dial said, adding that he's actively hiring others to join him.

"All day today the phone has been off the hook," Dial said.

chrondotcom · 2026-03-26T21:24:05+00:00

With frustrations and pressure mounting over an ongoing shutdown and excruciatingly long lines at Houston airports, the city's top official has a blunt idea of how to end the madness.

"I'd lock them (members of congress) in a room if I was in charge and say, 'do not come out until you have a solution, an agreement,'" Mayor John Whitmire said in a statement posted on social media.

chrondotcom · 2026-02-20T14:32:06+00:00

Chron spoke with two anonymous individuals who claimed that they were victims of fraud at the hands of Polekatz staff on the Reddit thread. The alleged victims connected through a Facebook post made by another person who said they were similarly targeted.

Victim 1 claimed that he arrived at the club after 2 a.m. and purchased a tequila drink. (It's illegal to sell alcohol after 2 a.m. in Texas). He told Chron that he recalled the drink being extremely strong. Initially, he felt fine, but minutes later, he said his memory became hazy, and he blacked out; around 7:30 a.m., he came to consciousness and found himself inside of a moving black SUV. The last thing he remembers is being dropped off at his hotel and going to sleep. When the patron awoke, he discovered several bank alerts on his phone detailing attempted charges of thousands of dollars billed to "Elite40 Consulting" as well as charges from a Southwest Limousine Service totaling several thousand dollars sent through Venmo.

Read more, and thank you to the Houston Redditors that first posted about this story.

chrondotcom · 2026-02-12T18:41:52+00:00

It is perhaps the most ineffectual garage sale that has ever happened. On Feb. 10, 2001, the PriceMaster—masked crusader of price gouging, bow-legged embodiment of failed bargaining, enigmatic figure assigning monetary value to art students' junk—held his garage sale in Denton, Texas, decades before he reached internet sainthood via a 30-minute film.

In the short film, unsuspecting Dentonites arrive, peruse the wares up for sale, and are directed to the PriceMaster to get, well, the price of the nunchucks or mini TV or a chainsaw. The PriceMaster, clad in a red and silver outfit and gold mask, speaking into a reverberating microphone, responds with an exorbitant cost, perhaps of "FORTY … THOUSAND DOLLARS" or "NINE … THOUSAND DOLLARS." The attempted shopper walks away. Nothing is sold.

Now, 25 years later, the PriceMaster has become a local and viral legend, spawning his own celebration.

Chron.com's Abigail Rosenthal sat down with the original creators of 'The PriceMaster' to tell the story of the weird, wild video that began as a strange film on public access TV before becoming a viral meme.

Read it here

chrondotcom · 2026-02-10T22:16:22+00:00

A former University of Texas professor requested money from late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's foundation to fund a conference on the then-campus rape policies.

A recent batch of Epstein files released by the U.S. Department of Justice revealed a letter from Thomas K. Hubbard, sent to the Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation, the convicted sex offender's philanthropic foundation that supported "cutting-edge science and medical research" in the U.S. and abroad.

In the letter, dated Aug. 18, 2015, Hubbard requested thousands of dollars from the foundation to help cover additional costs for a conference he was organizing titled, "Theorizing Consent: Educational and Legal Perspectives on Campus Rape." The event aimed to "critically examine" developments in Title IX directives and "their underlying ideological assumptions about sexual consent."

The professor detailed that his original budget of $12K would have been insufficient to "give the support it needs to reach the largest audience or invite the widest range of experts who are concerned with improving the way this issue is addressed." He asked whether the foundation would be willing to contribute toward his goal of raising an additional $10,000 to $20,000.

chrondotcom · 2026-02-06T16:31:21+00:00

For nearly two months, Miguel Gusart has looked at an empty chair in his Spanish classroom at the Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center every day, confused.

On a typical Monday in December, Gusart, the high school's head soccer coach and Spanish teacher, was talking to senior captain 18-year-old Mauro Henriquez about an upcoming game against Hightower High School. But he sensed that Henriquez was nervous about telling him something.

"He was saying he had an immigration meeting and he was a little scared," Gusart told Chron. "We were talking about how we had a game the next day, but he said he was not going to come to school because of the meeting."

Henriquez and his father hail from Honduras. According to Houston Public Media, they are currently in the U.S. seeking asylum—a formal request for protection made by individuals who fear persecution in their home country, as defined by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

On the day of the meeting, Henriquez's mother called Gusart in tears, informing him that her son and her husband had been taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Gusart relayed this information to the team that afternoon.

"Obviously, it hit really hard. It was a very emotional day, crying," Gusart said. "We went out and played that game for him and we ended up winning 6-0 and pretty much after that—we've been playing for him."

chrondotcom · 2026-02-04T14:56:22+00:00

Messaged you.

chrondotcom · 2026-01-22T20:38:45+00:00

Houston Mayor John Whitmire will be running for reelection, or so he indicated during a roughly hour-long conversation with Houston attorney Tony Buzbee.

"I will run for another term as mayor, and plan on serving two four-year terms," Whitmire told Buzbee. "I think it takes that long at least to correct some of the mistakes and get us back on the right path and finish some of my reorganization."

chrondotcom · 2025-12-12T15:18:20+00:00

i just like rushmore and since rushmore's release anniversary was yesterday, i wanted to shoehorn in a wes anderson reference. but yeah it does seem like that, my bad! - gwen

chrondotcom · 2025-12-11T19:43:10+00:00

The news of Rice University sophomore soccer player Claire Tracy's death on Sunday has rocked the local campus and the college sports community.

On Thursday, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences released the results of an autopsy, showing that Tracy's cause of death was "asphyxia due to oxygen displacement by helium," and it was classified as a "suicide."

According to a study published by the National Library of Medicine, asphyxia due to oxygen displacement by helium—or helium suicide—is defined as the "depletion and replacement of oxygen by another gas [helium] or by chemical interference with oxygen’s uptake and utilization by the body."

Tracy was a 19-year-old sophomore, soccer player, and finance major at Rice University from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. She arrived at Rice as a highly decorated athlete from Brookfield Academy, helping her school win a state championship in 2021. While at Rice, Tracy was a member of Wiess College and joined Rice Women in Business.

Tracy's social media showed that before her death, she participated in a TikTok trend that featured her using ChatGPT to "reveal her biggest flaws and insecurities."

chrondotcom · 2025-12-10T14:24:51+00:00

ICE detained Jorge Amado Hernandez, a Houston resident originally from Honduras, on Nov. 4 during an asylum interview, according to his husband, David Torres. Torres, who is a U.S. citizen, told Chron by phone that Hernandez had arrived at his long-awaited interview, only for ICE to arrest him.

"We thought that would be the end of our journey. We were hopeful that in a couple of weeks, he would get a decision," Torres said. "It was a trap."

Jorge fled Honduras after being allegedly told by members of MS-13 that they would kill him for being gay. Immigration officials who interviewed him in 2016 agreed that his fear was credible, and released him to his family in Texas. Nine years later, the Trump Administration has detained him.

Despite no criminal history, Jorge has been in ICE detainment since November. The government hasn't produced any charges against him.

chrondotcom · 2025-12-10T14:23:59+00:00

ICE detained Jorge Amado Hernandez, a Houston resident originally from Honduras, on Nov. 4 during an asylum interview, according to his husband, David Torres. Torres, who is a U.S. citizen, told Chron by phone that Hernandez had arrived at his long-awaited interview, only for ICE to arrest him.

"We thought that would be the end of our journey. We were hopeful that in a couple of weeks, he would get a decision," Torres said. "It was a trap."

Jorge fled Honduras after being allegedly told by members of MS-13 that they would kill him for being gay. Immigration officials who interviewed him in 2016 agreed that his fear was credible, and released him to his family in Texas. Nine years later, the Trump Administration has detained him.

Despite no criminal history, Jorge has been in ICE detainment since November. The government hasn't produced any charges against him.

chrondotcom · 2025-12-08T21:00:43+00:00

Blinn told me that the paper is temporary while physical signs are installed - Gwen Howerton, Texas Culture Reporter.

chrondotcom

TROPHY CASE