On Tuesday, Curtis Reissig found himself trapped on the fifth-floor balcony of a burning apartment building. "The flames were getting closer and hotter," he told the Associated Press. "I knew I had to do something."

Yesterday, a giant, still under-construction apartment complex in Houston caught on fire. The flames spread quickly, and one unlucky construction worker found himself trapped on a balcony off the building's top floor. A worker at a neighboring office captured his daring escape—he was forced to leap from one floor's balcony to another to escape the heat—before firefighters finally arrived.

A dream weekend of fun and dancing with top industry professionals turned into a waking nightmare for 13-year-old Landry Thompson when she was suddenly seized by police and forcibly removed from the care of her legal guardians for no reason other than that they are two black men.

Using his security camera, Mark Zarsky, a commercial real estate broker living outside Houston, Texas, captured what he believes to be a process server urinating spitefully in his driveway.

Four elderly men were found held captive in a home in "deplorable" conditions in Houston. According to reports, the men, imprisoned for a decade, were being kept there while their captor cashed in the checks they were receiving (possibly from Social Security).

The victim of a home invasion managed to turn the tables on his attackers after they unwittingly forced him into his own gun closet.

A man at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston committed suicide near the ticket area today, firing an AR-15 twice in the air before turning a pistol on himself. All flights have been grounded.

A waiter who stood up for a child with Down syndrome by refusing to serve a customer who made fun of him is receiving praise from people all over the country.

At least three people sustained multiple gunshot wounds today at Lone Star College in Houston, Texas, apparently the result of an argument in which guns were drawn. One of the two alleged shooters is in custody, and the college says the "situation is under control."

Houston police officer Matthew Jacob Marin shot and killed a one-armed, one-legged man in a wheelchair inside a group home because he felt threatened by a "metal object" the double amputee was waving. The "metal object?" A pen.

A 33-year-old Walmart "cart pusher" decided to take matters into his own hands after spotting a remorseful shoplifter at his store in Houston.

Houston restaurant Beaver's endorses marriage equality, and not just because chef-owner Monica Pope is a lesbian. The political sandwich precedent has been set.

The City of Houston Mayor's Office — with financial assistance from the Department of Homeland Security — has produced a public service announcement aimed at helping individuals caught in the crossfire of an "active shooter event" escape unharmed.

Police in Houston arrested a drunk pregnant woman who was found sleeping off her buzz behind the wheel of an idling car around 2:40 AM this morning.

Wonderful news for cheap people and kids looking to make a quick buck this summer: doctors at Memorial Hermann hospital in Houston live-tweeted some light brain surgery today, making it easier than ever to recreate the experience at home.

Sarah Tressler, the Piven-schtupping stripper caught living a shameful secret life as a society reporter, broke her silence on Good Morning America today. She says employer The Houston Chronicle fired her for "not disclosing" her secret sidejob as an "Angry Stripper" with an anonymous blog. (The Chronicle won't comment on what happened.) She doesn't seem too upset, though.

I wasn't going to pile on to the story of Sarah Tressler, the "Angry Stripper" blogger turned society reporter who has apparently scandalized Houston media. I mean, who cares? She's a reporter with a night job. Stripper with a day job. Happens all the time.

Texan stripper Sarah Tressler has been shamed into silence by the shocking revelation that, by day, she is a journalist. She is a society reporter for The Houston Chronicle.

Here's one way to avoid being imprisoned for life on a felony charge: Try to be in jail on a less-serious misdemeanor charge at the same time that the felony crime occurs. This strategy worked for LaDondrell Montgomery, whose armed robbery conviction was just overturned by a Harris County, Texas judge.

Attention! If you landed a plane at the Houston Executive Airport in Texas on Monday, and then disappeared, the police would like to talk to you. About the fact that your plane is filled with marijuana.