Jef Rouner, Freelance Journalist Profile

Articles

City of Sugar Land acquires historic 'Char House' for new development

1 week ago | abc13.com | Jef Rouner

SUGAR LAND, Texas -- The Imperial Sugar refinery complex has been gently rotting in the heart of Sugar Land, but a formal purchase of the land and building by the city government promises a chance at new life for the historic building. The video above is from a previous report. Built around 1869, the complex was once a state-of-the-art facility that refined sugar and produced molasses.
City of Sugar Land acquires historic 'Char House' for new development

1 week ago | houston.culturemap.com | Jef Rouner

The Imperial Sugar refinery complex has been gently rotting in the heart of Sugar Land, but a formal purchase of the land and building by the city government promises a chance at new life for the historic building. Built around 1869, the complex was once a state-of-the-art facility that refined sugar and produced molasses. The City of Sugar Land was named for the company, and the company's crown logo is part of the city's official seal.
10 Queer Video Games to Play During Pride Month

1 week ago | houstonpress.com | Jef Rouner |Houston Press

It's Pride Month, but it's also June in Houston, so I'm spending all my time inside with the blackout curtains drawn hiding from the sun. Luckily, there are plenty of great video games with queer characters and stories to keep me occupied. Here are 10 from my own personal library I recommend. 10. Lost Records: Bloom & RageDeveloper Dontnod helped launch this queer game renaissance with Life is Strange, and those game should definitely be on everyone's to-play list.
Doctor Who: Maybe It’s Time to Let the Fangirls Take the Wheel

1 week ago | houstonpress.com | Jef Rouner |Houston Press

The future of Doctor Who is very uncertain. Rumors continue to swirl of an extended hiatus, a cancellation, or the dissolution of the Disney distribution deal. Season 3 (or 16 or 43 depending on how you count) has not been confirmed. Meanwhile, everyone in the fandom is still reeling from watching the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) regenerate into Billie Piper, who may or may not be the Sixteenth Doctor.
Documentary Reveals Houston’s Unsung Blues Legacy

1 week ago | texassignal.com | Jef Rouner

The phrase “luv ya, blue” is synonymous with Houston thanks to the Oilers football team, but maybe the phrase should be “luv ya, blues.” The Bayou City is one of the most important places in the history of the musical genre, but scant few people know it. Hopefully that will change with the film When Houston Had the Blues, a deeply fascinating documentary that explores the rise and fall of the genre in the city’s historic Third and Fifth Wards.
Luxurious downtown hotel expands with more rooms and rooftop pool

1 week ago | houston.culturemap.com | Jef Rouner

The JW Marriott Houston Downtown has revealed plans for a massive expansion that will add the adjacent Battelstein’s Building at 812 Main to the hotel's existing footprint. With an eye to impress guests coming to Houston for the June 2026 FIFA World Cup, the revitalized Battelstein's Building will include a new ground floor restaurant, additional meeting and events spaces, and a rooftop bar and lounge with a pool overlooking the downtown skyline.
Tomashi Jackson Across A Universe In Color And Time

2 weeks ago | texassignal.com | Jef Rouner

Tomashi Jackson’s mid-career retrospective exhibit at The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston may be called Across the Universe, but that title doesn’t really capture the artist’s obsession with time and duration even though it does fit her obsession with pop music. Her work appropriately wanders the world from Houston to Greece, but it’s in her study of time that is her true genius. Born in Houston, Jackson was raised in Los Angeles and studied and worked all over the United States.
AstroWorld tragedy doc debuts today on Netflix as one family responds

2 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Jef Rouner

Scene from the Netflix documentary 'Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy'Courtesy of NetflixThe family of Rudy Pena in the documentary 'Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy' on NetflixCourtesy of NetflixImagine literally drowning in an ocean of other people, the sway of the crowd acting as a deadly undertow that pulls you under until you cannot breathe.
'Figurative Histories' Explores The Artistic Ascension Of Black Bodies

2 weeks ago | texassignal.com | Jef Rouner

Culture — 4 min read Racism takes hold when the human aspect of a people is reduced or eliminated in the cultural zeitgeist. Most American schoolchildren know that Thomas Jefferson invented the dumbwaiter; almost none know that he did it so that his white guests would not see his Black servants and slaves at parties. The distortion or absence of Black bodies has been a part of America since its founding, as intrinsic as guns, turkeys, and drinking songs.
Hobbit Café: Houston’s Most Legendary Restaurant

2 weeks ago | texassignal.com | Jef Rouner

Even in a city as famous for food as Houston is, the Hobbit Café is legendary. Tucked away in the Upper Kirby area in an old house that has steadily grown like a tree over the last 27 years, it has managed to stay relevant despite the city’s booms and busts as well as the rise and fall of J.R.R. Tolkien in mainstream culture. Visiting the Hobbit Café on a hot Friday was like stepping back in time for me.