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Chron •

'A discriminatory action:' Sheila Jackson Lee blasts HISD takeover

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee joined state lawmakers in Austin Wednesday in a closed-door meeting as the Texas Education Agency announced it would take over the Houston Independent School District in June. After calling for a federal investigation, Lee said she has spoken with the U.S. Department of Education and is waiting to hear about the next steps.

"I've been talking with the Department of Education and hope to speak with them today," Lee said in an interview with Chron. "I believe this is
Chron •

‘An open race’: City Council's Gallegos wants to be next Houston mayor

Houston City Council Member Robert Gallegos has added his name to the list of candidates vying to be the next mayor of Houston in 2023.

"Out of the candidates that have stated that they're running, I'm the only one that actually has nine years of experience actually under my belt at City Hall working on city issues day-in and day-out," Gallegos said in an interview with Chron Friday. His candidacy was first reported by Dylan McGuinness at the Houston Chronicle.

If elected, Gallegos would be th
Chron •

ShotSpotter technology questioned after Houston City Council approval

After a clerical error, Houston City Council members voted to alter the city's agreement with ShotSpotter Technology Inc., a gunshot detection technology company, to $3.5 million and pay a $700,000 past due bill in a Wednesday meeting on Jan. 31.

Local officials said the initial contract was always supposed to be $3.5 million, but wasn't noticed by officials until the Houston Police Department tried to renew the contract in January and was notified of an overdue bill, according to city records
Chron •

Dancing robots are among the highlights of Blaffer's winter exhibits

Earlier this month, the Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston opened the year with its Winter Exhibition, highlighting three different artists, each offering a window into their personal worldviews. Two of the exhibits will be on view to the public from now until mid-March.

One of them, "The Secrecy of Water" by Leslie Martinez, is a collection of abstract paintings highlighted by colorful ridges of texture. According to Martinez, the work is their attempt to capture the ecological ma
Chron •

Houston's hottest party is a secret moving disco with only one rule

Close your eyes and imagine illuminating red and purple lighting swirling all around you. Disco balls turn slowly overhead and Houstonians from all walks of life envelop you, dancing to Afrobeat and electronic rhythms pulsing from a set of white stand-up speakers. The people here wear bomber jackets, shiny pants, sparkly shoes, and bell bottoms in varying states of vintage, and they've all come to this place, an undisclosed location on a Saturday night, to gather in a semiannual moving party.

N
Chron •

How landlords turned Houston into a city of renters

Houston and Harris County are among Texas’s most rapidly growing metro areas. In just the last decade, Houston has seen a 9.8 percent population increase—a statistic local leaders trumpet as evidence of the city’s economic strength and potential. As Houston and Harris County have grown, so too has the number of residents for whom owning a home has become economically unfeasible or impossible.

A report published by RentCafe shows that six Harris County zip codes have become renter-majority commu
Chron •

Texas doctors issue dire warning ahead of state maternal death report

At a Friday meeting, the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee warned Texans of dire maternal mortality statistics to be relayed in a forthcoming report from the Texas Department of Health Services set for release next week.

The committee has reviewed portions of the findings, which encompass data and statewide trends related to pregnancy deaths from 2016 to 2020.

The resulting picture painted by the report is one of unnecessary death and disparity, committee members said, cl
Chron •

Harris County Jail just recorded its most in-custody deaths in 20 years

The Harris County Sheriff’s office reported three more deaths in the county jail earlier this week, increasing the toll this year to 27. That tally is the most in-custody deaths the county has seen since 2006, according to the Texas Justice Initiative, a watchdog group compiling data on fatalities that occur within the state's justice system.

The circumstances of these newly reported deaths, and what's known about them, vary. John Maxey Jr., a 74-year-old Black man detained in the county jail s
Chron •

'A discriminatory action:' Sheila Jackson Lee blasts HISD takeover

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee joined state lawmakers in Austin Wednesday in a closed-door meeting as the Texas Education Agency announced it would take over the Houston Independent School District in June. After calling for a federal investigation, Lee said she has spoken with the U.S. Department of Education and is waiting to hear about the next steps.

"I've been talking with the Department of Education and hope to speak with them today," Lee said in an interview with Chron. "I believe this is
Chron •

'A discriminatory action:' Sheila Jackson Lee blasts HISD takeover

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee joined state lawmakers in Austin Wednesday in a closed-door meeting as the Texas Education Agency announced it would take over the Houston Independent School District in June. After calling for a federal investigation, Lee said she has spoken with the U.S. Department of Education and is waiting to hear about the next steps.

"I've been talking with the Department of Education and hope to speak with them today," Lee said in an interview with Chron. "I believe this is
Chron •

‘An open race’: City Council's Gallegos wants to be next Houston mayor

Houston City Council Member Robert Gallegos has added his name to the list of candidates vying to be the next mayor of Houston in 2023.

"Out of the candidates that have stated that they're running, I'm the only one that actually has nine years of experience actually under my belt at City Hall working on city issues day-in and day-out," Gallegos said in an interview with Chron Friday. His candidacy was first reported by Dylan McGuinness at the Houston Chronicle.

If elected, Gallegos would be th
Chron •

ShotSpotter technology questioned after Houston City Council approval

After a clerical error, Houston City Council members voted to alter the city's agreement with ShotSpotter Technology Inc., a gunshot detection technology company, to $3.5 million and pay a $700,000 past due bill in a Wednesday meeting on Jan. 31.

Local officials said the initial contract was always supposed to be $3.5 million, but wasn't noticed by officials until the Houston Police Department tried to renew the contract in January and was notified of an overdue bill, according to city records
Chron •

Dancing robots are among the highlights of Blaffer's winter exhibits

Earlier this month, the Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston opened the year with its Winter Exhibition, highlighting three different artists, each offering a window into their personal worldviews. Two of the exhibits will be on view to the public from now until mid-March.

One of them, "The Secrecy of Water" by Leslie Martinez, is a collection of abstract paintings highlighted by colorful ridges of texture. According to Martinez, the work is their attempt to capture the ecological ma
Chron •

Houston's hottest party is a secret moving disco with only one rule

Close your eyes and imagine illuminating red and purple lighting swirling all around you. Disco balls turn slowly overhead and Houstonians from all walks of life envelop you, dancing to Afrobeat and electronic rhythms pulsing from a set of white stand-up speakers. The people here wear bomber jackets, shiny pants, sparkly shoes, and bell bottoms in varying states of vintage, and they've all come to this place, an undisclosed location on a Saturday night, to gather in a semiannual moving party.

N
Chron •

How landlords turned Houston into a city of renters

Houston and Harris County are among Texas’s most rapidly growing metro areas. In just the last decade, Houston has seen a 9.8 percent population increase—a statistic local leaders trumpet as evidence of the city’s economic strength and potential. As Houston and Harris County have grown, so too has the number of residents for whom owning a home has become economically unfeasible or impossible.

A report published by RentCafe shows that six Harris County zip codes have become renter-majority commu
Chron •

Texas doctors issue dire warning ahead of state maternal death report

At a Friday meeting, the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee warned Texans of dire maternal mortality statistics to be relayed in a forthcoming report from the Texas Department of Health Services set for release next week.

The committee has reviewed portions of the findings, which encompass data and statewide trends related to pregnancy deaths from 2016 to 2020.

The resulting picture painted by the report is one of unnecessary death and disparity, committee members said, cl
Chron •

Harris County Jail just recorded its most in-custody deaths in 20 years

The Harris County Sheriff’s office reported three more deaths in the county jail earlier this week, increasing the toll this year to 27. That tally is the most in-custody deaths the county has seen since 2006, according to the Texas Justice Initiative, a watchdog group compiling data on fatalities that occur within the state's justice system.

The circumstances of these newly reported deaths, and what's known about them, vary. John Maxey Jr., a 74-year-old Black man detained in the county jail s
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