Houston will soon lose a regional flight service and as many as 1,200 people will lose their jobs as ExpressJet Airlines readies to wind down operations by month’s end.The regional carrier worked exclusively for United Airlines, which announced in July it would discontinue flights with ExpressJet in light of diminished travel demand during the pandemic.Come Oct. 1, hundreds of people currently working for ExpressJet in Houston — the carrier’s largest hub — will be out of a job. The layoffs coincide with furloughs of some 1,349 people who work for United Airlines in Houston.On...…Houston will soon lose a regional flight service and as many as 1,200 people will lose their jobs as ExpressJet Airlines readies to wind down operations by month’s end.The regional carrier worked exclusively for United Airlines, which announced in July it would discontinue flights with ExpressJet in light of diminished travel demand during the pandemic.Come Oct. 1, hundreds of people currently working for ExpressJet in Houston — the carrier’s largest hub — will be out of a job. The layoffs coincide with furloughs of some 1,349 people who work for United Airlines in Houston.On...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateAmazon is opening two stores in Houston on Friday in an expansion of its bid to scoop up more offline sales.The e-commerce giant is installing an Amazon 4-star at The Woodlands Mall and an Amazon Books at the Baybrook Mall in Friendswood. The 4-star store brings the retailer’s top-selling items into a physical store format, while the bookstore offers readers a chance to browse popular books and e-readers in person.Amazon ventured into the realm of physical stores with temporary popup shops in 2014, and began rolling out permanent...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateAmazon is opening two stores in Houston on Friday in an expansion of its bid to scoop up more offline sales.The e-commerce giant is installing an Amazon 4-star at The Woodlands Mall and an Amazon Books at the Baybrook Mall in Friendswood. The 4-star store brings the retailer’s top-selling items into a physical store format, while the bookstore offers readers a chance to browse popular books and e-readers in person.Amazon ventured into the realm of physical stores with temporary popup shops in 2014, and began rolling out permanent...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateDiana Garcia spends most of her day alone in the gift shop she manages, one of the few stores with lights on in her corner of the tunnel underneath Louisiana Street. The three neighboring restaurants that once brought hundreds of people past Glamour’s Gifts — and many of them inside — remain dark, more than a year after the coronavirus pandemic emptied downtown office towers of workers.“No one is ever here,” Garcia said.Few areas of the local economy were hit as hard by the pandemic as downtown and few face as much uncertainty as...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateDiana Garcia spends most of her day alone in the gift shop she manages, one of the few stores with lights on in her corner of the tunnel underneath Louisiana Street. The three neighboring restaurants that once brought hundreds of people past Glamour’s Gifts — and many of them inside — remain dark, more than a year after the coronavirus pandemic emptied downtown office towers of workers.“No one is ever here,” Garcia said.Few areas of the local economy were hit as hard by the pandemic as downtown and few face as much uncertainty as...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateMillions of Texans were without heat and electricity Monday as snow, ice and frigid temperatures caused a catastrophic failure of the state’s power grid.The Texas power grid, powered largely by wind and natural gas, is relatively well equipped to handle the state’s hot and humid summers when demand for power soars. But unlike blistering summers, the severe winter weather delivered a crippling blow to power production, cutting supplies as the falling temperatures increased demand.Natural gas shortages and frozen wind turbines were...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateMillions of Texans were without heat and electricity Monday as snow, ice and frigid temperatures caused a catastrophic failure of the state’s power grid.The Texas power grid, powered largely by wind and natural gas, is relatively well equipped to handle the state’s hot and humid summers when demand for power soars. But unlike blistering summers, the severe winter weather delivered a crippling blow to power production, cutting supplies as the falling temperatures increased demand.Natural gas shortages and frozen wind turbines were...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateAlto, a new rideshare company based in Dallas, will roll into view in Houston as it looks to expand its reach and compete with Uber and Lyft.The app-based service, which arrives in Houston Thursday, looks to distinguish itself in the market by offering what it calls a consistent experience by managing its own fleet of 200 luxury Buick sports utility vehicles and hiring employees to drive them rather than relying on independent contractors, as competittors such as Uber and Lyft do.On HoustonChronicle.com:The company, founded in...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateAlto, a new rideshare company based in Dallas, will roll into view in Houston as it looks to expand its reach and compete with Uber and Lyft.The app-based service, which arrives in Houston Thursday, looks to distinguish itself in the market by offering what it calls a consistent experience by managing its own fleet of 200 luxury Buick sports utility vehicles and hiring employees to drive them rather than relying on independent contractors, as competittors such as Uber and Lyft do.On HoustonChronicle.com:The company, founded in...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateDespite the best efforts of retailers large and small to jumpstart holiday shopping with discounts well before the traditional Thanksgiving start to the season, sales are projected to increase only modestly across the country compared to last year. In Houston, they are likely to be worse.While shoppers nationwide are expected to spend $1.15 trillion this holiday season, a 1 percent increase form 2019 levels, holiday spending in Houston is projected to plunge from last year’s heights, according to a survey from consulting firm...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateDespite the best efforts of retailers large and small to jumpstart holiday shopping with discounts well before the traditional Thanksgiving start to the season, sales are projected to increase only modestly across the country compared to last year. In Houston, they are likely to be worse.While shoppers nationwide are expected to spend $1.15 trillion this holiday season, a 1 percent increase form 2019 levels, holiday spending in Houston is projected to plunge from last year’s heights, according to a survey from consulting firm...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe clacking of heels echoed against Washington Avenue’s pavement and the scent of musky cologne wafted through the air. A group of men pedaled down the street on a party trolley. A woman on stilts in a sequined dress made her way inside a bar to entertain the crowds. Small groups ballooned into long, snaking lines along one of Houston’s most popular party strips, as hundreds of bargoers congregated with little social distance.It was 10 p.m. on the first Saturday night in October, a typical night out in Houston — typical, that is,...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe clacking of heels echoed against Washington Avenue’s pavement and the scent of musky cologne wafted through the air. A group of men pedaled down the street on a party trolley. A woman on stilts in a sequined dress made her way inside a bar to entertain the crowds. Small groups ballooned into long, snaking lines along one of Houston’s most popular party strips, as hundreds of bargoers congregated with little social distance.It was 10 p.m. on the first Saturday night in October, a typical night out in Houston — typical, that is,...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateLuby’s Inc. said Tuesday that its board voted Sept. 4 to and distribute any proceeds to investors.The company, which traces its roots to 1947 and was for decades a Texas dining staple, said it would liquidate its restaurant businesses, real estate and the company’s culinary contract services business.. The company said it hoped to see between $92 million and $123 million in proceeds from the liquidation.On HoustonChronicle.com:For the quarter ended June 30, Luby’s valued its “property and equipment” at $104 million. It had...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateLuby’s Inc. said Tuesday that its board voted Sept. 4 to and distribute any proceeds to investors.The company, which traces its roots to 1947 and was for decades a Texas dining staple, said it would liquidate its restaurant businesses, real estate and the company’s culinary contract services business.. The company said it hoped to see between $92 million and $123 million in proceeds from the liquidation.On HoustonChronicle.com:For the quarter ended June 30, Luby’s valued its “property and equipment” at $104 million. It had...WW…

An underperforming Randalls in Bellaire will soon close, the grocery chain’s parent company confirmed Wednesday.The liquidation process began Wednesday, a spokeswoman said. The store, located at 5130 Bellaire, will close by Feb. 20.“In such a competitive environment, our company must sometimes make the tough decision to close an underperforming store so that we can reinvest in our remaining stores in the marketplace,” said Christy Lara, the company’s regional director of public relations.On HoustonChronicle.com:Randalls, a unit of Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Cos., had already closed a...…An underperforming Randalls in Bellaire will soon close, the grocery chain’s parent company confirmed Wednesday.The liquidation process began Wednesday, a spokeswoman said. The store, located at 5130 Bellaire, will close by Feb. 20.“In such a competitive environment, our company must sometimes make the tough decision to close an underperforming store so that we can reinvest in our remaining stores in the marketplace,” said Christy Lara, the company’s regional director of public relations.On HoustonChronicle.com:Randalls, a unit of Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Cos., had already closed a...WW…