Bracing for a second day of fierce protests, local and state leaders deployed a heavy presence of law enforcement officers across Houston Saturday and were met with largely peaceful demonstrations — along with occasional clashes — by those angered over the death of former Houston resident George Floyd.By late evening, officials had yet to see a repeat of the chaotic events from Friday night that injured eight police officers, damaged 16 police cruisers and resulted in 137 arrests. The day began with Floyd’s classmates from Yates High School through the Third Ward neighborhood where he grew...…Bracing for a second day of fierce protests, local and state leaders deployed a heavy presence of law enforcement officers across Houston Saturday and were met with largely peaceful demonstrations — along with occasional clashes — by those angered over the death of former Houston resident George Floyd.By late evening, officials had yet to see a repeat of the chaotic events from Friday night that injured eight police officers, damaged 16 police cruisers and resulted in 137 arrests. The day began with Floyd’s classmates from Yates High School through the Third Ward neighborhood where he grew...WW…

One of Houston’s two Confederate statues will be stored in a warehouse instead of a Texas historical site — at least for now.The statue, which depicts Confederate Lt. Richard “Dick” Dowling and stands at the entrance to Hermann Park, initially was slated to go to the Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site in Port Arthur as part of a plan Mayor Sylvester Turner announced last week to .Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie, however, balked at that idea, calling it “totally disrespectful for some society to make a decision for something to be placed here.”The Texas Historical Commission,...…One of Houston’s two Confederate statues will be stored in a warehouse instead of a Texas historical site — at least for now.The statue, which depicts Confederate Lt. Richard “Dick” Dowling and stands at the entrance to Hermann Park, initially was slated to go to the Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site in Port Arthur as part of a plan Mayor Sylvester Turner announced last week to .Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie, however, balked at that idea, calling it “totally disrespectful for some society to make a decision for something to be placed here.”The Texas Historical Commission,...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateA strip club in Houston won a temporary order from federal court Friday night to resume business this weekend under the governor’s reopen order, drawing the frustration of local officials tasked with enforcing new rules amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Club Onyx opened just after midnight Friday, claiming it’s a full-service restaurant and that strippers there were merely “entertainment.” The governor’s order allowed restaurants, retail businesses, malls and movie theaters to open at 25 percent capacity Friday.“Yes, I have a nightclub...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateA strip club in Houston won a temporary order from federal court Friday night to resume business this weekend under the governor’s reopen order, drawing the frustration of local officials tasked with enforcing new rules amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Club Onyx opened just after midnight Friday, claiming it’s a full-service restaurant and that strippers there were merely “entertainment.” The governor’s order allowed restaurants, retail businesses, malls and movie theaters to open at 25 percent capacity Friday.“Yes, I have a nightclub...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateDrivers who park in Houston’s bike lanes soon could face a $100 fine.City council on Wednesday is set to consider an ordinance allowing for fines for people park in or otherwise block the lanes, disrupting cyclist traffic. Currently, fines are allowed only when there are nearby “no parking” signs.“There was nothing in the code that said you can’t park in a bike lane,” said Maria Irshad, assistant director of the ParkHouston, the city’s parking management division.The disruptions long have frustrated Houston cyclists, who have had...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateDrivers who park in Houston’s bike lanes soon could face a $100 fine.City council on Wednesday is set to consider an ordinance allowing for fines for people park in or otherwise block the lanes, disrupting cyclist traffic. Currently, fines are allowed only when there are nearby “no parking” signs.“There was nothing in the code that said you can’t park in a bike lane,” said Maria Irshad, assistant director of the ParkHouston, the city’s parking management division.The disruptions long have frustrated Houston cyclists, who have had...WW…

Researchers with the city, Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine were able to sniff out a potential second outbreak of COVID-19 at a homeless shelter in downtown Houston earlier this year by looking down its drains instead of in people's noses, health officials said Thursday.Quashing the resurgence at the Star of Hope Men’s Shelter earlier this year was one of the first successes of an effort to track the novel coronavirus through wastewater, city officials said Thursday. The initiative, one of several occurring around the country, attempts to spot outbreaks by sampling water at...…Researchers with the city, Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine were able to sniff out a potential second outbreak of COVID-19 at a homeless shelter in downtown Houston earlier this year by looking down its drains instead of in people's noses, health officials said Thursday.Quashing the resurgence at the Star of Hope Men’s Shelter earlier this year was one of the first successes of an effort to track the novel coronavirus through wastewater, city officials said Thursday. The initiative, one of several occurring around the country, attempts to spot outbreaks by sampling water at...WW…

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says it will not enforce Gov. Greg Abbott’s order requiring most Texans to wear masks when they’re in public.In a statement, the agency said it “will take NO actions to enforce” the order, arguing that it is unenforceable because it doesn’t allow law enforcement to detain, arrest or jail violators.“This language strips law enforcement of the necessary tools to enforce compliance with the law,” the agency said.More Coronavirus NewsAbbott’s policy requires residents in counties with more than 20 cases of COVID-19 to wear masks when they are in public and...…The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says it will not enforce Gov. Greg Abbott’s order requiring most Texans to wear masks when they’re in public.In a statement, the agency said it “will take NO actions to enforce” the order, arguing that it is unenforceable because it doesn’t allow law enforcement to detain, arrest or jail violators.“This language strips law enforcement of the necessary tools to enforce compliance with the law,” the agency said.More Coronavirus NewsAbbott’s policy requires residents in counties with more than 20 cases of COVID-19 to wear masks when they are in public and...WW…

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, facing an economy hammered by the coronavirus pandemic and collapsing oil prices, on Tuesday proposed to close an upcoming budget gap by furloughing about 3,000 municipal workers, deferring all police cadet classes and exhausting the city’s entire $20 million “rainy day” fund.The proposals are in response to an estimated $169 million revenue shortfall for the fiscal year that begins July 1.Emptying the rainy day fund “leaves the city in a precarious state for the upcoming hurricane season,” the mayor acknowledged in a message to city council members that...…Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, facing an economy hammered by the coronavirus pandemic and collapsing oil prices, on Tuesday proposed to close an upcoming budget gap by furloughing about 3,000 municipal workers, deferring all police cadet classes and exhausting the city’s entire $20 million “rainy day” fund.The proposals are in response to an estimated $169 million revenue shortfall for the fiscal year that begins July 1.Emptying the rainy day fund “leaves the city in a precarious state for the upcoming hurricane season,” the mayor acknowledged in a message to city council members that...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateHouston’s first Climate Action Plan calls on the city’s 4,600 energy companies to lead the transition to renewable sources, while residents are asked to swap car rides for mass transit and work to cut down on the estimated seven pounds of waste each person discards every day.The plan also calls for the city to adopt a new building code and develop a long-range plan for its waste collection system as part of a broad-based effort to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.The 97-page plan, in the works for more than a year and , is a...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateHouston’s first Climate Action Plan calls on the city’s 4,600 energy companies to lead the transition to renewable sources, while residents are asked to swap car rides for mass transit and work to cut down on the estimated seven pounds of waste each person discards every day.The plan also calls for the city to adopt a new building code and develop a long-range plan for its waste collection system as part of a broad-based effort to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.The 97-page plan, in the works for more than a year and , is a...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateBefore the sun rose on Monday, Feb. 15, backup power generators at Houston’s Northeast Water Treatment Plant already were failing. Ten tripped offline as ice, snow and frigid temperatures plunged Texas’ power grid into its worst crisis in decades. Even as workers battled to reset generators and keep the electricity on, 20 city drinking water facilities would lose all or some power that day.It was the same for much of the state as water suppliers struggled against the long-lasting outages. A falling tree knocked out power lines to...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateBefore the sun rose on Monday, Feb. 15, backup power generators at Houston’s Northeast Water Treatment Plant already were failing. Ten tripped offline as ice, snow and frigid temperatures plunged Texas’ power grid into its worst crisis in decades. Even as workers battled to reset generators and keep the electricity on, 20 city drinking water facilities would lose all or some power that day.It was the same for much of the state as water suppliers struggled against the long-lasting outages. A falling tree knocked out power lines to...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateHarris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Friday moved the county to the worst threat level, calling for a return to the stay-at-home conditions of March and April, as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to spike.She also banned outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people in unincorporated Harris County, while urging mayors to do the same in their cities.Hidalgo described in dire terms the danger the pandemic currently poses and said the county is at greater risk than at any other time since the outbreak began here in March.“Today we find...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateHarris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Friday moved the county to the worst threat level, calling for a return to the stay-at-home conditions of March and April, as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to spike.She also banned outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people in unincorporated Harris County, while urging mayors to do the same in their cities.Hidalgo described in dire terms the danger the pandemic currently poses and said the county is at greater risk than at any other time since the outbreak began here in March.“Today we find...WW…