The proposal would give HPD officers more discretion over whether or not to call ICE during traffic stops, but the city attorney and police union president said the policy would likely be illegal. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

I made my first appearance on NPR’s Weekend Edition this morning covering the Texas A&M System’s new race and gender curriculum policy. one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5609...

The Texas A&M System Board of Regents approved a new policy today that could limit curriculum related to race and gender identity. The policy change effectively gives university system presidents veto power over such courses. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/edu...

Dan Patrick compared Charlie Kirk to Paul the apostle, and Ken Paxton compared him to Jesus. Paxton also credited God with saving him from Impeachment in 2023. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

UPDATE: In a statement to @houstonpublicmedia.bsky.social, an ICE spokesperson disputed the allegations that officers assaulted Arnoldo and his father, claiming they were false. ICE did not provide the reason for the traffic stop, nor did it confirm if the officers were in unmarked cars.

A 16-year-old Houston resident says law enforcement officers assaulted him and his father after pursuing them in unmarked vehicles. His father was subsequently deported. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

The charges against four people arrested earlier this week during a protest against the removal of the Montrose rainbow crosswalk have been dropped, according to court documents. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/art...

With 11 days left to participate in early voting for the Nov. 4 election, here’s a rundown of everything on the ballot for Harris County voters. 

In less than two weeks, Harris County has gotten its voter registration application backlog down from over 21,000 to just 73, as of this morning. The county was just one of several to have reported issues with the state's new voter registration system. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/vot...

Here is a list of more than a dozen "No Kings" protests scheduled to take place Saturday throughout the Houston area. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/civ...

Given the discussion this week on the potential wide-ranging impacts of the Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v. Callais, here's a hyper-local example of the type of cases that could be impacted. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/vot...

With the November election less than a month away, there were over 21,000 Harris County voter registration applications still pending as of Thursday, according to the county. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

DHS characterized the Sept. 21 shooting incident, in which a coach was injured by an apparent stray bullet in Katy, as an “act of terror.” But local authorities have not indicated that the shooting was targeted. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

Elected officials and civil rights advocates continue their efforts to bring home an 11-year-old U.S. citizen and brain cancer patient who was deported along with her family earlier this year while attempting to travel to Houston for treatment. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

Whitmire’s address was originally scheduled to he held at the Hilton Americas-Houston on Sept. 25. He said Thursday it’s been postponed “indefinitely” as workers at the downtown hotel are in their second week of a strike. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

Houston Mayor John Whitmire was joined by U.S. Navy Rear Adm. John Hewitt in downtown on Tuesday as the city plans to welcome more than 1,000 sailors this fall as part of the city’s first Fleet Week. 

The Houston Avenue bridge, which has repeatedly been struck by motorists passing underneath it over the years, will likely be demolished and relocated in 2027 as part of a TxDOT project to elevate I-10 near White Oak Bayou. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

Hundreds of hotel staff at the Hilton Americas-Houston continued their strike on Tuesday in demand of higher wages. "The reason I'm doing it is because I make $16.50 an hour. It's not enough to pay my bills." www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

Young told @houstonpublicmedia.bsky.social she decided to file the lawsuit because she believes her termination was in retaliation for not wanting to segregate and limit access to books that contain LGBTQ+ themes or ideas www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/edu...

Alexandra del Moral Mealer narrowly lost to Lina Hidalgo in the 2022 race for Harris County Judge. She is now running for the newly redrawn 9th Congressional District. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

Houston advocates and officials are calling for safer pedestrian crossings after a teen was injured by a driver while crossing a street near his school. "When it comes to public safety, we can’t just say, ‘Well, that driver messed up. Shame on them.'" www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said HISD campuses could reach the rating requirements needed to end the state takeover as early as next year. However, other metrics would also be required to end the state's oversight of the district. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/edu...

You may have seen the videos of researchers injecting radioactive material into African Rhino horns to help protect them from poachers. Turns out there's a Texas connection. A&M's nuclear dept. helped with the research to ensure the animals' safety. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

Houston Trump Burger owner could face deportation. ICE said it would enforce immigration law “regardless of what restaurant you own or political beliefs you might have.” www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

A local Teachers' union has filed a lawsuit against Houston ISD for its plan to distribute state-funded teacher raises based on performance rather than experience. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/edu...

Houston Public Media will lose $2.2 million annually for the next two years — or nearly 10% of its annual operating budget — after Congress voted to rescind $1.1 billion in previously approved federal funding for public media. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

A Palestinian man with an immigrant visa was released after being held for nine days at IHA in Houston. His attorney said immigration officials gave no reason for the detention. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Colin Allred criticized the state's response to the deadly floods in the Texas Hill Country and condemned Gov. Greg Abbott's call for mid-decade redistricting. He spoke at a rally Thursday night in Houston's Fifth Ward. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

Several months after the meteorologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service's Houston-Galveston office opted for early retirement, NOAA has appointed a replacement. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from ExxonMobil today regarding the company's $14.25 million penalty for 16,000+ Clean Air Act violations at its Baytown facility. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

Two Houston ISD parents have filed a lawsuit against the district after teachers and staff allegedly continued to use their child's preferred pronouns despite requests from the parents not to do so. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

I read all 26 of Gov. Abbott's veto proclamations so you don't have to. While SB3 got a lot of attention, he also vetoed 25 other bills. Here is a comprehensive list. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

METRO has begun rolling out new bus shelters in select areas of Houston as part of its pilot program to lower temperatures and better protect riders from the heat. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

CenterPoint Energy has reached a settlement agreement with several Houston-area municipalities to spend $3.2 billion over the next several years as part of its systemwide resiliency plan. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/inf...

Houston's National Weather Service has nine vacancies as the Trump administration grants a temporary exemption to hire 126 employees nationwide. "This is triage; this is just like battlefield medicine. All we're doing is plugging up the wounds." www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

A contentious piece of legislation that would have required Harris County to send 30% of its surplus toll road funds to the City of Houston will remain in legislative purgatory after failing to reach a vote by the full Texas House. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

A new Texas law, prompted by the death of a Houston ISD student in December, will create a multimillion-dollar grant program for safer railroad crossings. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

A mural of George Floyd on Elgin St. was torn down last week. My colleague Sarah Grunau and I spoke with the man who had been living in the home before it was demolished. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

"At this time, we ask for respect and privacy for Mr. Coulam’s family and the extended Texas Renaissance Festival family as they grieve." www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

After the May election, Katy ISD students urged the school board to repeal its book & gender policies. "I am young, but I am also my own person. I am smart enough to know that anyone who limits my self-expression does not have my best interests in mind." www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

The prospective buyer of the Texas Renaissance Festival, who sued after a 2023 deal fell apart, plans to continue the annual fall event, according to his attorney. He wants to buy Ren Faire because his family is invested as a vendor for the festival. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

A Judge has ordered the sale of the Texas Renaissance Festival and its assets. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

Three Houston-area members of Congress are asking why the National Weather Service's office in the region has nearly a dozen vacancies ahead of hurricane season. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

The Texas Senate passed a bill this week that would enhance the penalty for assaulting a utility worker, making it equal to that of assaulting a first responder, following assaults on linemen last year in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/inf...

This bill passed the Senate yesterday and is now headed to the House. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

A federal judge has ruled that Spring Branch ISD’s system for electing school board trustees violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by diluting the Hispanic vote within the Houston district. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/vot...

The Houston Food Bank has lost millions in funding due to federal cuts. "We will have less food, a lot less food, and a lot less money and we will have to do the best we can with what we have." www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz from Texas introduced a bill this week to bring the Space Shuttle Discovery back home to Houston.

SB 2722 would restrict how Harris County can use surplus toll road funds and allocate 30% of said funds to the city of Houston. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

BikeHouston's executive director said he believes Houstonians support more cyclist infrastructure — not less. His comments came after Mayor Whitmire criticized the backlash from cyclist & pedestrian advocates over the Austin Street bike lane removal. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/inf...