Category Archives: Elsewhere in Houston

More eating outdoors downtown

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good idea, and I’m glad it’s being continued. DINING IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON CAN be a hassle, what with the limited parking and COVD-19 restrictions affecting seating space at so many eateries. Fortunately, the city of Houston is … Continue reading →

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Iconic Heights church for sale

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some neighborhood news that has us all a little worried. Heights Christian Church, a community gathering place for more than a century, is selling its historic property and merging with another congregation. Rev. Amber Mattingly, the pastor at the church … Continue reading →

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From “Be Someone” to “Vote or Die” to “No War Know Peace”

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The latest version of Houston’s most widely seen public art/public forum. Chandrika Metivier considers themselves fearless. Two weeks ago, Metivier was taking a personal safety risk on a bridge above I-45, painting the words ‘No War Know Peace’ in protest … Continue reading →

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More on the 11th Street project

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron editorial board mostly approves of the city’s plans for 11th Street in the Heights. Ever since Mayor Sylvester Turner unveiled his Vision Zero Action Plan — an ambitious program to end traffic fatalities by 2030 — the city … Continue reading →

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How low can COVID go?

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I feel like this is more a function of time and evolution than anything else, but we’ll see. New coronavirus cases across the greater Houston area dropped to their lowest level in four months, new data showed Monday, just days … Continue reading →

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The Rodeo is back

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna be interesting to see how different it is, if it’s different at all. And this year, after a one-year hiatus, the rodeo again will be focused on preventing the spread of COVID-19, the virus that abruptly brought the rodeo … Continue reading →

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The 11th Street makeover

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna be interesting to see how this turns out. A main thoroughfare through Houston’s Heights is the latest street where city officials are preparing for fewer car lanes, in an effort to consider more ways that people get around. The … Continue reading →

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Et tu, H-GAC?

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

WTAF? Houston is slated to get just 2 percent of the regional council’s $488 million tranche for storm mitigation, angering city leaders who say the city consistently has been shorted when it comes to the federal money. The Houston-Galveston Area … Continue reading →

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Chip your dogs and cats

Posted on February 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the law now in Houston. The city now will now will require resident pet owners to get microchips for their dogs and cats, and will ban so-called ‘puppy mill’ breeders from providing animals to pet stores. City Council voted … Continue reading →

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The wastewater is once again in our favor

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

But there’s still a lot of room for improvement. The latest samples of Houston’s flushed wastewater show diminishing traces of COVID-19 across the region — a promising sign that the highly contagious omicron variant is in retreat. Hospital admissions are … Continue reading →

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River Oaks Theater lives again

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. The curtain is going up on a new era for the vacated River Oaks Theatre. Kimco Realty, the Jericho, New York-based company that owns the River Oaks Shopping Center where the theater sits, announced Wednesday that the cinema will … Continue reading →

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Omicron on the decline in Houston

Posted on February 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news. Omicron is receding in the Houston area, new data show, even as hospitals continue to feel the strain of January’s post-holiday bump in COVID-19 cases. The region’s rate of transmission — a key metric used to gauge … Continue reading →

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The Rodeo will (probably) happen

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Assuming it all doesn’t go south from here. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Tuesday the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo should proceed as planned, citing a decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. “It’s difficult to predict what things are … Continue reading →

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I repeat: We need to get more kids vaccinated

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Come on, Houston. In spite of the spread of the omicron variant, national COVID-19 vaccination rates for children ages 5-11 remain low. The same is true for children in Harris County, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of CDC data. Of Harris … Continue reading →

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Spare a thought for the nurses

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

And do everything you can to avoid getting COVID. [Kristen McLaury, a nurse and unit manager at Methodist Hospital The Woodlands] treated one of the hospital’s first COVID patients and hasn’t stopped since. She now runs the respiratory unit, where … Continue reading →

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Have we reached peak omicron?

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I sure hope so (fingers crossed). Omicron’s swift and sudden surge may have peaked, experts said Monday, but hospitals are likely to remain full in the coming weeks, with the highly contagious COVID-19 strain not expected to recede until March. … Continue reading →

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The Houston Local News Initiative

Posted on January 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

More news is good news. Five foundations, including three local philanthropies, are investing more than $20 million to launch an independent nonprofit news outlet in Houston, entering the city’s competitive media landscape. The Houston Endowment, the Kinder Foundation and Arnold … Continue reading →

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FBI seeks Astroworld info

Posted on January 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Spill ’em if you got ’em. The FBI has created a website that seeks information on the deadly Astroworld Festival, the Houston Police Department said Friday. Members of the public can upload photos and video from the Nov. 5 event … Continue reading →

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Why your recycling hasn’t been picked up yet

Posted on January 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Short answer: Staffing shortages, exacerbated by COVID. A staffing shortage in Houston’s solid waste management department is causing delayed and missed recycling pickups across the city, the agency confirmed. The Solid Waste Management Department is trying to fill 45 vacancies … Continue reading →

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Got to keep an eye on the hospitalizations

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They’re up, but for now we’re still in reasonably decent shape. More than 1,200 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 in the Houston area on Monday, according to data released by the state Tuesday afternoon. The Department of State Health Services … Continue reading →

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We need to get more kids vaccinated

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

C’mon, y’all. Now is very much not the time to be hesitant. Most Houston parents have not rushed out to inoculate their children against COVID-19, new data show, the latest indication that achieving widespread immunity among the young may be … Continue reading →

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Here comes omicron

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not. Houston is seeing early signs of another wave of COVID-19 infections, fueled in part by a fast-spreading omicron variant, as public health officials warn of a nationwide spike in cases as early as next month. The daily … Continue reading →

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A broader look at the Houston project to track COVID in wastewater

Posted on December 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The DMN tells me things I did not know about my current favorite public works project. The [Houston] health department is conducting the wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 in partnership with researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine. Wastewater … Continue reading →

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Yes, omicron was found in the wastewater

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed it. Houston has detected the omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 in eight of its wastewater treatment facilities, confirming the new strain is spreading in the city. A Harris County resident was the first … Continue reading →

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Here comes omicron

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was always just a matter of time. Texas has identified its first case of the omicron COVID-19 variant, a strain flagged as potentially more infectious than any that has come before it, including the delta variant responsible for surges … Continue reading →

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How Houston has handled homelessness

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve done pretty well, actually. Since more than $65 million in COVID-related funding has poured into Houston and Harris County’s coffers, they have worked in tandem with a number of partners to ramp up the housing units available to move … Continue reading →

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Our wastewater treatment plant is ready for omicron

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

One small bit of reassurance in these uncertain times. The Houston Health Department is testing the city’s wastewater for the new COVID variant, omicron, which experts say could soon be found in the U.S. The department tests the city’s wastewater weekly for COVID strains. … Continue reading →

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Harris County at “moderate” threat level again

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For now. As with all things, for now. The COVID-19 threat level in Harris County was reduced Friday to moderate from significant as the local number of hospitalized patients and new cases met thresholds that guide the meter while a … Continue reading →

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No independent investigation of the AstroWorld tragedy

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure how I feel about this yet. Harris County will not launch an independent investigation into the Astroworld festival disaster after commissioners declined to support a plan by County Judge Lina Hidalgo to do so. Instead, the group on … Continue reading →

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Here’s a look at that long-awaited Ismaili Center

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Looks really nice. Designs for Houston’s the Ismaili Center Houston were unveiled Monday afternoon, revealing architecture and gardens likely to set a new bar in a city increasingly devoted to modern design and lush green spaces. With a structure designed … Continue reading →

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Some more AstroWorld stuff

Posted on November 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Firefighter logs from the event tell the story of early chaos and continued problems. Houston firefighters arrived at a small command post parked on the far-flung Orange Lot, about a mile from the festival grounds. They spent the day listening … Continue reading →

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The safety protocols

Posted on November 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We won’t know for some time what exactly went wrong at AstroWorld, but we do know what should have been in place to keep the concertgoers safe. When tens of thousands of people are packed into a confined area like … Continue reading →

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How to help the AstroWorld victims

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Very straightforward. Houstonians hoping to help the victims can contribute to their verified GoFundMe accounts. The fundraising platform has created a hub for Astroworld victims with direct links to verified campaigns to help families cover funeral expenses and medical bills. “We prioritize balancing … Continue reading →

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A timeline of the AstroWorld tragedy

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good reporting about a terrible event. For 37 minutes after Houston police and firefighters responded to a “mass casualty” event at a packed Astroworld rap concert where attendees were crushed against the stage Friday evening, Travis Scott continued performing. Police … Continue reading →

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