Dylan McGuinness
@dylmcguinness
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Politics and government reporter @HoustonChron . New Englander in Texas. Go Sox. Email: dylan.mcguinness @houstonchronicle .com
Houston, TX
Joined April 2011
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Former Rocket Russell Westbrook is donating $100k to the Houston/Harris County winter storm relief fund, which topped $7 million last week, according to Mayor
@SylvesterTurner
. Turner said he spoke to the NBA star at noon about the donation.
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Dozens of people gathering at Discovery Green for a Black Lives Matter rally in wake of the death of Third Ward native George Floyd.
Minnesota officials announced Derek Chauvin, the officer seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck, has been charged with murder and manslaughter.
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Houston, a city with 2.3 million people, garnered fewer votes in its mayoral election than Seattle, a city with 750k people, a third (!) of our size.
Seattle saw 267,414 voters in its November 2021 election. Houston this year: 251,987
Not! Good!
Final vote count/share in Houston's mayoral race:
John Whitmire: 107,109, 42.5%
Sheila Jackson Lee: 89,783, 35.6%
Gilbert Garcia: 18,166, 7.2%
Jack Christie: 17,316, 6.9%
Everyone else combined: 7.8%
Total: 251,987
h/t
@DugBegley
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Breaking: Houston has filed a lawsuit against the new state law blocking an array of local regulations. Critics have dubbed it the 'Death Star bill':
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Former Mayor Kathy Whitmire — the wife of John Whitmire’s late brother — has endorsed Sheila Jackson Lee for mayor, per the congresswoman’s campaign.
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Houston has a long-sought plan to make the city more walkable, easing its heavy reliance on cars.
-Bring buildings closer to the street
-Wider sidewalks
-Put parking lots behind or next to buildings, not in front of them
-Build around transit
More here:
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New:
@OrganizeTexas
,
@SEIUTX
and
@CWAUnion
are endorsing
@SJacksonLee
for mayor. The trio says it hopes to run a $1 million field program for the congresswoman:
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Some protesters have made their way to the intersection of Bagby and Walker. Standing on construction equipment in front of City Hall.
Look to be blocking the intersection but I can’t see that far.
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Why are Drake, 50 Cent and Chris Brown registered to vote at the same Katy house?
They didn’t know, and neither did the homeowners:
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Another candidate jumps in the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in the 18th, should she become mayor.
She can still run if she loses. Notably, Martin has been traveling with Jackson Lee on the mayoral campaign trail. Now he’s launching a bid for her seat:
My name is Isaiah Martin and I’m running to become the next Gen-Z member of the United States Congress — because democracy is only guaranteed if we fight for it.
#TX18
2K
8K
26K
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Inbox:
@RodneyEllis
is holding a fireside chat with
@PeteButtigieg
, newly minted nominee for transportation secretary.
It's at 6 pm tomorrow and will be streamed on the
@nobcoinc
YouTube page.
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Big drainage/budget news:
Houston will once again take charge of cleaning and maintaining open drainage ditches, reversing a
decades-old policy that put the onus on property owners:
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Crowd behind city hall is walking back to Discovery Green.
Organizer: “Your voices have been heard, but your assignment starts today... We gonna leave here peacefully just like we came here peacefully.”
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Dr. David Persse, the city’s health authority, just said your chance of making it through this wave without getting COVID-19 is nearly zero if you’re unvaccinated.
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Just in: Steven Hotze charged for funding voter fraud investigation where repairman was held at gunpoint
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Harris County is on pace to shatter its record for the number of ballots cast on the first day of early voting.
Record (2016): ~68,000
First 3.5 hrs today: ~33,000
If pace holds: ~110,000
h/t
@zachdespart
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HOUSTON MAYORAL RUNOFF:
John Whitmire: 65.2%
Sheila Jackson Lee: 34.7%
This is all early votes, which usually account for about 50-60% of the total.
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Breaking: The FAA has opened an investigation into whether SA City Council's decision to remove Chick-fil-A from an airport contract amounted to religious discrimination.
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Update: City Attorney Arturo Michel says Gov. Abbott overstepped his authority in banning mask mandates.
"The Governor has no authority to suspend the disaster authority of local governments that the Legislature has expressly given them," he said.
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Houston! You've got less than 1 month to register vote in November's City Hall elections.
More details here:
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BREAKING: A Travis County judge just struck down Texas’ new law cracking down on a slew of city and county regulations, siding with Houston and other cities that challenged the law.
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@SylvesterTurner
Turner mentions a truck driver who he said came downtown at 2 a.m. last night to clean up some of the graffiti and "clean up what people had messed up." Said it was his city and he wanted to do his part.
"That's Houston," Turner says.
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Houston is launching a “safe harbor court” to help people who cannot afford to pay fines resolve their cases without entering delinquency or receiving an arrest warrant.
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Some arrests after a confrontation between mounted police and group blocking what I think is the memorial feeder road.
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A Houston contractor refused to sign a contract with the city that included language saying he would agree not to boycott Israel.
Now, a federal judge has said the state law responsible for the language violated his First Amendment rights:
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Mayor
@SylvesterTurner
, asked about POTUS saying affordable housing makes suburbs less safe:
"Sometimes, too much hydroxychloroquine will do things to ya... I'm just offended by the statement, and that's the best I can do without -- I don't want to go Acres Homes up here."
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The first time I got my hair cut in Houston, I went to the barbershop on 11th St featured in Rushmore
The guy was so kind & full of stories that the haircut took 90 minutes. But during one story, he inadvertently shaved off half my eyebrow
Felt like Wes Anderson wrote the scene
Twenty-five years ago, Wes Anderson came home to Houston to make his second film. 'Rushmore' became a cult favorite and launched his career.
While “Rushmore” is not the biggest movie shot in Houston, it holds a special place in this city’s sense of self.
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Some updated Houston vaccination numbers, per the mayor:
-57.5 percent of Houstonians are fully vaccinated
-62.1 percent have their first dose
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Free idea for a city ordinance: Work in Houston is illegal when the temperature drops below 80 degrees and the sun is out
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Reminder: The reporters bringing you news are entirely separate from the Ed Board. We don’t play any role in the endorsements & we report to separate people. There’s no overlap; I talk to many casual readers who find that hard to believe but it’s the truth
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The AP has already called the race for Whitmire. A total landslide.
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The NYT's '36 Hours in Houston' lists these bars: Angel Share, Little Dipper Bar, Dean's Downtown, Bad News (❤️), and West Alabama (❤️)
Seems like they should have branched out more from... that one single block of downtown?
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Some very smart people probably are telling you to go to bed.
I am telling you to stay up all night -- because I am.
I've got the
@HoustonChron
's live blog from 11 pm to 7 am.
Come hang out.
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Crowd filling up. Some police standing by.
Black Lives Matter Houston founder Ashton Woods says the event, which will include march to City Hall, will wrap up around 4:30.
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NEW: A recent John Whitmire ad claimed he has “always supported a woman’s right to choose.”
That isn't true, per newspaper archives and legislative records. More on his foray into politics in 1972:
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Surrounding some horse-mounted police officers at the intersection.
It’s been under construction for months and the street is dug up.
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So excited to be tackling City Hall again. I also like tips, comments and bar recommendations, so send those to dylan.mcguinness
@chron
.com.
In the meantime, I'll be putting together a list of ways to tell me and
@jaspscherer
apart.
@HoustonChron
As for City Hall:
@dylmcguinness
will be taking over my duties, and
@jaspscherer
and
@mmorris011
will continue the great stuff they've been putting out.
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Houston drivers could soon face $100 fines for parking in bike lanes.
There's currently nothing in the city's code that makes doing so a violation, so the only penalty right now is... dirty looks from cyclists.
Council aims to change that tmrw:
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Former SA mayor Lila Cockrell was one of thousands who went to the polls Wed., but she didn’t cast a ballot. She was turned away from the Lions Field voting site for lack of ID.
”I’m 97, I don’t drive anymore,” she said, adding that she’d try again, this time w/ her attorney.
(Relatively) sky-high turnout in early voting continues Wednesday. 12,501 more people cast ballots, bringing the two-day total to 25,419.
Nearly double the 13,843 that voted in the first two days of last month's elections.
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Houston now requires dog and cat owners in the city to microchip their animals, and it is banning “puppy mill” breeders from providing animals to pet stores here.
City will offer education/microchip clinics for a year before enforcing the measures:
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City Hall and Houston politics peeps: It's
@ChengYilun
's first day as the
@HoustonChron
's newest City Hall reporter. We're so excited to have her here. Give her a follow!
(I'm not going anywhere, still)
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Percentage of Election Day voting sites reporting....
Travis: 100%
Bexar: 97%
Dallas: 93%
...
Harris: 13%
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No deaths, no injuries, & just one water evacuation in Houston from Hurricane Nicholas, the city says, though 150k
@CenterPoint
customers w/o power.
“This storm could have been a lot worse for the city of Houston,”
@SylvesterTurner
said.
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Good morning. If you're just waking up, here's where things stand:
-Biden took the lead in WI, is gaining in MI
-Those states, plus PA, GA, NC, and NV still too close to call, per
@AP
-Trump made a premature claim to victory (no one has won)
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Harris County early/mail ballots:
2016: Clinton 53.42%, Trump 42.85% (+10.57 D)
2018: O'Rourke 57.23%, Cruz 42.23% (+15 D)
2020: Biden 56.09%, Trump 42.73% (+13.36 D)
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-Sabrina Lee says she asked Whitmire about the HISD's new policy of turning libraries into discipline centers. She says Whitmire said "libraries are going digital anyways."
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Mayor
@SylvesterTurner
on Tuesday promised Houston residents they will not have to pay exorbitant water bills for burst pipes or leaks after last week’s freeze.
via
@houstonchron
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Sheila Jackson Lee says in concession speech:
"I am a public servant, and being a public servant you never stop working. I hope you’ll allow me to continue to work and serve you as I have done in the past..."
Is that a campaign announcement?
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Mayor
@SylvesterTurner
, Mattress Mack and Kroger Pres. Joe Kelley announce a partnership to announce a food drive for seniors.
Kroger will have bins outside stores to donate items, which they'll bring to Gallery Furniture.
Turner: In our region, that's how we'll overcome this
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BREAKING: Ron Nirenberg wins re-election. I’m told Brockhouse calling to concede now.
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Mayor
@SylvesterTurner
offers a plug for
@METROHouston
as gas prices rise:
"If you want to cut down on those fuel costs, this is an excellent time to take advantage of public transit and all the other forms on transportation."
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Asked about LGBTQ rights, Jackson Lee said she would pursue an equal rights ordinance that includes factors like race and religion.
"You approach it in an equality ordinance by telling people it impacts everyone," she said. "You draw the community together."
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@salliealcorn
Council has unanimously passed this package of ordinances.
New, walkable-friendly development rules coming to:
-Emancipation Avenue
-Midtown
-Hogan/Lorraine Streets
-Most streets within a half mile of a train or bus station
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Police escorting the protestors down Walker Street toward. Irt Hall.
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Pastor Willie Davis has been elected to City Council in Houston.
In September, we reported that he likely doesn't live in the city.
He bought a home in 2021 in Brazoria County, where he claims a homestead exemption. He wouldn't answer our questions:
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Mayor
@SylvesterTurner
announces the city's # of confirmed COVID-19 cases has jumped to 232, from 69; 1 other death has been attributed to the disease in the city. 3 more police officers have tested positive, bringing total to 7.
"The numbers will rise as we continue testing."
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Breaking: City contractors at a Kingwood wastewater plant were doctoring samples and records to suggest they adequately had treated sewage when they had not.
The untreated sewage then was released into Bens Branch, a waterway that feeds Lake Houston.
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Here's your election season reminder that the Chronicle reporters who bring you news every day play no role in, and have no insight into, the endorsements of the Editorial Board, which is separate from the newsroom:
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Per Mayor
@SylvesterTurner
’s request, City Halls from Tacoma to Boston are lighting up in crimson and gold — Yates HS colors — to honor George Floyd.
Including: Augusta, Boston, Denver, Jersey City, LA, Miami, NYC, Newark, Columbia, SC, Tacoma, and Louisville, KY
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The makings of a mayoral blowout. Three City Council districts -- C (Montrose/Heights etc), G (River Oaks/Uptown/Memorial etc), and E (Kingwood/Clear Lake) make up half of all votes in a city election.
Whitmire won 78% or more of the early vote in all of them:
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Interrupting budget updates to ask: Are the U’s in “Justice” and “Counsel” at City Hall hung backwards?
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Dr.
@PeterHotez
to
@LisaGray_HouTX
:
"Even now, with 200,000 deaths, the White House is still relying on a disinformation campaign. That’s really worrisome."
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The horse riders reach the front, later stop at Louisiana to let the crowd catch up:
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Trying to get a COVID-19 test in America, Month 22 of the pandemic:
Walgreens, Walmart, and CVS: out of at-home tests by mid-morning
ShopRite: Never got their delivery
PCR appointments: booked for days
PCR walk-ups: out by mid-morning
A policy failure!
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The amount of virus in the city’s wastewater system is at a level not seen before in the pandemic, Persse said.
Those levels usually predate rises in positivity rate, cases, etc. by two weeks.
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New: City council approves relief fund to give struggling Houstonians $1,200 checks for emergency expenses and daily needs:
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Per his office, Mayor
@SylvesterTurner
will be at the White House tomorrow to attend
@POTUS
's signing of the infrastructure bill.
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Breaking: Club Onyx, which opened after midnight & then closed amid a standoff w/ Houston PD, has won a federal court order allowing it to resume business.
Mayor Sylvester Turner is asking the state to clarify the governor's order or enforce it itself.
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Mayor
@SylvesterTurner
just said that when the king and queen of Uganda came to visit recently, they got stuck in a City Hall elevator for 15 minutes.
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The much-watched primary between Rep. Henry Cuellar and Justice Democrats-backed Jessica Cisneros keeps getting closer.
With 57 percent reporting:
Cuellar: 51.89%
Cisneros: 48.11%
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Mayor
@SylvesterTurner
: “Justice has been served. The Floyd family has waited for almost a year for this verdict, but I will quickly say that they will experience the loss of their loved one, George, for the rest of their lives.”
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PeRsOnAl NeWs: I’m no longer a New Englander. Today’s my first day covering local politics for the
@ExpressNews
in San Antonio. As always, tips, feedback and bar/restaurant rec’s are appreciated: dylan.mcguinness
@express
-news.net. Cheers!
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At Houston's housing forum, candidates are asked whether they would regulate short-term rentals like Airbnbs.
Everyone (Robert Gallegos, Lee Kaplan, Sheila Jackson Lee and John Whitmire) said yes
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Mayor
@SylvesterTurner
has an update on rent relief efforts:
-13,681 tenant applications accepted
-$18.9M obligated, about $8M spent already
-$1.1M is still available, and the city is still accepting applications
-City expects to get ~$13M of the state's rent relief
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The city just voted to use about $647K to place high-risk victims of domestic violence in hotels, lending much-needed assistance to emergency shelters that remain filled amid a spike in violence.
It allows HAWC to use 20 extra rooms a night for 6 months.
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Interesting from a former Metro chair:
“How many of you have seen a car lane taken away from a street? I don't know what's going on, but when you see lots of traffic and a car lane goes away, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know there's gonna be a lot more traffic.”
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🚨
Mayor
@SylvesterTurner
said he’s asked HFC & city lawyers to review the GOP Convention contract & will cancel it today if they’re allowed.
Dr. David Persse called the convention a “clear and present danger,” which Turner said he “simply cannot ignore or overlook.”
Mayor
@SylvesterTurner
addressed the GOP Convention again in his report to city council this morning, but nobody knows what he said because of widespread technical difficulties with HTV.
Council is meeting remotely, & the broadcast missed the beginning of the meeting.
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BREAKING: William-Paul Thomas, a senior aide to Mayor Sylvester Turner, resigned last week after pleading guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to accept a bribe.
It involved changing a bar's status to a restaurant to skirt COVID-19 restrictions:
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Mayor Sylvester Turner is taking his staff to Asiatown for lunch Thursday, a symbolic gesture aimed at alleviating undue fears about COVID-19.
The outing gained new meaning after a Fort Bend man tested presumptively positive for the disease Wed.
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New COVID-19 stats per Houston Mayor
@SylvesterTurner
:
-1,304 new cases (45,415 total);
-15 new deaths (432 total), 9 of whom are Hispanic, 3 Black, and 3 white.
200 have died in July alone.
"We're still moving in the wrong direction. The virus is still running rampant."
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Those gift cards paid off: The city saw a fivefold jump in the number of people getting their first shot Thursday, the first day it offered $100 for the jab.
Wednesday: 121 first doses
Thursday: 658 first doses
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This is the story of how a Houston man found a 10-year-old daughter he didn’t know existed — and a new life — in one photo.
It’s also about a girl, who lost her mom to tragedy when she was 3, regaining a parent.
With
@godovasquez
:
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Houston rebid a $4.2 million tire treading contract to avoid using unpaid prison labor. Now, city councilmembers
@AbbieKamin
and Carolyn Evans-Shabazz hope the state will make a change, too.
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Breaking: In a bombshell reversal, an appeals court has restored Houston firefighters' pay parity measure: via
@houstonchron
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A decent crowd at City Hall for Houston’s Climate Strike, part of a broader event happening in cities across the globe.
One day after Imelda caused severe flooding in parts of Harris County, they’re chanting:
“Our streets flood, so we flood the streets.”
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🚨🚨🚨 Houston’s rate of positive COVID-19 tests has nearly hit 25 percent. So 1 in 4 Houstonians who get tested have the virus.
This is all Houstonians who are tested, based on data that
@HoustonHealth
gets:
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Hadn't realized this before...
Number of people the 17-person Houston city council represents: 2.32 million
Number of people the 113-person Rhode Island legislature represents: 1.06 million.
@LisaGray_HouTX
@RodneyEllis
I love this graphic comparing Harris CO’s population with that of smaller states.
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