Category Archives: Elsewhere in Houston

The Houston coyotes

Posted on February 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

No, not another sports team. A bit of wildlife that has found a home in the big city. As the Houston region continues to develop over the next few years, wildlife removal experts say that interactions between coyotes and humans … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

City donates to Winter Street relief

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. Nearly two months after dozens of artists saw their work and gallery spaces burnt away, the city of Houston offered a step toward recovery. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Thursday announced that the city would donate $250,000 toward … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on City donates to Winter Street relief

The Evergreen Negro Cemetery

Posted on February 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. City and METRO officials have discovered 33 burial sites, including three that appear fully intact, near a historic Black cemetery on Lockwood Drive, which the city apparently missed when it tore through the site to expand the street in … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Evergreen Negro Cemetery

Houston Landing

Posted on February 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Meet the new kid on the local media block. More than a year ago, researchers studying local news in the Houston metro area learned something critical to the launch of the Houston Landing. “The community often times feels left out … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Houston Landing

Can you print a house?

Posted on February 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’re gonna find out. 3D printing is taking home construction to new heights. In Houston, a giant printer is building what designers say is the first 3D-printed two-story house in the U.S. The machine has been pouring a concrete mix … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Have you chipped your pet yet?

Posted on February 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The city will begin enforcing its new ordinance requiring dogs and cats to be microchipped. Houston is offering free microchips for dogs and cats before it begins enforcing a new ordinance that requires pets to have the identification devices. City … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Have you chipped your pet yet?

“I bless the drains down in Africa”

Posted on January 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Whoever came up with the Adopt A Drain program is a damn genius. When it comes to naming storm drains, it seems Houstonians have a hard time keeping their minds out of the gutter. In 2018, the city of Houston … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on “I bless the drains down in Africa”

COVID rates tick down again in Houston

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Always a good headline to read. COVID-19 data from the Texas Medical Center this week suggests the current wave may be subsiding, though experts urge caution as a new, highly infectious variant continues to circulate. The average number of daily … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on COVID rates tick down again in Houston

A new Adickes statue is on the way

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Been too long since there was some Giant Presidential Head news. Where to start with all the David Adickes sculptures dotting Houston landscape? Perhaps his 44 gigantic heads paying homage to our U.S. presidents (still no Trump)? His giant cello … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on A new Adickes statue is on the way

More on the Winter Street Studios fire

Posted on January 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron profiles two artists that were affected by the recent fire at the Winter Street Studios. At Winter Street Studios, red caution tape draped an X pattern over an entrance to the building, a workspace for Houston area artists. … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on the Winter Street Studios fire

A walk through four districts, part 3: Try this at home!

Posted on January 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

In Part One I described my weird idea to take a stroll into four Congressional districts, something I decided I could do after taking a close look at the new map in Houston. In Part 2, I took you on … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

A walk through four districts, part 2: Now with pictures

Posted on January 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

In yesterday’s post I described my weird idea to take a stroll into four Congressional districts, something I decided I could do after taking a close look at the new map in Houston. On Wednesday, a bit more than a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

New year, new omicron variant

Posted on January 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Stay safe out there. A new omicron COVID-19 variant is spreading fast across the United States and beginning to make inroads in Houston, where the positivity rate continues to rise. The new strain, XBB.1.5, was first detected on the east … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on New year, new omicron variant

The bats survived another freeze

Posted on January 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A bit of good news. On the fourth day of Christmas, Houston got 600 bats back. As the sun set on Waugh Bridge over Buffalo Bayou Wednesday, the Houston Humane Society released hundreds of Mexican free-tailed bats that had been in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s time to recycle your Christmas tree

Posted on December 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re in the city of Houston and you want your tree to get mulched, here’s how to do it. Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) encourages residents to recycle live Christmas trees after the holidays. The holiday season is … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on It’s time to recycle your Christmas tree

The Winter Street Studios fire

Posted on December 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is so awful. A fire that broke out Tuesday morning at Winter Street Studios has damaged countless works of art and left many Houston artists without workspaces or gallery space. The fire, which began around 6:30 a.m., is being investigated as arson, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Grassroots pollution monitoring

Posted on December 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Great story about a problem that deserves mush more attention from the state. One by one, the residents filtered into the small community center and found seats in the rows of plastic chairs. Some were teenagers wearing yellow-and-black Galena Park … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Grassroots pollution monitoring

We don’t love trash

Posted on December 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Especially not in the bayous. On a recent Saturday morning, around 20 volunteers gathered to clean up trash along the Houston Ship Channel. Armed with pickers and trash bags, they started tackling a small “trash beach” across the channel from … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Recruitment of next summer’s lifeguards is already underway.

Posted on December 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Better luck this time, we hope. The city has begun recruiting lifeguards for next summer following a significant staffing shortage that led to the closure of two-thirds of Houston’s public pools this past season. The Parks and Recreation Department, which operates Houston’s 37 aquatic centers, usually … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Recruitment of next summer’s lifeguards is already underway.

I regret to inform you that “tripledemic” is a word

Posted on December 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is that we may avoid it here in Houston. A collision of three respiratory viruses — COVID-19, influenza and RSV — may not hit Houston as severely as other parts of the country, experts say, but pediatric … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on I regret to inform you that “tripledemic” is a word

Concept Neighborhood’s Second Ward project

Posted on November 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds really cool. I hope they can pull it off, and in a reasonable amount of time. Plans to turn a swath of the East End into a walkable district are getting larger and more ambitious – setting the groundwork … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Concept Neighborhood’s Second Ward project

Houston leads the way in resettling Afghan refugees

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Nicely done. The sudden crush of thousands of Afghans who arrived in Houston last fall forced local refugee resettlement agencies to drastically expand services in a matter of weeks. Houston’s role as the top destination for evacuated Afghans stressed these agencies, which had diminished in … Continue reading →

Posted in Around the world, Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Houston leads the way in resettling Afghan refugees

New regulations for outdoor music events proposed

Posted on October 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good idea, but it feels to me like there ought to be more. Houston is considering tightening up permitting requirements for some large outdoor music events to avoid wasting city resources accommodating last-minute notices. On Thursday, officials from the Houston … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on New regulations for outdoor music events proposed

The wastewater is looking good now

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

In terms of COVID levels, anyway. The COVID-19 viral load in Houston’s wastewater has sunk to its lowest point in seven months as the city puts the latest wave, driven by the highly contagious omicron subvariant BA.5, in the rear … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The wastewater is looking good now

Monkeypox case rate slows

Posted on September 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news. Monkeypox infection rates are slowing in Houston, data shows, with health officials pointing to changing behavior as the key reason for the decline. The 14-day average of daily new cases dropped by 43 percent, from .23 cases … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Monkeypox case rate slows

Opera in the Heights will stay at Lambert Hall

Posted on September 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. The uncertainty is over, Opera in the Heights is staying home. After months of not knowing what the future for the neighborhood staple might hold, a consortium including a longtime Houston singing club and two donors have purchased … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Opera in the Heights will stay at Lambert Hall

The active shooter hoax at our neighborhood school

Posted on September 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This made for a super eventful Tuesday afternoon. Police and panicked parents scrambled to Heights High School Tuesday afternoon, in frantic response to a false report that a gunman had shot 10 people in a room on the 2,400-student Houston … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Elsewhere in Houston, School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Maybe we shouldn’t pave over our best rain-absorbing wetlands

Posted on August 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Just a thought. Even just paving over less of them might be wise. At the far west end of Houston along the Katy Freeway, where the concrete city gives way to bigger sky and taller grass, signs advertising new master-planned communities greet … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Houston will monitor for monkeypox in the wastewater

Posted on August 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a good idea. Houston will begin monitoring its wastewater for monkeypox in late August as cases of the blister-causing contagion continue to climb, health officials said. Scientists will begin testing for the monkeypox virus in city sewage samples “starting in about three … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The latest COVID wave may be peaking in Houston

Posted on August 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully… Texas Medical Center data released Tuesday suggests the latest wave of COVID-19 might have reached its peak in the Houston area, though several key metrics used to track the virus remain high. The medical center’s weekly data report shows that … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The current state of the hospitals

Posted on July 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Worse than before, but not nearly as bad as before that. A small but growing share of Houston healthcare workers are calling in sick with COVID, exacerbating long-running staffing issues at some hospitals amid the virus’s resurgence. But despite spreading … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The current state of the hospitals

There’s no cheap housing in Houston any more

Posted on July 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What are we going to do about that? In the sprawling Houston region, those who could not afford homeownership in the city’s urban core always had options. They could trade proximity for affordability. But as rising home prices and mortgage … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on There’s no cheap housing in Houston any more

COVID hospitalizations up in Houston

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. COVID-19 hospitalizations have nearly doubled in the Houston area over the last month, according to re-published Texas Medical Center data, which paints a clearer picture of the risk associated with newer, increasingly transmissible versions of the virus. The medical … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on COVID hospitalizations up in Houston

Harris County implements a burn ban

Posted on July 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Surely this is a thing we can all comply with. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday enacted a countywide burn ban due to drought conditions and an increased threat of wildfires across unincorporated Harris County, but fireworks will remain legal … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Harris County implements a burn ban