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Community Corner

🌱 Child Dog Tags + G.O.A.T. Therapy

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Houston.

Chris Stomberg, Neighbor
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(Patch Media)

Wake up, Space City! It's me, Chris, your humble servant of the Houston Daily — coming right back at you with the plug on what's happening. Strap in your seatbelts because today we'll be covering:

  • Child I.D. kits are coming home soon.
  • Cute animal therapy.
  • Hopes for a cancer vaccine.

But first, today's weather:

Sunny and pleasant. High: 70 Low: 46.

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Here are the top stories in Houston today:

  1. Public school children across Texas from kindergarten to eighth grade will be bringing home Child I.D. kits over the next few weeks. The kits are arriving in the wake of the Uvalde shooting last school year, but they were actually mandated by the state legislature back in 2021. In other words, Uvalde has nothing to do with their distribution. Instead of protecting against school shooters, the kits are meant as a method of identification for helping find missing or trafficked children. However, this new form of child identification is entirely voluntary. The arrival of these kits in the midst of the state's efforts to reduce school shootings has many parents feeling unheard. A Clear Creek ISD parent said, "It was almost like the state just throwing their hands up and saying, 'We can't do anything about the guns. We're not going to change any of the laws. So, therefore, the next best thing is to make sure that we can identify your K through eighth grader if they are killed in any type of school incident.'" (KTRK-TV)
  2. Rose Therapeutic Farm in Brookshire lets you snuggle cute animals all day as a method of clearing your mind and body of inner turmoil. Owner Tiffany Thompson never set out to own a therapy farm, but, after incorporating goats into her yoga classes, she discovered that the animals provided a healing presence. Now, her farm hosts horses, cows, chickens, pigs, ducks, and even a tortoise. The animals are grouped in attraction houses with imaginative names like the "Fluffy Butt Hut" for chickens, "Baby Goat Snuggle Pen," and "Daryll's Saloon." Daryll being the farm's head cow, of course. Thompson said, "People come out here and enjoy being here, not playing a game, not riding on trains, but just being with the animals, being outside and being present in the moment. It's about relaxing, unwinding and feeling comfortable and secure." (Houston Chronicle)
  3. The couple behind the Pfizer / BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine claim that cancer vaccines could become widely available before 2030. Professor Ozlem Tureci explained, "What we have developed over decades for cancer vaccine development has been the tailwind for developing the COVID-19 vaccine, and now the COVID-19 vaccine and our experience in developing it gives back to our cancer work." Dr. Sam Godfrey, the research information lead at Cancer Research U.K., corroborated Tureci's claims, saying, "The development of several COVID vaccines in record time showed the possibilities of mRNA vaccine technology, which could one day become an effective treatment to help beat cancer." Perhaps there's a light at the end of the tunnel of all this COVID-19 mayhem after all. (ABC13)
  4. Indian food is one of those cuisines that people always expect they need to go out in order to enjoy, but, as far as Houston is concerned, this couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact, there are multiple Indian markets throughout the Bayou City where you can find all the ingredients you need to prepare a delicious South Asian meal for a fraction of the restaurant cost. For instance, the Mahatma Gandhi district, better known as Little India, located between Westpark and the Southwest freeway, hosts Shubh Laxmi Grocers and Keemat Grocers. There's also the Asian Market on the edge of Sugar Land where you can find prepackaged and ready to go pre-made curries. Desi Brothers is yet another Sugar Land Indian grocer staple. However, we're really just touching the surface. To find an Indian grocer near you, follow the link attached. (Chron)
  5. An analysis from Texas A&M Transportation Institute determined that Houston drivers are 1.6 times more likely to approach a green light than a red one. The Houston area ranks ninth nationwide in likelihood of hitting a green light, coming in just behind Dallas. I suppose our northern cousins can have that one. Houston drivers are quick to complain about the frequency with which they encounter red lights, but this study just goes to show that our minds are much better at focusing on the negatives than the positives. All that being said, don't be surprised if you get caught in a revolving red-light door passing through downtown. Emergency vehicles and Metro trains alike commonly throw off downtown traffic light synchronization efforts. (Houston Chronicle)

Headlines you need to see:

  • Move over, slow down: Dangerous driver habits putting roadside crews at risk (KPRC Click2Houston)
  • Separated by war, brought together by love💗🐱: Houston woman helps Ukrainian girl reunite with cat (KPRC Click2Houston)
  • Houston-area Girls Scouts get $4.2 million donation from MacKenzie Scott (Houston Public Media)
  • IKEA partners with self-driving truck company to test deliveries between Houston and Dallas (KVUE.com)
  • TxDOT dedicates $12 billion to Houston roadway projects intended to relieve congestion over 10 years (KTRK-TV)

Today in Houston:

  • Local Lunch Market Wednesdays at City Hall (11 a.m.)
  • Dungeons & Dragons with Circle of Barhaven at Darkhorse Tavern (6 p.m.)
  • Hotel Zaza x Diptyque Paris Happy Hour at Hotel Zaza Museum District (6 p.m.)
  • Fitness at Discovery Green — HIIT class with FitMix Communities (6:30 p.m.)
  • Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night at Palace Social (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

  • McDonald's Boo Buckets are back, providing kid's meals buyers with a souvenir they can use on Halloween night. The buckets come in one of three types: McBoo, McPunk'n, and McGoblin. (KHOU 11 News via Facebook)
  • Court documents show that a custodian of a medical office in Houston was arrested after a co-worker claimed that he gave her a sexually transmitted disease by peeing in her water bottle. I don't know what pee tastes like, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't taste or look like water. (KHOU 11 News via Facebook)
  • A Houston woman is under arrest for capital murder after she killed her daughter because she believed that her offspring was "evil and didn't want anything to do with her anymore." If that's somehow true, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. (ABC13 Houston via Facebook)

Featured Kitty:

Chick-n-Mini is a 2-month-old domestic short hair available for adoption at the SPCA.

Does she come with Chick-fil-A sauce though?

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Now you're armed with current events and ready to throw down in H-town! I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow. Peace ✌

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

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