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Community Corner

🌱 HISD Crisis + Hot Chocolate Season

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. Today, we'll cover:

  • The possibility of school closures.
  • Hot Chocolate in H-Town.
  • A cult film showing this weekend.

But first, today's weather:

Breezy this morning. High: 56 Low: 42.

Here are the top stories today in Houston:

  1. A decline in HISD enrollment has rumors of school closures circulating, but the HISD superintendent says no such closures will happen this school year. While HISD enrollment has plummeted 14 percent since 2016, the cost of educating students has only increased due to gentrification, inflation, and challenges onset by COVID-19. A school board meeting last week linked school and department funding with higher enrollment numbers. Data suggests that HISD will take on a $23 million loss for the 2023 school year. Even still, HISD Superintendent House said, "I think it's important that we're very clear that anything that has to do with school closures and consolidations will be the last option." (KPRC Click2Houston)
  2. It's not often that Houstonians find themselves looking for something hot to drink, but it's safe to say that the time has finally arrived: here are some of your best hot chocolate options in the H. Agora in Montrose offers hot cocoa alongside Texas favorites like kolaches amid the restaurant's distinctly Greek decorum. For an added show, be sure to visit them on Wednesday night to catch the belly dancers. In case you're in the mood for something sweeter, Angels Churros N Chocolate in Cypress has got you covered with their Mexican hot chocolate and churro combo. If the chocolate doesn't warm you up, the cinnamon-covered, warm churros certainly will. There's also bakery Red Dessert Dive in the Heights where hot chocolate becomes a good excuse to answer the holiday hunger pains early. Between brownies, seasonal bread pudding, tres leches, whole cakes, and more, this nearly decade old bakery will convince you that hot chocolate is never meant to be enjoyed alone. (Houstonia Magazine)
  3. Annual showcase Cinema Crawl will feature Japanese ramen Western 'Tampopo' this Saturday at 6 p.m. Hosted by local filmmaking collective Joy Luck Film Club, Cinema Crawl screens films from smaller foreign studios that most movie junkies won't be familiar with. Club representative and Cinema Crawl organizer Vincent Vo said, "What I look for in a feature film is something that will attract an audience, but also something that fits in with, like, something that's not typically seen or something that's more of a cult classic." For example, 'Tampopo' chronicles the story of a pair of truck drivers who help a noodle chef perfect his noodle-soup. (Houston Chronicle)
  4. Lotus Seafood is taking over Houston's seafood scene with urban nomenclature inspired food offerings including the loud pack, the hot box, and their signature crack sauce. First timers to Lotus will be surprised to learn that the restaurant has a legacy in Houston dating back to 2006. Since these humble beginnings, Lotus Seafood has expanded to locations across Houston including Pearland, Westchase, Veterans Memorial, and their newest Stafford restaurant. Stafford in particular offers more than just delicious food thanks to a fully stocked bar, multiple TVs, and even hookah for smoking friendly parties. Visit a Lotus Seafood location soon to find out all the buzz about the Cajun craze. (houstonfoodfinder.com)
  5. A police officer was hit by a suspected drunk driver in SW Houston early Tuesday morning. Officers were investigating a two car crash when a hit-and-run happened just down the street from them. The officers were able to catch up to the hit-and-run driver who was fleeing on foot. Unfortunately, during the chase another car ran into one of the pursuing officers as well as the hit-and-run driver he was after. The driver of that car was administered a field sobriety test and arrested for DWI. Both the hit officer and the hit-and-run driver are recovering in the hospital and expected to survive. (KHOU.com)

Headlines you need to see:

  • Revenge: How Donald Trump Weaponized the Department of Justice Against His Critics (Houston Public Media)
  • Houston vegan pizza shop awarded grant by Shark Tank's Daymond John (Houston Defender)
  • Houston weather: Power restored to thousands of Houston-area CenterPoint Energy customers after storms (KTRK-TV)
  • Sniffspot, the Airbnb of dog parks, grows in Houston (Houston Chronicle)
  • Houstonians have until Saturday to pay discounted rates for delinquent cases at municipal courts in Fall Amnesty Program (KTRK-TV)

Today in Houston:

  • Taco Tuesday at El Pueblito Patio (5 p.m.)
  • Dungeons & Dragons with Circle of Barhaven at Rudyard's (6 p.m.)
  • Core-focused yoga at Discovery Green (6:30 p.m.)
  • Six, The Musical at The Hobby Center (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

  • The New York zoo was home to a miracle thanks to the successful birth of elephant twins for the first time in the U.S. Elephant twins make up less than 1% of elephant births and, as you might imagine, result in exceedingly difficult birth complications. (KHOU 11 News via Facebook)
  • Jeff Bezos told CNN that he plans to give away the majority of his wealth during his lifetime. The billionaire didn't share his exact thoughts on how the wealth would be donated, instead claiming that he was finding philanthropy nearly as difficult as building his business. (KPRC2 / Click2Houston via Facebook)
  • A 25-year-old was dancing atop a truck's cargo hold on the Eastex Freeway before being clipped off of the vehicle by a bridge. The man was rushed to Memorial Hermann after the collision, but ultimately did not make it. (ABC13 Houston via Facebook)

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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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