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Community Corner

🌱 HISD Hegemony + Kicking The Cowboys

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

Chris Stomberg, Neighbor
(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 dive into:

  • The battle for control over HISD.
  • Justice better late than never.
  • A football Twitter storm caused by our very own Governor.

But first, today's weather:

Mostly sunny. High: 58 Low: 49.

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Here are the top stories in Houston today:

  1. HISD students, parents, and faculty are in a state of limbo as the Texas Education Agency (TEA) decides who will lead the district going forward. Previously, HISD awaited a decision from the Texas Supreme Court after Education Commissioner Mike Morath's attempts to take over the school board in 2019 resulted in legal proceedings. While the lawsuit was eventually elevated to the Texas Supreme Court, they sent the case back to lower courts earlier this month for a final decision. The initial attempted takeover happened as a result of repeated failing accountability ratings, but many HISD representatives now say that those issues have resolved themselves over the four years that the case has been in court. Nonetheless, the Texas Supreme Court did lift the injunction preventing TEA from a full blown takeover in the past. Even if the issues that originally caused a takeover attempt have resolved themselves, it's unlikely that the TEA won't enjoy the spoils of this drawn out legal battle: no matter what instability it might bring for the HISD community. (Houston Chronicle)
  2. A murder suspect who escaped to Central America for two years was recently apprehended by U.S. marshals in Houston and sentenced to 35 years in prison. The murder happened in October of 2018 when suspect Oscar Garcia identified victim Nicolas Bautista as a man who had been stealing tailgates from his shop. Garcia first saw Bautista when he and his girlfriend walked past Garcia's shop on foot. Garcia would go on to follow Bautista and his girlfriend all night until they eventually returned home. Then, Garcia confronted Bautista with a gun in hand. As Bautista turned to leave the situation, Garcia shot him in the back. He then pointed his gun at the girlfriend and sole witness of the murder, but the weapon misfired. Leaving the scene, Garcia booked a flight to El Salvador and left the country as well as his three children and pregnant wife behind. (KHOU11)
  3. Governor Greg Abbott stirred up a Twitter storm yesterday after making a joke about Dallas Cowboy kicker Brett Maher's poor performance. In case you didn't see the game, Maher missed a total of four extra point attempts during the game. While the missed points did not ultimately matter due to a final score of 31-14 in favor of the Cowboys, this didn't stop fans from frothing at the mouth as play progressed. One of these fans was none other than Governor Greg Abbott who tweeted, "I swear, I can kick as good as the Dallas Cowboys kicker." For the uninformed, Abbott has been paralyzed below the waist since a tree fell on him in 1984. The Governor's tweet saw tens of thousands of replies and retweets as well as 76,000 likes before the playoff game ended. (Click2Houston)
  4. A suspected house robber was shot and killed by a neighbor in northwest Houston on Saturday night. HPD Commander Kenneth Campbell said, "The neighbor came outside and confronted the person. At that point, the neighbor was in fear for their safety and discharged the firearm, striking the (suspect)". First responders at the scene attempted to provide the burglar aid, but the gun wound to his chest proved fatal. Police believe that the robbery was planned as the family who lived at the home appeared to be out of town. Investigators say the suspect appeared to be in his 20s. (KTRK-TV)
  5. A Harris County woman shot and killed her husband after she confronted him and repeatedly insisted that he had been with another woman. The victim's mother contacted police about the shooting around 4 a.m. Saturday morning. Despite Life Flight arriving to the scene and flying the victim, Zavier Wright, to Hermann Hospital Medical Center, he did not pull through. Wright, 25, leaves behind his wife and two children. His wife admitted to police that she shot Wright, however, she claimed that she was a victim of an abusive relationship. While she was eventually charged with murder, those charges have since been dropped due to insufficient probably cause and she has since been released from custody. A grand jury will ultimately decide her fate. (KTRK-TV)

Headlines you need to see:

  • HPD: No threats to Houston Lunar New Year celebrations (Houston Chronicle)
  • Dozens of cars broken into at apartment complex on Houston's south side, residents say (KPRC Click2Houston)
  • Mexican supergroup RBD reuniting for world tour with Houston stop (Beaumont Enterprise)
  • Houston Ukrainians honor former leader at East End grave (Houston Chronicle)
  • Man shot in the butt during argument in north Houston, police say (FOX 26 Houston)

Today in Houston:

  • Cheap Ice Skating Nights At Discovery Green (5 p.m.)
  • Dungeons & Dragons with Circle of Barhaven at Brass Tap (6 p.m.)
  • Inprint Yiyun Li And Matthew Salesses Reading at 1500 Sunset Boulevard (7:30 p.m.)
  • Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night at Fuzzy's Taco Shop (League City) (8 p.m.)
  • The Corral Comedy Open Mic with Jesse James at The Secret Group (10 p.m.)

From my notebook:

  • A small plane had an engine malfunction and crash landed on top of an 18-wheeler on the Grand Parkway near Cypress Rosehill Road this past Sunday. Miraculously, police say that no one involved in the crash sustained injuries. (KHOU 11 News via Facebook)
  • A McDonald's located next to the Houston Downtown Terminal bus station closed. This particular McDonald's had a reputation among Houstonians for always being surrounded by homeless. (FOX 26 Houston via Facebook)
  • The Lunar New Year was celebrated on Saturday this past weekend with fireworks, athletic displays in costumes, and reverent offerings to oriental gods. 2023 is the year of the Rabbit: a creature that is said to bring prosperity, hope, and calm. (ABC13 Houston via Facebook)

Featured Kitty:

Chonk is a 5-year-old domestic medium hair available for adoption at the SPCA.

He's a big old kitty weighing in at over 15 pounds!

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You're all caught up for today! Enjoy the Monday mix up. I'll see you soon.

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

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