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Community Corner

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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 look at:

  • A beef recall.
  • Tiger Woods mini-putt this Christmas season.
  • Two new arrivals at the Houston zoo.

But first, today's weather:

Partly sunny with a shower. High: 59 Low: 44.

Here are the top stories today in Houston:

  1. H-E-B shoppers beware: supplier Tyson Foods just issued a recall for over 90,000 pounds of ground beef products. The recall concerns five and 10 pound tubes of Hill Country Fare 73 percent ground beef and five pound chubs of H-E-B 80 percent ground chuck specifically. If you're unsure of whether you purchased a recall product, you can double check by looking for a freeze by date of 11/25/2022. Tyson Foods said the tubes were recalled due to possible contamination by foreign matter that appears as a mirror-like material. (KPRC Click2Houston)
  2. A family-friendly putting facility managed by high profile golfer Tiger Woods is coming to Katy. Miniature golf course Popstroke will open its fifth location near West Side mall in Katy by the end of the year, providing two putting courses for play designed by none other than the legend Tiger himself. Aside from mini-putt, visitors can also enjoy an onsite ice cream shop, open-air restaurant, and beer garden. (KHOU.com)
  3. Two orphaned cougar cubs from Washington state have found their new home at the Houston Zoo. The cubs were originally found alone in the wild. At the tender age of four weeks old, experts believed that life in the wild would have provided the two young cougar boys with a slim chance at survival. Consequently, the cougars were a perfect fit for human care. The University of Houston cougar mascot Shasta VI passed back in August, meaning the Houston zoo has been in need of a new heir to the mascot throne for some time. One of the boys has been named Shasta VII while the other was dubbed Louie. Both cougars will take up the longstanding tradition of the Houston Zoo housing a mascot for the University of Houston to represent the cougar spirit. For super cute photos of the pair, check the link. (KPRC Click2Houston)
  4. Texas will have to act to limit ozone pollution across Houston after the Bayou City was recognized as a "severe" violator of federal ozone standards. Five cities across the country, Dallas included, share the honor of failing to meet ozone regulations set by the EPA back in 2008. Atmospheric scientist at Rice University Dan Cohan said, "We're not getting worse, but just the longer this lasts of not meeting an old standard, the more that EPA ratchets up the rules for the region." Cohan also believes the Houston region will have difficulty meeting the standard until enough electric cars hit Houston roads to make up the difference. (Houston Public Media)
  5. A $250M Texas Facilities Fund will support charter schools in underserved communities across Space City. The Equitable Facilities fund aims to elevate education in under resourced areas by providing families with the opportunity to send their kids to charter schools being developed in the area. Charter schools provide their students with more educational freedom thanks to being clear of many public school regulations. However, their overall effectiveness in educating students more thoroughly than public schools has yet to be determined. Charter schools have also seen controversy in the past for cherry picking students among other things and remain a hotly debated topic in education. (The Business Journals)

Headlines you need to see:

  • Couple rebuilt homes as Airbnb's to revitalize north Houston neighborhood (FOX 26 Houston)
  • After some sunshine today, Houston will face a sustained stretch of gloomy weather (Space City Weather)
  • Flu season hits Houston area earlier than usual (Houston Public Media)
  • Operation Turkey looking for volunteers to help with Thanksgiving event (KPRC Click2Houston)
  • Houstonians gear up for the busy season ahead with big crowds expected at airports and roads (KTRK-TV)

Today in Houston:

  • Fitness: Pilates at Discovery Green (6 p.m.)
  • Harry Potter Trivia at Walking Stick Brewery (7 p.m.)
  • Concert: Matt Maeson at White Oak Music Hall (7 p.m.)
  • Come & Take It Comedy Festival Kickoff at The Secret Group (8 p.m.)
  • Karaoke Thursdays at The Secret Group (10 p.m.)

From my notebook:

  • Legislation that will make same-sex marriage legal nationwide was approved by the Senate in a test vote conducted yesterday. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said the bill is an opportunity for our country to "live up to its highest ideals." (KHOU 11 News via Facebook)
  • Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson will be on hand Saturday morning at Toyota Center for a turkey giveaway. His G-Unity Foundation has partnered with the Rockets and Kroger to bring Thanksgiving birds to everyone. (Houston Chronicle via Facebook)
  • Police officers at 4500 Bingle Road saw their patrol vehicle sustain heavy damage after a shooter with an AK-47 style weapon opened fire on them. Thankfully, neither of the officers involved in the shooting were hurt. (Houston Police Department via Facebook)

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Events:

Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Thursday! I'll see you tomorrow for the Friday low down. Hang in there, we're almost to the weekend.

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