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Community Corner

🌱 Purple Martin Preparations + Taxi Set Up

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

Chris Stomberg, Neighbor
(Patch Media)

Hello again, neighbors! I'm back in your inbox this morning with your fresh copy of the Houston Daily. Here's all the local news you need to know right now. Today we have these stories and more:

  • Events to elevate your weekend.
  • The coming of the Purple Martins.
  • A dramatic crime involving a set up.

But first, today's weather:

Breezy and cooler. High: 65 Low: 43.

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Here are the top stories in Houston today:

  1. Got any plans this weekend? Here's a handful of events to get out of the house and spice up your free time. Fans of Charlie Brown can enjoy a live production of the cartoon by the Cypress Creek Theatre Company at 7 p.m. Saturday or Sunday. There's also a matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Sunday, and tickets are only $15. For a more adult themed production, you can check out "Wait Until Dark" at Stageworks Theatre at similar times. This play follows a blind woman who is taken hostage in her own home. In case you like freebies, celebration of the Lunar New Year will be going on at Katy Mills this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. featuring traditional dance performances such as the lion dance completely free of charge. (Community Impact Newspaper)
  2. Colorful birds called Purple Martins will be visiting Houston from South American this month during their annual winter migration. The males arrive in Houston first in order to scout out suitable homes for their wives and children. Females and juveniles will follow in February and March. These iridescent purple plumage birds are the largest North American swallows coming in at 8 inches long. If you want to see one up close, you can build a bird house and hope one of the males finds it a suitable enough home for his family. Should a purple martin choose you, chances are they will return to the same nest next year. (Houston Chronicle)
  3. Police believe a man who was shot after giving four women a ride from Planet Fitness may have been set up. The driver had just finished a workout when he was approached by four women who requested a ride to the east side of town. After obliging the women the ride, trouble started when they closed on the destination and one of the women started to get out of the car. As she did, a man with a pistol walked up to the passenger side door and another approached from behind the car. Panicking, the driver sped off with the other three women still in the car but not before the man on the passenger side shot the driver in the abdomen. The driver then stopped at a house nearby where he had residents assist in calling for an ambulance. Meanwhile, the other three women in the car stole his keys and took off on foot. Police are now searching for the four women and two men involved in the crime.(KTRK-TV)

Headlines you need to see:

  • Record number of guns stolen from cars last year across Houston (FOX 26 Houston)
  • COVID-19 cases increasing in Houston, positivity rate at 19% (FOX 26 Houston)
  • Houston crime: Robbery suspect flirts with woman before stealing her purse at north Houston gas station, HPD says (KTRK-TV)
  • Houston to Host 2024 College Football National Championship (Houston Defender)
  • Where to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Houston, from parades to festivals (Houston Chronicle)

Today in Houston:

  • College Student Night Ice Skating at Discovery Green (5 p.m.)
  • The Alice: An Immersive Cocktail Experience at Secret Location (5:30 p.m.)
  • Movie: The Goonies at Discovery Green (7 p.m.)
  • Karaoke Thursdays at the Secret Group (1o p.m.)

From my notebook:

  • Universal Studios is coming to Texas! Universal Theme Parks and Resorts executives announced they will be constructing a new park in the Dallas/Fort Worth area designed specifically for young kids. (KHOU 11 News via Facebook)
  • A 4th-grader named Sophia is being recognized for growing a 7.5 pound cabbage. Aside from popularity across the state, Sophia was also awarded with a $1,000 scholarship for her efforts. (ABC13 Houston via Facebook)
  • From now through Valentine's Day, the San Antonio Zoo is giving people the gift of naming a cockroach or rodent after an ex. The varmint will then be fed to a ferocious animal. (KHOU 11 News via Facebook)

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Now you're armed with daily news and ready to throw down in H-town. I'll see you tomorrow for the weekly wrap up!

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

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