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Community Corner

🌱 Snake Season + Sports Bra Drama + TEA Takeover

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 most gracious host of the Houston newsletter — coming right back at you with the plug on what's happening. Today, we'll dive into:

  • Snake season and staying unbitten
  • Spring Branch ISD accused of gender discrimination
  • Local officials speaking out against TEA's takeover of HISD

But first, today's weather: Breezy in the a.m.; sunny. High: 73 Low: 51.

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Here are the top stories today in Houston:

  1. Rattlesnake season has arrived in Texas, and we've got all the tips you need to know in order to stay out of harm's way. While snakes spend the winter months sleeping beneath the ground, they emerge in late February and early March to mate and feed. However, that doesn't mean that snakes are necessarily easy to find. In fact, they typically hide in cool places such as between rocky crevices and underneath shaded areas. Suffice to say, don't put your hands or feet in places that you can't clearly see and you're likely to never encounter a snake at all. If you do happen to run across a roaming snake, stay calm and give it space. It's best to turn around and head the other direction slowly, allowing the snake to continue on its way. Lastly, snakes are an important part of our environment and help reduce the number of vermin such as rodents that people have to deal with. As with most animals, leave them be and you'll most likely be just fine. (Houston Chronicle)
  2. A Spring Branch ISD student who was reprimanded for wearing a sports bra during practice now has the ALCU (Association of Local Colleges and Universities) backing her. The student's complaints go far beyond the issue of being unable to run in her sports bra though. In truth, the sports bra issue is just one piece of her larger concerns that the school engages in discriminatory practices against female cross-country athletes. Beyond the sports bra, the student also claims that coaches focus their efforts on the boys squad and that she was denied a well-earned reward due to speaking out about unjust treatment. The ALCU has since issued a warning to the school concerning their behavior and requested a meeting with the district to discuss the legal ramifications of the school's actions. (KHOU.com)
  3. As the TEA (Texas Education Agency) moves to takeover HISD (Houston Independent School Districts), local officials are speaking out about the unfairness of the situation. A TEA takeover of HISD has been spoken of since 2019 due to past misconduct and poor performance from Houston-area schools. However, since then HISD has improved its accountability rating to a B+ under the new publicly elected Superintendent Millard House II. Despite this, TEA will soon replace the superintendent as well as the current board of trustees with their own people when they assume control. Mayor Sylvester Turner and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee have both spoken out against the takeover claiming that it's both unnecessary and unreasonable to remove local control. Furthermore, they believe it foolhardy to expect that TEA is capable of successfully running the largest school district in the state from the state capital of Austin three hours away. (KTRK-TV)
  4. The POST Houston will host a spring market on the weekend of March 19 featuring over 300 local vendors, artists, creatives, and more. The two-day shopping experience will be further elevated by the presence of DJs, cocktails, and over 15 concept restaurant designs to explore. Admission is totally free, and the market will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Visitors can also enjoy the SkyLAWN above the POST Market which is decorated with gardens and provides a great view of Houston's downtown area. Additionally, international restaurants of all kinds occupy the POST at all times and there'll be no shortage of food to go around. (Visit Houston)
  5. Former Houston-area pastor and self-proclaimed "Christocrat" Rick Scarborough is starting a campaign to remove books he deems immoral from Texas schools. Scarborough defined immoral books as those that "have no redeeming value" and "pollute children's minds." Examples he provided include "Flamer" by Mike Curato and "Blankets" by Craig Thompson. The former book concerns a middle school-aged boy navigating sexuality and friendship while the latter covers a child's religious upbringing and questions he had about his faith. At a Valentine's Day event earlier this year, Scarborough claimed that Texas teachers who advocate for these novels are "grooming children for pedophiles." (Chron)

Headlines you need to see:

  • Wine Walk: Houston Rodeo Uncorked wine auction sets records (Houston Chronicle)
  • Texas has $96M in rent relief and will start accepting applications this month (KHOU.com)
  • Pedestrian dies after being hit by METRO bus on Gulf Freeway, HPD says (KHOU.com)
  • Tesla Still Going Big On Texas, But State Will Have To Share HQ Bragging Rights With California (Bisnow)
  • Proposed law would ban people from several countries from buying real estate in Texas (KHOU.com)

Today in Houston:

  • Nick Cannon's Next Superstar Tour at The House of Blues (5:30 p.m.)
  • Art: "Mark Flood — A Guide For Nude Investors" at Reeves Art + Design (6 p.m.)
  • Theater: "Drunk Shakespeare" at The Emerald Theater (7 p.m.)
  • Theater: "Romeo and Juliet" by the Houston Ballet at Wortham Theater Center (7:30 p.m.)
  • Concert: Bun B at the Houston Rodeo (9 p.m.)

From my notebook:

  • The Luby's at Westheimer near Beltway 8 had its sign destroyed by a car wreck last Sunday but has taken the accident in stride. The sign now reads "Battered & broken but still open" on one side and "You should see the other guy" on the other. (KHOU 11 News via Facebook)
  • TikTok is releasing a new time restraint measure for teenage accounts that will notify users when they've been using the app for 60 minutes. The notification will require teens to enter a texted passcode in order to continue using the app. (FOX 26 Houston via Facebook)
  • A Florida man died from a brain-eating infection last month after washing his sinuses with tap water. Naegleria fowleri is a waterborne amoeba that can cause this rare infection when it enters the body through the nose. Texas and Florida are the states with the highest reported number of cases and there is no known cure. (FOX 26 Houston via Facebook)

Featured Kitty:

Mochi is a 5-month-old domestic short hair available for adoption at the SPCA.

Those eyes tell me she's probably green tea flavored.

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Whelp, that's another week done and dusted. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll catch back up with you on Monday. Peace out! 😎

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

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