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Community Corner

🌱 Tasted Room + Forward Party + Strict School Codes

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.

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Here are the top stories today in Houston:

  1. The Tasting Room is going out of business after over 2o years of offering one of the best wine and dine experiences in Houston. Unfortunately, it appears the one-two punch of COVID and rising inflation were too much for the notorious Houston restaurant to handle. Owner Jerry Lasco said, "To the great city of Houston, it is with much sadness that we are closing The Tasting Room. We want to thank you for your patronage over the last 20+ years." Thankfully, you can still take advantage of the Tasting Room's City Centre location all through the month of August. Furthermore, the restaurant plans to "go out with a bang" by offering enticing discounts for its final month in business and hosting multiple events before one last celebration on August 27. (Fox 26 Houston)
  2. The Forward Party is a newly formed political party that seeks to offer an alternative choice to the extremes of far right and far left judgment. The Forward Party came together through the merging of three previous political movements. Bill King, Texas chair of the Forward party, explained, "Everybody you talk to, except for the far extremes, they want a third alternative, somewhere more toward the middle of the political spectrum. They just don't think it's viable." Considering the vitriolic nature of United States politics as of late, the time may be right for a new political option to emerge. After all, it was founding father John Adams who warned, "A division of the republic into two great parties … is to be dreaded as the great political evil."(KPRC Click2Houston)
  3. Houston has far surpassed its annual new job generation statistics and the year is only half way through. Normally, the city of Houston can expect to gain around 65,000 jobs a year. In 2022, our economy has already added 85,000 jobs to the market. The threat of recession continues to hang heavy in the air, but this statistic is highly unusual if a recession truly is to occur. Typically, employers scale back on hiring during such economic downfalls. That being said, there is a likely explanation in Houston's status as an energy hub seeing as both oil and gas and energy prices have been through the roof as of late. (Houston Chronicle)
  4. The Houston Independent School District (HISD) code of conduct has come under fire as advocacy groups claim that the current standards of the code are too harsh on children. Specifically, the Texas Civil Rights Project is saying that exclusionary discipline and police involvement are all too common. Attorney Travis Fife, who is with the Project, said, "Right now, the code of conduct's focus is primarily on the punitive side, but if a kid commits a nonviolent act…it is a moment of learning and teaching, and punishment shuts down that moment for positive intervention and replaces it with something that really alienates the kid." The advocacy groups also point to disproportionate numbers of black students bearing the brunt of the punishments. (Houston Defender)
  5. Like many other great American cities, Houston's past is rife with industrial history; however, these former industrial sites might just be ticking time bombs of contamination for neighborhoods across Houston. The government began collecting data on industrially contaminated lands in the 1980s, but poorly regulated industrial practices went on for decades prior to this documentation. Consequently, a lot of toxins got proverbially swept under the rug. Now, increasing flood risks due to climate change have some researchers worried that it's only a matter of time until toxins buried and forgotten about are unearthed in urban neighborhoods across the city. (Houston Chronicle)

Headlines you need to see:

Today in Houston:

  • Garden Volunteer Day at Houston Museum of Natural Science (9:30 a.m.)
  • Dungeons & Dragons with Circle of Barhaven at Richmond Arms (6 p.m.)
  • EVERYBODY EATS - A Multi-City, Fine-Dining Experience at Thirteen (6:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

  • Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson threw in the towel on their relationship just shy of making it to their one year anniversary. I can't say I didn't see that one coming. (FOX 26 Houston via Facebook)
  • The San Antonio river walk is seeing national recognition for being one of the "most beautiful sights" in the United States. The river walk is nice and all, but this is kind of overselling it in my opinion. (KPRC2 / Click2Houston via Facebook)
  • In other San Antonio news, a San Antonio native was sentenced to one of the longest prison sentences for animal cruelty in the history of Texas: 25 years. The man was seen punching, kicking, and choking his Rottweiler on his front porch. He also repeatedly smacked the poor dog with a piece of wood. Have fun in the kennel, sir. (KHOU 11 News via Facebook)

Featured Kitty:

Onyx is a 2-year old domestic short hair available for adoption at the SPCA.

Curious name for a snow white cat.

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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 on Monday with your weekend in review. Peace ✌

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

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