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Community Corner

🌱 UFOs In Houston? + Festivals For March

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)

Hello, friends! It's me, Chris, your host of the Patch newsletter. Follow along for the most important things going on in H-town, including updates on...

  • UFOs in the Houston area
  • A nearly deadly assault on a home
  • Things to do this March

But first, today's weather: Areas of morning fog. High: 81 Low: 68.

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Here are the top stories in Houston today:

  1. Weather balloon conspiracy theories may be at an all-time high across the nation, but that doesn't mean balloons you spot over Houston come from an extraterrestrial source. Rather, weather balloons are used to collect data on climate phenomenon that leads to the creation of weather forecasts, air pollution studies, and other weather-related research. Balloons start out small but are designed to pop. They do this by expanding to the size of a moving truck before exploding. Texas has a total of six weather balloon launching sites used to gather information about local weather. While none of these sites are in Houston, it's entirely likely that balloons could drift into the Houston air space during their travels. In other words, floating objects you spot over Houston are more than likely nothing more than local weather balloons. Sorry, alien enthusiasts. (Houston Chronicle)
  2. An east Houston home was peppered with gunfire from all sides by suspects who fired more than 25 shots. Inside of the building was a 58-year-old woman as well as her husband and her grandson. The woman was hit in the chest by a bullet and when police found her, they determined she was in critical condition. Thankfully, she made it the hospital and is now stable. Meanwhile, the husband and grandson miraculously avoided any physical harm. Different caliber bullet casings at the home suggest multiple guns and suspects. Police are unsure what caused the shooting, but they believe the house may have been targeted as a part of ongoing crime in the area. (KTRK-TV)
  3. The Harris County Felon in Possession initiative has led to 44 indictments, 36 arrests and 50 total charges of felons in possession of guns in the last three months. The initiative is a shining example of the good government agencies can do when they work together. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas, Harris County District Attorney's Office, FBI Houston, U.S. Marshal Service, DEA and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are all putting resources toward this project. These charges not only reduce the likelihood of violent crime across Houston but also work towards resolving the backlog of felon-in-possession cases in Harris County. (Houston Chronicle)
  4. Fill your open weekends in March with your choice of these upcoming drink festivals and food events. On Saturday, March 4, the Heights Crawfish Festival will take place at Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church. This family-friendly event features tasty crawfish, cold beer, a Kids World, and local shops and vendors. Post Houston will plans to put on Seltzerland: A Hard Seltzer Tasting Festival the following weekend on Saturday, March 11. Aside from featuring over 100 unique seltzers for attendees to try, the festival will also include pong, DJs, cornhole, photo stations, and free swag. Lastly, fans of German culture might be interested in checking out the Tomball German Heritage Festival which runs from Friday, March 24 - Sunday, March 26. This festival will host over 200 vendors and tasty German fare with an unbeatable entry price of free. (365 Things to Do in Houston)
  5. A Houston father and his daughter are on the run after he shot and killed her boyfriend inside of a home. The daughter and her boyfriend had recently returned from a club where they were celebrating a birthday with some other friends. However, upon returning, an argument ensued between the couple eventually leading to the appearance of the girlfriend's father. After witnessing his daughter become the subject of name-calling, the father drew a gun and fired nine shots at the scene. Two of the boyfriend's friends were also injured with gun wound but were rushed to a hospital by responding officers and are expected to be OK. (KHOU.com)

Headlines you need to see:

Today in Houston:

  • 15th Indian Film Festival of Houston and Awards at Asia Society Texas Center (4 p.m.)
  • Art: Loci: Varied Expressions of Lines at Sawyer Yards (5 p.m.)
  • Concert: August Burns Red at the House of Blues (6:30 p.m.)
  • Theater: "Romeo & Juliet," by the Houston Ballet at the Wortham Theater Center (7:30 p.m.)
  • Theater: "Drunk Shakespeare" at the Emerald Theater (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

  • An Oscar Mayer Wienermobile had its catalytic converter stolen and members of PETA reached out to Kraft Heinz with an offer to pay for the stolen converter. However, the offer came with one condition: Heinz must convert the appearance of this Wienermobile into a vegan hotdog. (KHOU 11 News via Facebook)
  • Whataburger's Whatacatch, the classic fish sandwich, and dinner platter is making a comeback for the Lent season. The Whatacatch sandwich and platter will be available through April 10. (FOX 26 Houston via Facebook)
  • Temperatures across Houston will remain in the 80s through this weekend. Summer is coming. (KPRC2 / Click2Houston via Facebook)

Featured Doge:

Denmark is a 1-year-old Shepherd available for adoption at the SPCA.

He's a very smart boy that already knows a ton of tricks and would love to learn more!

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Now you're all caught up. I'll see you tomorrow for the Thursday throw down. Hopefully your week has been a little more relaxed than mine!

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