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☆ ‘We Can’t Sleep’: Houstonians Still Without Power Struggle to Stay Cool
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( J. David Goodman | Alex Stuckey | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Three days after a devastating thunderstorm tore through Houston, the nation’s fourth most populous city began lurching back onto its feet on Sunday. Power returned to hundreds of thousands of homes but still remained out across hard-hit areas not far from downtown. Traffic crawled through blackened intersections or down neighborhood streets now lined with limbs and leaves piled up like green-brown snow banks. Clear skies helped dry out the sopping city over the weekend but also presented a new danger as temperatures climbed to around 90 degrees and were expected to stay. “We can’t sleep,” said Dolores Valladares, 61, with sweat on her brow as she sat outside her home in the city’s East End, watching her grandchildren.

Persons: . Power, ”, Dolores Valladares Organizations: ., Traffic Locations: Houston

☆ Accustomed to Disasters, Houston Didn’t See This One Coming
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( J. David Goodman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The storm that hurtled through Houston late Thursday surprised a city long accustomed to bouts of serious weather. The Astros kept playing baseball, even as rain and wind whipped into the team’s closed-dome stadium. Many people, following their evening routines, were caught unaware on bikes or at the gym. Decades-old oak and pecan trees were ripped in two or knocked over at the roots, flattening fences or blocking roadways. Highway billboards buckled, including the Car Wreck Cowboy, a local lawyer whose sign, usually towering over Interstate 45 near downtown, had been flattened into an empty lot.

Persons: Houstonians Organizations: Astros Locations: Houston, —

Soaking storms will shift east on Friday and target more of the Gulf Coast after rumbling to life Thursday afternoon in parts of Texas. Floods deluge roads: Several roads closing in northern and eastern Bosque County, Texas due to water over crossings or bridges. More than a dozen school districts closed: The Houston Independent School District has announced campuses will be closed on Friday and will reopen next week. Schools will reopen on Monday, May 20,” the school district said in a message on Facebook. A handful of Houston-area school districts announced they would close Friday as well, including Aldine Independent School District, Channelview Independent School District and Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District.

Persons: Mary Benton, Samuel Peña, Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Houstonians, Seth Waller, Bell County . Organizations: CNN, Houston Fire Department, Texas -, Florida Panhandle, National Weather Service, Hyatt, CenterPoint Energy, Houston Mayor, Houston, College Station, Houston Independent School, HISD, City of, Facebook, Aldine Independent School District, Channelview Independent School District, Fairbanks Independent School District Locations: Texas, Louisiana, Houston, Gulf, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas - Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, New Orleans, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Hyatt Regency, Bryan, College, Bosque County , Texas, Bell County, Bell County . McLennan, Falls, City of Houston, Cypress

☆ At least 4 deaths in Houston, official says, as storms bring ‘life-threatening’ flood risk to Texas and Louisiana
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Joe Sutton | Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

More than 100,000 are also in the dark in Louisiana as storms batter the state, as well. Parts of Texas and western Louisiana are under a rare Level 4 of 4 high risk of excessive rainfall Thursday, the Weather Prediction Center said. Major flooding has prompted water rescues in at least one Texas city. Texas and Louisiana have been in the bull’s-eye of seemingly unrelenting rounds of torrential, flooding downpours since the start of April. A tornado warning had been issued earlier Thursday evening in Harris County, including downtown Houston, according to the National Weather Service.

Persons: Samuel Peña, John Whitmire, Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Houstonians, what’s, Hurricane Harvey Organizations: CNN, Houston Fire, Hyatt, Weather Prediction, WPC, National Weather Service, Houston, KPRC, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, Houston Mayor, Centerpoint, METRO, Training, Florida Panhandle, Regional Climate Center ., Hurricane Locations: Houston, Hyatt Regency, Texas, Louisiana, Bryan, United States, Georgia, Waco, Mississippi, Lake Charles , Louisiana, Harris County, Harris, city’s, Gulf, Alabama, Florida, Shreveport , Louisiana

No deaths or serious injuries have been reported, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo told CNN, adding 153 pets have also been rescued during the deluge. Forecast calls for rain Sunday into MondayMost of the weekend’s rain fell over western and central Texas, but there’s a significant chance of heavier rain in the greater Houston area Sunday. An additional 1 to 3 inches of rainfall possible by Monday morning, according to the Houston National Weather Service office. Rainfall today will continue to exacerbate existing river flooding,” warned the Houston weather service office. The weather service listed some of the rainfall totals it collected:Groveton, TX- 23.56”Huntsville, TX- 21.76”Splendora, TX- 21.01”Willis, TX- 20.75”Livingston, TX- 18.42”There is relief on the horizon, however.

Persons: Lina Hidalgo, It’s, ” Hidalgo, “ We’re, Brent Taylor, CNN’s Amara Walker, “, ” Taylor, “ There’s, ‘, I’m, ”, Willis, Hurricane Harvey, Jason Fochtman, ” Emmitt Eldridge, ” Sherri Pegoda, Walker, Greg Abbott Organizations: CNN, Houston Office, Emergency Management, Houston Police, Houston Fire, Houston Public Works Department, Houston National Weather Service, Houston, Panhandle, West Lake Houston, Houston Chronicle, Texas, Gov Locations: South Texas, Harris County , Texas, Houston, Harris, City, Texas, , TX, Huntsville , TX, TX, Willis , TX, Livingston , TX, Gulf, East Texas, Hurricane, Lake Houston, West Lake, Kingwood, Atascocita, Kingwood , Texas, San Jacinto, Walker County, Polk County, Montgomery counties

☆ Opinion: The day of the Columbia disaster still haunts me
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Miles O'Brien | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

The CNN Original Series, “Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight,” uncovers the events that ultimately led to disaster. Miles O'Brien Vincent RicardelI was at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to cover the launch of the space shuttle, Columbia. Space Shuttle Columbia launches from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16, 2003. Space Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:39 a.m. NASA Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16, 2003.

Persons: Miles O’Brien, ”, Miles O'Brien Vincent Ricardel, Ilan Ramon, Scott Andrews, NASA's, Michael P, Anderson, William C, McCool, Rick D, David M, Brown, Laurel, Kalpana Chawla, Joe Skipper, Karl Ronstrom, Ramon, NASA Chawla, Clark, Chawla, Robert Giroux, Kathryn O'Neill, Zachary, Brett Coomer, Florida Sen, Bill Nelson, Matt Stroshane, Tommy Peltier, Eric Gay, Smiley, Gene Theriot, Sean O'Keefe, George W, Bush, Ron Dittemore, Joe Cavaretta, O'Keefe, Mannie Garcia, NASA Sandy Anderson, Carlos Noriega, Michael L, Coats, Evelyn Husband, Thomas, John Raoux, Glenn Benson, Kim Shiflett, Dave Santucci, “, —, Heidi Collins, Janeane Garofalo, “ Let’s, would’ve Organizations: PBS, CNN, Space Shuttle Columbia, NASA, Kennedy Space Center, Engineers, Reuters Space Shuttle Columbia, Scott Andrews People, Control Center, Getty, NASA Space, Columbia, Israeli Air Force, Space Shuttle, Red Team, Blue Team, Shuttle Columbia, Space, Johnson Space Center, Former, Houston, Houston Chronicle, People, US Navy Corps, Columbia Reconstruction, NASA Workers, Astronauts Memorial Foundation, Reuters, Bannock, Bannock Junior, Senior, Bannock High School, Johnson Space, Challenger, Shuttle, CNN Center, US Locations: Atlanta and New York, Florida, Columbia, synchronicity, Houston, Israel, SPACEHAB, New York, Laguna Hills , California, Texas, San Augustine , Texas, Washington ,, Shoshone, Fort Hall , Idaho, Iraq, Atlanta, United States, California, Dallas

☆ Opinion: NASA was America’s crown jewel. After the Columbia disaster it was never quite the same
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Opinion Douglas Brinkley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Space Shuttle Columbia launches from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16, 2003. Space Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:39 a.m. The environmentally controlled chamber was mated to Space Shuttle Columbia for access into the orbiter. NASA Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16, 2003. Students and staff of the Shoshone-Bannock High School had an experiment on board Space Shuttle Columbia.

Persons: Douglas Brinkley, Katherine Tsanoff, John F, Kennedy, ”, Douglas Brinkley Moore Huffman, Nancy Currie, Gregg, Scott Andrews, NASA's, Michael P, Anderson, William C, McCool, Rick D, David M, Brown, Laurel, Ilan Ramon, Kalpana Chawla, Joe Skipper, Karl Ronstrom, Ramon, NASA Chawla, Clark, Chawla, Robert Giroux, Kathryn O'Neill, Zachary, Brett Coomer, Florida Sen, Bill Nelson, Matt Stroshane, Tommy Peltier, Eric Gay, Smiley, Gene Theriot, Sean O'Keefe, George W, Bush, Ron Dittemore, Joe Cavaretta, O'Keefe, Mannie Garcia, NASA Sandy Anderson, Carlos Noriega, Michael L, Coats, Evelyn Husband, Thomas, John Raoux, Glenn Benson, Kim Shiflett, Sean O’Keefe, Jeff Bezos, Lockheed Martin, Sir Richard Branson, “ Organizations: Rice University, CNN, Shuttle Columbia, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, Russian Space Agency, Russia, United Arab, Challenger, Columbia, Space, Space Shuttle Columbia, Kennedy Space Center, Reuters Space Shuttle Columbia, Scott Andrews People, Control Center, Getty, NASA Space, Israeli Air Force, Space Shuttle, Red Team, Blue Team, Johnson Space Center, Former, Houston, Houston Chronicle, People, US Navy Corps, Columbia Reconstruction, NASA Workers, Astronauts Memorial Foundation, Reuters, Bannock, Bannock Junior, Senior, Bannock High School, Johnson Space, Shuttle, Investigation, Elon, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Boeing, Lockheed, Virgin Galactic, JFK Locations: China, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Columbia, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Houston, Israel, SPACEHAB, New York, Laguna Hills , California, San Augustine , Texas, Washington ,, Shoshone, Fort Hall , Idaho, American

☆ NASA’s space shuttle program reimagined rocketry. What went wrong?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

The CNN Original Series “Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight” uncovers the events that ultimately led to disaster. Deemed an “engineering marvel,” the first of five winged orbiters — the space shuttle Columbia — made its inaugural flight in 1981. Crews aboard the recovery ships Liberty Star and Freedom Star retrieve a reusable right solid rocket booster (below) after a space shuttle mission. Space Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:39 a.m. NASA Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16, 2003.

Persons: ”, Sean O’Keefe, Casey Dreier, Crews, O’Keefe, Scott Andrews, NASA's, Michael P, Anderson, William C, McCool, Rick D, David M, Brown, Laurel, Ilan Ramon, Kalpana Chawla, Joe Skipper, Karl Ronstrom, Ramon, NASA Chawla, Clark, Chawla, Robert Giroux, Kathryn O'Neill, Zachary, Brett Coomer, Florida Sen, Bill Nelson, Matt Stroshane, Tommy Peltier, Eric Gay, Smiley, Gene Theriot, Sean O'Keefe, George W, Bush, Ron Dittemore, Joe Cavaretta, O'Keefe, Mannie Garcia, NASA Sandy Anderson, Carlos Noriega, Michael L, Coats, Evelyn Husband, Thomas, John Raoux, Glenn Benson, Kim Shiflett, Rodney Rocha, Columbia’s, Rick Husband, “ Roger, Sen, Mark Kelly, “, ” Kelly Organizations: CNN, Shuttle Columbia, Sunday, NASA, Columbia, America’s, Planetary Society, European Space Agency, Space, International Space, Hubble, Liberty Star, NASA’s Ames Research Center, Space Shuttle Columbia, Kennedy Space Center, Reuters Space Shuttle Columbia, Scott Andrews People, Control Center, Getty, NASA Space, Israeli Air Force, Space Shuttle, Red Team, Blue Team, Johnson Space Center, Former, Houston, Houston Chronicle, People, US Navy Corps, Columbia Reconstruction, NASA Workers, Astronauts Memorial Foundation, Reuters, Bannock, Bannock Junior, Senior, Bannock High School, Johnson Space, Challenger, Shuttle, East Texas Locations: Columbia, America’s Soviet, Florida, Houston, Israel, SPACEHAB, New York, Laguna Hills , California, Texas, San Augustine , Texas, Washington ,, Shoshone, Fort Hall , Idaho, New Mexico, East

☆ She's an 'Alien Superstar' — and now she's in housing. Beyoncé joins Kelly Rowland and the city of Houston in support of a new affordable development.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Beyoncé Knowles is teaming up with Kelly Rowland and Houston officials to support a housing project. It was unclear if Knowles and Rowland are investing in the project. However, Knowles and Rowland are among the few that have taken their real estate interests beyond the glitz and glamor of purchasing luxurious homes. With more buyers moving into the area, home prices and rents have surged as residents compete for housing. Given that statistic, he said he's "grateful" for the Knowles and Rowland project.

Persons: Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, —, Knowles, Rowland —, Kennedy Sessions, Rowland, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Queen Latifah, they're, Harris, Lina Hidalgo, Joe Biden's, Houston Pastor, Rudy Rasmus, he's Organizations: Houston, Service, American, Harris County, Hollywood, NBA, Golden Globe, Coalition, Homeless, Census Bureau, Texas Tribune Locations: Houston, Harris County, Midtown, Harris, America

☆ Texas Republicans Push New Voting Restrictions Aimed at Houston
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( J. David Goodman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

HOUSTON — Across Harris County, an emerging Democratic stronghold in reliably red Texas, roadside signs posted last November urged harried drivers to vote Republican. A celebrity furniture salesman, beloved by many Houstonians, cut ads with the Republican candidate for the top county administrator’s post. Now, the county is in the cross hairs of the Republican-dominated state Legislature, which is trying to exert more control over voting there. Lawmakers are pushing dozens of new election bills, including limits on polling places, felony penalties for illegal voting and a mechanism for the state to order new elections when voting problems occur in Texas counties with more than 2.7 million people, a category that includes only Harris County. While local leaders acknowledge issues, evidence has not been presented that they affected the results.

Residents of the country's fourth-largest city were told to boil water Sunday after pump-driven water system pressure dropped because of an electrical outage, triggering concerns of possible contamination. "We believe the water is safe but based on regulatory requirements when pressure drops below 20 psi we are obligated to issue a boil water notice," Turner said. A power outage Sunday at the East Water Purification Plant caused pressure to drop below 20 psi, or pounds per square inch, the state threshold that triggers boil water notices, Houston Public Works said. Water system pressure can use the weight of liquid to occupy cracks and crevices that might otherwise be exposed to outside incursions, such as urban runoff. "Houston’s water system is different than other systems in that we don’t use water towers to provide pressure to the system," it tweeted.

“You really need leadership in these local areas to execute on the Inflation Reduction Act to the fullest extent,” Spears said. “This completely opens the pathway for Michigan to lead on clean cars of the future, and that’s really exciting,” Spears said. Climate victories at the local level are also poised to make a big impact. If fully implemented, climate experts have said the Inflation Reduction Act could reduce U.S. emissions by about 40% below 2005 levels by 2030. “So it’s really important to have climate leadership in state and local governments to actually execute on that and make sure it happens well.”

The investigation Abbott wants would be on top of an ongoing audit of the county’s election system, begun before Election Day. Texas Democratic Party leaders and the Harris County Democratic Party chair issued criticized Ogg’s planned investigation, calling on her to “stop enabling Texas Republicans' insidious efforts to silence Black and Brown Houstonians. “In 2021, Texas Republicans moved mountains to make it harder for Black and Brown residents of Harris County to vote. It has not gone unnoticed that Democrat-voting Harris County is the target of the state's urgent response. The law Abbott signed last year banned those Harris County initiatives.

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