Big humps arising from a massive project in Memorial Park continue to get a ton of interest. They're part of the tunnels though which Memorial Drive traffic with flow. The tunnels will be underneath a new land bridge and prairie connecting two sides of the park that have long been divided by six lanes of traffic. I got a sneak peek inside the tunnels ahead of a public preview party and partial opening to traffic. We brought out the drone which always makes a story like this much more visually interesting.
Monday, January 31, 2022
Thursday, December 30, 2021
Portuguese man o war invasion on Galveston Island
Don't call them jellyfish! Portuguese man o war have been washing ashore on Galveston Island in recent weeks in "above average" numbers. The unique creatures are grabbing a lot of attention and ending up on social media platforms. That's where we spotted photos that prompted this story. At first, my photog and I didn't really seem them on the beaches UNTIL we got closer. The greenish bottle-like organisms, which can sting you like jellyfish, were everywhere. It's still unclear why they wash up occasionally in large numbers.
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
All senior members of Houston ISD school band get college scholarships
Worthing High School's "Marching Pride of Sunnyside" is particularly proud of all nine senor members. They received college scholarships to Langston University, an HBCU in Oklahoma, following a recent tryout. Several will be the first members of their families to attend college. I got this story idea from a Houston ISD blog post and the district set up a time to interview several of the seniors. We even convinced them to play some music for us.
Friday, December 3, 2021
20th anniversary of the Enron collapse
Enron's collapse in 2001 made international news for being the biggest bankruptcy EVER. The Houston-based energy company's failure, due in large part to fraud, cost thousands of jobs and billions in loses. We did a number of stories regarding the 20th anniversary of Enron's demise. I reached out to a former company VP credited with being the "whistleblower" in the case. Sherron Watkins now teaches business ethics at Texas State University. I fronted this piece outside the former Enron headquarters in downtown Houston.. Now home to Chevron.
Friday, September 10, 2021
Houston area school official recalls being with President Bush on 9/11
I deal with communications folks from the various Houston area school districts on a regular basis. I didn't know about this story until the week of 9/11. Spring Branch ISD's Terry Abbott served as chief of staff to the US Secretary of Education (a former Houston ISD superintendent) during the first year of George W. Bush administration. He was with Bush and many others at a school in Florida the moment the President learned that a second plane struck the second World Trade Center tower. They were in FL for an education-related press event. I spoke with Abbott about a day he says he vividly remembers.
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Back to school in Texas's largest district
Houston ISD started its new school year with a mask mandate. That decision was in defiance of a state order STILL being hashed out in court as of this posting. HISD is the largest district in Texas. Its new superintendent toured multiple campuses as students and staff got back to business in what will be another challenging year. We caught up with the superintendent and others at an elementary school. I also touched on the first day in the state's third largest district, Cy-Fair ISD, located in suburban Houston. CFISD decided to keep masks optional yet strongly encouraged.
Monday, August 2, 2021
To mask or not to mask
I've been doing LOTS of back-to-school stories as we get closer to what will likely be another interesting year thanks to COVID. Texas public school districts are very limited when it comes to enacting face covering and other mandates thanks to state guidelines. Right now, wearing a mask will be optional. But private schools are able to do whatever they feel is best. This story explores that after The Village School in Houston decided to follow CDC guidance.
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