Houston

Houston Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston Housing Authority will give their first public update on The Pointe at Bayou Bend, a $146 million, nearly 400-unit affordable housing complex in Houston, after construction and move-ins were halted over contaminated soil and elevated lead findings. Federal agencies, including the FBI, EPA, and HUD, collected soil samples in October 2024 following concerns linked to the site’s past use as a trash incinerator and petroleum storage area. The mayor and HHA will hold a news conference and site tour at 800 Middle Street to discuss the project’s status, environmental testing, and next steps.

Six months after catastrophic flooding swept through the Texas Hill Country on July 4, residents are still recovering from the disaster that killed more than 130 people and left many homes destroyed.

Texas A&M University administrators informed faculty this week that about 200 courses in the College of Arts and Sciences could be affected by a new system policy that restricts classroom discussions of race and gender, days before the spring semester begins.

Harris County commissioners have officially appointed Deputy County Attorney Jonathan Fombonne as the county’s interim chief legal advisor, ending months of delay in filling the post.

Houston’s LGBTQ+ Pride parade is moving up this year to Saturday, June 6, marking the first weekend of Pride Month, organizers announced.

The event, which honors the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard, was initially scheduled for Nov. 5-12, 2025 but was postponed due to the historic federal government shutdown that ended Nov. 13.

More than 160 faith leaders across Texas have urged public school boards and charter school governing bodies not to adopt rules establishing time for prayer and Bible readings in schools, sending an open letter less than two months before the state-mandated March 1 deadline.