Houston Archives

Key Houston Congressional Seat Rated a Tossup

November 5, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD

In a flood-prone Houston congressional district that Hillary Clinton won by 1 point in 2016, Republican incumbent John Culberson is citing $141 billion in hurricane relief bills he helped pass in 2017 as proof he should keep his job. But the Houston Chronicle has endorsed Democrat Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, saying Culberson’s “career has been spent promoting his own pet projects,” such as encouraging NASA to probe for alien beings on one of the moons of Jupiter.

Environment Government Regional

Army Corps Proposes Plan to Protect Texas Coast

October 26, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD

Army Corps of Engineers, Houston, Hurricanes, Oil and gas, Storms, Texas

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday released a draft plan to build flood gates to protect the Houston Ship Channel from a hurricane-driven storm surge and restore Texas beaches to fight rising seas, with an estimated price tag of at least $23 billion.

Business Entertainment Government

Houston Halts Opening of First US Robot Brothel

October 3, 2018October 3, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD

City Council, Houston, ordinance, prostitution, robotics, sex

The Houston City Council on Wednesday revised city law to prevent a Canadian purveyor of sex robots that plans to open its first U.S. shop from offering customers, as one councilman put it, a “try-it-before-you-buy” option.

Business Entertainment

Robot Brothel Coming Soon to Houston

September 27, 2018September 28, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD

Houston, prostitution, robotics

Houston, a city known for having more brothels than Starbucks, has been unwittingly pushed to the cutting edge of the sex industry. A robot brothel is set to open soon, which the mayor said is “not the kind of business I would like to see in Houston.”

Environment

Houstonians Find Sense of Community Amid Hurricane-Smashed Homes

August 31, 2018August 31, 2018 JAMES PALMER and CAMERON LANGFORD

housing, Houston, Hurricanes

Forced to flee their homes on boats a year ago as Hurricane Harvey parked over Houston, residents left behind family heirlooms, housefuls of furniture and countless possessions. But the real work came after the flood receded, leaving ruined homes packed with mud and debris.

Environment Government

Houstonians OK $2.5 Billion Flood Prevention Bond — Will It Be Enough?

August 27, 2018August 27, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD and JAMES PALMER

bonds, floods, Houston

A year ago this week, Houstonians anxiously watched as their city — a sprawling mosaic of urban high-rises and residential neighborhoods and home to nearly 5 million people — became a murky sea of rainwater and debris after Hurricane Harvey dumped 33 trillion gallons of water in a week.

Criminal Latest Headlines

Suspect in Killing of Former Bush Doctor Found Dead

August 3, 2018August 3, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD

doctors, Houston, murder, Police

Police said Friday that a man suspected of killing George H.W. Bush’s former doctor to avenge his mother’s death on an operating table 20 years ago was found dead of an apparent suicide after an encounter with police.

Latest Headlines Regional

Police: Bush’s Doctor’s Killing May Have Been Act of Revenge

August 1, 2018 ASSOCIATED PRESS

doctors, Houston, murder

A man suspected of killing one of former President George H.W. Bush’s doctors may have been seeking revenge for his mother, who died on the doctor’s operating table more than 20 years ago, authorities said Wednesday.

Criminal Law Regional

Police Capture Houston Man Suspected in Three Murders

July 17, 2018July 18, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD

Houston, murder, Texas

A parolee suspected of killing two mattress store workers and a woman in her home within the past five days was arrested by sheriff’s deputies in suburban Houston on Tuesday.

Employment Sports

Houston Texans Face Second Suit From Former Cheerleaders

June 1, 2018June 13, 2018 KELSEY JUKAM

Cheerleaders, discrimination, eldSports, Houston, NFL, sex, Texas

Five former Houston Texans cheerleaders claim in a lawsuit filed Friday that they were subjected to a hostile workplace and not protected from mental and physical abuses perpetrated by fans and their own coach.

Environment Health Science

Ozone: Sky-High Protector but a Vicious Neighbor Down on the Ground

May 30, 2018June 7, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD

cancer, fitness, Houston, pollution

A bipolar frenemy that protects you from skin cancer but damages your lungs and makes you sluggish when exercising outside on hot summer days, ozone is oxygen’s enigmatic cousin.

Business Employment Personal Injury

Texas Judge Rules for Workers Hurt in Weekend Blast

May 21, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD

evidence, explosion, Houston, manufacturing, plastic, restraining order, Texas

Ten workers injured Saturday in a fiery explosion at a suburban Houston plastics plant won a temporary restraining order Monday forcing the plant owner not to tamper with a valve suspected of setting off the blast.

Environment Government

Flooded Houstonians Press Claims Against Corps of Engineers

May 17, 2018May 17, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD

Army Corps of Engineers, floods, Houston, Hurricanes

Houstonians whose homes were flooded when runoff from Tropical Storm Harvey backed up behind two dams built and managed by the Army Corps of Engineers urged a federal judge Wednesday to let their takings claims proceed.

Business Personal Injury

Texas Utility Blamed for Electrocution in Floodwaters

May 16, 2018May 16, 2018 JAMES PALMER

electricity, floods, Houston, Hurricanes, negligence, product liability, utilities, Wrongful Death

Hurricane Harvey cost many Houstonians their homes after days of pouring rain flooded the city, but for one family, infrastructure failures during the storm cost them their son.

Civil Rights Government

Houstonians Take Fight Over Chronic Flooding to Fifth Circuit

May 3, 2018May 3, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD

due process, Fifth Circuit, floods, Houston, property rights

A group of flood-weary Houston homeowners asked the Fifth Circuit on Thursday to revive their claims the city is liable for approving construction projects that drain rainwater into their neighborhoods.

Environment

Deal Reached to Clean Up Hurricane-Damaged Superfund Site

April 10, 2018April 10, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD

EPA, Houston, Hurricanes, pollution, superfund

Two companies reached an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to remove cancer-causing pollutants from a Houston riverbank, a deal spurred by damage Hurricane Harvey did to caps containing the toxins.

Environment Law Regional

Houston Passes New Flood-Plain Construction Rules

April 4, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD

City Council, construction, floods, Houston, Hurricanes, regulation

In what Houston’s mayor called a defining moment for the city, the City Council passed an amendment Wednesday that mandates stricter height requirements for homes and buildings within flood plains.

Environment Regional

Hurricane Harvey’s Toxic Effect Still Unknown

March 23, 2018March 23, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD

contamination, Houston, Hurricanes, Texas, toxic spills

Hurricane Harvey triggered dozens of toxic releases from Houston chemical plants and refineries, and officials say the public health risks are unknown due to Texas’ industry-friendly rules that left it up to companies to report such incidents.

Civil Rights Employment Regional

Feds Sue Houston Over Harassment of Women Firefighters

March 1, 2018March 2, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD

firefighters, gender, Harassment, Houston, Justice Department, threats

Hell-bent on keeping women out of their station, Houston firefighters urinated all over their female colleagues’ dorm and wrote death threats on the walls, the Justice Department claims in a lawsuit seeking to strengthen the city’s anti-harassment policies.

Latest Headlines National

Houston-Area Students Protesting Gun Laws Could Be Suspended

February 22, 2018February 23, 2018 CAMERON LANGFORD

Florida, Houston, Police, schools, Shooting, students, threats

Houston-area police are on edge amid arrests of several students who threatened campus violence in the social media-fueled fallout from last week’s Florida shootings, and one superintendent said his students will be punished for walking out of class to protest gun laws.

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