Plus: Abortion funds ask for protection and how the city and county are setting their tax rates.
Good morning, Houston! ☀️ More beautiful weather in store today. Sunshine, highs in the upper 80s and low humidity. Now let's get to Wednesday's news |
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We built the Ike Dike...virtually that is |
Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle |
If you read one thing: As the Ike Dike moves from being simply an idea to becoming a very real possibility, we built a virtual recreation of the proposed project to examine how it will work, look and change the environment. What is the Ike Dike? The project is drawn from an idea that a Texas A&M Galveston professor developed after catastrophic Hurricane Ike hit in 2008. The project includes an expansive gate system that will restrict how water flows between the bay and the Gulf, a ring barrier of floodwalls that will encircle part of Galveston Island, and a series of dunes that will be 14 and 12 feet above sea level. Will it work? That's a question we won't really know the answer to until it's built. It will mitigate risk but could fall short or fail, just as water can overtop the levees in Fort Bend County suburbs and dams on the west side of town. How will it impact the environment? The gates' foundations will restrict flow of water between the bay and Gulf of Mexico, which could harm animals that spend different parts of their life cycles in each ecosystem. Other concerns include whether there will be enough quality sand to build and re-nourish the heightened dunes every six or seven years and whether the flood barriers may actually increase flooding during a storm surge.
If you've never clicked on a link in this newsletter before, this should be the one you click on. Seeing the project in its entirety is far better than any justice I can do it in this newsletter. Click here to explore the interactive virtual recreation of the Ike Dike.
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Ben DeSoto / Houston Chronicle |
For those of you who weren't around (or weren't even born) in the early 1990s, have you ever wondered what Houston was like 30 years ago? Don't worry, the Chronicle's official history buff JR Gonzeles has you covered. His collection of archive photos show Houston as it was in September 1992, including Fort Bend's Lollapalooza, the first married couple to go to space together and the Piney Point Elementary school shooting. See them all and more here. |
What is a First Amendment right? |
Gabrielle Lurie / Houston Chronicle |
If you read one thing: Leaders of Texas' most prominent abortion funds on Tuesday implored a federal judge to give them clearance to resume providing assistance to people seeking abortions in states where the procedure is legal. Why were abortion fund leaders in court? The funds filed a class-action suit in August seeking to block state and local prosecutors from suing them if they get back to work offering Texans funding and support for expenses incurred while they obtain abortions. On Tuesday, they sought to temporarily block any potential prosecution until the case is decided. Why are they concerned about prosecution? Following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade this summer, the groups halted all abortion support operations. In July, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the state's pre-Roe statutes, which make it illegal to "(furnish) the means for procuring an abortion," are enforceable. The group also pointed to "myriad threats" of prosecution by Attorney General Ken Paxton "and his associates," including social media posts, statements and cease-and-desist letters sent by members of the hardline conservative Texas Freedom Caucus to corporations. Why do the funds think they should be allowed to continue? In their suit, they claim that charitable donations are a protected form of freedom of speech and association under the First Amendment.
From the suit: "Plaintiffs will be unable to safely return to their prior operations until it is made clear that Defendants have no authority to prosecute Plaintiffs or seek civil penalties from them for their constitutionally protected behavior."
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Susan Barber / Houston Chronicle |
✈️ Better contracts: Southwest Airlines flight attendants picketed Tuesday near Houston's Hobby Airport in an attempt to call attention to contract negotiations that have dragged on for nearly four years. (Houston Chronicle) 🍹 Watering holes: Now that Houston's brutal summer heat is passing, here are the patios and outdoor bars you should go to enjoy the cooler weather. (Houston Chronicle) 🚍 Fact check: While some have labeled Gov. Abbott's decision to bus migrants to left-leaning sanctuary cities a "political stunt," his policy is actually helping newly arrived immigrants. (Houston Chronicle) 💲 More donations: Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated $20 million to Episcopal Health Foundation. The Houston nonprofit will use the money to bolster its ongoing grantmaking, research and community engagement programs. (Houston Chronicle) 🗳️ New political party: The Forward Party touts itself as "a new kind of party" — a home for the growing number of Americans who feel alienated from both the Republican and Democratic parties. Its Houston launch, while well attended, prompted doubts about its viability. (Texas Monthly) |
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Nick De La Torre / Houston Chronicle |
The good news: Houston is cutting its property tax rate again for the eighth time in nine years. City Council will vote Wednesday to lower the rate to 53.36 cents per $1000 of taxable value, down from 55.08 cents last year. The cut is required due to a 2004 voter-approved measure that caps growth in property tax revenue to a formula that combines inflation and population growth, or 4.5 percent, whichever is lower. The bad news: While the rate adjustment should in theory result in savings for homeowners, rapidly rising property valuations mean most homeowners will see their bills rise instead. Even with the lower rate, the city anticipates bringing in $1.27 billion in property taxes, about $27 million more than it did last year. Still, Mayor Sylvester Turner has said the city loses important resources every year to the restriction. Turner: "For people who keep shouting about what we are not doing, there are reasons for why we are not doing stuff." Meanwhile in Commissioners Court: Republican Commissioners Tom Ramsey and Jack Cagle skipped Tuesday's meeting as part of an ongoing battle of political wills over the county's tax rate. |
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Have any of y'all been to Craft Creamery yet? Because Brittany's descriptions of some of the flavors in Eater's recent write up on them have moved the shop to the top of my list of must-try places in the city. I mean, c'mon. Cacio e pepe ice cream? Hatch-chili cornbread? They're either the most brilliant, delicious ice cream flavors ever, or this adventure is going to end in a lot of disappointment for myself. Cat DeLaura cat.delaura@chron.com |
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