Domestic violence deaths in Texas topped 200 last year -- the third highest toll in a decade

Plus: UT has exhausted its Narcan supply twice in recent months. Silverman on T-Mobile's 5G Home Internet. A City Hall playoff rally for the Astros.

View in browser FALL SALE! Unlimited Digital Access: 6 Months for 99¢. Subscribe Today. J.R. Gonzales Web Producer john.gonzales@chron.com On the 2017 Astros and checking the mail. As the MLB playoffs get underway today and our minds switch to just how far the Astros will go this year, there was a story yesterday that reminded me that not everyone looks back on 2017 with fondness. One of the former Astros pitchers from that World Series-winning team had a few sour comments on that time in his life. "I still don't feel great about wearing that ring around or telling people that I was a World Series champion on that team," the pitcher told the Associated Press. "I want one that feels earned and that was a true championship. So that's the goal." I can understand the potential reluctance he might have toward wearing that ring, to which I can only say that my fingers are currently unadorned and I accept packages here at the word factory. It will be somewhat cloudy, somewhat sunny today. Highs will be around 90. Expect more of the same throughout the weekend. Remember when we used to get rain?   Today's top story   Photo: Kirk Sides, Staff Photographer Domestic violence deaths topped 200 in Texas last year. More than 200 people were killed by their intimate partners last year in Texas, according to a domestic violence advocacy group, marking the state's third highest toll in a decade.    Five other stories to read today   UT has exhausted its Narcan supply twice since launching its program. The number of people who used the life-saving drug is impossible to know, but program administrators say the buy-in from an estimated 200-plus students affirms the need.   T-Mobile's 5G Home Internet is ready to compete. What a difference a year makes. Since that initial review, T-Mobile has aggressively improved its network, building it out with the zippy, mid-band 5G radio spectrum, writes Dwight Silverman.   Paxton's office let off an actual child sex ring. [Editorial] His misadventures may read like a comic strip, but the damage Attorney General Ken Paxton is doing to Texas is real, writes the Editorial Board.   The Astros' City Hall playoff rally will include player appearances. Some Astros players and manager Dusty Baker will try to hype up the fans outside City Hall on Friday afternoon.   Using lipstick, a Houston artist raises breast cancer awareness. When Katherine Mason was a kid, her mom would scold her for taking her lipsticks and painting her walls. Now she makes a living from it.    One last thing ...   With the weekend upon us, doesn't it seem like there's too much going on this month and next month? Seems like everyone is trying to squeeze in events before the holidays are upon us. And with Houston's thermostat stuck at "surface of the sun" temperatures well into September, planners don't have very many weekends of pleasant weather to work with. Anyway, here's hoping you have something nice planned for the weekend. Before we go, today's front page is from 1948, when Houston Mayor Oscar Holcombe flipped a switch and lit up a 6-mile stretch of road in Houston. You can see which road (or roads in this case) it was in today's writeup.  — J.R., who wishes he could find the photo the newspaper used on the front page that day   FALL SALE: Get 6 Months for 99¢ Unlimited Digital Access Act Now No Commitment | Cancel Anytime Unsubscribe  |  Manage Preferences  |  Privacy Notice Houston Chronicle 4747 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77027 © 2022 Hearst Communications