Plus: What you missed from Gov. Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke's debate Friday.
Good morning, Houston! ☀️ Expect more of the same lovely weekend weather today. Highs in the mid-80s. Let's get this Monday started. |
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Is it too little too late? |
Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle |
If you read one thing: A week after City of Houston officials announced they had found highly toxic chemicals in soil samples from the Fifth Ward neighborhood near the Union Pacific rail yard, city health employees were handing out flyers to warn residents of the danger. How is the area contaminated? Forty-two soil samples taken from the area all had the toxic chemical dioxin in them. The highest readings were next to the rail yard, where workers treated wood with a dangerous preservative mixture for decades. The practice stopped in 1984, but state researchers have found a greater-than-average number of cancer cases in the area, and everyone knows someone who has died from the disease. How are residents responding? Many feel it comes as something of an insult that federal regulators are just now trying to protect families from exposure by telling them to take their dirty shoes off at the door. For some it feels like it's too late to protect themselves: "What's in us is in us." What's being done to address the contamination? No immediate solution has been proposed. A Union Pacific cleanup proposal is on pause while local officials and the company negotiate how it might be improved, given that contamination is greater than originally believed to be.
And people who live in Fifth Ward want to know their options. What would a complete cleanup look like? What would a buyout entail and where would they move to? What would medical care mean?
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Jon Shapley / Houston Chronicle |
Lance Cosper waved goodbye to his friends at an encampment under I-69, where he's lived for the past 28 months and 18 days. He was finally moving into a home. Still, minutes before leaving, he was gripped by doubt. While good Samaritans often dropped off food at the camp, no strangers would be dropping off fruit, canned goods or jars of peanut butter at an apartment. And he didn't have a phone and didn't know the address of where he was headed — how would any of his friends at the camp reach him? |
In case you missed it: Gov. Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke faced off in their one and only face-to-face battle on Friday. Here are the key takeaways from the hour long debate. The border: The debate started with border security, giving Abbott a chance to blame the crisis at the border on President Joe Biden, whose approval ratings are below 40 percent in Texas. But O'Rourke was quick to point out that the border has only gotten worse despite Abbott's "stunts" such as busing migrants north and slowing trade with Mexico by ordering more vehicle inspections. O'Rourke said his solution is to create a "safe legal orderly path for anyone who wants to come here to work, join family or seek asylum." Gun safety: Having helped families from Uvalde travel to the debate site, this was clearly an issue O'Rourke sought to hone in on. The Democrat said Abbott is standing in the way of raising the age to purchase weapons like the one used in Uvalde. Abbott claimed that raising the age to purchase some weapons will eventually be declared unconstitutional, although other states have enacted such age restrictions and the U.S. Supreme Court has not directly addressed the issue. Closing arguments: Both candidates stuck to their strengths in their closing statements. O'Rourke: "Look, I don't think that Greg Abbott wakes up wanting to see children shot in their schools or for the grid to fail, but it's clear he is incapable or unwilling to make the changes necessary to prioritize the lives of our fellow Texans." Abbott: "Texas ranks No. 1 for the most new jobs created since you re-elected me. We're No. 1 for Blue Ribbon schools, No. 1 for Tier One research universities and No. 1 in so many different categories. I'm running for re-election to keep Texas No. 1." |
Susan Barber / Houston Chronicle |
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Susan Barber / Houston Chronicle |
⚾ Astros: After claiming a series win over the Rays Sunday night, the Astros have a 104-55 record and a chance to tie the franchise record for victories set by the 107-win team of 2019. 🏈 Texans: The Texans let yet another chance to win slip away in the fourth quarter Sunday, ending their game against the Chargers with a 34-24 loss. Lovie Smith: "After four games, we can't talk about being close anymore. …We're not there yet. We're not a good football team yet. Good football teams find a way to win at the end." ⚽ Soccer: The Dash clinched their first NWSL playoff spot in the club's nine seasons Friday thanks to a scoreless draw between the North Carolina Courage and San Diego Wave FC. Meanwhile, other celebrations are in their future too as four Dash players prepare for weddings this season. |
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My fall garden is officially planted! Here's hoping I keep it alive long enough to produce food. Cat DeLaura cat.delaura@chron.com |
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