Plus: Busking restrictions ruled unconstitutional and more veterans are going to Congress
Happy Friday, Houston! 🧊 It's going to be cold today and all weekend. High of 33; low of 27. Lows should be above freezing again starting Monday. Get live updates on the weather here. Need to know: This is the last email for The 713 this year. We'll be taking all of next week off and will be back in your inboxes in January. Hope all of y'all are staying warm. |
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Busking for tips now legal |
Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle |
If you read one thing: An obscure, decades-old ordinance that restricted where buskers — musicians who perform in public places — can play for tips in Houston has been deemed unconstitutional and struck down by a federal judge. A brief history of busking in Houston: The city prohibited street performers for most of the 20th century until the G-7 Summit in 1990 was expected to draw a deluge of visitors. The city signed off on a pilot program that allowed performers in the Theater District only. An ordinance was later approved and performers had to apply for a $50 permit to perform. How was the ordinance overturned? Houston accordionist Anthony Barilla lodged a lawsuit against the city in January 2020. He also asserted that the Theater District was void of pedestrians and that stretches of Westheimer in Montrose or along Main Street are better suited for sidewalk performances. The judges' ruling took exception to the busking ordinance as a First Amendment violation. The city has no plan to appeal the ruling and Mayor Sylvester Turner would rather have the ordinance amended as need, city officials said. Read the full story from courts reporter Nicole Hensley here. |
A New York Magazine article went viral this week about Hollywood's "nepo baby boom," a term used to describe a successful person who inherits their fame from a parent. We decided to look into some of Houston's own "nepo babies." They include businessmen (Cal McNair), politicians (like George W. Bush), artists (like Megan Thee Stallion) and even restaurateurs (like Victoria Pappas Bludorn).
Check out Brady Stone's full list of Houston's "nepo babies" here. |
Texas veterans in Congress |
If you read one thing: On Jan. 3 when the new Congress gavels in, Texas will have 11 veterans among the 38-member delegation — the highest number of veterans in 30 years. Is veteran representation increasing anywhere else? The state increase mirrors a national trend that has 80 veterans among the 435 members of the U.S. House elected in November — the first increase in the number of veterans in the House in decades. How many veterans have typically served in Congress? In the 1970s, between 70 percent and 80 percent of Congress was made up of veterans. In 1971, 16 of the 23 members from Texas were veterans. But over the last 20 years, as World War II and Vietnam-era veterans have retired, fewer have run for office. By 2018, Texas had only 4 veterans returning to Congress. Why are numbers increasing now? Public perceptions of the military shifted after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, and the result has been an uptick in post-9/11 veterans running for office and winning seats in Congress. Advocacy groups like With Honor have also backed veteran candidates, saying they believe more veterans on Capitol Hill can bring more bipartisan problem-solving to an institution beset by partisanship.
Read the full story from politics reporter Jeremy Wallace here.
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Susan Barber / Houston Chronicle |
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Susan Barber / Houston Chronicle |
Today we're talking with the Houston Chronicle's photographers about the photos they took this year that have stood out to them the most. To see more of the Chronicle's photos from 2022, check out this interactive here. |
By Brett Coomer: Covering the move of the Battleship Texas was one of my favorite assignments this year. This photo was made more with luck than preparation. After shooting at the San Jacinto Battleground, I moved locations. As luck would have it, Texas was making the turn around the Lynchburg Ferry right in front of a beautiful sunrise. Another stroke of luck to have a guy wearing a cowboy hat watching with binoculars, making it an even more "Texas" photo. |
By Mark Mulligan: One of the things I love most about Houston is that at any given moment driving through the city, you can take a quick right turn and travel a parallel track that gives you a 100% different experience than the one just a block away. One night I was on one of those alternative routes, taking a kid to basketball practice, when I saw Dimitri Reeves dancing through an intersection. I dropped the kid off, then frantically u-turned to get back. I'm glad I did. It turned into a wonderful story about two unique, driven, inspiring people I am happy to have met and glad to share with the Chronicle's readers. |
Jon Shapley: This is probably the photo that meant the most to me. It was taken during the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting this summer, when the convention overwhelmingly approved a number of recommendations aimed at combating sexual abuse. This was a powerful moment to witness, and I cried with them as I made the photo. I was part of the team that spent years investigating sexual abuse in the denomination, so it was very emotional for me. |
Elizabeth Conley: We received a last-minute call from Baylor St. Luke's about a patient, whose last wish before going into Hospice was to marry his fiancée. Within 48 hours, the hospital staff made it happen. Because of the short notice, family and friends couldn't make it, but the chapel was filled with staff and volunteers. No one had a dry eye, myself included. I'm grateful for the hospital giving us a heads up, but so deeply touched and thankful that Noah, Jade and Aries shared their day with me and the Houston community. |
Yi-Chin Lee: I photographed this family closing their grocery store/Chinese BBQ stand back in 2017, but the story was never published. We finally published their story this year as a part of Sam González Kelly's story on the I-45 expansion and history of old Chinatown. I got positive responses from the Asian American community. They shared their memories of the old Chinatown. And some simply thanked us for telling the story. The other reason I like this photo is that we don't often run a photograph of someone cutting a whole pig, and I think it is nice to challenge ourselves and our readers sometimes. |
Karen Warren: I was running a bit late to the vigil for Arlene Alvarez, the little girl who was shot inside of her family's truck at a Chase Bank. There were over a hundred people surrounding the family in the parking lot. I knew it would be hard to squeeze through to the center, when a nice gentleman asked who I was taking photos for. I told him I was with the paper. He grabbed my hand and led me through the sea of mourners, telling me he was a relative. And suddenly, I was in the middle, just in time to capture this moment of Gwen Alvarez comforting her husband, Armando, who had tried to keep his composure while speaking about the loss of Arlene. |
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Thanks for supporting The 713 for the past nine months. As I mentioned at the start, this will be the last 713 email this year. I'll be taking next week off to celebrate, rest and get ready for another year of The 713. Cat DeLaura Cat.delaura@chron.com |
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