Houston ends plans for an affordable housing community

Plus: Are 100-degree days in the summer becoming more common?

View in browser   By Cat DeLaura 📰 Click here to view today's e-Edition Good morning, Houston. It's Thursday.    🌦️ Temperature check: High of 89; low of 75. Justin's insight: Houston could see heavy rains and flash floods today. Read more here.    📅 Today's calendar: HISD's board will hold a public hearing and regular meeting this evening. Find the agenda here.    Plus, ICYMI, prosecutors have rested their case against Attorney General Ken Paxton, who by the way is heading to Maine next week to meet with Tucker Carlson. We'll have live updates again today here.    Cat DeLaura Audience Engagement Producer cat.delaura@houstonchronicle.com Best of the Bayou Today we're talking about affordable housing... If you read one thing: Unable to meet the February 2025 deadline, Houston city officials are ending a $60 million program to develop affordable single-family housing communities using Hurricane Harvey disaster recovery money.    Where were the affordable communities going to be?    The program would have built nearly 700 mixed-income single-family homes in the Willowbend, Sunnyside and Near Northside neighborhoods using Harvey recovery money.    What does this mean for that disaster recovery money?    Disaster recovery money is channeled from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through the GLO to Texas counties and municipalities. But by ending the program, the city has lost control over how that money will be spent. However, it still must be spent in Houston.    Forty employees in the division spearheading the program were laid off Monday as a result of the decision.  Read Rebecca Schuetz's full story here.  Stay in the Loop Susan Barber / Houston Chronicle 📰 Need to Know: In Texas, 100 degrees is becoming the new normal. Data shows that 100-degree days not only happened at historic levels this year but also are happening, on average, more often.  These are the top priorities in the Houston City Council District C race. Voters said gentrification, infrastructure and crime will be among their top priorities at the ballot box this November.  Rice University and Texas A&M among the best U.S. colleges. The two universities were featured in the Wall Street Journal Best Colleges in the U.S. list of the top 100 institutions.  Leader of Houston's UMMC hospital pleads guilty to federal conspiracy charge. The charge, which stems from a 2010 business deal, does not appear to have any connection with the leader's role at the hospital.  💼 Business: Batteries added to the Texas power grid this summer may have helped avert blackouts. Texas had 3,518 megawatts of battery storage installed as of July, a significant increase from the 275 megawatts online in 2020.  Should you buy the new iPhone 15? Simply put, it depends on your circumstances. Tech columnist Dwight Silverman breaks down the new features to help you decide.  Houston sees a jump in luxury home sales. Houston-area home sales in August registered the smallest drop in more than a year as sales of luxury homes gave the market a boost. ⚕️ Health: At 82, this retired radio host finally solved his insomnia. The Bellaire resident was a lifelong insomniac until finding the right doctor only this year.  🏫 In our schools: HISD board expected to move forward with the District of Innovation plan. The board will vote on the plan and a tax rate cut at Thursday's meeting.   HISD shakes up committee needed to give approval to District of Innovation plan. On Wednesday evening, some members of the advisory committee received an email from Kari Feinberg, the HISD chief of staff and new facilitator of the committee, informing them that their role has been terminated.   Should students be allowed to use cell phones in school? From districts that restrict all technology not provided by the school to districts that encourage phone usage as a safety precaution, Houston-area schools are taking differing stands on cell phone policies this school year. Houston vs. All Y'all Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle Astros' Dusty Baker is on board with the recent player-led team meetings. Several times in the past month, a series loss for the Astros has prompted one or more veteran players to address the clubhouse in a closed-door setting.   NBA action on the Kevin Porter Jr. allegations could take a while. NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Wednesday called the allegations that Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. assaulted his girlfriend this week "horrific," but indicated that the league could move slowly on determining disciplinary action because there are almost three weeks before teams report for training camp.   The scoreboard:  ⚾ Astros 6, Oakland Athletics 2.   Find more of our sports coverage here.  Get Out Carolina Ayala / Contributed Make this at home: These luscious, buttery, sesame-crusted figs make for the perfect dessert or an easy appetizer. Anita Jaisinghani has the recipe here.    New films to see this week: "A Haunting in Venice," "Cassandro" and "Camp Hideout" make it onto Cary Darling's weekly list of new movies to see.  I'll be out the rest of the week. I'm headed west to the annual Fort Davis Cyclefest. I'm aiming to complete the 55-mile route, but that will be the farthest I've ever biked. So I'm not entirely sure if I will actually complete it.   If any of y'all are also taking part in the cycling festivities, drop me a line and let me know!   Cat DeLaura cat.delaura@houstonchronicle.com Do you love The 713?  Subscribe to the Houston Chronicle to support this newsletter and get other perks.    Know someone else who would like The 713? Send them here to sign up. Unsubscribe  |  Manage Preferences  |  Privacy Notice Houston Chronicle 4747 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77027 © 2023 Hearst Communications