By Cat DeLaura

Good morning, Houston. And happy pumpkin spice season, apparently. Am I the only one who refuses to eat anything pumpkin flavored until the highs drop into the 80s?

🌦️ Temperature check: High of 92; low of 74. Justin's insight: A stalled frontal boundary will keep rain chances going throughout the week, while daytime highs remain summer-like. Read more here.

Cat DeLaura
Audience Engagement Producer
cat.delaura@houstonchronicle.com

Best of the Bayou

Today we're talking about being an Astros fan...

If you read one thing: The Astros' recent losing skid is testing the sanity of Chronicle reporter Sarah Smith's fiancé. But as they plan their wedding, she sees his commitment to the team as a sign of devotion: No matter how embarrassing the loss, no matter how frustrated he gets, he's going to stick around.

Smith begins describing what it's like to watch a game with her fiancé…

It takes less than a week for my fiancé to break his vow.

Three days after he huffed up the stairs at 9 p.m. as the Astros were in the process of losing to the Baltimore Orioles and swore he wouldn't watch this f—ing team again for a week, we sit on the couch on a Friday night, gearing up for a game against the Royals.

Through the four seasons I've shared with him, I've learned: The Astros bind to the dopamine receptors. No matter how discouraged they make you feel, no matter the effects they have on your life or the lives of those around you, it's nearly impossible to just say no.

This season, it's a race to the finish as the Astros, Mariners and Rangers vie for a postseason spot. Every game is like a playoff game. Every game counts. Every game in our one-bedroom apartment is tense. (Especially the ongoing series against the Mariners, which I have been told is both a big deal and not worth the pain of watching.)

Read her full essay here.

Stay in the Loop

Susan Barber / Houston Chronicle

📰 Need to Know:

Butts allowed back in Katy ISD library books. The Katy ISD board of trustees on Monday scaled back the conditions under which a book may be banned, clarifying that only "explicit frontal nudity" is grounds for a book's removal.
Whistleblowers who sued AG Ken Paxton say they'll continue the legal fight. Meanwhile, Paxton's office has threatened legal action against the state's comptroller for withholding Paxton's salary while he was suspended from office awaiting trial.
Houston's stray problem is a growing issue ahead of local elections. BARC generally sees around 55,000 calls for service annually, but its call volume has increased by 7,000 calls over previous years with a 40% increase in the number of animals the shelter's staff picks up off the streets.
Cleveland ISD teacher charged with murder in his wife's death. The 37-year-old man was arrested Sunday at the end of an hours-long standoff in Kingwood.

💼 Business:

Houston-area carbon capture facility restarts operations. The Petra Nova carbon capture facility, one of the world's largest and the only one affixed to a power plant in the U.S., has been closed for more than three years.
Here's why car dealers need your Social Security number. There are a number of reasons why a dealer would need your Social Security number, including if you choose to pay cash for your vehicle, writes legal columnist Ronald Lipman.

🚗 Outside the Loop:

Pearland's 10 most expensive homes for sale. The million-dollar luxury properties feature pools, game rooms and a private zipline.
A new, first-of-its-kind wine bar opens in Katy this fall. Cork It will offer an intimate gathering space for wine lovers to try more than 60 vintages and light bites.
League City reopens the pavilion at Gripon Park. The pavilion had been closed for a months-long, $180,000 renovation, including improvements to its pickleball and basketball courts.

Click here to play the Houston Chronicle's puzzles.

Point of View

Quote from Billy Chatman, Houston resident: ''Why do we even bother putting politicians on trial?''

🗣️ Letters to the Editor: "Since the MAGA movement started, it seems lawyers are rolling in money," writes one reader. "A lot of it is taxpayer money."

🗪 Other points of view:

Editorial Board endorsement: Vote no on Proposition 1, writes the Editorial Board. "It's good farmers fought against city nuisance laws and won a right to farm, but a constitutional amendment is a step too far."
House Speaker Dade Phelan: The Texas Senate's impeachment vote put politics over principles.

Sign up for the "SaysHou" newsletter to get more editorials, columns and letters curated by the Chronicle's opinion team here.

Houston vs. All Y'all

Ken Ellis / Houston Chronicle

Astros in dire need of rotation reversal as playoffs near. The Astros' rotation began the final week of the season with the sixth-highest ERA in the majors since the All-Star break.

NFL analysts are raving about Texans QB C.J. Stroud's performance. "It's very clear, if you protect C.J. — and we're not talking you've got to give him all day, just somewhat keep him clean — he can throw it with any rookie that we've seen come in the NFL in a couple years," ESPN's NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky said on The Pat McAfee Show.

The scoreboard:

⚾ Astros 5, Seattle Mariners 1.

Find more of our sports coverage here.

Get Out

Courtesy

Here are the celebs spotted at Beyoncé's homecoming over the weekend. Among the many famous faces in the BeyHive this weekend, the most notable was a Destiny's Child reunion of sorts.

Austin-based Bunkhouse plans new Hotel Daphne in the Heights. The Heights hotel, inspired by its neighborhood, will blend Arts and Crafts style with Folk Victorian architecture and have 47 rooms and suites in its five stories. It will also have an all-day restaurant, plus a bar and lounge. There will be a courtyard, pool and pool bar, a library and a lobby retail shop.

Was anyone else ecstatic about that thunderstorm that blew in last night?

Cat DeLaura

cat.delaura@houstonchronicle.com

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