Happy Hump Day, Houston! ⛅ Temperature check: High of 82; low of 61. Chronicle Meteorologist Justin Ballard's insight: After a cool stretch of weather earlier this week, temperatures continue to warm Wednesday, and the warming won't stop there. Read more here. |
 | Yasmeen Khalifa
Audience Engagement Producer
yasmeen.khalifa@houstonchronicle.com |
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Today we're talking about Fort Bend ISD planning to build a school over a former prison farm... |
If you read one thing: Fort Bend ISD is planning to build a new elementary school in Richmond, on land that may have been a prison cemetery for leased convicts, sparking outrage among social justice advocates in the county. What is the history of the site? Five years ago, the Sugar Land 95 were discovered at the construction site for the James C. Reese Career and Technical Center.
These 94 men and one woman were victims of Texas' late 1800s convict leasing system, toiling in brutal conditions in Sugar Land's sugar cane fields.
When the remains of the Sugar Land 95 were first discovered, Fort Bend community members urged the school district to conduct an archaeological survey of the surrounding land. The presence of sugar cane farms, tended by leased convicts, suggested the likelihood of more graves in the vicinity. Why was the site chosen? The site for the Harvest Green elementary school was chosen because it's in a fast-growing area, said Steven Bassett, deputy superintendent for Fort Bend ISD.
"New school sites are selected based on population growth that is documented by professional demographic researchers and analysts who are experienced in identifying community needs based on science-based projections," Bassett said. What do critics say? Had the district undertaken a survey before deciding on a site for the Harvest Green school, a different site may have been chosen, said advocates with the Society of Justice & Equality for the People of Sugar Land. They allege the district's decision to skip the survey was driven by a desire to avoid discovering more graves.
A survey is in progress now in keeping with the Antiquities Code of Texas, Basset said, and the results will be announced soon. Read Juhi Varma's story here. |
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Susan Barber / Houston Chronicle |
- Almost half of Houston voters say crime is top priority in the mayoral race. Nearly half of the Houston likely voters identified crime as the single most important issue facing the city today, a new University of Houston poll shows.
- CenterPoint workers will vote on a strike authorization today. The votes follow seven months of negotiations and come after a contract proposal was roundly rejected by workers in August.
- Failing wall along Texas 288 will cause major traffic for weeks, lawsuit pending. Crews will be repairing bridge supports where the freeway and tollway cross Sims Bayou for weeks, as officials sort out who is at fault.
- Galleria-area hotel drops Palestinian rights conference amid protest. The Hilton Houston Post Oak said it won't host a conference planned by the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights.
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Patio restaurants and bars in Houston suburbs offering fall vibes. These 15 patio restaurants and bars are well worth a visit as triple-digit temperatures fade and cooler temperatures settle in. Murder mystery 'Clue' to play at Conroe's Crighton Theatre. As Halloween approaches, Stage Right of Texas, the resident theater group of Conroe's Crighton Theatre, presents the murder mystery "Clue." Woodlands kicks off yearlong celebration for its 50th birthday party. The celebration began with an announcement party featuring officials and community members — including founder George Mitchell's son Grant Mitchell.
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| Ken Ellis / Houston Chronicle |
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Today staff photographer Elizabeth Conley is taking over this section of The 713 to explain what it was like to experience and capture Saturday's solar eclipse. |
Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle |
Conley: Living in Northern Michigan in the early 2000s, I became interested in photographing and observing celestial events including northern lights, meteor showers or just watching the Milky Way make its way across the sky. I was excited about being able to photograph the annular eclipse over the weekend and consider it a practice run before chasing the path of totality in 2024.
On Friday I went location scouting. I wanted to have options of getting a clear image of the phases of the eclipse as well as a wide-angle shot with something of interest in the foreground. I drove around the city with a phone app that shows where the sun would be during the eclipse.
Houston is flat, and that creates a challenge when trying to create a layered image. Some of the locations I was considering, the sun would be blocked by buildings or trees. The Sam Houston statue at Hermann Park created the clearest offering.
For tech specifics: I used a 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens. I purchased a solar filter for the lens so I didn't burn my sensor. For my wider shot, I used a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens and doubled ND filters to protect that sensor. I kept the camera on a sturdy tripod, set my alarm and took photos every 20 minutes. For the last image, I took off the filters and photographed the statue in the daylight.
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Toodles! Yasmeen Khalifa yasmeenkhalifa@houstonchronicle.com |
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