By Cat DeLaura

Good morning, Houston. It's Monday.

☀️ Temperature check: High of 95; low of 74. Justin's insight: This week is going to start hot, but storms will eventually bring the first real fall cold front. Read more here.

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

Best of the Bayou

Today we're talking about Lina Hidalgo...

If you read one thing: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is expected to return to work Monday after taking an extended leave of absence to receive mental health treatment.

When did Hidalgo begin her leave of absence?

Hidalgo went public with her health issues on Aug. 7 when she announced she had checked into an in-patient facility in late July to be treated for clinical depression. She had been experiencing symptoms "for some time," but was not diagnosed until July, she said.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis stepped in for Hidalgo by presiding over Harris County Commissioners Court meetings.

What has happened since?

Last month, Hidalgo's former Republican opponent, Alexandra del Moral Mealer, blasted her shortly before the Commissioners Court vote on the annual budget in an op-ed, arguing Hidalgo needed to be present to pass the budget and should return or resign.

Then on Friday, five people filed a lawsuit with Harris County District Court to remove Hidalgo from office, claiming she is not able to do her work as Harris County judge because of health concerns.

Read Jen Rice's full story here.

Related reading:

Timeline: See the major moments from Hidalgo's time as judge since she took office in 2019.

Stay in the Loop

Susan Barber / Houston Chronicle

📰 Need to Know:

Is the U.S. 'more energy independent today' under President Joe Biden? Gains in U.S. energy independence in recent years are measurable. But experts say it isn't true energy independence because the U.S. still depends on international crude oil for key elements of its energy needs.
What to know about the Houston City Council At-Large 5 candidates. Bettering city spending, infrastructure and permitting processes are top issues for the three candidates vying for the position this November.
Houston police officer fatally shoots an armed teenager. Prior to the shooting, police saw a social media post of a group of males holding weapons at an apartment complex. Plus, at least two people died in a shooting that stemmed from a possible "family dispute" Sunday, according to the Harris County Sheriff.

💼 Business:

MOVE America conference showcases emerging EV technology. Three companies exhibiting at the event provided a glimpse of what the near future holds and instilled a sense of optimism in the potential of electric vehicles, writes auto columnist Jesus R. Garcia.
These chargers can power all your devices on the road or at home. The rise of chargers that use gallium nitride, or GaN, has resulted in products that cost less, are more efficient and can quickly power up multiple devices at once, writes tech columnist Dwight Silverman.
New lawsuit challenges Houston's minority-owned business programs. The lawsuit seeks to end a longstanding city of Houston program that supports minority-owned businesses, in a challenge that could have implications for similar programs across the state and country as affirmative action initiatives come under new scrutiny.

🚗 Outside the Loop:

Katy's top alcohol sellers in August. While there are numerous spots to grab a drink in Katy, these 10 restaurants and bars reported the highest alcohol sales in the city in August.
Fort Worth-based Children's Lighthouse preschool to open new Cypress location. The school created its own curriculum over the past few decades with math, science and reading courses, but is known for its focus on promoting character and values in early education.

Click here to play the Houston Chronicle's puzzles.

Point of View

Quote from the Editorial Board: ''What the border really needs are serious people doing serious work to solve a serious problem.''

🗣️ Border challenges: Without serious action, congressional Republicans' rhetoric on the border crisis is just that.

🗪 Other points of view:

Election endorsement: The Editorial Board endorses Abbie Kamin for Houston City Council, District C.

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

"H-Town, I love you." J.J. Watt didn't have much time to speak to the crowd during his Texans' Ring of Honor speech Sundat at NRG Stadium, but he spoke from the heart.

Texas college football rankings: Texas remains number one in the rankings this week.

As Astros clinch another division title, here's a look back at their first 11. It seemed unlikely at times this season, but the Astros are division champions once again. The latest title is the 12th full-season division championship in franchise history.

The scoreboard:

⚾ Sunday: Astros 8, Arizona Diamondbacks 1.
⚾ Saturday: Astros 1, Diamondbacks 0.
⚾ Friday: Astros 2, Diamondbacks 1.
🏈 Sunday: Texans 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 6.
⚽ Sunday: Dash 2, Gotham FC 0.
⚽ Saturday: Dynamo 0, FC Dallas 0.

Find more of our sports coverage here.

Get Out

Lauren Takakjian / contributed

Ryan La Sala among the authors at Houston book events this week. The bestselling and award-winning author of "The Honeys" will discuss his new book at Brazos Bookstore.

Two new Menil shows salute Houston and New York with neon art. "Chryssa & New York" in the main building and "Resilience, Drawing the Line" by Marc Bauer in the Menil Drawing Institute are currently on view at the Menil Collection.

Review of Wes Anderson's Netflix short 'Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.' Yes, all of Anderson's quirks and whimsical tropes are on display in the film starring Benedict Cumberbatch but they work in the context of the Roald Dahl story, writes critic Justin Chang.

Who else can't wait for this supposed cold front coming our way soon?

Cat DeLaura

cat.delaura@houstonchronicle.com

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