December 1, 2023
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 | Cat DeLaura, Audience producer |
Best of the Bayou
Today we're talking about composting in Houston...
If you read one thing: Houston's Solid Waste Management Department is applying for U.S. Department of Agriculture funds to kick-start a two-year composting pilot program and plans to run a separate 6-week composting trial at four community centers. Both initiatives mark a shift toward a solution that could turn more food waste back into usable planting soil.
By the numbers:
Across the nation, nearly 40% of the nation's food supply ends up trashed, according to data from the nonprofit ReFED. About half of that waste occurs at the consumption stage, rather than during farming or distribution, a 2021 report from the EPA said.
Who's pushing for the change and why?
Several council members, including Sallie Acorn, voiced their support for the program at Wednesday's meeting, pointing to the door-to-door compost pickup provided by the city in San Antonio as well as the long-term savings made possible by extending the lifecycle of each landfill and depositing food waste elsewhere.
"In the next eight years, you are going to be pressed with the landfills we are currently using. They're running out of space. Any and everything we can do to redirect things from the landfill will be critically important," Mayor Sylvester Turner said.
So what can be composted?
Anything that is living or was once alive can go in the compost bin, including newsprint and even pizza boxes, but plastic or metal can ruin a batch.
- Read Rebekah Ward's full story on the composting test program here.
Stay in the Loop
Photo by: Susan Barber
📰 Need to Know
- Harris County elections staff gears up for mayoral runoff. Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said Wednesday that she expects the December election to be properly staffed despite the challenge of recruiting election day poll workers to run 450 voting locations on a Saturday during the holiday season.
- Cyclist killed in hit-and-run as Houston inches toward record deaths on streets. Despite commitments to reduce roadway deaths, at least 15 cyclists have died on Houston streets this year, placing it one behind the 2019 total of 16 and well above the totals for the last three years.
- Strained by a nationwide shortage of officers, Minneapolis Police is recruiting in Houston. A growing number of police departments, both in Texas and across the nation, are venturing further and further afield in hopes of filling ongoing staff shortages, experts said.
- Ted Cruz introduces bill to limit using preferred names and pronouns. Critics say Sen. Rafael Edward Cruz, who goes by Ted, takes aim at the use of trans people's preferred pronouns and names with a new bill.
- KHOU, other CBS stations, go dark for DirecTV and AT&T customers. Houston's CBS affiliate was blacked out Thursday night because of a retransmission fee dispute between Tegna and AT&T.
- Fort Bend Congressman Troy Nehls urges Congress not to expel George Santos. Nehls warned that the House was setting a dangerous precedent by attempting to expel a member who has been indicted but not yet convicted of any crime.
💼 Business
- Tomlinson's take on Big Oil and climate change: Big Oil is striking back at the U.N. climate conference this week in Dubai, fighting policies to slow global warming that would doom them to King Coal's fate, writes columnist Chris Tomlinson.
- Dow's Corpus Christi project highlights challenge of nuclear energy's revival. Four years after Congress passed legislation designed to spur the revival of nuclear power plant construction in a country that has built only only a handful of new reactors since the early 1990s, those plans are falling into increasing uncertainty.
- United breaks ground on a $2.6 billion IAH terminal expansion. The plan calls for construction of 40 new gates, which can accommodate more and larger aircraft as United expands its fleet.
🚗 Outside the Loop
- Former Hollywood couple makes Conroe home. Former Los Angeles-based actors Steve and Alana Monroe, both of whom star in the new independent film "Lonesome Soldier," have brought their craft from Hollywood to Conroe.
- Moody Gardens' Food Drive Thursdays offers customers admission discounts for food donations. Every Thursday through Dec. 28, people can bring a nonperishable food item and get either a two-for-one admission into the Festival of Lights, or a two-for-one holiday pass for admission to all the holiday attractions.
Point of View
Photo by: Jason Lee, AP
Henry Kissinger's passing reminds us of the vital need for capable diplomats.
At a time of violence and upheaval, we need a diplomatic corps capable of balancing realpolitik with our commitment to democracy and basic rights, writes the Editorial Board.
Houston vs. All Y'all
Photo by: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer
Houston Dynamo's resurgence started with the trade for Artur
Artur is the understated force behind captain Héctor Herrera and the team's run to the MLS Western Conference Finals.
- A change for the worse: 12-team College Football Playoff will diminish the meaning of the regular season. Enjoy this high-stakes weekend while you can. When the playoff field expands beyond four schools next year, conference title games won't hold nearly the drama, writes columnist Jerome Solomon.
- Jalen Green, even in defeat, shows his potential as a playmaker. Green was not only scoring against the Nuggets but also reading the defense and setting up teammates, again showing his potential to be an NBA star.
- My Cause, My Cleats: C.J. Stroud to raise prison reform awareness. The rookie QB and other players will be wearing specially-designed cleats to represent causes that mean a lot to them as part of the NFL's My Cause, My Cleats initiative.
- Tulane preparing counteroffer to Willie Fritz if he is UH's top choice. While Willie Fritz remains atop the list for the University of Houston's vacant football head coaching job, his current employer is preparing to spend up to $4.5 million a year to keep him.
Get Out
Photo by: Elizabeth Conley, Staff Photographer
Sewing: Historic Black cemetery where Jack Yates is buried in deep disrepair, roamed by dogs.
"For all that the Rev. Jack Yates brought to Houston, you'd think he would have a better final resting place. Not one where people let their dogs roam loose to potentially urinate on the headstones," writes columnist Joy Sewing.
- America's top 'Pizza Joint of the Year' is in Montrose, according to Esquire. Nonno's and its Chicago-style pizzas come from the couple behind two other popular Montrose concepts.
- RodeoHouston releases 2024 genre calendar: country-rock, rap, EDM and norteño. Out of the 20 scheduled dates, 11 are occupied by country acts.
- Galveston sandcastle competition is coming back after park board negotiations. After a brief cancellation, Galveston's longstanding sandcastle competition is back and locked in for five more years.
Enjoy the weekend, folks!
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