June 7, 2024
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Yasmeen Khalifa, Audience Engagement Producer |
Best of the Bayou
Photo by: Karen Warren (Staff photographer)
Today we're talking about whole-home generators being the new luxury 'must have' in Houston...
If you read one thing: The latest luxury home amenity in Houston isn't a pool or theater — it's a whole-home generator. A growing number of affluent Houston homeowners are investing tens of thousands of dollars in whole-home generators to keep their power on for days during the region's increasingly common extreme weather.
How common are whole-home generators in the Houston area?
The number of luxury Houston homes sold with a generator increased sevenfold from 2018 to 2023, according to Houston Association of Realtors, which defines a "luxury" home as one that sells for more than $1 million. Overall, the number of homes sold at any price with a generator tripled since 2018, according to HAR.
How do they work?
Unlike portable generators, which can power areas of a home or even just essential appliances, whole-home generators do just what their name suggests.
They typically are powered by a dedicated gas line and can automatically start when the system detects an outage, so homeowners don't have to venture out during a storm to manually start the unit or to buy fuel.
Read Marissa Luck's full story here.
Stay in the Loop
Photo by: Susan Barber
📰 Need to Know
- HISD Superintendent Mike Miles agrees to meet with Houston City Council. Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles agreed to Houston City Council's request to meet after a turbulent end to the district's first year under state control.
- Houston council members want new fees and more HPD cadets in next year's budget. Mayor John Whitmire has agreed to fund an additional police cadet class as he weighs around 50 changes City Council members have proposed to his budget plan.
- A Houston man who attacked Capitol police with bear spray on Jan. 6 is sentenced. A Houston man who was among the first to breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was sentenced to spend six years in prison by a federal judge.
- Prosecutors will seek the death penalty in Cpl. Charles Galloway's killing: Prosecutors will ask Harris County jurors to consider a death sentence against a man accused of gunning down Precinct 5 deputy Charles Galloway in 2022.
💼 Business
- Biden's immigration order won't solve a problem Congress must fix. There are no winners, only losers, in the immigration deadlock, chief among them the communities absorbing asylum seekers, the U.S. economy and the migrants themselves, writes business columnist Chris Tomlinson.
- 99 Cents Only Stores laid off 220 Texas employees including Houston and Katy. 99 Cents Only Stores filed Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, notices this week to lay off 220 employees at 11 Texas locations.
🚗 Outside the Loop
- A restaurant manager says Battleship Texas' new life could kill business. Battleship Texas could soon regain its status as a tourist attraction, but managers at a Galveston seafood restaurant say it could come at the expense of their waterfront view.
- Conroe has three towers disguised as trees. What are they for? They are Conroe's pine trees that aren't trees as all. Within Loop 336, the city of Conroe has three "monopine" cell towers that are disguised as pine trees to fit into the natural landscape.
- Montgomery County is looking for options to fund a $19M road project. Montgomery County commissioners are considering options to fund a $19 million director connector from Interstate 45 to Texas 242 East.
Point of View
Photo by: Yasmeen Khalifa
Forget about the 'huddled masses.' Biden's asylum order has Trump's name all over it.
What happened to the ideals cast in bronze at the base of the Statue of Liberty? America's commitments to provide refuge won't last unless Congress fixes the broken asylum system, writes the Chronicle Editorial Board.
- MLB's recognition of Negro Leagues stats makes baseball America's sport at last. Baseball is truly America's game now, one reader writes.
Houston vs. All Y'all
Photo by: Getty Images
Chase Budinger went from the Rockets to an Olympic beach volleyball player.
After his seven-year NBA career, Chase Budinger joined the professional beach volleyball circuit, and now he's headed to the Olympics.
- SCHN will re-air the 1994 Rockets/Knicks NBA Finals to mark its 30th anniversary. As the 30th anniversary of the Rockets' first championship nears, Space City Home Network will be re-airing the entire seven-game NBA Finals against the Knicks this month.
- Chipotle is giving out free burritos during the NBA Finals. Here's how to win. Thousands of people could win free burritos during this year's NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks thanks to a new promotion from Chipotle.
Get Out
Photo by: Jeremy Daniel
Top things to do in Houston this weekend, from 'Hairspray' to ThriftCon.
Our top weekend picks also include Houston Symphony's Strauss Festival, Wine & Food Week, Galveston Island Beach Revue, a free outdoor screening of "Apollo 10 1/2" and more.
- A new interactive Minecraft adventure plans to kick off in Texas. Are you a Minecraft gamer? Prepare to visit the Dallas area later this year to compete and participate in the Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue.
- 'Dial M for Murder' brings a sublime film-noir sensibility to the Alley Theatre stage. The stellar cast, inventive mid-century modern set design and cool music from The Avalanches turn the mystery Hitchcock made famous into an eye-popping delight.
Last week, a shark bit 19-year-old Damiana Humphrey off Jamaica Beach on Galveston Island, rupturing four tendons in her hand. "As I was turning, a shark caught my hand," Humphrey said. "When I lifted up my hand, I saw that a shark was attached, so I started punching it."
Stay safe in those waters!
Puzzle of the Day:
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