Nine of 10 wrongful death lawsuits stemming from the Astroworld disaster have been settled on the eve of the trial. Families were seeking to hold accountable rapper Travis Scott and companies with roles at the festival, including Live Nation and Apple. One case is still pending: That of the youngest victim, nine-year-old Ezra Blount. Here's more from Houston Landing
“Extreme downpours” such as caused flooding in Houston are only going to get more common. University of Michigan experts who specialized in projects that can reduce the harm of future climate disasters look at what cities can do to protect citizens and property:
Reinforce infrastructure and make sure that rain can drain off roads and parking lots
Take increased flooding risks into account in zoning rules
#Texas Appeals Court Throws Out Defamation Lawsuit Against ProPublica, Houston Chronicle
The news outlets’ 2018 investigation into famed #Houston heart surgeon Bud Frazier provided a “fair, true, and impartial account,” the court said in its ruling, potentially bringing a close to the nearly six-year legal battle.
Following the #Occupy movement, real estate interests pushed the city of #Houston to enact a law which "made it illegal to feed more than 5 homeless people at a time without the property owner’s permission."
Food Not Bombs volunteers, who feed community members on multiple nights, have faced ongoing harassment and over 90 tickets for engaging in mutual aid and feeding the hungry and houseless.
On the latest podcast episode of #ThisIsAmerica, we spoke with a member of #Houston Food not Bombs about how they're pushing back on attempts by the city and police to stop them from feeding people in public, members of the Montreal Autonomous Tenants' Union about pushing back against landlords and rising rents in #Montreal, the National Guard on #NewYork subways and much more!
AccuWeather's early outlook at this year's Atlantic hurricane season was illustrated by forecasters on Wednesday as explosive and on track to be "one of the most active in history."
FBI nimmt drei Kinder nach Banküberfall fest – der jüngste war 11 Jahre
In den USA sind drei Jungs im Alter von elf, zwölf und 16 Jahren festgenommen worden. Das FBI nennt sie die „kleinen Strolche“. Aber: So niedlich wie das klingt, sind die drei offenbar nicht.
10 young Travis Scott fans suffered fatal injuries at the Astroworld music festival in Houston in 2021. Houston Landing reports that organizers misinterpreted the Texas fire code requirements for "breathing room," ignored the way visual obstructions might change concertgoers' behavior, and failed to act appropriately when things began to get out of control on the day. “I would pull the plug but that’s just me,” security worker Reece Wheeler wrote from the festival command center, in a message made public last year. “Someone’s going to end up dead.”
"A Houston woman has been sentenced to three years in prison for threatening a Florida judge overseeing the criminal case against former President Trump for his handling of classified documents."
On Wednesday, repression against #FoodNotBombs in #Houston escalated, after police arrested two people, brutalizing and tasing an African-American volunteer during a Food Not Bombs meal sharing.
Houston FNB has received over 80 tickets - yet still continues to feed the community. This repression has resulted in numerous arrests and thousands in fines.
The arrests stem from a 2012 "city ordinance [which] prohibits people from feeding more than five people on public or private property unless permission is given by property owners." Apparently we need permission from the rich to share food outside without spending money now.
Please support them and other autonomous mutual aid programs. Cities across the US are trying to sweep away the poor from major cities as rising rents and gentrification push out workers. Capitalist media then blames shuttering businesses on houseless encampments and "retail crime," as conditions get worse.
Mutual aid offers a lifeline to folks but also a forum to gather and discuss pushing back.
"A Texas woman is accusing her sons’ school district of failing to condemn racism after she says they were subjected to anti-Asian American taunts on the bus, and her older boy had a swastika drawn on his shirt last year.
Hai Au Huynh, 45, told NBC News that she feels she has no choice but to speak out publicly after the incidents at Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, just outside Houston."
A Texas judge has granted a pregnant woman permission to get an abortion, an unprecedented challenge to the state's ban triggered by the fall of Roe v. Wade last year.
In the final week before the December 9th runoff election, Sheila Jackson Lee urged voters to head the polls in a new ad — which included the wrong date for the runoff.
@sarahstierch Journalist. I write about weather, wildfires and other subjects relevant to #Mendocino County for the Mendocino Voice. I cover portions of #Sonoma, #Napa, and #Marin on social media. #California
@AK_OK #Alaska statehouse reporter for the Alaska Beacon, formerly with the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Kodiak Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News Miner.
@Chron #Houston’s home for news, culture and conversation. Chron, a free digital news site, is Hearst owned and run independently from the Houston Chronicle.