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Anonymous $450,000 Donation Provides All Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park 2020 Artists with Cash Grant

Save the date for Bayou City Art Festival Downtown: Saturday & Sunday, October 10-11, 2020

The Art Colony Association, Inc. (ACA), the producer of Bayou City Art Festival, has announced that an anonymous donor has donated $450,000 that will provide all 300 2020 Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park artists with a cash grant for $1500 each. In addition, all artists confirmed for the Memorial Park festival that was canceled due to the Coronavirus have been invited to exhibit in the Bayou City Art Festival Downtown on Saturday-Sunday, October 10-11, 2020.

Council Member Abbie Kamin Launches Domestic Violence Awareness Initiative

Today, Council Member Kamin joined Mayor Sylvester Turner, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, and several nonprofit and corporate partners to launch a city-wide domestic violence awareness initiative. This initiative is in response to the increase in reports of domestic violence in Houston, as many victims are homebound with their abusers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Judge KP George Announces Program for PPE Donations for COVID-19

County Judge KP George announced Monday guidelines for a program to coordinate donations of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) with the most needed recipients to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. The purpose of the Fort Bend program is streamline the donation processes and ensure needed supplies get to the appropriate entities in a timely and orderly manner.

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Rice awards first COVID-19 research grants

Diagnostics, detection, better masks and voter safety among initial targets

The Rice University COVID-19 Research Fund Oversight and Review Committee announced it will support projects to develop affordable diagnostic tools, seals to maximize the efficiency of surgical masks, a system to identify signs of the coronavirus in Houston wastewater and methods to ensure voter safety this fall.

FIREDISC® Donates Cookers in Support of Katy, Texas, Fire Departments

During the difficult times our country is currently facing, firefighters continue to risk their lives and health in order to provide the communities they serve with primary fire and emergency medical services. From Thursday, April 16 through Monday, April 20, Griff and Hunter Jaggard, co-founders of FIREDISC® Cookers, visited fire stations in their hometown of Katy, Texas, to deliver brand-new cookers for the crews to enjoy.

D.L. Hughley and Friends to Headline First-Ever Virtual Comedy Show, ‘CEEK VR presents The Laugh Experience’

Comedy’s biggest names come together for a first-of-its-kind, livestream comedy festival, “CEEK VR presents: The Laugh Experience.” The star-studded series kicks off and will be live streamed online and in VR on Friday, May 1st, at 9:00 p.m. EST exclusively on CEEK.com and on the CEEK VR app (available in the App Store and Google Play) with sets from D.L. Hughley, Chris Spencer and more. To create an account, visit www.ceek.com to register.

Ahead of Ramadan, Muslim Advocates Calls for Mosques to Protect Themselves from Digital Hate

Group Offers Guidance and Training to Safeguard Video Conferences

In advance of Ramadan and after an epidemic of digital attacks on Muslim gatherings, Muslim Advocates is calling on mosques and American Muslim organizations around the country to enact protocols to protect their constituents. The organization has released a fact sheet on best practices for protecting digital events and is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, April 22 at 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT, entitled “Keeping Your Virtual Events Free from Hate in Ramadan.”

Humble ISD Teams Up with Harris County Public Library to Modernize Reading and Literacy Through eBooks and Audiobooks

Shared goal to promote digital learning in the community

In this mobile age, technology has become increasingly valuable in supporting new generations of lifelong learners and readers. Now, Humble ISD and Harris County Public Library (HCPL) have formed an innovative new partnership using eBooks and digital audiobooks to modernize access to reading materials for students. This unique collaboration strives to promote literacy and digital learning by providing unprecedented access to both the schools’ and HCPL’s digital reading resources in one app. The combination of convenience, ease of reading on-the-go, and the inherent popularity of technology inspires students to learn anytime, anywhere.

Texas Democratic Party Launches RegisterTexas.com, Allows Texans the Ease and Access to Register to Vote During the Time of Coronavirus

Today, the Texas Democratic Party unveiled RegisterTexas.com -- a new, expansive online platform to help Texans register to vote in the safety of their own home during the time of coronavirus.

Discover Tried and True Practices Focused On Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Adolescent Health

The Texas Campaign are taking our 2020 Symposium programming online! Each month, from May through December, The Texas Campaign will be presenting content related to a specific theme. The Texas Campaign hope you will join us on this virtual learning journey.

The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation Launches Emergency COVID-19 Response Fund

Kroger and The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation aim to direct $10 million to local, state and national relief organizations

The Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation has committed more than $6 million to date to nonprofit partners addressing urgent COVID-19 response efforts, including:

The Center for Pursuit receives grant from Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund to assist clients in need

Joint effort between United Way of Greater Houston and Greater Houston Community Foundation

The Center for Pursuit, Houston’s largest not-for-profit organization serving adults with intellectual and development disabilities (I/DD), has received a grant from the Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund, a joint effort by United Way of Greater Houston and the Greater Houston Community Foundation. The first round of the fund will distribute $1.5 million among 30 nonprofit organizations with constituents who need urgent access to food and emergency financial assistance due to COVID-19.

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The Hidden Pre-Existing Condition

With over 750,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States, state and local officials are beginning to acknowledge who is most impacted by the virus. For those of us who work to promote affordable housing and energy efficiency, it came as no surprise to learn that African-Americans are the hardest hit in this pandemic.

METRO Bus Operator, METROLift Contract Driver Test Positive for COVID-19

METRO has received confirmation a bus operator and a Yellow Cab contractor who drove for METROLift have tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the total number of cases to 11 METRO employees and two contractors. The Authority continues to track positive test results among its workforce of more than 4200. We are also conducting temperature checks of all employees before they begin their workday.

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Congressman Al Green and Fort Bend County’s Ninth Congressional District Elected Officials Hosted PPE Donation Drive

On Thursday, April 16, 2020, Congressman Al Green, Fort Bend County Judge KP George, Missouri City Mayor Yolanda Ford, and Stafford Mayor Leonard Scarcella hosted a personal protective equipment (PPE) donation drive. They released the following statement:

Highest Criminal Court in Texas issues warrant for Harris County career criminal released on $500 bail

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state’s highest criminal court, took the rare step on Friday of issuing an arrest warrant for a Houston fugitive and setting his bail at $100,000 after hearing that he was released on a $500 bail by a Harris County magistrate

The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Resiliency Extends Online Virtual Programs and Hosts Virtual “Doc Talk”

The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Resiliency, a nonprofit providing Houston-area women and girls with the tools needed to be advocates for their health, is extending its series of online programs and is taking its regularly scheduled Doc Talk presentation online on Thursday, April 30, 2020 at Noon.

New ACLU Report: Black People Still Almost Three Times More Likely to Get Arrested for Marijuana in Texas

A Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform Details Millions of Racially Targeted Marijuana Arrests Made Between 2010 – 2018

The American Civil Liberties Union today released a new report that showed Black people are 2.6 times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession in Texas. While Blacks and whites use marijuana at nearly equal rates, the ACLU’s report, A Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform, shows the racial disparity that exists with arrests related to the possession of marijuana.

Blue Star Contemporary Receives $25,000 Grant from COVID-19 Response Fund

Blue Star Contemporary (BSC), San Antonio’s first and longest running contemporary art non-profit, has received a $25,000 grant from San Antonio’s COVID-19 Response Fund. The community-driven fund is jointly managed by the San Antonio Area Foundation and the United Way of San Antonio. The fund is comprised of nearly 30 caring businesses, donor advised funds, philanthropic foundations, and government entities.

West Lake Houston Bridge Final Repairs Scheduled

Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin would like to make Kingwood and Lake Houston area residents aware Houston Public Works will conduct a bridge repair project on the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge beginning Monday, April 27. The project consists of replacing fourteen bearing pads. The cost of the project is $307,400 and will be funded through the Dedicated Drainage and Street Renewal Fund. The contractor for the project is ISI Contracting, Inc. The work is expected to be completed by Wednesday, May 20, weather permitting.