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Nearly 200 People in Texas Immigration Detention Facilities Have Contracted Mumps

Nearly 200 people at immigration detention facilities across Texas have contracted mumps since October, officials say. The 186 patients range from 13 to 66 years old, the Texas Department of State Health Services said Tuesday.

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Janice Freeman, Contestant of ‘The Voice,’ Dies at 33

Another young sister seems to have died too soon. Janice Freeman, who was a contestant on the NBC singing competition show “The Voice” in 2017, has died. She was only 33 years old.

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New Multi-Million Dollar Ride to open in 2019 at Schlitterbahn Galveston Island

Schlitterbahn Galveston Island is adding a new multi-million dollar set of slides that are more than the first of its kind – they are out of this world. Infinity Racers, which will open in June of 2019, is a pair of space-themed, racing head-first mat slides. At a whopping eight stories tall and as long as two space stations, Infinity Racers delivers a fun, only one in the world, water slide experience. Both of the racing slides are nearly fully enclosed the entire time (except for the loading and splash zones) with multi-colored fiberglass that creates unique lighting effects inside each slide.

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A City and Party that Looks Like America

Here’s some good news. The Democratic Party that is now emerging from the catastrophe of the Trump presidency looks like America. It is energized by a coalition of African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, fair-minded Anglos and new young voters. Democratic values are grounded in the American dream – opportunity for all, respect for hard work, protecting workers rights, civil rights and human rights, and restoring the pathway to education and economic reward that each person deserves no matter their background.

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Fight the Cold with Better-for-You Comfort Foods

Few things go together quite like cold weather and comfort foods. However, those hearty dishes that are typically craved on blustery days are usually not classified as “healthy.”

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350,000 Visitors Per Day Expected in Houston During Spring Break

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said that planning and patience are key to those visiting the city during spring break next week. Turner said that most of Houston’s attractions that are frequented by spring breakers are all within a 5-mile radius, and that can cause some traffic and parking headaches.

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HBCUs Spotlight: Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University

Today’s African Americans are living out loud the educational dreams of their ancestors. Segregation for far too long denied so many African Americans even the opportunity to learn. And to now be able to attend any college that one wants is just a dream that those back then never could have realized.

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Meet Houston’s Female Power Producers

Power. What does it mean to have it? How would you use it? Power is more than having beefed up muscle arms of steel. Power is about making what you can’t see visible. Power is being able to inspire another person through your influence.

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Clear the Launching Pad

The Rockets have taken off since the All-Star break by winning six in a row

Don’t look now, but the Houston Rockets have quietly put together a quiet six-game winning streak. Their second longest streak this season. With all the attention focused on James Harden’s 30-point plus game coming to an end against the Atlanta Hawks, the Rockets have just gone about their business by making up ground in the Western Conference. They are currently in third place in the playoff standings and that means a lot from a team that was in 14th place earlier in the season.

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State Representative Proposes Paying $95 Million In Reparations To Descendants Of Sugar Land 95

State Representative Ron Reynolds has filed legislation proposing that Texas pays $95 million in reparations to the descendants of 95 African American prison inmates who were forced to work in a Sugar Land plantation while they were serving their time in the 19th century.

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New Bill Proposes Separation of Law School From TSU

Texas Southern University alums and supporters are raising concerns on both sides of a major issue that calls for the separation of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law as an independent entity from the university. It is a new bill, HB 2383, proposed by State Representative Harold Dutton.

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Cardi B Sets Records at Rodeo Houston

Over 75,000 paid to see rapper and entertainer Cardi B setting a record for the first time Rodeo Houston performer. Reports claim that Cardi took the lead from Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo favorite Garth Brooks by just three people.

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AKAs Close Out Black History Month by Presenting $1.6M to HBCUs

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., in partnership with the Educational Advancement Foundation, closed out Black History Month by awarding $50,000 to 31 historically Black colleges and universities that are benefactors of the newly formed AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund

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Michelle Obama Surprises Worthing High School Students and More

Students at Worthing High School had a surprise meeting with Michelle Obama. The former first lady was in Houston Saturday as part of her book tour.

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Democrat Christina Morales wins Texas House seat formerly held by Alvarado

Democrat Christina Morales has handily won the special election runoff to fill the former Texas House seat of state Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston.

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The Trump Tax Return Fight Is Coming Back In a Major Way

One day after announcing a broad inquiry into President Trump's political and personal life, House Democrats began to offer some hints as to how they plan to pry Trump's most closely held secret from him.

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Selma, the Birthplace of Modern Democracy in America

This weekend, political leaders from across the country gathered in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate "Bloody Sunday," the 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge where peaceful demonstrators, attempting to cross the bridge, were violently driven back by Alabama State Troopers, Dallas County Sheriff's deputies and a horse-mounted posse wielding billy clubs and water hoses to savage the crowd. The horrors played on TV sets across the country generated a national outrage that provided the final impetus for passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

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Houston Ranked No. 2 As Most Stressed City In Texas

It's not hard to fathom that Houston was ranked No. 2 as one of the most stressed cities in Texas if you ever drove through its traffic. BabylonHealth released its list after analyzing Twitter content to find out where people are most likely tweet about stress, anxiety and frustration.

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2 in 5,000: Pasadena ISD’s Sam Rayburn High School Artists Earn American Visions Nominations

It is an incredible honor to be named an American Visions nominee, especially with over 5,000 Harris County Department of Education Scholastic Art entries this year. However, Sam Rayburn High School in Pasadena Independent School District is honored to have two students who were nominated for this prestigious art award.

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Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Introduces Legislation to fight the Illicit Tobacco Trade

Jackson Lee—“The illicit trade in tobacco underpins some of the gravest transnational threats to the United States and our allies. Illicit tobacco trafficking is not a victimless offense; it facilitates other, more heinous crimes including money laundering and trafficking in weapons, drugs, antiquities, diamonds, counterfeit goods, and—worst of all—human beings. The Combatting the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products Act (CITTPA) would improve the U.S. Government’s ability to identify and deter those engaging in the trade of illicit tobacco.”Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee released this statement on the introduction of the Combating the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products Act (CITTPA) in the House of Representatives: “The illicit trade in tobacco underpins some of the gravest transnational threats to the United States and our allies. Illicit tobacco trafficking is not a victimless offense; it facilitates other, more heinous crimes including money laundering and trafficking in weapons, drugs, antiquities, diamonds, counterfeit goods, and—worst of all—human beings. “More than one out of every ten cigarettes smoked worldwide—11.6 percent of global consumption—is illicit. This is big business, and without intervention, it shows no signs of stopping. The Combatting the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products Act will give the United States better information and tools to combat this dangerous activity. “The Combatting the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products Act (CITTPA) would improve the U.S. Government’s ability to identify and deter those engaging in the trade of illicit tobacco. The bill would provide better information on countries involved with the illicit tobacco trade by requiring the U.S. Secretary of State to report annually on which countries are determined to be a major source of illicit tobacco products or their components and identify which foreign governments are actively engaged and knowingly profiting from this illicit trade. “CITTPA enables the United States to deter countries involved in the illicit tobacco trade and better assist U.S. allies by granting the U.S. Secretary of State the ability to withhold U.S. foreign assistance from those countries knowingly profiting from the illicit trade in tobacco or its activities. In countries where the government is working to stop illicit tobacco trafficking efforts, the Secretary of State would be able to provide assistance for law enforcement training and investigation. I am also pleased that this bill is bipartisan as it enjoys the support of Representative Richard Hudson, who joins this bill as an original co-sponsor. “Additionally, CITTPA helps the United States target individuals assisting in the illicit tobacco trade by authorizing the President of the United States to impose economic sanctions and travel restrictions on any foreign individual found to be engaged in the illicit tobacco trade and requires the president to submit a list of those individuals to Congress.”