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HISD launches ‘Let’s Stay Connected’ mental health hotline for students and parents
The Houston Independent School District launched the Let’s Stay Connected mental health hotline for students and parents today to provide emotional, social, and psychological support to students and parents who feel the need for assistance.
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HISD offering free EKGs to student-athletes during inaugural outreach program
The Houston Independent School District, through a partnership with St. Joseph Medical Center, Steward Medical Group and Robert Horry Sports Medicine, is offering free electrocardiograms (EKGs) to thousands of middle and high school students.
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More Babies Born with Sickle Cell Disease in Greater Houston Area Than Other Regions of Texas
Annual summit aims to raise awareness, advocacy and action surrounding painful genetic blood disorder
Approximately 70 babies per year in the Greater Houston area are born with the painful genetic disorder called sickle cell disease, more than any other region of Texas. Of the estimated 100,000 Americans living with the rare condition, approximately 7,000 are Texans.
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The Alliance and PlazAmericas Host 14th Annual Back to School Drive to Support 3,000 Students and their Families
Event will feature School Supplies, Books, Giveaways from Amazon and Corporate Sponsors, Health and Community Vendors, Children’s Immunizations and COVID-19 Vaccines
The Alliance is partnering with PlazAmericas Mall to host the 14th Annual Back to School Drive on Saturday, August 7th, 2021. This event is our largest community service project of the year, providing school supplies, books, and other essential items to 3,000 students and their families.
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Meet Houston Mayoral Candidate Gilbert Garcia
Houston residents are eagerly anticipating the upcoming mayoral election, where they will have the chance to choose a new leader for their city. With a diverse pool of candidates, ranging from seasoned politicians to fresh faces in the political arena, one individual has emerged as a standout contender: Gilbert Garcia. Although relatively new to politics, Garcia has made a significant impact on the Houston community and garnered attention for his vision and passion.
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Latinos Power Up to Vote
The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that in the next six months Latinos will no longer be the minority but the majority. A static that excites the members of Jolt, the largest Latino progressive organization in Texas, since with greater numbers comes greater power. However, legislators are not utilizing Latinos' political power. Latinos across the country are expected to support different agendas, show up at the ballot box, and check this and that box but no one is really listening to what they want. No one is taking the time to invest in the community but expects the community to invest in them. Antonio Arellano, Interim Executive Director of Jolt, thinks it is time out for that. If any political party wants to capture Latinos they must first invite them to the party.
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Houston Native Earns Coveted Title of Navy Chief Petty Officer
Navy Chief Personnel Specialist Mutiu Aderinoye, from Houston, was recently promoted to chief petty officer, an accomplishment that only one in five eligible sailors achieve each year.
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Updated: Mastermind Behind Church Space Wins Best Pitch For Start-Up Capital And Prizes At The Texas Black Expo's CEO Round Table
Pitch participant Day Edwards with Church Space gets selected to pitch at the Texas Black Expo's CEO Roundtable.
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Houston ISD Superintendent Surprise Switch
In what some are calling a blindside move, the Houston ISD Board voted 5-4 to remove Dr. Grenita Lathan from her post as interim superintendent. Replacing Lathan will be former superintendent Abelardo Saavedra. He will have a six-month term and then be on a month-to-month basis.
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Congressman Al Green Joins U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra for MD Anderson Cancer Moon Shots Event
“I am honored to welcome Secretary Becerra to Houston and accompany him on a tour of MD Anderson, a premier institution for cancer care and research of international renown. Since 1944, MD Anderson has welcomed nearly 1.8 million people for cancer care and in 2021 alone cared for over 174,000 patients,” Congressman Al Green stated. “One of MD Anderson’s most ambitious cancer detection, prevention, and treatment initiatives is the Moon Shots Program launched in 2012. Inspired by President Kennedy’s promise 60 years ago to put a man on the moon, the goal of this program is to drastically reduce cancer mortality and suffering in 13 cancer types, which will form the basis for future treatment of all cancer types.”
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Interactive Children's Theater Performance at First Colony Branch Library
In conjunction with Fort Bend County Libraries’ annual Summer Reading Challenge, the First Colony Branch Library will feature a special children’s theater performance of “Goldilocks & the 3 Plays” on Tuesday, July 25, beginning at 2:00 pm, in the Meeting Room of the library, located at 2121 Austin Parkway in Sugar Land.
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Virtual Student Leadership Program accepting applications from HISD high school students, alumni
The Houston Independent School District will employ 100 interns who are alumni or currently enrolled to remotely tutor students in need through the district’s new Virtual Student Leadership Program.
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Rice News Release: Grant backs effort to build useful bacterial colonies
NIH award to Rice, UH will advance science of synthesizing microbial structures
The award to principal investigators Bennett and Krešimir Josić, a professor of mathematics at the University of Houston, and co-principal investigator Oleg Igoshin, a professor of bioengineering and biosciences at Rice, will enable the development of technologies like synthetic “tissues” that enhance soils or gut microbiomes, or self-healing coatings that continuously synthesize protective molecules.
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Redd Superfood Energy Bars Launch in Houston
Portland, Maine-Based Company Gives Space City a Boost of Clean Energy
Redd, a line of delicious vegan energy bars, launched in Houston this month. Redd bars are carefully designed to provide sustained, positive energy. Packed with all-natural superfoods, proteins, and vitamins, Redd bars have something for everyone, from foodies, to fitness fanatics, to workers on the go.
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Trentino Gelato Makes Life Sweeter
In the midst of the Stay at Home order, some of us might find ourselves challenged with controlling our snacking impulse. We are fortunate to live in the fourth largest city in the United States where restaurants are plentiful and so are grocery stores. While the restaurants are temporarily limited to delivery and take-out, more people have been compelled to buy more food items to prepare and enjoy at home.
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Stafford High School Names 2019 Valedictorian, Salutatorian
In less than four months, Paul Phung and Hira Ahmed will be two of the 54,369 undergraduate students at Texas A&M University in College Station.
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Breaking Barriers: Over-the-Counter Opioid Overdose Remedies Remain Elusive for Some Houstonians, Baker Institute Study Finds
Despite the FDA's green light for over-the-counter (OTC) sale of opioid overdose remedies, a report from Rice University's esteemed Baker Institute for Public Policy reveals a stark reality: many Houston pharmacies are yet to stock the life-saving medication, leaving a critical gap in accessibility.
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Political Studies & COVID-19
Last Wednesday, the Joint Center hosted an online briefing on accessible vote-by-mail and safe in-person voting for Black communities. The session explored safeguards to ensure an accessible vote-by-mail system that does not dilute Black votes (e.g., prepaid postage, a postmark deadline of Election Day, the ability for third parties to collect and return sealed ballots, and quick notification of and ability to remedy any signature matching issues—see this Brennan Center brief showing vote-by-mail racial disparities without these safeguards). Participants also discussed the need to maintain sanitized and uncrowded in-person polling places for those who choose not to vote-by-mail.
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Mayor Turner Breaks 16-Year Logjam as Houston Pension Passes Last Step in Legislative Process
Mayor Sylvester Turner: “Today’s significance is not marked merely by what we have accomplished, but by what we can accomplish now that we have lifted a significant barrier to progress in our city.”
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How U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Houston Landed in the Middle of Impeachment
The chosen seven strode across the U.S. Capitol rotunda before the eyes of history and a live television audience. It was late in the afternoon on Wednesday, January 15. On their way to the Senate to formally deliver impeachment charges against Donald Trump, six of the impeachment managers appointed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi walked in pairs. The seventh followed by herself.

