Houston's Freedmen's Town Conservancy and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston officially broke ground in early June on a project in the historic Fourth Ward neighborhood that will serve the community as a new cultural hub.

At a glance: The hub will bring a food pantry and community garden to a neighborhood that community leaders have described in recent years as a "food desert," according to a news release on the project. The new development will also offer after-school programming and senior services.

The new building, located near Mount Horeb Missionary Baptist Church, will also include a new cultural pavilion designed by artist Theaster Gates and landscape architecture firm Studio Zewde. The project is slated to open in spring 2027, officials said. 

A closer look: The new cultural hub is a part of a multi-year initiative launched in 2022 called Rebirth in Action. The initiative aims to preserve, protect and revitalize Freedmen's Town, a neighborhood built by formerly enslaved African Americans following the American Civil War.

Rosé & Rye, a 21 and up cocktail bar, has opened inside Crisp, an Italian restaurant in the Heights.

What is it: The cocktail bar is open from 4 p.m. to midnight on Tuesday through Saturday. It specializes in curated wines, handcrafted cocktails and a premium rye and whiskey collection.
The menu includes house cocktails such as:

• Cynar Rocket: jalapeno gin, Cynar, fennel syrup, lemon and arugula

• High on Hibiscus: vodka, hibiscus tea, lime, strawberry and passion fruit

• Monkey Business: Tequila Reposado, black walnut bitter, banane du Bresil and cinnamon

• Rosé & Rye: Rye whiskey, Amaro Del Capo, Cocchi Rosa and Angostura bitters

Located in Crisp, the bar also offers small bites including deli bites, a cheese plate, cured meat plate and hummus.

• 2220 Bevis St., Houston

Harris County officials are urging caution as the National Weather Service has forecasted multiple days of heavy rainfall across the Greater Houston area.

What you need to know: Officials with the National Weather Service are maintaining a flood watch over a large swath of southeast Texas through June 18. The watch stems from a semi-stationary front moving across the region alongside a disturbance in the Gulf with a 60% chance of developing into a tropical storm before bringing additional rainfall to the region, NWS officials said. 

What’s being done? Gov. Greg Abbott signed a disaster declaration for 101 counties in southeast Texas, including Brazoria, Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend and Galveston counties June 15. Harris County and the city of Houston have also activated emergency response initiatives, such as lowering Lake Houston levels ahead of additional rainfall.

Before you go: State and county officials are asking residents to remain aware of weather changes through the end of the week due to forecasted heavy rain and flash flooding.

From Juneteenth concerts to a fish fry, there are several events to celebrate Juneteenth across the Greater Houston area. 

Juneteenth Celebration: This fourth annual event celebrates Juneteenth and features live music, entertainment, a variety of food trucks, local vendors, face painting and interactive attractions.

• June 19, 4-9 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• Redemption Square, 250 Assay St., Houston

• June 19, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
• $25 (fish fry)
• Sleepy Hollow Multipurpose Building, 9847 Sleepy Hollow Road, Conroe

• June 19, 5 p.m. (celebration starts), 8:15 p.m. (musical performances start)
• Free (admission)
• 6000 Hermann Park Drive, Houston

Harris County commissioners requested additional information to create a new county committee that aims to streamline the process for moving infrastructure projects forward at the county level. The action follows concerns regarding the county's transparency and efficiency in addressing large infrastructure needs.

The big picture: County Administrator Erica Lee Carter presented the committee's structure and scope during the June 11 meeting, stating it will focus on creating standardized processes and procedures for infrastructure-related projects across all county departments. The committee would also keep track and create standardized reports for multiple infrastructure initiatives that have been operating under their own committees, including:

• Downtown Master Plan
• Vision Zero workgroup
• Transportation Master Plan
• Hardy Connector committee
• 2018 Flood Bond workgroup