Houston is moving closer to having its first apartment inspection ordinance on the books, a program that will monitor high-risk multifamily units to ensure that minimum safety standards are met.

What happened: During a joint Economic Development & Housing and Affordability Committee meeting March 30, officials from multiple city departments, as well as residents, discussed how the ordinance could benefit the city.

“This ordinance has been in the works for a bit,” City Attorney Arturo Michel said. “What people are really trying to focus on is, do we have something that’s fair, provides notice and is workable for people?”

Michel said the ordinance would require apartment property owners with 10 violations within a six-month period to register with the city’s high-risk inspection program.

Under the new ordinance, the city will monitor issues such as building exterior conditions, walkways and accessibility paths and general maintenance.

From authentic Mexican cuisine to steakhouse specials, here are eight places in Houston offering Easter brunch specials.

Guard & Grace: Celebrate Easter Sunday at the modern steakhouse with brunch specials such as Maine lobster Benedict, duck confit hash and warm monkey bread. 

• April 5, 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
• 500 Dallas St., Ste. 100, Houston

Johnny Ritas Cocina y Cantina: The newly opened restaurant is offering brunch specials for Easter that blend Mexican-inspired dishes with seasonal touches. 

• April 5, 11 a.m. 
• 5602 Fulton St., Houston

Hungry’s: Enjoy a visit from the Easter Bunny as well as chocolate chip mini waffles, Florentine eggs Benedict, and chicken and waffles at Hungry’s Easter brunch.

• April 5, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (visit from the Easter Bunny)
• 2356 Rice Blvd., Houston

A total of 6,408 in-person and mail-in ballots have been cast early in the city of Houston's special election District C race, according to the Harris County clerk's office. The 14-day early voting period ran March 18-31.

By the numbers: Unofficial results from the Harris County clerk's office show that the highest turnout day was March 31. On that date, there were 1,045 early in-person voters. The largest turnout for mail ballots was March 18, when voting opened, with 478 ballots cast.

All totals are unofficial until votes are reviewed in accordance with the Texas Election Code.

On the ballot: The District C seat on City Council became up for grabs in early 2026 after council member Abbie Kamin announced her intentions to run for Harris County attorney. The district includes portions of the Heights, Washington Avenue, Montrose, Rice Village and Meyerland neighborhoods.

At the polls: With early voting ended, voters' next chance to participate in the election will be April 4.

Houston will apply to receive a grant from the governor’s office for funding that will assist in paying overtime for officers tracking gang violence and activity.

What is it? The grant is for $150,000 and will provide overtime funding for the Houston Police Department’s Northeast and Westside divisions for the gang suppression program.

Part of the fund will also go toward tracking and surveilling violent gang offenders and preventing and suppressing violent gang crime in their areas, per the agenda item.

The backstory: Two weeks prior, District J council member Edward Pollard tagged the council agenda item after questioning the decision to use outside funds when he had been trying to put forth overtime hours for the same division, but had not been approved. 

In response, Mayor John Whitmire said council should use the funding provided by the governor's office instead.

Council unanimously approved the ordinance. The Houston Police Department and Chief Noe Diaz will oversee the grant process.

Four astronauts boarded the Orion spacecraft on April 1 and lifted off that evening from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as part of Artemis 2, NASA’s first manned lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.

What you need to know: Artemis 2 is sending NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day mission to orbit the Earth and moon, according to NASA’s website.

Quote of note: “Building on the uncrewed Artemis I mission, which sent Orion 1.4 million miles beyond the moon and back, Artemis II will begin with two Earth orbits including a high‑Earth orbit before the crew embarks on a trajectory that will take them thousands of miles beyond the lunar far side—the farthest any humans will have traveled from Earth," Texas A&M professor Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, a former NASA astronaut who has flown five shuttle missions, said in the release.