Houston City Council unanimously voted to relocate bricks from the historic Freedmen’s Town that it had been storing in a warehouse to the Fourth Ward, where the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy will have custody of them for safeguard and protection.

How we got here: During construction in 2025, contractors and developers illegally removed bricks and failed to follow the designated process for protecting them, District C council member Abbie Kamin said during a March 25 council meeting.

“Over time, those bricks that have been removed, the city of Houston has actually been storing them,” she said. “We had an archeological expert come in, tag them, we have residents from the area that are supervising the operation, storage and placement of them, and they’re all cataloged.”

The bricks were sitting in a makeshift storage facility, Kamin said, but now they should be moved back to the community.

Something to note: The HFTC and Contemporary Arts Museum Houston will provide over $19,000 in funding to transport the bricks and to install a safeguard building to protect them.

A new seafood concept by restaurateur and chef Virgil Harper is set to open April 1 on Washington Avenue. 

The details: Atlantic Ocean will offer a “coastal seafood diaspora shaped by diverse regions and culinary traditions,” according to a March 25 news release from company representatives.

The restaurant’s menu will feature premium seafood and globally inspired coastal flavors, including dishes such as Moroccan lamb chops, grilled branzino and lobster pasta with butter-poached claw meat and white wine.

Meet the chef: Harper has more than 20 years of experience in the dining industry and is known for creating Toast on Lenox, a popular brunch concept in Atlanta. In the release, he said Atlantic Ocean blends his lifelong connection to the sea with his passion for hospitality. 

• 6011 Washington Ave., Houston

On March 19, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announced the opening of its new Colorectal Center located on the second floor of its Duncan Building, per a news release.

More details: The 24,565-square-foot center blends art and technology, aiming to create a calm, healing environment focused on patient experience, per the news release. This center includes 32 exam rooms, along with a lobby featuring three focus rooms. Patients will have access to supportive services such as nutrition counseling, pain management, genetic counseling and risk assessment.

Quote of note: “When we treat young patients, we are addressing more than just the cancer,” Dr. Y. Nancy You, professor of colon and rectal surgery and director of the young-onset colorectal cancer program, said via news release. “We also recognize the significant psychological impact that a diagnosis can have on their lives. This new center provides a dedicated space where we can deliver personalized, whole-person care and walk that journey with every patient, so they know they are not alone."

On March 20, student doctors at Sam Houston State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine celebrated Match Day and learned where they would go for their residencies.

Some context: Student doctors interview with residency programs across the country, and submit a ranked list of the residency programs where they’d like to train, COM Dean Thomas Mohr said. The residency programs also rank the students they’ve interviewed, and after the preferences are processed, student doctors are paired with residency programs.

By the numbers: According to a March 20 news release:

• COM’s residency placement rate exceeded 99%.
• Almost 66% of student doctors will remain in Texas for their residencies.
• A little over 51% of student doctors matched into primary care specialties such as family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics.
• 26% of student doctors matched into emergency medicine.

Beginning April 1, Texans can no longer use food stamps to purchase sweetened beverages and candy.

How we got here: During the 2025 legislative session, Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 379, which prohibits Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from being used to purchase candy and sweetened drinks. In August, the federal government approved a waiver allowing Texas to implement the prohibition beginning April 1.

Texas will be the ninth state to prohibit SNAP benefits from being used on sugary items, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

How it works: Under SB 379, Texans will not be allowed to use their SNAP benefits to buy sweetened drinks containing any artificial sweeteners or at least 5 grams of added sugar, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. SB 379 also bans the purchase of candy with Lone Star Cards.

It is up to Texas businesses to determine which items are no longer SNAP-eligible, update their store purchase systems and train staff to recognize the newly restricted items, according to the HHSC.