PREVIEW: Harris Health, Commissioner Ramsey to host Sept. 10 town hall
Harris Health and the office of Harris County Commissioner Precinct 3 Tom Ramsey will host a town hall meeting Sept. 10 to share updates and resources with the community.
The gist: The event will feature updates from Ramsey’s office as well as Harris Health, which will provide information on the $2.5 billion bond projects aimed at expanding access to quality health care in Kashmere Gardens neighborhoods. The Sheila Jackson Lee Center for Accelerating Health Outcomes will also present on current initiatives to address health disparities and access to health resources.
A panel discussion and Q&A session focused on nutrition security and heart health will round out the evening.
The meeting is free and open to the public. It will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 10 at Trini Mendenhall Community Center on 1414 Wirt Road, Houston.
Veteran Builders reopens, offers home construction services in Spring
Veteran Builders, a Spring-based home roofing, remodeling and repair business, reopened in September.
Two-minute impact: Owner Kevin Owens, an 82nd Airborne Army veteran, told Community Impact his business is back after closing shop in 2020. Owens said he spent those five years learning how to build and construct houses from the ground up.
“Now we’re starting back up again,” Owens said.
What they offer: Veteran Builders offers services to both residential and commercial clients in the Spring, Tomball, Woodlands, Conroe, Cypress and nearby areas, according to the business website. Customers can request services such as roofing, office and retail remodeling, repairs and custom home builds.
Cellphone ban, library materials: 8 new Texas laws impacting public schools
When Texas students returned to school in August, some substantial changes awaited them.
The overview:
House Bill 2 increases state funding for public schools by $8.4 billion.
House Bill 1481 prohibits students from using cellphones and other personal communication devices throughout the school day.
Senate Bill 12 requires parental consent for students to receive "medical, psychiatric and psychological treatment" on campus.
Senate Bill 13 gives parents and school boards more oversight of library materials.
House Bill 6 gives teachers more discretion to remove repeatedly disruptive or violent students from class.
Senate Bill 10 requires most schools to display donated posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
Senate Bill 11 allows districts to set aside time for students and staff to pray or read religious texts at school.
Senate Bill 965 codifies school employees' rights to "engage in religious speech or prayer while on duty."
The context: The sweeping changes come after lawmakers passed what state leaders have called “transformative” education laws during this year’s regular legislative session, which ended June 2.
‘Please put justice first’: Harris County district judges warn of ‘Harvey’-level court backlog amid budget cuts
An increasing jail population, slower case processing and increasing court backlog delays are among the potential consequences Harris County judges and other judicial officials warned commissioners about Sept. 9 if several initiatives go unfunded.
The context: Harris County commissioners and department leaders are weighing how to offset at least $102 million in cuts before adopting the fiscal year 2025-26 budget on Sept. 18.
More details: Harris County Criminal Court Judge Stacy Barrow serves on the 487th district court and asked Commissioners Court to fund $2.2 million toward the associate judge program, which covers 12 staff positions and serves several court functions, judges said, including assisting with case processing, handling bond cases and covering court dockets during weekends and holiday shifts.
“Our request today is [for] Commissioners Court is to partner with us in progress to fund the felony associate judge program for an additional year in response to the shift in [the] criminal justice landscape," Barrow said.
