Houston City Council approved an ordinance that will provide guidelines for the 2024 Derecho and Hurricane Beryl repair program.

What is it: Called DR24 SF HRP, the program provides rehabilitation or reconstruction services to homes that are eligible for repair after damage from either of the 2024 storms. This program is for single-family homes only.

To be eligible, households must be low-to-moderate-income, at least 80% below the area median income, which, according to the city, is $58,250 for one person. The home had to be directly or indirectly impacted by either storm.

Funding source: The program has a $45 million budget, and residents can receive up to $100,000 for rehabilitation or $300,000 for reconstruction. The city allocated a total of $50 million for the program, with $45 million for the home repairs and $5 million for administrative costs.

One more thing: The Housing and Community Development Department said the program’s applications will open in early August.

Oakley, the premium eyewear store, will open a new location in The MKT.

The details: Known for its performance and signature-style glasses, the store features eyewear that includes artificial intelligence technology, prescription glasses, custom glasses, backpacks, apparel and shoes.

The new store will feature technology to put customers in an immersive experience, such as the Prizm Wall, an interactive wall that will show how the Prizm lenses enhance color, contrast and detail. It will also showcase Smart Shopper technology, which will allow guests to explore its products digitally while in the store.

One more thing: According to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the 2,297-square-foot space is undergoing $500,000 in renovations, which began in May and are expected to be completed in July.

• 600 N. Shepherd Drive, Ste. 410, Houston

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo officials announced the creation of a new C-level leadership position called chief operating officer and general manager.

In a nutshell: The new position—which will be filled by current Chief Revenue Officer Amber Burda—aims to unify strategic direction as well as align programming and strategy for the annual rodeo event, officials announced in a July 7 news release.

Burda has served as chief revenue officer since 2023, although she was initially hired in 2017 as the executive director of sponsorships, business and corporate development, where she led the creation of official rodeo sponsorships.

Sorting out details: Her focus will be on ensuring cross-departmental coordination to enhance operational efficiency, while aligning pricing and revenue strategies with the organization’s mission

In the new role, Burda will oversee most public-facing aspects of the rodeo, including:

• Mission

• Show operations

• Ticketing

• Sponsorships

• Stadium presentation

• The carnival

Burda will also be involved in the creation of the organization’s new agricultural complex along Hwy. 288, per the release.

Sam Houston State University is now accepting applications for its new master’s program in applied biomedical sciences, per a July 7 news release. The inaugural cohort will begin this upcoming fall.

What you need to know: The new master’s program, which will be offered online, will include tracks in medical/healthcare artificial intelligence, healthcare technologies, regulatory affairs and clinical sciences, as previously reported. The application fee is waived for students who are applying for the fall cohort, per the news release. Interested students can apply through ApplyTexas, and the university will also be hosting virtual information sessions July 22 and July 30 from 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Some context: The new master’s program will also be connected to SHSU’s Institute for Medical Artificial Intelligence. The institute is working to advance education, research, innovation and the responsible use of AI in medicine and healthcare, per the news release.

Harris County commissioners shot down an effort to dissolve the role of county administrator during the July 9 meeting after an item re-examining the duties of the office was added as an emergency item to the county agenda.

What we know: Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia added an item to the agenda on June 9 to consider returning the duties of the Office of County Administration back to commissioners. Garcia also requested a closed session discussion for an “evaluation” of County Administrator Erica Lee Carter.

“When I'm elected, it is important for me to have oversight of operations and be involved in decisions,” Garcia said. “it has nothing to do with the person there, I just never really cared for the office, but I was willing to experiment with it and better understand it.”

The action taken: While Garcia’s proposal was not considered further by commissioners, Ramsey said he would like to see additional progress on how the OCA could work with commissioners and other departments to improve efficiency.

In Texas, 246 of the state’s 254 counties are designated by the federal government as “mental health professional shortage areas,” meaning local law enforcement are often tasked with responding to mental health crisis calls.

The situation: All Texas peace officers are required to complete crisis intervention and deescalation trainings, according to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

What's happening: Across Community Impact’s coverage areas, some city and county law enforcement agencies are partnering with local mental health professionals to respond to crisis calls. However, law enforcement and criminal justice leaders from smaller communities told state legislators July 7 that they have “limited tools” to effectively respond to mental health calls and help people in crisis.

“We do not have any inpatient mental health facilities in my county—we've never had that, and we've needed them for decades,” Comal County Criminal District Attorney Jennifer Tharp said July 7. “We originally started out sending individuals to the San Antonio area, and right now we are transporting individuals for inpatient treatment to North Austin.”