The deal’s approval comes after approximately eight years of bitter negotiations. During that time, Houston firefighters worked without a contract.
City Controller Chris Hollins said the $650 million deal will cost Houston approximately $1.2 to $1.5 billion over the next three decades, with interest taken into consideration because bonds are being issued to fund it.
Hollins sent a memorandum to Whitmire and other officials Sunday evening. He wrote in part, “As you know, by no fault of the firefighters, it remains unclear how the City will pay for this proposed deal (in addition to police raises and other budget increases of significance). The near-record fund balance on hand will only get us through the coming fiscal year. After spending down roughly $200 million of the total fund balance in Fiscal Year 2025, the City will no longer have it as an option going forward. It is vital for adequate revenue sources to be identified in coming months to keep the City financially afloat without sacrificing the quality of City service delivery or Houstonians quality of life.”
The city will not seek new revenue sources to fund the settlement in the 2025 fiscal year, which begins on July 1, 2024. Instead, Hollis said the city will burn through approximately 40% of its current fund balance, something he equated to a savings account. Next fiscal year, Whitmire said the city will seek new revenue sources.
For more updates on this story, follow Shannon Ryan on Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Boston Celtics have once again claimed their place at the top of the NBA.
Jayson Tatum scored 31 points, dished out 11 assists, and grabbed eight rebounds, leading the Celtics to a 106-88 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night. This win secured the franchise’s 18th championship, breaking the tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most titles in NBA history.
The championship win comes on the 16th anniversary of their last title in 2008. It is also the 13th championship by one of Boston’s Big 4 professional sports teams this century.
Jaylen Brown contributed 21 points, while Jrue Holiday added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Kristaps Porzingis, returning from a two-game absence due to a dislocated tendon in his left ankle, provided an emotional boost with five points in 17 minutes.
This victory capped off a postseason in which the Celtics went 16-3, finishing with an overall record of 80-21. Their .792 winning percentage is the second-best in team history, trailing only the 1985-86 championship team’s .820 mark.
CYPRESS, Texas (KTRK) — Cy-Fair Independent School District has executed significant shifts heading into the summer.
On Monday, the Cy-fair ISD school board voted to give themselves more power to ban books from district libraries, marking the second major decision regarding instruction and reading material selection in weeks.
Before the last day of school on May 31, the board approved cutting half of its librarian positions and separately omitting science textbook chapters that all but one board trustee considered “controversial.”
On Monday, the board faced parents and teachers who wanted answers about the textbook issue and the library book review process.
The new library material review policy gives the board of trustees the ultimate responsibility of looking through, selecting, and reconsidering library books.
Another heavily debated update to the policy is ensuring new library books up for consideration will be posted to the district’s website for at least 30 days before being included in the library.
These lists must also be provided to the superintendent and board at least five days before being posted on the website.
Parents and educators fear this will empower the board to override the decisions of review committees.
According to the board meeting agenda, at least 19 people registered to speak about a “Level 1 complaint filed by an employee regarding adoption of science instructional materials.”
ABC13’s partners at Community Impact Newspaper report the employee is Alicia Royer, a 30-year science instructor at Cypress Falls High School. In a June 14 report, Royer claims the board violated a policy stating that members should rely on district personnel to select instructional material. This came after board Vice President Natalie Blasingame put to a vote the removal of 13 chapters from a list of 25 textbooks the board had to approve.
Royer told Community Impact she was on a committee reviewing instructional materials, but its recommendations weren’t considered before the May 6 vote.
In the June 14 report, Blasingame is quoted questioning global warming impacts after she read an excerpt from an omitted chapter.
“‘Global warming will affect precipitation and snow melt; cause extreme weather; alter biodiversity; melt arctic sea ice and glaciers; add to the acidification of the oceans; and cause sea level rise,'” Blasingame read from the textbook on June 13. “Is that true? Where’s the data? Where was the reference?”
Another trustee, Todd LeCompte, also questioned Royer about vaccine information being included in biology textbooks, which falls outside her purview since she teaches earth systems.
He implied vaccines cause autism, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have refuted.
Lesley Guilmart, president of the nonpartisan nonprofit Cypress Families for Public Schools, said she believes censoring science textbooks will make it more difficult for students to engage in critical thinking.
“There’s no ‘both sides’ to scientific data. The data is the data. … Analysis and evaluation can enter the picture in science class when students are given the opportunity to consider whether or not rising temperatures and sea levels are a problem that should be addressed. Why don’t six of the CFISD board members trust educators to facilitate this exploration?” she said in an emailed statement to Community Impact.
Royer’s complaint was a couple of items after the board revised how the district reviews library materials.
Part of the policy requires educators to categorize all library content as juvenile, young adult, or adult and ensure parents have a say in the reading materials their children can access at school.
Community Impact reported that a few community members, including a trustee’s wife, submitted most requests for books to be removed.
GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) — A beautiful beachfront view turned tragic after a balcony collapsed on Galveston’s West End, killing a woman hours later.
Susan Farb Morris owned the home on Kahala Drive East in Galveston’s West End. On Friday, she was on a balcony when it came crashing down.
Morris was known as the “PR Fairy.” Her family says she embraced this title as she spread magic to promote the community.
Now, some are wondering how this could’ve happened. On Friday afternoon, Galveston officials say two people, including Morris, were hurt when the structure collapsed.
Eyewitness News was told that Morris didn’t appear to have fatal injuries.
Emergency crews responded, and she was taken to the hospital.
The medical examiner said she died hours later from blunt force trauma caused by a fall. Despite the damage to the home, no investigation was immediately launched.
It wasn’t until firefighters learned of Morris’ death days later on Monday that the city called for an investigation.
City officials told ABC13 building inspectors will be at the property Tuesday morning.
Inspectors haven’t been to the property in more than 15 years. Records show the house hasn’t had work done since 2008 after it was damaged by Hurricane Ike.
ABC13 was told that inspectors will examine the balcony for damage and to determine whether any recent work was performed.
Morris’ untimely death triggered a massive outpouring of support on social media. Nearly 1,000 comments were made after her family’s announcement.
On Monday, loved ones said goodbye as a funeral took place.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Authorities are investigating a girl’s death after her body was found in a creek on the city’s north side Monday morning.
Houston Police Department investigators and Mayor John Whitmire held an evening press conference, where they said they have reason to believe the girl sneaked out of her home sometime at 10 p.m. Sunday night. She had not been reported missing.
Authorities could only confirm the victim, believed to be 12 years old, was found at a creek in the 400 block of West Rankin Road at about 6 a.m.
“Someone has taken one of our innocent children,” acting police chief Larry Satterwhite said at the press conference. “We believe someone did this horrible thing to her, and we are here to ask for your help.”
“It makes me angry that we have dangerous criminals on the streets of Houston,” Whitmire added.
HPD said they are looking at surveillance video to follow up on leads, calling the circumstances suspicious and saying they believe foul play is involved.
Police would not comment on the condition of the girl’s body. The medical examiner’s office is completing an official identification of the victim, but both Satterwhite and Whitmire said they had spoken to the girl’s mother.
“Of course, she is devastated. Her family is devastated. This little girl is gone,” Satterwhite said.
Authorities urge anyone with information about the girl’s death to contact Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS(8477).
In a bold move reminiscent of past public health campaigns against tobacco, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is urging Congress to implement warning labels on social media platforms, citing potential adverse health effects. In an op-ed published in The New York Times yesterday, Dr. Murthy drew parallels to the historical impact of warning labels on cigarette packages, which contributed to a significant decline in smoking rates from 42% of US adults in the 1960s to 11.5% by 2021.
The proposal comes amid ongoing research into the potential link between social media use and the mental health crisis affecting children and teenagers. While there is no consensus among experts, some studies suggest negative effects. A 2019 study linked over three hours of daily social media use to increased mental health risks, and a 2022 survey found that 46% of teens felt worse about their bodies due to social media exposure.
However, some experts caution against attributing the decline in teens’ well-being solely to social media. They point to other contributing factors, such as economic hardship, social isolation, racism, school shootings, and the opioid crisis, as noted by The New York Times.
Despite the debate, Dr. Murthy’s stance is clear. He hopes the proposed warning labels will influence teens’ screen time, with recent surveys showing that more than half of US teens spend at least four hours a day on social media. The Surgeon General’s call to action aims to address this widespread issue, encouraging a healthier relationship with technology among young people.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A 13-year-old boy is dead, and his 18-year-old brother is recovering in the hospital after they were gunned down in the parking lot of their southwest Houston apartment complex on Sunday evening, according to police.
Lt. J.P. Horelica said the two brothers were walking across the parking lot at the Cortland Med Center apartment complex in the 9100 block of Lakes at 610 Drive around 8:40 p.m.
A car allegedly pulled up to the teenagers before someone jumped out and shot at them. Horelica said the 13-year-old died at the scene, and the 18-year-old was transported to the hospital, where he is expected to survive.
HPD said there’s no indication at this time that the shooting was gang-related, although it is still early in the investigation. It is unclear whether it was a random incident or if the victims were targeted.
According to investigators, the teen boys lived at the apartment complex. Their parents were at the scene but did not witness the incident.
Houston police said the suspects fled in what appeared to be a gray vehicle, possibly a Lexus. One of them was allegedly wearing a blue hoodie.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or speak anonymously with Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — The bodies of a teenage girl and her father were found during a search for two missing swimmers in the San Jacinto River, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Crews were called to the scene of a possible drowning at 1927 Gulf Pump Road in Crosby around 7 p.m. Sunday after a 38-year-old father and his 14-year-old daughter did not resurface from the water.
Overnight, dive teams recovered a body believed to be the 14-year-old girl, according to Gonzalez.
In an update Monday morning, Gonzalez said the body of an adult male, believed to be her father, was also recovered.
HCSO did not immediately release further details about what led up to the drownings.
EMERYVILLE, Calif. — Back in 2015, the film “Inside Out” journeyed beyond the surface to uncover the complex emotions of 11-year-old protagonist, Riley.
Fast forward to the 2024 sequel, “Inside Out 2.” We pick up as Riley turns 13 years old to explore what goes on in the teenage brain.
“New emotions are arriving on the scene. Her worlds about to get expanded, a construction crew has come in to expand headquarters,” shared Mark Nielsen, the “Inside Out 2” producer. “It’s time for her to kind of experience more of what teenagers are going to be going through and to be ready for it.”
ABC7’s Reggie Aqui ventured to the Pixar campus to get the inside scoop on the four-year process behind making the film.
“Anxiety…it all kind of started with her,” said Kelsey Mann, the film’s director. “It’s definitely something that I dealt with and deal with even now. I started in January of 2020, and even then, it was starting to be an issue in teenagers, especially, especially teenage girls, and then the pandemic hit.”
Mann added, “We had already kind of landed on anxiety being kind of the main new emotion, even before the pandemic, but even after we went through it, we just knew as an important story to tell.”
To ensure authenticity in the storytelling, the production team enlisted the help of nine teenagers.
“You may notice that none of us were ever 13 year old girls,” expressed Nielsen. “We thought this would be really helpful to see what teens right now think about the story we’re telling and get their reaction to it, so that we can make it as believable as possible.”
He added, “We picked nine girls from around the country that we met with for a period of three years, and showed them the movie every four months, and got there her notes and their feedback”
Based on the information gathered, new emotions were developed to encompass real life feelings and experiences felt by teens.
“It’s got heart. It’s got humor, but it’s got a real emotional depth that we’re proud of,” described Nielsen. “We want this to be meaningful to people and not just fun and entertaining. But it is fun and entertaining.”
Watch the video above for more information, and catch Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” in theaters June 14, 2024.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Emergency crews in Oregon rescued 28 people Friday after they were stuck for about half an hour dangling upside down high on a ride at a century-old amusement park.
Portland Fire and Rescue said on the social platform X that firefighters worked with engineers at Oaks Park to manually lower the ride, but crews had been preparing to conduct a high-angle ropes rescue if necessary. All riders were being evacuated and medically evaluated, and there were no reports of injuries.
One rider with a pre-existing medical condition was taken to a hospital for further evaluation as a precaution, Oaks Amusement Park said in a statement posted on social media. Medics released all other passengers.
The ride, called AtmosFEAR, operates like a pendulum, with the capacity to swing riders completely upside down.
Chris Ryan and his wife, from nearby Gresham, were at the park for his birthday. He told The Associated Press in a Facebook message that they had just been planning to ride AtmosFEAR when they saw it was stuck and heard people saying, “Oh my God, they are upside down.”
