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City of Houston Provides 23 Convenient Christmas Tree Recycling Drop-Off Locations

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As the holiday season fades into the rearview mirror, residents are faced with the question of what to do with their Christmas trees. For those who opted for plastic trees, the solution is simple – disassemble and stow away for next year. However, if you chose a live tree this year, the City of Houston encourages you to recycle, emphasizing their commitment to sustainability.

Running until Friday, January 26, the Houston Solid Waste Management Department has established 23 Christmas tree recycling drop-off locations across the city. This initiative aims to promote the recycling of live trees, which are biodegradable and contribute positively to the environment.

Residents can conveniently drop off their Christmas trees at various locations throughout Houston, open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., excluding Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023. The designated drop-off locations include:

  • Central Neighborhood Depository: 2240 Central St.
  • Kirkpatrick Neighborhood Depository: 5565 Kirkpatrick
  • Sommermeyer Neighborhood Depository: 14400 Sommermeyer
  • N. Main Neighborhood Depository: 9003 N. Main
  • Southwest Neighborhood Depository: 10785 SW Freeway
  • Sunbeam Neighborhood Depository: 5100 Sunbeam

Open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. are:

  • Kingwood (Branch Library) – Bens View Lane @ Bens Branch Drive
  • Doss Park – 2500 Frick Road (County Park), gates close at 5 p.m.
  • Memorial Park (2 Locations):
    • Softball Parking lot: 6402 Arnot St, Houston, TX 77007
    • Sports Complex
  • T.C. Jester Park: 4200 T.C. Jester West
  • Ellington Airport Recycling Drop-off: HWY 3 @ Brantley Road

Operating Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on Monday, Dec. 25, and Jan. 15, are:

  • Westpark Consumer Recycling Center: 5900 Westpark
  • Living Earth: MON-FRI 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 7:00 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Living Earth locations closed on both Monday, Dec. 25, and Jan. 1, include:

  • 5802 Crawford Rd.
  • 1503 Industrial Dr, Missouri City
  • 1700 Highway 90A East, Richmond
  • 12202 Cutten Road
  • 16138 Highway 6
  • 5210 S. Sam Houston Pkwy E
  • 27733 Katy Freeway, Katy TX
  • 10310 Beaumont Highway
  • 17555 I-45 South, Conroe TX
  • 20611 US Hwy 59, New Caney TX
  • 9306 FM 523, Freeport TX

It’s important to note that only live trees will be accepted, and before dropping off your tree, ensure it is free of all ornaments, lights, strands, and any non-organic decorations.

For those looking to participate in a community tree recycling event, mark your calendars for January 5, when an event will take place at Houston City Hall’s reflection pool at 11:30. Join fellow residents in contributing to a greener and more sustainable Houston by recycling your Christmas trees at these designated drop-off locations.

METRO Anuncia Viajes Gratuitos y Servicio Limitado Durante la Víspera y el Día de Año Nuevo

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Por Edward Saenz e Indira Zaldivar

Encimándose el 2024, METRO ofrece viajes gratuitos a partir de las 6 p.m. en la víspera de Año Nuevo hasta las 6 a.m. del día de Año Nuevo. En observancia de las festividades, el sistema de tránsito también operará con un horario limitado para la próxima víspera y día de Año Nuevo.

El domingo 31 de diciembre, los servicios locales de autobuses, METRORail, METRORapid y curb2curb seguirán los horarios de los domingos. Además, los carriles HOV operados por METRO permanecerán abiertos para facilitar el flujo de tráfico. Las rutas de Park & Ride no estarán operativas.

Similar a la víspera de Año Nuevo, el horario del Día de Año Nuevo será el siguiente: los servicios locales de autobuses, METRORail, METRORapid y curb2curb operarán según los horarios de los domingos. Las rutas de Park & Ride no estarán en servicio durante ambos días festivos. Sin embargo, los carriles HOV operados por METRO estarán cerrados durante el día pero reanudarán su operación normal el 2 de enero.

Durante ambos días, el Centro de Atención al Cliente de METRO, las Tiendas de Viajes y los Servicios de Objeto Perdido no estarán disponibles.

Este horario ajustado tiene como objetivo adaptarse al período festivo mientras garantiza servicios de
transporte esenciales para el público. Se recomienda a los pasajeros que planifiquen sus viajes en consecuencia y tomen nota de las modificaciones específicas en el servicio durante las festividades de Año Nuevo.

METRO Announces Free Rides, Limited Service During New Year’s Eve and Day

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By Edward Saenz & Indira Zaldivar

As 2024 rolls in, METRO is offering free rides starting at 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve through 6 a.m. on New Year’s Day. In observation of the holidays, the transit system is also operating on a limited schedule for the upcoming New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

On Sunday, Dec. 31, local bus services, METRORail, METRORapid, and curb2curb will follow Sunday schedules. Along with this, METRO-operated HOV Lanes will remain open to accommodate traffic flow. Park & Ride routes will not be operational.

Similar to New Year’s Eve, the News Year’s Day schedule will be as follows: local bus services, METRORail, METRORapid, and curb2curb will operate on Sunday schedules.

Park & Ride routes will not be in service during the two holidays.

However, METRO-operated HOV Lanes will be closed for the day but will resume normal operation on Jan 2.

During both these days, the METRO Customer Service Call Center, RideStores, and Lost & Found services will not be available. This adjusted schedule aims to accommodate the holiday period while ensuring essential transportation services for the public. Riders are advised to plan their trips accordingly and take note of the specific service modifications during the New Year’s holiday.

San Antonio police seek 2 ‘persons of interest’ in deaths of pregnant teen and her boyfriend

San Antonio police seek 2 ‘persons of interest’ in deaths of pregnant teen and her boyfriend

Police are seeking the public’s help identifying two “persons of interest” in the investigation into the deaths of a pregnant teenager and her boyfriend, whose bodies were found in a car in San Antonio this week.

San Antonio police shared a video Thursday and said in a statement that they are seeking information about two people seen in it — one who was driving a dark pickup truck with a bed cover and the other who was driving a silver Kia Optima that belonged to one of the victims.

Before she was found dead, Savanah Soto, 18, had last been seen in the Optima on Friday afternoon in Leon Valley, an enclave in northwest San Antonio. At the time, officials said her disappearance posed a “credible threat” to her “health and safety.”

Police found the bodies of Soto and her boyfriend, Matthew Guerra, 22, in Guerra’s Optima on Tuesday afternoon.

One of the two persons of interest police seek to identify in the investigation into the deaths of Savanah Soto and Matthew Guerra. (San Antonio Police Dept. / via X)
One of the two persons of interest police seek to identify in the investigation into the deaths of Savanah Soto and Matthew Guerra. (San Antonio Police Dept. / via X)

The 79-second video released Thursday shows a pickup heading in one direction, while the Optima pulls into the parking lot from the opposite direction and parks near it. People get out of both vehicles and appear to talk to each other before driving away, the video shows.

Police said the video was taken from a location near where Soto’s and Guerra’s bodies were found, about 3 miles from where Soto was last seen Friday.

Police Chief William McManus said Thursday the pickup in the video is a Chevrolet Silverado. He added that detectives are combing through additional security videos from places Soto and Guerra would frequent, as well as digging into cellphone records and social media posts.

“Detectives are doing everything that they can do to solve this case,” McManus said at a news conference.

He called the slayings a “heinous act” and “unspeakable.”

The deaths are being investigated as a capital murder, McManus said. While it’s possible Soto and Guerra died in a murder-suicide, he said, “we’ve kind of gotten past that point right now, unless we get evidence that would lead us to believe otherwise.”

https://twitter.com/SATXPolice/status/1740486837565886590?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1740486837565886590%7Ctwgr%5E86d5a55485aad4df233ede15004f9288fc3f160e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.yahoo.com%2Fsan-antonio-police-seek-2-023234358.html
Soto and Guerra died from gunshot wounds to the head, the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office said Thursday. Soto’s death was a homicide. Guerra’s manner of death is pending, according to the medical examiner.
Their bodies may have been in the Optima for several days before they were found, McManus said.
An unborn child was also killed, San Antonio police said.
Savanah Soto. (via Facebook)
Savanah Soto. (via Facebook)
Leon Valley police said that when Soto disappeared, she was past her delivery date and that her family contacted San Antonio police because she missed “an essential medical appointment.”
Soto’s family told NBC affiliate WOAI of San Antonio that she disappeared the day before labor was scheduled to be induced.
Anyone with information about the people in the video or the pickup is asked to call police. Tipsters can remain anonymous, police said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

Texas Liquor Laws Pose Dry Start to 2024: Liquor Stores Closed for 61 Hours

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As the world welcomes the New Year with festivities and toasts, Texans face an unusual challenge due to the state’s peculiar liquor laws. Texas liquor stores, which have been closed on Sundays since 1935, also observe restrictions on certain holidays, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. The upcoming New Year’s Day falls on a Monday, triggering a 61-hour window of prohibited liquor sales from 9:01 p.m. on Saturday, December 31, to 10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 2.

To navigate this period of restricted access, those looking to purchase alcohol are urged to visit their local liquor stores before the 9 p.m. cutoff on Saturday. This brief but significant dry spell presents a unique challenge for those planning to celebrate the arrival of 2024 with spirits in the Lone Star State.

Altercation Involving Amazon Driver Unfolds at Upscale Houston Apartment Complex

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@_redrosemedia Christmas time Karen: I was assaulted by an unidentified white woman in the popular, affluent, Houston neighborhood, River Oaks while delivering a package on an Amazon shift. This lady spewed racist tropes, like that I was a thief, and hit me several times. She even threw me up against a residents door, and eventually ripped the package I’m attempting to delivery out of my hand, all unprompted. All while I did not once hit or touch her back. As much as I wanted to, I knew she would weaponize anything I did to her against me. She even yells “she’s hitting me!” in the video as you can literally see her hitting ME. At this same time, you can also see her fake defend herself as I again, do not lay a single finger on her. I hate that I did not get clearer video, but I was literally having to defend myself. I’m pressing charges on her, and have already filed the police report, so I am hoping to get the apartment security footage. But the building has not been helpful so far. What happened: I was let into the building by a resident. I have an amazon vest on, and a package in hand, so she lets me into the elevator. I attempt to exit the elevator on the 2nd floor, and she tells me I have to go to the concierge even though my delivery instructions say customers door. I decide to go with what the delivery instructions say, and proceed to try to find the customers door on the 2nd floor. This resident who let me in the elevator, then starts freaking out, and runs and tells another lady that I am not listening to her about going to the concierge. The lady she told is who ends up harassing and assaulting me. I started recording shortly after the harassing began. Both of these were older white women, who I assume were rich based on the neighborhood and fancy apartment building, and I absolutely believe their vitriol towards me was racially motivated. I have not heard any updates on the investigation and I want this spread far and wide to identify these women. Because of this experience, I’ve had to obviously take a break from Amazon, which was my primary income, and this has all been extremely disruptive to my day to day. I don’t feel comfortable delivering to certain places, and you can not confirm where you are delivering before you pick up packages for your shift with Amazon’s structure. Living check to check, any time off from working puts me in a hole so I’ve also set up a gofundme in my bio to help with bills and rent while I look for new work. I have never experienced such racist, Karen, behavior. It was so off the wall, but also completely on brand with how white women have historically weaponized their privilege. The best example of this in the video is when she claims I am hitting her, while literally hitting me. And it’s wild how I still felt like if I defended myself in that moment and hit her back, that I would face harsh consequences. Please help me by sharing and tagging local news accounts. #christmas #karen #houston #blm #amazon #holidays ♬ original sound – red rose media

A disturbing encounter unfolded earlier this month at The Belle Meade at River Oaks in Houston when Amazon delivery partner JaMaiya Miller, 25, faced allegations of theft from residents of the upscale apartment complex. Miller, attempting a routine delivery, was accosted by two women in a heated incident captured on TikTok, subsequently going viral with over 800,000 views.

In the video, captioned “Christmas time Karen,” Miller navigates a hallway while a woman in a gray jacket physically obstructs her path, accusing her of theft. The tense exchange, which escalated to the woman hitting Miller with her phone, gained attention on social media platforms, including Reddit’s r/PublicFreakout.

Miller explained to Chron that the altercation began after an elevator ride with one of the women, who objected to Miller delivering packages directly to residents’ doors. Despite Miller clarifying delivery instructions, the situation escalated, leading to physical confrontation and accusations of theft.

The woman off-camera, identified as “Karen 2” in the video, had initially let Miller into the complex. Despite Miller’s attempts to leave, the woman continued to block her, claiming security was on the way. A doorman eventually mediated the situation, allowing Miller to depart.

As of now, Houston Police Department investigators are evaluating whether a chargeable crime occurred. The Belle Meade at River Oaks disapproved of the incident, stating that packages should be delivered to the concierge desk. Amazon confirmed Miller’s affiliation and is cooperating with law enforcement, emphasizing the safety of their delivery partners.

In an update, Miller expressed her intention to pursue a civil case, having experienced psychological and material repercussions. She hopes for accountability and justice in the aftermath of the distressing incident.

Houston Texans Receive Playoff Boost as Rookie C.J. Stroud Clears Concussion Protocol

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In a significant development for the Houston Texans, star rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud has cleared concussion protocol, providing a boost to the team’s playoff aspirations ahead of a crucial matchup with the Tennessee Titans.

Stroud, who sustained the injury during a December 10th loss to the New York Jets, spoke to the media on Thursday, expressing his readiness to start in the upcoming game with playoff implications. The Texans can secure a playoff berth by winning their final two regular-season games, but their chances drop to 13 percent if they lose to the Titans, currently placing them as the No. 8 seed in the AFC.

Reflecting on his concussion, Stroud acknowledged its severity, describing it as “probably the worst one” he has experienced on the football field. The Ohio State product detailed the impact, attributing it to hitting the back of his head against the MetLife Stadium turf following a hard tackle from Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

“Concussions are a little different,” Stroud commented. “This one was probably the worst one I’ve had because I hit the back of my head and hit the ground really hard. It was like I damn near hit my head on cement kind of. It was cold, and that turf I guess isn’t the best from what I’ve learned. But it is what it is. I’m just happy to be back.”

While Stroud’s return is a positive development, the Texans still face challenges on the injury front. Linebacker Blake Cashman, who missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, was a limited participant in practice, and the starting defensive line, along with cornerback Steven Nelson, remains uncertain for the upcoming game. The Texans are navigating injuries to key defensive players, adding complexity to their playoff pursuit.

Former Texas Middle School Soccer Coach Arrested for Spending District Funds at Houston Strip Club

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In a recent development, a former Bridgeport Bulls assistant coach, J.D. Bales, has been arrested on charges of theft of property, a third-degree felony. The arrest stems from an investigation conducted by Bridgeport ISD, revealing that Bales had purportedly used his district credit card to cover a bill exceeding $5,000 at The Men’s Club of Houston.

According to the Wise County Messenger, the school district’s inquiry, conducted over the summer, uncovered evidence of criminal activity, prompting local authorities to intervene. Bales resigned from Bridgeport ISD in September, a decision influenced by the district’s findings during the investigation. The misuse of taxpayer money was reportedly discovered when it was revealed that Bales had spent $5,455.81 at the Houston strip club while in town for a coaching clinic.

Bridgeport Police Chief Steve Stanford disclosed that Bales had initially claimed the charge was fraudulent, both with the school and the financial institution. However, a thorough investigation, considering evidence and the involvement of taxpayer money, led to a different conclusion.

“During the investigation, which included information that Bales had formerly claimed the charge was fraudulent (with both the school and the financial institution), investigators discovered evidence indicating a criminal offense occurred,” Stanford stated in a released statement on the arrest.

Despite Bales eventually submitting payment for the charge, the overwhelming evidence in the case, particularly its connection to taxpayer funds, led to the case being submitted to the Wise County District Attorney. Bales was released on a $10,000 bond following an indictment by a Wise County Grand Jury.

The Wise County Messenger noted that Bales had been hired by Bridgeport ISD in 2018 and also served as a special education teacher in the district. This arrest follows a separate incident involving six Bridgeport ISD soccer players who were recently arrested for alleged hazing activities directed towards newer players, including coercing them to strip, filming them, and making degrading comments.

New Year Brings Wage Hike for Nearly Half of U.S. Minimum Wage Workers

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As the clock strikes midnight on January 1, 22 states across the U.S. will see an increase in their minimum wage, benefiting nearly 10 million workers, according to a report by the Economic Policy Institute. These raises, ranging from $216 to $1,380 annually, result from ballot measures, legislation, and inflation adjustments. The adjustments are expected to have a significant impact, potentially lifting workers out of poverty.

The wage increases, affecting a diverse workforce, with women comprising 58% and Black and Hispanic workers representing 49%, coincide with historically low unemployment rates. The Economic Policy Institute predicts that this will mark the “strongest wage growth for low-wage workers in decades.”

Despite this positive development, the report highlights a disparity between wage growth and worker productivity over the last several decades. The federal minimum wage, stagnant at $7.25 since 2009, remains unchanged, with seven states maintaining this rate. The study suggests that if wages had kept pace with production, the minimum wage today would be $19.

Thirty-eight cities and counties, mostly utilizing inflation adjustments, are also raising wages. Boulder County, Colorado, leads with a $2.04 increase, while others, including Seattle, Denver, and Portland, Maine, will see hikes ranging from 20 cents to $1.37.

In September, Florida is set to increase its minimum wage from $11 to $12, adding to the wave of positive developments for low-wage workers. The report underscores the need for broader wage reform and highlights the ongoing disparities in minimum wage policies across the United States.

AAA Anticipates Record-Breaking Holiday Travel Season with Over 115 Million Americans on the Move

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Millions of Americans are expected to surpass pre-pandemic travel levels during the holiday season, with over 115 million people hitting the roads and airports, according to AAA. Airlines anticipate a 16% increase from last year, with more than 39 million flyers during the two-week stretch. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is closely monitoring airline performance, aiming to avoid a repeat of Southwest Airlines’ holiday meltdown from the previous year.