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Commissioner Ellis Addresses U.S. Board on Geographic Names, Calls for Bold Leadership to Change Racially Offensive Names
Thirty years after Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, then a state senator, co-sponsored legislation calling to change the racially offensive names of 19 geographical sites in Texas, he is calling on federal partners to swiftly take “bold leadership” to finally make the changes.
“During this moment of racial reckoning in our nation, we must take concrete action to ensure that these offensive, racist names are finally erased from the public domain,” Commissioner Ellis said virtually while addressing the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (USBGN), which must vote to officially change the names.
“My suggestion is that in instances where the word ‘Negro’ is present in a name, that this board replace the word ‘Negro’ with ‘Black’ or another term that is not racially offensive in the interim until a name that is supported and selected by their respective communities is chosen.”
An official of the USBGN, which oversees the process for renaming geographic sites, has said 16 of the names will be on the board’s June 10 docket for a planned vote to officially change the names, including a lake in Baytown in Harris County. The Harris County Commissioners Court and the Baytown City Council both adopted resolutions to change the name of “Negrohead Lake” to “Lake Henry Doyle” back in February.
An earlier proposal to rename the lake after Doyle was rejected by the board on the grounds that there was not enough local involvement in the renaming process.
“Despite efforts to change these names, our processes and systems have failed,” Commissioner Ellistold the board Thursday. “Petitions and applications to change these names have been denied for various technicalities, and these names have stood, even as the times have changed. I know the process to change these names is cumbersome and requires community input for alternative names. But at the end of the day, we cannot take a passive approach and let the localities wait until they can find a replacement name, is unacceptable.”
Pitbull regresará a los escenarios y encabezará la gala de Miss Universo 2021
Tras un año de ausencia debido a la pandemia mundial, el certamen de belleza Miss Universo volverá a lo grande para este 2021, debido a que contará con la participación del rapero Pitull.
Armando Christian Pérez, el nombre real del intérprete, se convirtió en un ícono de la música mainstream hace más de 10 años, cuando tuvo colaboraciones con artistas como Shakria, Jennifer López, Marc Anthony o Ne-Yo. A pesar de que el artista no ha estado inactivo y ha sacado nueva música en sus plataformas digitales, se ha mantenido alejado de los escenarios.
Por ello, su presentación en el interludio dela edición número 69 del concurso de belleza marcará su regreso a las presentaciones De acuerdo con la página oficial del evento, la próxima entrega de Miss Universo “se transmitirá en vivo alrededor del mundo desde Hard Rock Hotel & Casino el domingo 16 de mayo a las 8:00 PM, hora local”.
Cabe mencionar que actualmente están a la venta boletos para la próxima gira de Pitbull, la cual se llevará a cabo en varias ciudades de Estados Unidos, ente ellas Texas, Florida y Nueva Jersey.
¿Quién representará a México en Miss Universo?
A poco más de una semana para que se lleve a cabo la próxima edición de Miss Universo, varias de las concursantes ya comenzaron a arribar a Hollywood, Florida, y uno de los nombres que más sobresale es de la representante nacional: Andrea Meza. La modelo ha sido ganadora de los concursos Miss México 2017 y Mexicana Universal 2020. Además de estos méritos, también representó a México en Miss Mundo 2017, concurso en el cual fue finalista y obtuvo el título de Miss América.
De acuerdo con Andrea Meza, su objetivo es vivir en el presente y disfrutar el certamen de belleza: “Llegué a Miami decidida a querer vivir todo al 100% y no dejar que mi mente me haga malas jugadas sino aprender de todas las personas que estoy conociendo, para que en un futuro cuando recuerde mi participación en el Miss Universo sean recuerdos gratos”, comentó en una entrevista con Telemundo.
Andrea Meza será la representante de México en la próxima edición de Miss Universo (Foto: Instagram @mexicanauniversalof)La mexicana agregó que ha tenido una gran convivencia con su equipo, así como su gusto por seguir aprendiendo: “Lo que más me he disfrutado es la convivencia con mi equipo de Mexicana Universal porque he aprendido mucho de ellos, les agradezco mucho. A pesar de que ya tengo una trayectoria de unos añitos en los concursos siempre me gusta seguir aprendiendo”.
Andrea Meza también habló respecto al apoyo que ha recibido por parte de Lupita Jones, quien ganó la edición de 1991 de Miss Universo: “Lupita Jones, al frente de la organización siempre ha estado pendiente de todas mis actividades. Si bien no está físicamente conmigo, siempre estamos en contacto por llamadas o mensajes”.
Cabe mencionar que actualmente Lupita Jones aspira a ser gobernadora de Baja California: “desde hace más de 20 años constantemente recibía llamadas invitándome a ser candidata a diputada por todos los partidos […] Desde entonces, te juro, cada que recibía esa llamada, al momento de colgar y dar las gracias, yo pensaba: ‘pero si fuera para gobernadora de Baja California, sí”, aseguró en entrevista con el periodista Julio Astillero.
La ex reina de belleza también afirmó que nunca ha leído un libro de política en su vida debido a que prefiere trabajar junto con las personas en lugar de los políticos:“Esa duda que llega a tener de pronto la gente ‘pero es que ella no sabe’. Nadie lo sabe todo, pero lo que sí sé es lo que quiero para Baja California”, expresó.
Source: www.infobae.com
WANTED: Suspect who used forged check at bank to withdraw funds
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Most Texas Republicans in Congress stay silent as GOP ousts Liz Cheney from leadership ranks
In an extraordinary move, U.S. House Republicans removed one of their most prominent members, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, as a leader in the party.
The move to depose her as House Republican Conference Chair, the third-ranking GOP position in the House, came in a closed-door caucus vote. The votes of the 22 Texas Republicans were not immediately clear. Most members have stayed silent on the issue.
Leadership shake-ups in the middle of a Congressional term are highly rare. But this decision to remove Cheney was more than a mere changing of the guard.
Her removal marked, perhaps, the final consolidation of support for former President Donald Trump within the Republican Party, even as Trump left office nearly four months ago. At issue was Cheney’s continued criticism toward Trump for his repeated lies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and for inciting an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Cheney, who will remain in the House as a rank-and-file member, went down swinging as an unrepentant Trump critic.
“Today we face a threat America has never seen before,” she said on Tuesday night from the House floor. “A former president, who provoked a violent attack on this Capitol in an effort to steal the election, has resumed his aggressive effort to convince Americans that the election as stolen from him.”
“He risks inciting further violence,” she added. “Millions of Americans have been misled by the former president. They have heard only his words but not the truth. As he continues to undermine our democratic process sowing seeds of doubt about whether democracy really works at all.”
At least one Texas Republican was at the forefront of her ouster. U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden of Terrell forecast her removal last week, predicting she would be out of the position by the end of the month.
“It’s official- Liz Cheney has been fired from House Leadership and I was proud to vote against her,” he tweeted amid a GOP House Republican meeting Wednesday morning.
Leading up to the vote, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, announced in a memo to Republicans that he would vote to remove Cheney as GOP conference chair because “she forfeited her ability to be our spokesperson by pulling us into distraction.”
In the letter, Roy depicted Cheney’s defiance of the former president as “personal attacks” and “finger-wagging.”
Five months ago, Cheney led the charge from the Republican side of the aisle for Trump’s second impeachment in January. At the time, it appeared that her stature would offer political cover for more reluctant Republicans. Cheney easily survived a previous attempt to oust her in February, but that support wilted as she continued to criticize Trump.
Months later, Cheney found herself in a lonely fight to defy Trump.
Prior to the insurrection, Cheney was considered one of the fastest rising GOP stars and among the toughest of hard-line conservatives — particularly on foreign policy.
She spent much of her career working in the State Department and as a Fox News contributor. In 2014, she launched an eventually aborted U.S. Senate campaign in her family’s home base of Wyoming. She ran again in 2016, but this time for the state’s at-large U.S. House seat and easily won.
At the end of her freshman term in 2018, Cheney won her chair position by a unanimous voice vote and was widely considered a top contender for the speakership at some point in the future. In the role of conference chair, she ran the internal business of the conference and made frequent media appearances.
The Cheney family has deep ties to Texas. Former Vice President Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney’s father, lived in Dallas between his tenure as President George H.W. Bush’s Secretary of Defense and as President George W. Bush’s vice president. At that time, he was the CEO of Halliburton, an oilfield services company.
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik is expected to replace Cheney as GOP conference chair. An upstate New Yorker, Stefanik evolved over the course of the Trump presidency from a hesitant Trump supporter to one of his fiercest backers in the chamber.
In his Tuesday letter, Roy expressed skepticism at the prospect of Stefanik to helm the Republican conference as chair because of her somewhat moderate voting record. Stefanik has voted in line with pro-Trump positions 77.7% of the time, which has drawn her some criticism from Republicans like Roy.
“We must avoid putting in charge Republicans who campaign as Republicans but then vote for and advance the Democrats’ agenda once sworn in — that is, that we do not make the same mistakes we made in 2017.”
Source: www.click2houston.com
Texans to open 2021 season at home against Jacksonville
The first game of the Houston Texans’ 2021 season will take place at NRG Stadium against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Texans will host the Jags on September 12, 2021, at noon to kick off their new campaign following a 2020 season when the team finished 4-12.
Since then, the team has undergone a massive makeover, whether it be hiring a new GM who’s making a record amount of moves to bring in new players, a new head coach who then put together his own new coaching staff, J.J. Watt getting released and then leaving for Arizona, just to name a few – all this as the Deshaun Watson saga continues.
The Jags have a new head coach themselves in Urban Meyer, and the team recently made waves in bringing in Tim Tebow. However, the headline move for Jaguars fans was the recent NFL Draft and selecting prize quarterback Trevor Lawrence first overall.
Source: www.click2houston.com
Younger adolescents get ready to receive COVID-19 vaccine
Parents, schools and vaccine clinics rushed to begin inoculating younger adolescents Tuesday after U.S. regulators endorsed Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 12, a decision seen as a breakthrough in allowing classroom instruction to resume safely around the country.
A handful of cities started offering shots to children ages 12 to 15 less than a day after the Food and Drug Administration gave the vaccine emergency use authorization for that age group. Most communities were waiting for a federal advisory committee that meets Wednesday to sign off on the move, while anxious families called clinics and pharmacies to ask about the soonest appointments.
In Atlanta, 12-year-old Jane Ellen Norman got her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday morning. The girl said she looked forward to having “a little bit more freedom.”
Her mother, English Norman, said she also booked an appointment for her 14-year-old son immediately after learning that the FDA on Monday had declared the vaccine safe for the nearly 17 million 12- to 15-year-olds in the U.S. Now, the entire family – including Norman’s husband, a physician, and their 17-year-old son – has begun the vaccination process.
“We’re five for five,” the 52-year-old artist said.
Most COVID-19 vaccines worldwide have been authorized for adults. Pfizer’s vaccine is being used in multiple countries for teens as young as 16, and Canada recently became the first to expand use to children 12 and up. Parents, school administrators, and public health officials elsewhere have eagerly awaited approval for the shot to be made available to more young people.
The official sign-off on the vaccine’s use in the 12-15 age group will not occur until at least Wednesday when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee meets. Local governments that began offering shots right away viewed the FDA decision on Monday as enough of a green light to start the process.
“Under all relevant legal authority, once the FDA gives approval, a prescriber is permitted to prescribe the vaccine,” Kelly Cofrancesco, a spokesperson for Pennsylvania’s Montgomery County, said as shots for residents 12 and up started Tuesday.
In the Kansas City area, Children’s Mercy Hospital has run vaccine clinics for 16- to 21-year-olds since last month and plans to expand them to cover the younger ages soon. Dr. Ryan McDonough, a pediatrician who oversees the COVID-19 vaccine clinics, said he has been deluged with calls from patients and texts from friends and relatives wanting to sign up their kids.
“It is about getting back to normal,” McDonough said. “It is about getting their kid in school five days a week. It is about going to see grandma and grandpa. It is about getting back to sports. It is all about normalcy, and people just want to get back to pre-pandemic life.”
The Iowa-based grocery store chain Hy-Vee, which has 278 stores in eight Midwestern states, was looking to begin offering the vaccine to younger adolescents as soon as Thursday. Interest has been strong among parents, who deluged stores with calls and emails after the FDA signed off on the vaccine, Hy-Vee spokesperson Christina Gayman said.
“Some people tried to go ahead and go online and make an appointment,” she said. “But we at this time have let those individuals know, ’Hey, we cannot vaccinate that age group just yet.’”
Chicago, meanwhile, said it was ready to begin vaccinating people between 12 and 15 but would wait until Thursday to start administering shots. The city’s public health commissioner, Dr. Allison Arwady, noted that the communities with the lowest vaccination rates continue to have the highest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases and rates of hospitalization and death — even in teens and young adults.
“Help us increase vaccine uptake and get past COVID by bringing your whole family to get vaccinated together,” Arwady urged in a news release.
Fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Goluszka was ready. For more than a year, she and her friends have celebrated birthdays and holidays at a distance. The teenagers left gifts outside each other’s homes as a replacement for the parties they planned and then canceled as the pandemic wore on. Elizabeth said she also missed dance competitions and chatting with friends over lunch at Batavia High School in Chicago’s western suburbs.
“I’m just so looking forward to getting back to a sort of normal high school experience, like having the homecoming dance and being able to have lunch with friends,” she said.
Dr. Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez said her son, Nicolas, had hoped to be part of the clinical trials for Pfizer but they were no longer signing up participants by the boy’s 12th birthday. The family relocated this summer to San Antonio when Verduzco-Gutierrez accepted a new job and it’s been difficult for Nicolas to make friends or explore much.
Attending classes in person helped, but there’s not much time to socialize at school. Masks and social distancing don’t make it any easier either, he said, and he’s looking forward to getting vaccinated.
“It will be really nice to be able to say, ‘Hey, want to go get ice cream or something?’” Nicolas said.
The regulators’ decision was good news to education officials in Massachusetts, where all high schools must resume in-person classes five days a week by Monday. Two-thirds already are doing so.
“I think it is a great opportunity, obviously, to create even more safety in our schools for our students and our staff and getting closer to herd immunity,” said Russell Johnston, senior associate commissioner at the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. “I think it is really important.”
But not everyone is eager. Polling by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that just 3 in 10 parents of children ages 12 to 15 say they would get their child vaccinated as soon as possible. One-quarter said they would wait a while to see how the vaccine is working.
Indianapolis parent Inna Ekhaus said it was a “no-brainer” for her and her husband to get vaccinated to curb the spread of COVID-19 and to protect themselves. But after doing a risk-benefit analysis, she does not plan to take the couple’s two sons, ages 13 and 10, to get inoculated.
Ekhaus said her boys, who are otherwise healthy, got COVID-19 in October and reported only minor symptoms.
“For the kids, I don’t think the due diligence has been done to show the long-term effects, and children’s bodies are still developing,” said the 38-year-old tech worker.
Source: www.click2houston.com
Scramble on for new fuel routes after Colonial Pipeline hack
State and federal officials are scrambling to find alternate routes to deliver gasoline in the Southeast U.S. after a hack of the nation’s largest fuel pipeline led to panic-buying that contributed to more than 1,000 gas stations running out of fuel.
There is no gasoline shortage, according to government officials and energy analysts, but if the pipeline shutdown continues past the weekend, it could create broader fuel disruptions.
The Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of what is consumed on the East Coast, was hit on Friday with a cyberattack by hackers who lock up computer systems and demand a ransom to release them. The attack raised concerns, once again, about the vulnerability of the nation’s critical infrastructure.
The pipeline runs from the Gulf Coast to the New York metropolitan region, but states in the Southeast are more reliant on the pipeline for fuel. Other parts of the country have more sources to tap. For example, a substantial amount of fuel is delivered to states in the Northeast by massive tankers.
“What you’re feeling is not a lack of supply or a supply issue. What we have is a transportation issue,” said Jeanette McGee, spokeswoman for the AAA auto club. “There is ample supply to fuel the United States for the summer, but what we’re having an issue with is getting it to those gas stations because the pipeline is down.”
In North Carolina, 28% of gas stations were out of fuel, according to Gasbuddy.com, a technology firm that tracks real-time fuel prices across the country. In Raleigh-Durham, it was worse, with 72% of gas stations out of fuel.
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper urged people Wednesday to only buy gas if their tank is low and to report any instances of price gouging.
“We will continue our efforts to help make sure there is an adequate supply of fuel,” Cooper wrote on Twitter.
Cooper declared a state of emergency Monday, initiating fuel waivers that make it easier to transport fuel into the state.
Georgians were also getting squeezed, with 17.5% of stations there out of gas, according to Gasbuddy.com. In Virginia, 17% of stations were out, and in South Carolina, 16% had no fuel.
A large part of the pipeline resumed operations manually late Monday, and Colonial anticipates restarting most of its operations by the end of the week, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Tuesday.
However, the disruption is taking place at the time of year when Americans begin to become more mobile, especially as the nation emerges from the pandemic.
The national average price for a gallon of gasoline ticked above $3 for the first time since 2016 Wednesday, according to the AAA auto club. Prices begin to rise around this time every year and the AAA auto club said Wednesday that the average price hit $3.008 nationally.
“You go to some states, and you’re going to see much higher increases, especially in the South, because that’s where you’re seeing the largest impact in terms of the strain of gasoline, or strain of people,” McGee said.
The AAA expects more than 37 million people to travel at least 50 miles from home during the Memorial Day weekend, up 60% from last year, which was the lowest since AAA began keeping records in 2000.
Multiple U.S. agencies are coordinating efforts to avert any potential shortage, should they arise.
The White House said Wednesday that the Department of Transportation is now allowing Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia to use interstate highways to transport overweight loads of gasoline and other fuels under existing disaster declarations.
The department’s Maritime Administration completed a review of potential actions available under the Jones Act, a U.S. maritime law that requires shipments between U.S. ports, including fuel, to be moved by American-flagged ships.
The Department of Homeland Security is prepared to review any temporary Jones Act waiver requests from companies if there is not sufficient capacity to get to regions suffering fuel shortages, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday.
Source: www.click2houston.com
Older American Month Celebration – Communities of Strength
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Dallas Park and Recreation will host the annual Older Americans Month Celebration Drive-Thru event on Friday, May 21, from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. To ensure the safety of everyone and enforce social distancing, this year’s celebration will be a drive-thru event with three locations to choose from:
- Singing Hills Recreation Center, 6805 Patrol Way, Dallas, TX 75241
- Samuell-Grand Recreation Center, 6200 East Grand Avenue, Dallas 75223
- Campbell Green Recreation Center, 16600 Park Hill Drive, Dallas 75248
This year’s theme is Communities of Strength. Older adults have built resilience and strength over their lives through successes, failures, joys, and difficulties. Their stories and contributions help to support and inspire others. There are many things we all can do to nurture ourselves, reinforce our strength, and continue to thrive. Connecting with others is one of the most important – it plays a vital role in our health and well-being, and in that of our communities.
DART and Dallas Park and Recreation are partnering to host the event along with our community partners including the City of Dallas, the Dallas Police Department, the Area Agency on Aging, The Senior Source, the Community Council of Greater Dallas, and Baylor Scott and White Health and Wellness at Junita J. Craft Recreation Center. Media partners include Al Día, fyi 50+, NBCDFW.com Channel 5, Seniors BlueBook, Seniorific.com, Telemundo 39 and The Dallas Morning News.
Giveaways are available on a first come, first serve basis for this free event.
You can find more information on the DART Transit Education website. You can also contact us at TransitEducation@dart.org, or call 214-749-3494.
Source: dart.org
Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, Partners, Provide Transportation to Vaccination Clinic
The Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities is coordinating a COVID-19 vaccination clinic along with transportation to the clinic to serve people with disabilities, older adults, and caregivers. The event is a partnership with the Houston Health Department and the Houston Center for Independent Living.
The clinic will take place Saturday, May 15th, from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Metropolitan Multi-Services Center at 1475 West Gray St.
Appointments are not required, but individuals are encouraged to register for a Johnson & Johnson one dose shot at Curative.com/sites/28534 or a Moderna first dose shot at Curative.com/sites/28533.
“Throughout the pandemic, we have worked to provide equity and access to vulnerable communities who needed information, testing, and now, the vaccine,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “We do not want to leave anyone behind as we encourage people to get vaccinated and work to reach herd immunity throughout the community. The vaccine is the best tool there is in the fight against COVID-19, so I am encouraging everyone to come on Saturday and Take Your Best Shot!”
“Covid-19 has disproportionately impacted people with disabilities, and it has been our office’s main priority to make sure that the vaccine rollout is equitable in Houston,” said Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities Director Gabe Cazares. “To this end, we are hosting our priority clinic at the hub for Houstonians with disabilities. West Gray is where the community meets to play sports, attend meetings, and hang out. So, it just makes sense that we make the Covid-19 vaccine available at our center.”
People with disabilities, older adults, and caregivers may call 832-393-4301 to request transportation assistance to the clinic. Thanks to a generous $120,000 grant the Rockwell Fund recently awarded to the Houston Health Foundation, Houston METRO and Harris Rides will provide roundtrip transportation to eligible individuals.
The Houston Center for Independent Living is generously sponsoring the clinic.
Source: www.houstontx.gov