In a glittering red tuxedo jacket, outgoing Mayor Sylvester Turner wrapped up his final City Council meeting, marked by a contentious exchange among council members. The culmination of this session saw the approval of an amendment, introduced by Vice Mayor Pro Tem Martha Castex-Tatum, that significantly curtails the authority of Houston’s airport director.
The amendment, passed in a 9-7 vote, weakens the Houston Airport director’s ability to unilaterally terminate food and beverage contracts. Turner emphasized that the proposal aims to enhance transparency in the city’s processes and protect against potential litigation. Previously, both the mayor of Houston and the director of the Houston Airport System held the authority to determine contract termination.
Turner defended the move, stating, “What I keep hearing from people is transparency, and then when you offer transparency, certain people don’t want it anymore. Why wouldn’t you want it? From the administration point of view, I’m not going to have the council have the final say if the council doesn’t want it.”
Criticism of the city’s contractual processes has been voiced by Turner’s successor, State Sen. John Whitmire, as reported by Matt Sledge at the Houston Landing. Councilmembers Michael Kubosh and Mike Knox opposed the measure, pushing for its delay until this week. They argued that it adversely affects the upcoming administration and does not serve the city’s best interests.
“I think this amendment is a bad idea and serves no useful purpose for the citizens of Houston, and it hampers our ability to administer these contracts because a threat of cancellation by convenience is a motivator for the vendors to perform well. By removing that, we remove that stick,” Knox expressed.
The amendment impacts four vendors: SSP America and Paradies Lagardere at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and LaTrelle’s Galley and Areas at Hobby Airport. Local company Pappas Restaurant, critical of the city’s contract process, previously filed litigation against Houston after the conclusion of its long-standing tenure at Hobby Airport.
While Mayor Turner claimed victory for the airport concession contracts, he faced a setback in securing approval for funding the expansion of Terminal B at George Bush Intercontinental Airport for United Airlines. The vote has been deferred until the new city administration assumes control.
In a poignant ceremony on December 18, city officials of Houston, Texas, gathered with members of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart to mark the commencement of construction on a new memorial plaza in Downtown Houston. This significant endeavor is dedicated to the memory of Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza, a revered figure who passed away in 2022.
Archbishop Fiorenza, the seventh bishop and inaugural archbishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Texas, left an indelible mark on the city’s history. The event on December 18 served as a tribute to his influential leadership in anti-poverty and social justice movements.
Fiorenza, one of the esteemed “three amigos” alongside Rev. William Lawson and Rabbi Emeritus Samual Karff, played a pivotal role in advocating for the underprivileged in Houston. The trio worked tirelessly to foster unity among Houstonians of diverse faiths.
The memorial plaza, spanning 60,000 square feet, is set to be located at the intersection of San Jacinto Street and St. Joseph Parkway, opposite the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. The site, formerly housing the Co-Cathedral, has undergone demolition to make way for this significant project.
A centerpiece of the plaza will be the Statue of the Sacred Heart, formerly housed in the Co-Cathedral building. It will be relocated to the new plaza, serving as a focal point. Additionally, the memorial will feature 6,000 square feet of public gathering and tribute space, a pavilion, and 140 parking spaces, as outlined by Sacred Heart officials.
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, who succeeded Fiorenza as the archbishop of the diocese, shared thoughts during the groundbreaking ceremony, emphasizing Fiorenza’s vision for the site.
“It was meant to be a place that beautified our downtown community, that welcomed our archdiocese family and provided a gathering space for prayer, events, and service,” DiNardo stated. “It is therefore only fitting that this plaza be established in his honor and in his memory.”
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner underscored the enduring impact of Fiorenza’s legacy on the city, describing the late archbishop as “a consummate Houstonian, deeply devoted to this city and its people.” Turner acknowledged Fiorenza’s contributions in areas such as policing reform, addressing housing issues, advocating for immigrants and the homeless, desegregating schools and businesses, and championing resources for the underserved.
The construction of the memorial plaza is being financed through an ongoing capital campaign, which also aims to fund improvements to the Co-Cathedral and Cathedral Center. Officials anticipate completing the plaza by Easter 2024, with a dedication ceremony planned to mark the occasion.
The Justice Department and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) have jointly filed a lawsuit against Colony Ridge, accusing the company of engaging in an illegal land sales scheme that allegedly targeted tens of thousands of Hispanic borrowers through deceptive practices and predatory loans.
The lawsuit, filed in federal district court, focuses on Coloney Ridge’s operations in an unincorporated area of Liberty County, situated about 30 miles northeast of Houston. The company, responsible for developing over 40,000 lots, markets its subdivisions under “Terrenos Houston” and “Terrenos Santa Fe.”
One of the key accusations is that Colony Ridge misled borrowers about the infrastructure on the lots it sold. The complaint suggests that the company falsely represented that properties in the Terrenos Houston subdivisions came equipped with water, sewer, and electrical infrastructure. It is alleged that this critical information was only disclosed in English after applicants paid a non-refundable deposit.
Furthermore, the lawsuit contends that Colony Ridge sold flood-prone lots without adequately informing borrowers of the associated risks. Some properties in the Terrenos Houston subdivision reportedly experienced significant flooding during rain. This led to raw sewage running through or around borrowers’ properties and damaging personal belongings.
Colony Ridge is also accused of attracting Spanish-speaking borrowers through advertising, primarily in Spanish, on platforms like TikTok.
“Using 21st-century social-media applications to target and mislead consumers, Colony Ridge set out to exploit something as old as America — an immigrant’s dream of owning a home,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX).
The company allegedly entices consumers with promises of an easy-to-obtain seller financing loan product that requires no credit check and only a small deposit. Exploiting language barriers during the sales process, the company is said to use high-pressure tactics to push borrowers into obtaining loans with exorbitant interest rates.
“Colony Ridge promised the American dream, but we allege that in reality, it has delivered a nightmare for thousands of hardworking Hispanic families who hoped to build their homes in the Terrenos Houston community,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This lawsuit demonstrates our commitment to holding accountable those in the housing and financial industry who intentionally target and exploit homebuyers because they are Hispanic or don’t speak English well. Through our Combating Redlining Initiative, the Justice Department will aggressively continue to dismantle predatory, deceptive, and unfair lending practices to safeguard the rights of all who seek to buy a home.”
The lawsuit alleges that Colony Ridge engages in a foreclosure cycle, taking advantage of families falling behind on payments. This allows the company to repurchase and resell properties, often at higher prices.
Records indicate that Colony Ridge flipped a significant percentage of the properties it sold between September 2019 and September 2022, with some properties changing hands multiple times within a short period.
Colony Ridge is being prosecuted for allegations of unlawful discrimination against applicants based on race or national origin. This violates the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA). Additionally, the company is accused of deceptive acts and practices, violating the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (CFPA) and the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act (ILSA).
Seeking legal redress, the lawsuit aims to halt Colony Ridge’s alleged unlawful conduct. It also aims to provide relief for affected consumers and impose a civil penalty payable to the CFPB victims relief fund. If found liable, restitution will be determined in federal court.
This legal action is part of the Justice Department’s Combating Redlining Initiative. This initiative addresses various forms of redlining, including reverse redlining, where communities of color are targeted with unfair lending terms. Notably, this lawsuit marks the first reverse redlining action under the initiative, signifying a significant step in addressing discriminatory practices in the housing and lending industry.
A Houston man survived being shot in the head three times. Though he’s lost an eye to the attack, 25-year-old Joe Garcia’s family says his survival is a miracle.
“This is just truly a miracle like right before the holidays,” said his sister, Jasmine Garcia.
Joe’s uncle, Mario Uriostegui, 26, is charged with aggravated assault with serious bodily injury, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and deadly conduct in Harris County.
According to court records, two people were driving away when Uriostegui shot into the car six times. Jasmine says the other person was her brother-in-law.
She says that Uriostegui and Joe were in a business dispute when Joe decided to leave. Records say Uriostegui fired the shots as the victims were driving away.
Three shots were fired into a home which nearly hit a young child inside the home.
“To find out that he so recklessly did that and that he almost hit someone’s innocent child. Imagine if a child was hurt or hit or killed,” said Jasmine.
Court documents state when Uriostegui was told about Joe’s injuries, he laughed and said he “got what he deserved.”
Records show Uriostegui posted his $200,000 bond and is now walking free until his court date in February.
“He’s going to be able to be home for the holidays and spend Christmas with his family, and my brother is still in the hospital fighting for his life. It’s not fair,” Jasmine says.
She says she can’t believe that Harris County would allow her uncle to walk free.
“I feel like they’re taking the situation so lightly, and they’re putting this on paper and not realizing there are people behind this paper, and there’s a story and there are families.”
Records show Garcia has been convicted of one violent crime in Harris County, misdemeanor assault of a family member in 2020.
Tesla’s new Cybertruck is shown on display at a Tesla store in San Diego, California, U.S., December 9, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Blake
By Norihiko Shirouzu and Paul Lienert
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Elon Musk says prototypes are easy, production is hell. And when it comes to the long-awaited Cybertruck, Tesla’s hell is its pioneering 4680 battery.
Tesla delivered the first of its futuristic stainless steel-plated electric pickups last month and CEO Musk said in October that it would probably hit an annual production rate of a quarter of a million vehicles at some point during 2025.
But Tesla is still a long way off that kind of production pace, and one of the main bottlenecks is the speed it can make the 4680 batteries used in the Cybertruck with its new dry-coating technology, nine people familiar with the matter said.
Tesla’s Giga Texas factory is currently churning out 4680 battery cells at rate only sufficient to power about 24,000 Cybertrucks a year, or about a 10th of the required output, according to Reuters calculations based on a combination of public data and unpublished figures provided by sources.
Being able to ramp up battery output massively by dry-coating electrodes – rather than using the slower, more costly wet-coating – was a key factor behind Tesla’s forecasts in 2020 that it would more than halve battery costs, cut investment significantly, and create smaller, greener factories.
The nine people, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said Tesla had yet to crack dry-coating at the industrial scale needed to make 4680 batteries fast enough to hit its production targets.
The people said dry-coating the anode in the 4680 cells was not problematic but Tesla was struggling with the same technique for the cathode – the most expensive component in a battery.
Dry-coating anodes and cathodes is proven in the laboratory, as well as for smaller energy storage devices such as super capacitors, and even some small batteries, according to Yuan Gao, a battery technology consultant.
“But no one has done it so far for large EV batteries at a mass scale and at a high enough speed. Tesla is the first one to try to commercialize this,” said Gao, who has worked in the industry for three decades.
“The challenge is that not only does Tesla have to scale it up and speed up the process, it also must develop its own equipment and tools. It’s daunting to say the least,” he said.
Tesla did not respond to detailed questions from Reuters for this story.
CRACKING THE CODE
According to three of the sources, the 4680 batteries in Cybertrucks include an estimated 1,360 individual cells.
That means Tesla would need to make 340 million cells a year, or almost a million a day, to supply 250,000 of the electric pickups, which are entering a hot market with rivals such as Ford’s F-150 Lightning, Rivian’s R1T and an electric Hummer from General Motors.
At the moment, Tesla’s Austin factory takes about 16 weeks to make 10 million 4680 cells, according to Reuters calculations based on figures from Tesla, verified by the three sources.
That translates to 32.5 million cells a year, or enough for just under 24,000 pickups – and that’s only for the Cybertruck.
Tesla also wants to use 4680 batteries to power other vehicles, most notably the $25,000 small car the company is scrambling to launch by the mid-2020s.
Tesla has some limited production capacity for 4680 cells in Fremont, California but its plant there is mainly for pilot production. Panasonic, one of Tesla’s long-standing battery suppliers, is planning to build at least two plants in the United States but has only just broken ground on the first.
Two of the nine people familiar with the matter believe Tesla’s progress with scaling up 4680 production will likely gain steam, especially once it achieves stability with the production know-how on one production line.
They said Tesla had been focusing on establishing robust know-how to produce batteries without flaws first time round. It’s a time-consuming process but, “once you crack the code and establish stability, it is like exponential”, one of them said.
“Speed would pick up. There is already a lot of traction in dry coating,” the person said.
Tesla’s battery tsar Drew Baglino said in October that the company was now producing 4680 cells on two production lines in Austin and plans to install a total of eight lines there in two phases, with the last four due to be running in late 2024.
Still, one of the two people said replicating established know-how from one production line to the next is no cakewalk.
The source said only about 5% of cells made on profitable production lines are ditched but scrap rates could shoot up to 30%-50% and hover there for several months as each new line gets going.
One of the sources said Tesla’s dry-coating method for cathodes was not proving to be any faster than the old wet process, though scrap rates had dropped to as low as 10% to 20%.
Baglino did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
‘GOOEY MESS’
The sources said Tesla was struggling to mix the cathode materials, which include lithium, manganese and nickel, with a binder and stick them to a metallic foil to produce a cathode – without using moisture.
Two of the people said the process worked for small amounts but when Tesla tried to scale it up, a lot of heat was generated and this melted the binder, which one of the sources believed was polytetrafluoroethylene, more commonly known as Teflon.
“If you melt the glue, pretty soon everything will become one big chunk of gooey mess,” another of the sources said.
Equally problematic for Tesla are the machines used to coat the metallic foil to produce battery electrodes – equipment which is akin to huge magazine and newspaper printing machines with large rollers, the sources said.
To accelerate cell production, Tesla is trying to coat multiple strips of magnetic foil with active battery materials at the same time, and at high speeds.
That calls for large, wide rollers, as well as applying tremendous force to press the materials onto the foil. But because the rollers are large and wide, applying pressure evenly is proving to be a challenge, the sources said.
And when pressure is not applied evenly, Tesla gets electrodes with uneven surfaces and thickness, which are no use for its battery cells and need to be scrapped, the sources said.
Perhaps more problematic, Tesla’s Baglino told a fireside chat at a battery conference in March that Tesla was still building a completely new quality verification system so they could weed out cells with flaws in coating.
One of the sources with knowledge of the matter, said specifically it was about building data infrastructure around Tesla’s battery development, manufacturing and in-field use because in some cases the flaws were hidden in the coating and did not show up for a few months down the road.
In other words, Tesla doesn’t quite know yet which dry cells are good, and which ones need to be junked, the source said.
(Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu in Austin and Paul Lienert in Detroit; Editing by David Clarke)
The IRS said Tuesday it is going to waive penalty fees for people who failed to pay back taxes that total less than $100,000 per year for tax years 2020 and 2021.
Nearly 5 million people, businesses and tax-exempt organizations — most making under $400,000 per year — will be eligible for the relief starting this week, which totals about $1 billion, the agency said.
The IRS temporarily suspended mailing automated reminders to pay overdue tax bills during the pandemic, beginning in February 2022, and agency leadership says the pause in automated reminders is a reason behind the decision to forgive the failure-to-pay penalties.
“Due to the unprecedented effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, these reminders would have normally been issued as a follow up after the initial notice,” the IRS said in a statement.
“Although these reminder notices were suspended, the failure-to-pay penalty continues to accrue for taxpayers who did not fully pay their bills in response to the initial balance due notice.”
While the IRS plans to resume sending out normal collection notices, the Tuesday announcement is meant as one-time relief based on the unprecedented interruption caused by the pandemic, IRS officials said.
“It was an extraordinary time and the IRS had to take extraordinary steps,” IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel told reporters. He said the change will be automatic for many taxpayers and will not require additional action.
Taxpayers are eligible for automatic relief if they filed a Form 1040, 1041, 1120 series or Form 990-T tax return for years 2020 or 2021, owe less than $100,000 per year in back taxes, and received an initial balance-due notice between Feb. 5, 2022 and Dec. 7, 2023.
If people paid the failure-to-pay penalty, they will get a refund, Werfel said on a call with reporters. “People need to know the IRS is on their side,” he said.
A significant security breach at Comcast-owned Xfinity has compromised the personal data of nearly all of the internet provider’s customers, revealing account usernames, passwords, and responses to security questions. The intrusion, impacting 35.8 million people, stemmed from a vulnerability in cloud computing software provided by Citrix, according to a filing Comcast submitted to the attorney general’s office in Maine.
Comcast disclosed the breach on Monday, notifying affected customers through its website and email. The unauthorized access occurred between October 16 and October 19, with the vulnerability having been patched by Citrix in October. The exposed customer data includes names, contact information, birthdates, parts of Social Security numbers, and answers to security questions.
Citrix, a global provider of software to numerous companies, faced a previously announced vulnerability named “Citrix Bleed,” linked to cyberattacks on various entities, including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s New York arm and a Boeing subsidiary.
Under new federal regulations effective Monday, public companies must disclose any cybersecurity breaches with potential financial implications within four days of identifying them as material, as mandated by the Securities Exchange Commission.
Xfinity is advising all customers, regardless of whether their accounts were breached, to reset their usernames and passwords. Additionally, the internet provider recommends using two-factor authentication for enhanced account security. Comcast urges customers not to reuse passwords across multiple accounts and suggests changing passwords for other accounts using the same username and password or security question.
Comcast, with over 32 million broadband customers according to recent earnings reports, indicates that the breach likely impacted all Xfinity customers. Frustration among users persists, with some reporting issues even after changing passwords. Concerned customers can reach out to Xfinity toll-free at (888) 799-2560, available 24 hours a day from Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern time. Additional information is accessible on Xfinity’s website at xfinity.com/dataincident.
In a significant diplomatic maneuver, the Biden administration announced on Wednesday the release of a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in exchange for 10 Americans imprisoned in Venezuela and the extradition of Leonard Glenn Francis, the infamous “Fat Leonard,” a defense contractor central to a major Pentagon bribery scandal.
The groundbreaking deal is the United States’ boldest attempt to enhance relations with the major oil-producing nation and secure concessions from President Maduro, a self-proclaimed socialist leader. The release of Alex Saab, a Maduro associate arrested on a U.S. money laundering warrant in 2020, is considered a noteworthy concession to the Venezuelan leader.
The exchange also involves the guarantee of freedom for 10 Americans, six of whom were designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained. The deal comes on the heels of the Biden administration’s recent decision to suspend certain sanctions, aligning with a commitment from both Maduro and an opposition faction to ensure free and fair conditions for the 2024 presidential election.
President Joe Biden stated in a release, “These individuals have lost far too much precious time with their loved ones, and their families have suffered every day in their absence. I am grateful that their ordeal is finally over, and that these families are being made whole once more.”
Venezuela’s government hailed Saab’s release as a “symbol of victory” achieved through the country’s “peaceful diplomacy” and urged the U.S. to lift all sanctions against Venezuela.
The agreement also entails the extradition of “Fat Leonard” Francis, the Malaysian owner of Glenn Defense Marine Asia, a ship-servicing company. Francis, who became notorious for orchestrating one of the largest bribery scandals in Pentagon history, was arrested in a San Diego hotel almost a decade ago. His extradition will be a pivotal development in the case that implicated Navy officers in accepting bribes, leading to a scandal that embarrassed the Pentagon.
The deal is perceived as a significant U.S. concession to Maduro, potentially causing dissatisfaction among hard-liners in the Venezuelan opposition. The Biden administration had eased sanctions on Venezuela’s oil, gas, and mining industries in October, with a threat to reimpose restrictions if Maduro did not meet his promise to pave the way for free and fair elections by November 30. Despite the missed deadline, the eased sanctions remain in place as part of the current agreement.
The swap includes the release of 21 Venezuelans, among them Roberto Abdul, who co-founded a pro-democracy group with opposition figure María Corina Machado over two decades ago.
The Biden administration has faced criticism for its hostage-exchange strategy, with concerns that such deals might incentivize hostage-taking. However, officials argue that securing the release of wrongfully detained Americans and hostages abroad requires difficult diplomatic negotiations.
The Saab case, in particular, had garnered attention due to its connection to alleged corruption in Maduro’s inner circle, with Saab’s defense attorneys claiming he had been cooperating with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in untangling corruption within the Venezuelan government.
While the diplomatic maneuver may be a significant win for the released Americans, it raises questions about the potential implications for U.S. foreign policy and the delicate balance between securing the release of Americans and navigating complex geopolitical relationships.
In a safety-focused move, Toyota Motor Co. announced on Wednesday a massive recall of 1 million vehicles due to a defect that could potentially result in airbags failing to deploy, heightening the risk of injuries in the event of an accident.
The recall spans a range of Toyota and Lexus vehicles, covering model years from 2020 to 2022. The affected Toyota models include Avalons, Camrys, Highlanders, RAV4s, Siennas, and Corollas, along with certain hybrid versions of these models. Lexus models implicated in the recall comprise the ES250 sedan and the RX350 SUV, among others.
The identified issue revolves around sensors in the front passenger seat of the recalled vehicles, which may have been manufactured improperly. These sensors are susceptible to potential short circuits, leading to a malfunction in the airbag system’s ability to accurately determine the occupant’s weight. Consequently, in specific types of collisions, the airbags may not deploy as intended.
To address this safety concern, Toyota and Lexus dealers are set to conduct thorough inspections of the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensors. If any defects are detected, the sensors will be replaced at no cost to the vehicle owners. Toyota plans to notify affected customers by mid-February 2024 regarding the recall.
Owners of Toyota vehicles who suspect their cars might be part of the recall can obtain additional information by calling 1-800-331-4331, while Lexus owners can seek details by calling 1-800-255-3987.
The proactive recall underscores Toyota’s commitment to prioritizing customer safety, aiming to rectify potential issues promptly and mitigate the risk of injuries resulting from airbag system malfunctions. Owners are urged to respond promptly to recall notifications and avail themselves of the necessary inspections and repairs to ensure the continued safety and reliability of their vehicles.
