[WB1] Investigators in the disappearance of Maleah Davis received a major break this week when Quanell the Tenth announced that suspect Derion Vence had confessed to dumping the body of the dead child in Arkansas, and remains consistent with this story were recovered along the side of the road in a garbage bag that had been cut up by lawn maintenance people who had initially ignored it. The remains have not been confirmed as those of the child, but that confirmation seems highly likely in the coming days.
Recall that a (Democratic) Harris County judge reduced Vence’s bond to just $45,000.
[WB2] Houston’s PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) chapter has announced that it will be celebrating HPD Chief Art Acevedo as its CEO Communicator of the Year at a June gala.
Acevedo, who has time to tweet and comment on every other issue under the sun, has steadfastly refused to communicate in depth with journalists or the public about HPD’s 7815 Harding Street massacre of two civilians, or the reasonable conclusion that a major division in his department was/is corrupt. It’s a shame that PRSA Houston thinks this lack of accountability worthy of an award.
[WB3] On Thursday, the Harris County Appraisal District announced that it could raise (BH translation: almost certainly will) appraised values for property damaged during Harvey by as much as 21 percent, a tone-deaf move that drew strong criticism from mayoral candidate Bill King.
[WB4] It’s now officially hurricane season. Zach Despart reports that 95% of the flood control infrastructure damage from Harvey remains unrepaired, nearly two years later.
[WB5] US Census estimates show that population growth in the City of Houston is essentially flat, a problem the city (but not the area) has been facing for a while. Bottom line: The City of Houston needs to up its game to ensure that both the City proper and the metro area remain attractive.
[WB6] A Miami man pleaded guilty in a Houston federal court this week for participating in a bribery scheme involving Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA (misidentified by the local newspaper) and local subsidiary Citgo. Citgo remains the lead sponsor of the City of Houston’s Fourth of July celebration, despite criticism, and the City of Houston has refused reporter requests to disclose how much Citgo is paying.
[WB7] Daniel Albert, the suspended, highly compensated staffer to councilmember Steve Le, made an ill-advised appearance before City Council this week in his military uniform. Unsurprisingly, it did not go well. The best coverage came in real time on twitter (see here, here, and here), but the video of the appearance by Albert and his attorney (Shawn Timmons) is available here (roughly 25 minutes in).
[WB8] Charles Blain has the scoop that Councilmember Dwight Boykins is set to enter the Houston mayoral race.
[WB9] The Houston Astros placed injury-prone shortstop Carlos Correa on the injured list this week, after he announced that his rib was broken during a personal massage session at his home. He and his fiancé later released an odd video that attempted to address speculation about what really happened.
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