We will keep this week’s roundup succinct, given the tragedy in Uvalde this week and the somber nature of Memorial Day. Please take time to remember the fallen this weekend.
[WB1] The big news in Harris County this week was the curb-stomping that political newcomer Alexandra Mealer administered to connected insider Vidal Martinez in the GOP runoff for county judge (and the fact that we didn’t have to wait days for results to be reported).
As we noted on May 1 (see WB8), Vidal Martinez’s campaign unofficially ended on April 7 at a debate in Tomball, when he tried to go negative on Mealer. She fileted him, and the backlash from voters and activists was immediate and strong.
Now the real work of removing embattled progressive Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo begins – with an outstanding alternative in Alex Mealer.
[WB2] Bill King suggests that Hidalgo is trying to get ahead of a potential indictment.
[WB3] As we’ve noted previously, the City of Houston suffered a decline in population from mid-2020 to mid-2021 (according to the US Census Bureau). The rise in violent crime and cost of living coupled with the decline of city services and ongoing attacks on Houston’s leading industry (energy) don’t augur well for Houston returning to the rapid growth of recent decades.
Stagnation, if not further population shrinkage, may be the new normal (despite the best efforts of Houston’s immigration industry) – especially if the city and county cannot do more to rein in violent crime and the general sense of lawlessness in the area.
[WB4] Speaking of which – KRIV-26 wonders why Judge Natalia Cornelio granted a PR bond to a repeat violent offender charged with assaulting a pregnant woman.
[WB5] The Chronicle’s political columnist inadvertently concedes on Twitter that she doesn’t understand Republican voters very well (of course, she does so by putting the blame on them).
[WB6] The activist-journalist celebration of the illegal immigration wave continues.
[WB7] Chronicle reporter Dug Begley showed nice balance (and style) in his coverage of the NRA’s convention (and protests) in Houston this weekend.
[WB8] The legal saga over the City of Houston’s decision to provide same-sex benefits to partners of city employees came to an end this week, with no change to the status quo.
[WB9] Applications for Mayor Turner’s guaranteed income program are now open.
Don’t miss a blogHOUSTON update – be sure to sign up for email alerts.
