Vouchers Won
School vouchers will soon become the law in Texas. Another loss for Texas Democrats. I don’t know what else to say.
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You hate to see this, but it is not surprising. See this from the Chron:
The nonprofit newsroom Houston Landing announced it will close in letter from the editor posted Tuesday morning, citing financial concerns.
“Although Houston Landing launched with significant seed funding, it has been unable to build additional revenue streams to support ongoing operations,” the letter posted on the newsroom’s website reads.
The vote came from the board and the letter also noted the newsroom would cease publishing in mid-May.
The letter also stated that the governing board has been in talks with the the Texas Tribune about the potential of expanding its coverage into Houston.
Matthew Watkins, editor in chief of the Texas Tribune, told the Chronicle Tuesday that the Tribune will be looking into the possibility of working with the Landing in the coming months.
However, the Tribune would have to make sure a Houston initiative wouldn’t be redundant in regard to other outlets, Watkins said. He noted that the Tribune has already rolled out coverage initiatives in Waco and Austin, so if they were to work with the Landing, the collaboration would be part of a “broader push into local news.”
“It’s too early to say what it would look like,” Watkins said. “Houston already has some strong news outlets, including the Chronicle, so we’d need to ensure that anything we did would be additive. We’d need to be confident that it would be financially sustainable and fit the mission of the Tribune.
“We are proud of the Landing’s coverage of Greater Houston and continue to believe deeply in the need for more free, independent journalism in our region,” said Ann B. Stern, board chair of Houston Landing in the letter. “This decision was difficult but necessary. Houston Landing’s reporting has made a meaningful impact in the community, but it struggled to find its long-term financial footing.”
The closing will bring layoffs for the newsrooms 43 employees, the Columbia Journalism Review reported.
The Landing’s government accountability reporting, education reporting and immigration coverage made the publication stand out, Editor in Chief Manny Garcia said in a statement to the Chronicle Tuesday.
“The biggest success? There are so many. The heart and passion for Houston that our journalists bring to their works stands out,” Garcia said.
The Houston Landing, which was launched in February 2023, was a nonprofit newsroom, like the Tribune. It was funded with investments from the Houston Endowment, Arnold Ventures, Kinder Foundation, American Journalism Project and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and developed out of a two-year study spearheaded by the American Journalism Project.
Here is the entire Chron story: Houston Landing to close over ‘financial challenges,’ nonprofit says.
As an individual, I do my part to support local journalism. I pay just over $1,400 a year to get my Chron delivered every day.
30 years ago tomorrow, the Houston Post published its final edition.
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The Astros are 8-10. We have today off and host the 15-4 Padres this Easter Weekend with a Sunday night game on ESPN.
Our offensive output is anemic after 18 games. Our catcher, first baseman, and utility player are still batting below the Mendoza Line.
Kyle Tucker is batting .301 and has 19 RBIs. Alex Bregman is batting .321 with 16 RBIs. You get the picture.
Maybe the featured photo will get the team some mojo.
