Heights High AC
The air conditioning went kaput at Heights High School yesterday. HISD had no choice but to send the students home early. Heights High School is five blocks from my house. Heights High was set to receive $6,770,000 in renovations, including a major HVAC upgrade in the HISD bond proposals that were soundly defeated by HISD voters last November. Heights High is in voting precinct #57, my precinct. 72% of the voters in precinct #57 voted down the bond proposals. As folks know, Commentary voted in support of the HISD bonds. See the featured photo.
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See this from the Chron:
Commissioners will decide Thursday if Harris County will pay for four of Judge Lina Hidalgo’s staff to join her on a trade mission to Paris in June, according to public agenda documents.
It’s the latest in an ongoing dispute over the county’s travel policy, which Hidalgo first suggested revising to allow for international travel at a meeting in late April. Citing security concerns, she initially refused to publicly state where she was going, but a representative for her office later confirmed Hidalgo planned to participate in a trade mission to Paris organized by the Greater Houston Partnership.
Hidalgo’s office asked commissioners to approve $23,000 to fund the trip, which the representative said would be allocated from funds already earmarked for travel.
A spokesperson for the Greater Houston Partnership said the mission will be similar similar to one late U.S. Rep. and then-Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner was scheduled to lead in 2022. Delegates will meet with senior government officials, investors and corporate executives and participate in the 2025 Viva Technology conference, according to the spokesperson.
Nancy Sims, a political science lecturer at the University of Houston, said she thought Hidalgo’s request was reasonable. Trade missions have an important role to play in attracting industries to the Houston area, and sending a local official to participate in them is standard practice, Sims said.
“The idea is that you go to a different region, and you take dignitaries and business leaders, and you meet with their business leaders and convince them to come to the city,” Sims said. “That is economic development 101, Harris County can’t grow if we don’t attract new business.”
Here is the entire read: Why is Lina Hidalgo asking Harris County to pay for a trip to Paris?.
I agree with Nancy. I don’t think it is that big of a deal.
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Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Morticia Addams in “Wednesday.” “Today” showed previews of the upcoming season with a scene of Morticia and Wednesday fencing. Early in her movie career, Zeta-Jones had a great fencing scene with Zoro in “The Mask of Zorro.”
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We won last night and are 25-22.
