“The work ahead will focus on partnering with district leadership to strengthen academics and keep Connally ISD students, teachers and staff at the center of every decision,” Kim said.
Hemp advocates say raising annual licensing fees for retailers from $150 to $20,000 and for manufacturers from $250 to $25,000 would shutter small businesses.
The Houston-based restaurant enterprise has argued the city did not follow state procurement law when it awarded a 10-year, $470 million contract to a competitor in 2023.
The LGBTQ+ Pride organization says this is the first time in its 48 years that the parade will kick off Pride Month instead of being held toward the end of June.
Tune, who earned a master's degree from UH in the 1960s, has won nine Tony Awards throughout his career for his performance, direction and choreography.
The letter, circulated by a coalition of religious freedom organizations, comes less than two months before a deadline for public school boards and charter school governing bodies to vote on whether to adopt such policies, as mandated by Senate Bill 11, passed last year.
Wienerschnitzel has a complicated relationship with the Houston area. They arrived here in 1966, only five years after the chain was established in California. They were here consistently from the 60s to 1984, and other than a few co-branding attempts, didn’t attempt a return until 2019. When the first new location opened in New Caney, the franchisees had ambitious plans to build out 32 locations across the area over the next 15 years. We’re now ...
Waco’s health care system has a lot at stake this week in the Congressional effort to extend Affordable Care Act premium subsidies that lapsed at the end of 2025. The U.S. House of Representatives voted 230-196 on Thursday to extend the subsidies, with 17 Republicans joining Democrats to move forward over the objections of Speaker […]
Witnesses provided harrowing accounts of the Robb Elementary shooting, detailing the lockdown procedures and efforts to protect students while waiting for police intervention.
In brief: Scattered showers and thunderstorms are likely today, with a couple storms possibly becoming a little on the stronger to severe side. Cooler air follows this weekend, along with breezy conditions again. Temps stay more seasonable into next week.
Today & Saturday
The area is highlighted in a marginal (1/5) and slight (2/5) risk for severe storms today, with the higher risks the farther north you go.
A slight risk (2/5) for severe storms is in place in the northern parts of the Houston area, with slightly lesser severe risks as you go south. (NOAA SPC)
Today’s severe threat is not a slam dunk case but rather somewhat of a conditional case. In other words, not everyone is going to see severe weather, but if the right set of circumstances can come together, we will see a couple severe storms, particularly north of Houston. All severe modes are on the table today, but gusty winds and potential hail seem like the higher risks. The tornado risk has been highlighted more into northern Louisiana.
Look for scattered showers to pop up over the next few hours this morning. Round one of storms would potentially occur between about 11 AM and 4 PM with isolated storms lifting northward from Harris County or Waller County into Grimes, Montgomery, Walker, Liberty, and San Jacinto Counties. Those are the storms that could turn strong to severe in a couple locations. Things should quiet down before a broken line of thunderstorms moves across the entire region this evening, probably before midnight. With those storms, we don’t expect severe weather but we will probably see some gusty winds and lightning. Also, given that it’s a broken line of storms, some of you may not see anything at all. Let’s hope most of us get a little rain today, as we need it!
Breezy conditions tonight and Saturday morning with gusts of 30 mph. Even a couple 35-40 mph are possible. (Pivotal Weather)
It’ll turn breezy tonight behind that front. The winds may lag the line of storms by a few hours, but by Saturday morning we should see 30-35 mph wind gusts across most of the area. A few 40 mph gusts are possible Saturday with the initial onset of winds. Winds should slow down a bit in the afternoon and evening.
Otherwise, expect cooler temperatures. After mid to upper 70s today, we’ll drop into the 60s tonight and 50s for most of tomorrow.
Sunday’s Houston Marathon
For those of you all running the Houston Marathon (good luck, Eric!!), your race time forecast is temperatures around 42 to 45 degrees at 7 AM, warming to 52 to 55 degrees by midday. Temps may be slower to warm up if cloud cover sticks around too, which is a distinct possibility at this time. Winds should be out of the north around 5 to 8 mph, with perhaps a couple of gusts up to 10 to 15 mph. I am guessing that miles 12 to 18 could be mildly irritating with the wind in your face much of the time. But thankfully it should not be too terribly strong.
Rest of Sunday and next week
No serious weather concerns will be with us into next week. It looks like we’ll see temperatures a bit more seasonable as well. Highs will generally be in the 60s. We could see lows in the 30s on Monday morning, but aside from that, we’ll probably see mostly 40s for lows.
How do I live longer? Stress is a leading cause of early death. Avoid stress by spending every single day thinking about what you need to do to not die. If that doesn’t work, try meditation. Close your eyes, take deep breaths, and remember that each second of meditation is a battle in the war on Father Time. Good luck, soldier.
How important is sleep? Nothing is more important than a good night’s sleep. So-called “friends” will invite you out for long nights of drinks, dancing, and “companionship.” Recognize this danger and return to your cryochamber.
So what’s a good sleep schedule? Wake up at 4:30 a.m., no exceptions. The smug satisfaction of telling everyone you wake up at 4:30 a.m. will power you for at least one hundred years.
What’s your best biohacking tip? Research shows nasal breathing is healthier than mouth breathing. Duct tape your mouth shut and only breathe through your nose. When someone asks if you’re being held hostage, blink twice to let them know you heard about this on a podcast.
As a biohacker, what should my diet look like? Meat would be healthy, but it’s full of microplastics. Fruits and vegetables would be healthy, but they’re doused in pesticides. Play it safe with a diet of powders, potions, shakes, and sludge. The healthiest foods come from cardboard boxes you can order on your phone. Keep in mind, strong muscles need protein. Chug protein like your life depends on it, because it literally does. Consume so much protein your kidneys can’t process it, then when your doctor tells you to stop, say, “I bet that’s exactly what Big Pharma wants me to do, isn’t it?” And of course, never consume seed oils. Don’t even google “seed oils.” If you don’t actually know what seed oils are, they can’t hurt you.
Can modern medicine be trusted? Doctors make money by keeping you sick. Beat the system and get all your medical advice from shirtless Internet men hocking supplements. Bonus points if those supplements are illegal in your home state.
Any advice for long-term brain health? Keep your mind young and nimble by reading widely. Read books about biohacking, hacking biology, hacks of biologism, and biological hackery.
Do you recommend skincare? I want to look younger too. If you look good, you feel good. Get a skincare regimen to prevent signs of aging. Dry skin? Moisturize. Gray hair? Dye it. Intrusive thoughts about the finite nature of our decaying flesh prison? Stuff ’em down.
Is sun exposure okay? The sun is poisonous. It will give you cancer, or worse, wrinkles. Avoid sun exposure at all costs. Drown yourself in sunscreen. Live underground. Find a pack of moles and slowly embed yourself in their society. Teach the moles about the benefits of intermittent fasting.
What about exercise? For a long, healthy life, lift weights. Model your health on strongmen who are built like commercial freezers. Look for the classic markers of good health: taut skin, bloodshot eyes, and hair growing out of places you didn’t know existed.
What if I’m not a man? I don’t follow.
What if I’m not a man and I want to biohack my way to a longer life? So, you’re a boy, as in not yet a man? Then I’d say just wait a few years, little fella.
Woman. Woman biohacking. Did you say, “Whoa, man, biohacking”? Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Just give me your last piece of advice. Death is a prison. To live forever is to break free. We must escape and fly high, like Icarus. Icarus escaped prison. Icarus flew high. He challenged the gods. I haven’t read the whole story, but that sounds like a pretty cool guy to base my life around. You should too.
Chinese hackers targeted the email inboxes of staff working in several House of Representatives committees, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.
The people declined to disclose details of specific committees affected because an investigation into the intrusions is early and ongoing. They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
The Financial Times first reported details of the hacking attempts and said committees including foreign affairs, intelligence and armed services were impacted. FT said Salt Typhoon, a Chinese state-aligned hacking group that gained infamy in 2024 for its hacks into telecom systems around the world, was responsible for the House breaches.
Nextgov/FCW could not independently confirm whether Salt Typhoon carried out the intrusions. China manages a swath of state-backed hacking collectives that have sought to access U.S. government systems, as well as organizations that have knowledge of U.S. government and legal affairs.
It’s also not clear who was targeted and whether their emails were successfully exfiltrated.
Congressional communications are a frequent target of foreign hackers because they can provide an unauthorized preview into legislative planning.
Last year, the Congressional Budget Office, Capitol Hill’s nonpartisan accounting service that delivers financial assessments for legislation, was accessed in an intrusion potentially tied to a foreign hacker group.
In late 2024, a foreign adversary also accessed the contents of email communications between congressional legislative staffers and staff in the Library of Congress’s Congressional Research Service.
China has regularly denied involvement in U.S. cyber intrusions.
“China opposes and fights all forms of hacking in accordance with the law. We do not encourage, support or connive at cyber attacks,” Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in a statement when asked about the incident.
Jonathan Ross told a federal court in December about his professional background, including “hundreds” of encounters with drivers during enforcement actions, according to testimony obtained by WIRED.
WASHINGTON—Saying the sumptuous gift should slake the administration’s thirst for the next few months, Fox News sent President Donald Trump its quarterly tithe of three blond anchors, White House sources confirmed Friday. “We have traveled south to the White House steps to present you with these three Kayleighs,” said Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch, who was flanked by a traveling court of lute players and jesters brought along to amuse the president. “This stock represents the finest tenth of our quarterly newscaster harvest, and we beseech your fealty in return. We humbly apologize that the last batch was not young enough. To atone for this transgression, we have included several prize hogs to curry extra favor.” According to sources, the Trump administration was so pleased with the offering that it granted Fox News one sweaty commentator in exchange.
WALPOLE, NH—Revealing that the series would force Americans to rethink everything they thought they knew about the “cute little fuzzball,” filmmaker Ken Burns announced Friday the release of Mr. Biscuits, a 10-part documentary about the cat he adopted from a local animal shelter. “For decades, I thought The Civil War would stand as my most important contribution to the art form, but Mr. Biscuits will far exceed the impact of any of my prior works,” said Burns, who explained that the sprawling 20-hour-long production begins with sepia-toned footage of a kitten rolling around on a linoleum floor and then, over the strains of Appalachian fiddle music, details the incredible effect that Mr. Biscuits has had on American life since his birth two years ago. “The film chronicles history, culture, and num-num time, recounting foundational events such as the first time Mr. Biscuits jumped into an Amazon box and the day he gave everyone a scare by eating part of a houseplant.” At press time, Mr. Biscuits was reportedly favored to win every major television and film award.
The Trump administration’s strikes on Venezuela are part of a long history of American involvement in the region. The Onion looks back at the history of U.S. interventions in Latin America.
500 B.C.
So far so good.
1899
The United Fruit Company begins its noble quest to spread the love of healthy eating throughout Latin America.
1960
The CIA does a team-building off-site in Ecuador.
1963
The U.S. tries to assassinate Fidel Castro by sending him a box of exploding cigars, following unsuccessful attempts using a snake in a can and shocking gum.
1983
Ronald Reagan turns the small island nation of Grenada into a perennial pub trivia answer.
1987
Belize continues to hope the U.S. doesn’t really notice it’s there.
2003
Details to be declassified in 2053.
2017
“Despacito” is remixed by Justin Bieber.
2024
Linzie’s bachelorette party seizes violent control of the Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya all-inclusive resort.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has been the force behind many of President Trump’s hard-line policies, including a “zero tolerance” immigration system, the Muslim ban, and, most recently, threats to annex Greenland. The Onion sat down with the “America First” policymaker to discuss his time in the administration.
The Onion : How do you approach immigration policy?
Miller: Erect.
In 2025, 32 people died in ICE custody. How does that make you feel?
Heartbroken over the thousands still breathing.
Have you ever met an actual immigrant?
Of course. Many are still alive when I clean out the traps.
Your own family members have condemned you for your role in the Trump administration. Have you tried to make amends?
They’re the descendants of immigrants. Who cares what they think?
You’ve stated that Trump has “plenary authority.” What did you mean by that?
I was told there’d be softball questions like “What’s the most inferior race?” or “What’s your favorite genocide technique?”
What would you say to those who call you a white supremacist?
Thank you.
How does it feel to know that any of your colleagues would gladly gut you if it meant just a bit more power?
Oh, we gut each other all the time. A knife in the stomach was how I knew I’d earned Susie Wiles’ respect.
WASHINGTON—Circulating a new advisory that highlighted what it called the “worst of the worst,” the Department of Homeland Security released a watchlist Friday warning Americans about the presence of mothers driving cars. “Please be on the lookout for the following mothers, who are confirmed to be in possession of dangerous vehicles and should be met with extreme caution,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who stressed that the women on the list were known caregivers operating inside the United States and cited intelligence gathered by the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and local Parent Teacher Associations. “If you see a minivan with a ‘Baby on board’ sticker, do not engage—many of these women are armed with juice boxes and will not hesitate to use a wet wipe on your face. Maintain a safe distance from any compact SUVs playing Bluey on their entertainment systems. The DOJ has opened an anonymous tip line for reporting any sightings of a car seat in your area.” Noem also warned the public to avoid locations where the exceedingly nurturing individuals were known to congregate, like the school pickup line around 3 p.m.
NOAA officials said the buoy, which records wave height, wind speed and temperature, floated away from where it's normally stationed at the East Flower Garden Bank, about 119 miles south of the Texas and Louisiana border.
I went to an interview at an event planning company I have wanted to work at for a long time. The first interview was successful and I got along with the group of managers really well. They gave me an assignment to do and, after I did that, they happily invited me to return for a follow-up interview, this time with only one of the managers. We got along so well, and I was told I did very well on the assignment.
Near the end of the interview, the manager told me to wait a minute and she left and then came back and offered me the job. I was super ecstatic, and we started chatting about getting to know each other more when I start. She mentioned that she did a check of my socials and saw that I love dogs and she talked about her own dogs. We also talked about which concerts we had been to, as I had many pictures of me at concerts on my pages. At the end, she got a little too comfortable in my opinion and mentioned that she had done a boudoir shoot with the same company that I did mine with. At that point, I remembered that I had my boudoir pictures on social media.
After I left the interview, I was a tad bit embarrassed that my new manager saw me in such a state of undress. I’m obviously at fault for them seeing it, but I’m wondering if you think this is a major red flag for me working there? It seems as if she didn’t mean any offense by it and was just very friendly and chatting with me. She also didn’t say it was a bad thing and, hey, I got the job and at least I had a bra and underwear on and wasn’t nude! I’ve always wanted to work there and I am not sure if I am overthinking this or not?
Oh noooo. Yeah, “I saw your boudoir shots” is not what you want to hear from the person who just offered you job. But “I did my own with the same company” actually does make it less creepy … it’s still boundary-crossing, but it’s a different kind of boundary-crossing. It sounds like she thinks the two of you have a lot in common and maybe lost sight of appropriate professional boundaries in the moment. There’s no guarantee that she won’t continue to do that once you’re working there, but it’s also possible that she just got too comfortable with you.
“Too comfortable with you” can still be a bad thing, of course! But if everything else was good, I wouldn’t let this be the reason you don’t take the job (although I’d go into prepared to be thoughtful about what boundaries you want to keep up so that you can actively enforce them rather than going with the flow without thinking about it, and then realizing too late that conversation wandered into a play you’d rather it not have gone).
2. What to do about serious problems you never see firsthand
We are an educational institution, and I am in support/professional development. We have several classrooms where teachers are concerning, but when I or the directors or anybody is in for an observation, they are fine or good-enough, and I document they are doing what they are supposed to. But when I meet with other staff, they say it stops as soon as the observer is out of the room — and that if no one is in observing, the teacher is more abrupt with children, lets frustration show, doesn’t use the appropriate nurturing language, and lots of specific practices around interactions with children that we expect are not happening. A teacher said to me about another teacher we’ve been working with, “I guess it’s a little better, but they still have bad days, and I’ve heard from other teachers it’s worse when I’m not here (when it is just that staff and the assistant).” I asked the supervisor if those specific behaviors had been directly addressed with that teacher and their response was, “Well, we haven’t seen it.” The supervisors will also say, “The other staff need to let us know. We can’t do anything if we don’t know.” But there is a dynamic of staff going to leadership with concerns and feeling like they were not heard and nothing was done.
Morale is tanking in some of these rooms, and we’ve lost teachers. When people see that others are not held accountable, it is hard on everyone. I think staff don’t feel trusted, because their word that someone is problematic is not good enough. I understand the impulse to not go by rumor or hearsay; everyone needs due process, and we can’t really set up cameras to see what is going on when no one else is there, and lurking in the doorway and trying to watch when they don’t know isn’t going to do it either. What can I tell directors about how to deal with this? They acknowledge there is a problem, but act like they are helpless unless they see it themselves, but also don’t really go out of their way to see what is really happening.
Well, that’s wildly problematic! I don’t know how schools typically deal with these issues, but I can tell you how I’d deal with it as manager in a different environment and maybe something here will be applicable. If I was getting secondhand reports about serious concerns with an employee’s performance and that they were deliberately altering their behavior when I was observing, I’d do a few things. First, I’d find ways to observe for longer periods. For example, if I was hearing reports like this about a trainer — probably the closest comparable situation — I might even take a laptop into their training room and work from there for a few days. Second, I’d talk with people who were seeing it firsthand — which in this case presumably means teaching assistants and the students themselves. If enough people are reporting a behavior, and especially when you know those people to be generally credible, there’s a point where you don’t need to see it firsthand; the pattern of reports is enough in itself. Third, I’d talk directly with the employee questions, tell them forthrightly what concerns have been reported, and tell them that we need to work together to resolve those concerns, and that I was going to be spot-checking with others who observe their work — because at some point, the perception itself is a problem, totally aside from the rest of it.
I’m concerned that your colleagues are so willing to wash their hands of dealing with what sound like truly serious issues (and ones involving kids?!) just because they’re not witnessing the behavior firsthand. If they heard a teacher was, I don’t know, slapping kids, would they say they couldn’t do anything about it because they didn’t see it happen? Presumably not. They need to bring similar urgency to this too.
3. Foster care and parental leave
My workplace offers five weeks of parental leave, which includes birth of a baby, adoption, or the placement of a foster child.
I cannot have biological children, but I am about to be licensed to be a foster parent with the goal of caring for a teenager. When I receive my first foster placement, would it be unethical to take parental leave? I’d like to use the full benefits that are available to me as an employee, but I also don’t want to be unreasonable: I won’t have a baby at home, and for that reason won’t “need” the leave in the same way as others. But, it’s a big life transition. I almost wish I could split it up and use it for court dates, appointments, etc., but that’s not an option — the leave must be taken in one chunk and it can be taken a maximum of once per year.
Another consideration is that I won’t have months of pregnancy and a due date to tell my boss, make arrangements, etc. Once I’m licensed, I have no idea how long I’ll wait before getting a call, and I could find out hours before that a placement is happening. If I choose to take parental leave, how do I navigate this conversation with my manager and HR? What can I be doing now to prepare?
Yay to fostering teenagers! There is a massive, massive need.
You should absolutely use the leave when you get the placement. The policy explicitly allows it; you’re not doing anything wrong or anything that the policy didn’t explicitly envision. And there is a ton of work in the beginning of a placement, as well as just lots of connection-building to do (so even if you’re not actively caring for him or her every hour of the day like with a baby, being around and available is very helpful). You should also look into FMLA, because it also covers the placement of a foster child, and it can be taken intermittently and specifically includes court dates, appointments, etc.
As for what to say to your boss and HR: “I am in the process of being approved to foster a child. The timing is somewhat up in the air, but it could be any time after X. When I do get a placement, my plan is to take parental leave per our policy. So I wanted to talk with you about logistics and what I should be doing to prepare now, since I might not have a lot of advance notice when it happens.”
4. Can I ask if my department is going to be dissolved?
My department was just subsumed by a larger department, which has negative implications for our entire team’s titles. We are pretty niche, and I am worried the ultimate goal is to just slowly get rid of us completely, with our work being absorbed by the larger department. Can I just … ask? My manager’s manager reportedly made a comment to my manager at one point implying that our department might not need to exist forever.
I really love my job, and I have had a lot of professional success recently. I cannot help but worry that the recently merged organization no longer places much value in our work, so that success will not protect me if they don’t feel it serves their business needs. I am kicking myself for being too specialized at this point. I don’t know if they would be honest if I do ask, and I worry that asking makes it obvious I am going to be looking if I don’t get reassurance. Don’t ask, right?
You can ask, but if you hear “no, we’re not going anywhere,” you can’t place any real weight on it. For one thing, if there <are plans to cut your team, your manager may not even know that right now. For another if they do know, they might not be allowed to tell you (that’s highly likely, in fact). You can still ask, because you might hear something useful (like that she’s worried about that too) that confirms your worries, but you’ve got to go into knowing that you can’t take anything you hear as negating your worries (unless it’s something really clear and unusual, like they have specific plans to expand and support your work). In other words, either way you should probably be thinking about next steps.
ALT
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