Thumbs down: HPD is focused on the top issues in Houston, like reaching out to the anonymous World Cup social media star Freddy. They slid into the German influencer’s DMs. And when he didn’t respond, they sent the same message two more times. When Freddy said his schedule was too busy, they offered up lunch with the police chief and Mayor John Whitmire himself. Who paid for the BBQ? That remains a mystery. But who paid for the police officers’ time while they were breaking brisket with the social media star? That’s all taxpayers. Bitte, Freddy.
Thumbs up: On Instagram this week, Houston rapper Tobe Nwigwe challenged his celebrity friends to pronounce his full Nigerian name, Tobechukwu Dubem Nwigwe. The judge? Tobe’s mother. Stephen Curry did great. Erykah Badu earned a “hell no.” Anthony Anderson got a “he tried.” Note to Nwigwe and his mom: Next time, could y’all do “Kuykendahl”?
Thumbs down: Senate candidate and Casanova conservative Ken Paxton held a rare press conference this week, touting his credentials and many sheriff endorsements. But apparently Paxton was so out of practice with the format that he forgot that press conferences involve answering pesky questions from the press. He dodged inquiries about his Utah luxury condos, saying he’d prefer to keep things about “law enforcement.” But then, he chose not to respond when asked about a law enforcement issue that hits close to home — a Texas Tribune story showing that, while touting a crackdown on illegal voting, Paxton himself appears to have voted illegally six times in the past two years, using an address where he doesn’t live. Or maybe that’s not so close to home? It depends, we guess, on his real address.
Thumbs down: Speaking of Paxton misfires, an appeals court this week overturned a decision that closed a midwife’s clinics outside Houston after the attorney general alleged that she had been performing illegal abortions. The midwife still faces those charges, but the court threw out the injunction forcing her to close up shop because, it turns out, courts require actual evidence that a crime was occurring. In Paxton’s filing with the lower court, the attorney general had relied solely on an anonymous email.
Thumbs twiddled: Meanwhile in Central Texas, recent flooding tested new sirens and warning systems and the results were largely positive. But the area is still dealing with the fallout. In Ingram, volunteers are scouring the countryside for kangaroos that Hill Country floodwaters washed from an exotic animal farm. As of Tuesday, seven had been found dead, but it’s hoped that four will be found alive. “They can’t live off the land,” said Phillip Torres, part of the couple who own the farm. “Special diet.”
“If anybody sees any of them hopping around, holler, holler,” pleaded his wife Juliann.
Thumbs up We’re excited about any film project that Houston native Richard Linklater releases, and Glen Powell is clearly Texas’ top A-list actor. Now they’re teaming up to make a movie about baseball icon Lou Gehrig. Sign us up! Sure, we Astros fans may bristle that Texans are making a film about a Yankees legend. But Gehrig’s life is a tragic, inspiring tale, and those of us who want Linklater to continue making movies — especially if they’re filmed in Texas — should all be invested in this biopic’s success.
Thumbs down: The Houston Texans’ grand plans for an 83-acre “Toro District” in northwest Harris County — a new headquarters, practice facility and mixed-use development — are now in peril, and for a super-wonky reason. A state district judge recently threw out a 2021 ballot measure about “investment zones,” ruling that it failed to explain to voters that they’d be taking on debt to pay for those investments. Will the Texans manage an end run around the ruling? If not, the Toro District is toast.