(Chris Moran, Houston Chronicle)
After weeks of criticism that Mayor Annise Parker is trying to outlaw acts of charity, her administration this week is making a third attempt to place rules on outdoor feeding of homeless people.
Parker has whittled an original proposal that would have set rules on preparation, storage and server training down to a plan that mandates only that groups get written permission from the owner of the property to serve meals there. If the property is a city park, the rule still would apply, with permission granted or denied by the city parks director.
Councilman James Rodriguez, whose District I includes downtown, said that although the proposed rules have been scaled back, “We need to start somewhere.” A long-term strategy to alleviate homelessness also will have to include more money for mental health services and long-term housing, he said.
(Read the full story at the Houston Chronicle)
OTHER HEADLINES:
- Katy Dad Who Left Kids in Van at Gun Store: ‘People Make Mistakes’ (KHOU 11 News)
- North Forest ISD Determined to Improve (KTRK 13 News)
- Search And Rescue Goes High Tech (KUHF Public Radio)
- KIPP Dinner Honors Holthouses and HISD (Houston Chronicle)
- First Minority Cancer Month Highlights Disparities (Texas Tribune)
- Supreme Court OKs Strip Searches For Minor Offenses (KUHF Public Radio)
- New Polls Find Increasing Support for View That Global Climate is Warming (Texas Climate News)
OPINIONS ON THE NEWS:
- Community in a Warming Climate (Kaid Benfeild, Houston Tomorrow)
“There are measures we need to take right now inside our communities so that we are as prepared as possible for the warmer climate ahead. Some of them are related to technology, of course. […But there are also a] few things that we can and should do for our cities, suburbs and towns that are low-tech” - Time for States to Take Responsibility for Medicaid Choices (Laura Hermer, Houston Chronicle)
“In the interest of making those impoverished populations more responsible, states have imposed a wide array of mandates on them as conditions for the receipt of cash welfare and public health coverage. Yet these same states are now crying foul at the additional conditions that the federal government will put on them with respect to their receipt and use of federal funds for Medicaid.“