In the News

USPS: Houston-area mail delays have attention of 'postal leadership at the highest levels'

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We have an update to the postal delays we’ve been reporting on since mid-December. KHOU 11 was first to tell you about the weeks-long delays in postal deliveries and our reporting got the attention of lawmakers, who have been demanding answers from the U.S. Postal Service. On Saturday, KHOU 11 obtained a letter from a high-ranking USPS official in response to questions from Houston-area…

Texas Democrats urge Biden to 'refocus' LNG policy

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A group of House Democrats from Texas California and Alaska wrote to President Joe Biden Friday urging him to "refocus" his administration's policies on the export of liquefied natural gas. The letter, which was signed by members including Reps. Lizzie Fletcher and Sylvia Garcia, of Houston, Marc Veasey, of Dallas and Henry Cuellar, of Laredo, comes a week after the Biden…

Lizzie Fletcher urges Texas to increase orphan well funding

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Houston Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher is urging the Texas Railroad Commission and state legislators to reverse a reduction in funding for the state's orphan well program, warning they could imperil future federal assistance for the state. Fletcher, a Democrat who introduced orphan well legislation that made available $4.6 billion in federal funding through the 2021 Bipartisan…

Houston receives $1.2B for clean energy initiatives across the region

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Houston will receive up to $1.2 billion as part of the Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub for the purpose of supporting hydrogen initiatives in the region, according to an Oct. 13 news release from the White House. The details The hydrogen hub project will be run by HyVelocity, a group of organizations working together to promote clean hydrogen in Texas, southwest…

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher visits Rice to discuss climate change and geothermal energy

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Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas) visited the Rice campus Aug. 29. During the visit, she caught up with the university’s leadership team, including Rice President Reginald DesRoches, Rice Provost Amy Dittmar and Vice President of Public Affairs Melinda Spaulding Chevalier, before she met with Rice faculty to discuss climate change, geothermal energy and the university’s research in these…

Houston METRO experiments with solar-powered fans at bus stops

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The Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority is trial-testing 50 solar-powered fans installed at bus stops in the city. Currently, METRO has nearly 9,000 operational stops, with some featuring metal shelters and benches, and others left uncovered entirely, with just a sign to designate where the stop is. But changes are in the works for the small area where thousands of…

$2.5 million to go towards West University Place water distribution lines replacement

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Outdated water distribution lines in West University Place, some of which have been around since the 1940s, will be replaced using federal funding. Susan Sample is the mayor of West University Place and said many of these waterlines are made out of cast iron, and they've been around since West University Place was built. "Once this project is complete, we will have replaced…

Houston Metro working on solar-powered fans at bus stops, with plans to install 50 prototypes

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Breathing new life into the ordinary bus stop isn’t as simple as it might sound, but Metro officials are giving it a spin in the hopes of slightly cooling riders down. A prototype shelter aimed at addressing some of Houston’s unique needs, including solar-paneled fans, could evolve into new structures at many Metropolitan Transit Authority bus stops. Right now, the steel…

$32M Poor Farm Ditch flood control project moves forward with federal funding

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A vital flood control project for residents in three cities is moving forward with a new injection of federal funding. What happened A $32.5 million effort to improve Poor Farm Ditch will proceed with help from $9.9 million in federal funding. In addition, two cities, one county and Texas are all contributing funds to advance the project. $16.9 million from the state, an…