City Of Houston: Happy Thanksgiving From Mayor Turner

Houston TX

01 December, 2021

2:42 PM

Description

Press release from the City of Houston : November 24, 2021 November 24, 2021 -- The city of Houston invites you to the 72nd Annual H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, November 25, at 9 a.m. Located in the heart of downtown Houston. This event is one of the oldest Thanksgiving Day parades in the country. We are grateful for our many sponsors. We are monitoring the forecast and will make decisions in the interest of safety as necessary. I plan to hold the event rain or shine and as long as the weather is not dangerous. The parade has involved months of planning and input from HPD, HFD, and OEM. Leading up to Thanksgiving Day, I have had an opportunity to join with others to distribute turkeys and other supplies to families throughout Houston. I thank everyone who has contributed or volunteered to ensure that others will have a hot meal this holiday. EPA administrator comes to Houston, visits TSU, Kashmere Gardens Recently, Michael S. Regan, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), visited the city of Houston, with his first stop being Texas Southern University to meet with Dr. Robert Bullard the "father of the environmental justice movement." Regan then spent time with Mayor Sylvester Turner, touring Kashmere Gardens which has been ground zero for the city's most recent bouts of environmental racism and eco-damage. To read more about the visit, click here. Houston sets $15-an-hour minimum wage for municipal workers Earlier this month, City Council voted 16 - 1 approving an ordinance to raise the minimum wage for municipal employees to $15 per hour. We have employees who have been making under $15 an hour, and this shows that we care and are emphasizing all of our employees, not just some of them. I am glad that we were able to work with HOPE, the union representing municipal employees, to make this change that will impact employees and their families. As reported by the Houston Chronicle, the change means the city's lowest-paid full-time workers will make a salary of about $31,200, up from $29,640 under the contract and $27,040 under the previous pay scale. They include custodians, customer service clerks, and park maintenance aides. City of Houston Offers Successful Composting Pilot Program I recently joined thousands of Houstonians participating in the City of Houston's successful composting pilot program. Houston City Council Member Sallie Alcorn encouraged me to clear my fridge and bring food scraps from home. It does not take a lot of effort to help divert landfill waste. The City offered a six-week composting pilot program, which is ending Saturday, Nov. 27. Residents have until then to drop off any food scraps in any container or bag of their choosing (pro tip: keeping a bag in your freezer is an easy way to collect without the smell). Thank you, Zero Waste Houston or Moonshot Composting, for retrieving the scraps. As part of this educational pilot program, we are asking residents to complete a composting survey. So, if you would like to help us make Houston a greener city- come by, drop off your collection, and grab one of our gorgeous giveaway trees! Houston is Host to Historic World Table Tennis Championship on 50th Anniversary of "Ping Pong Diplomacy" This week, the World Table Tennis Championship is in the United States for the first time in history. Houston is honored to be the host city and welcome athletes, dignitaries, and guests from all over the world. Before the games began, I exchanged gifts with the Chinese Table Tennis Association's Liu Guoliang, considered the greatest ping pong player and coach of all time. The Houston-Harris County Sports Authority is working hard to make sure the event is successful. "Ping Pong Diplomacy" refers to events that led to President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China in February 1972. Spectators are welcome to watch the games taking place at the George R. Brown Convention Center. PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNS INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT I was invited to the White House to witness President Biden sign the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. I thank the president, vice president and congress for their commitment to helping all Americans and cities like Houston. The investment will make a difference for our port, transit, airports and wastewater systems. Mayor Turner speaks from White House on impact of new infrastructure bill (click2houston.com) The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal will create good-paying, union jobs across the country. These jobs will: It's Beginning to Look Merry and Bright in Downtown Houston Join us for the Reliant Lights Mayor's Holiday Spectacular! The fun will featuring 80's icon, Taylor Dayne and a star studded entertainment lineup and the lighting of the Holiday Tree! When: Saturday, December 4th at 6 p.m. Location: Houston City Hall, 900 Bagby The Downtown Management District recently flipped the lights on a Winter Wanderland, a beautiful trail of illuminated attractions along Bagby Street near City Hall. I invite you to visit with your friends and family to walk along the trail this holiday season. The opening marks the completion of the Bagby Street Improvement Project, which converted the street into a multimodal corridor with expanded pedestrian walkways, a bicycle lane, beautification elements and new trees. Bagby is the first street encountered when entering from the west and serves as a gateway into downtown Houston. In case you missed it, here are some recent headlines from City Hall and the news media: This press release was produced by the City of Houston. The views expressed here are the author's own.