🌱 Last-Minute Holiday Tamales + Harris Co. COVID Threat Level Up

Houston TX

20 December, 2021

11:51 PM

Description

Happy Tuesday, neighbors! Here's everything you need to know about what's happening in Houston today. First, today's weather: Plenty of sun. High: 61. Low: 43. Here are the top stories today in Houston: With the omicron variant spreading quickly through the Houston area, Harris County raised its COVID-19 threat level to Orange, the second-highest possible level. County officials urge residents to take precautions when traveling for the holidays. (Houston Patch)Need last-minute tamales for a Texas Christmas celebration? Here's where you can get them in Houston. (Houstonia Magazine) Houston council member Edward Pollard walked back his claim that bike lanes are detrimental to drivers, but he stood by criticism of bike lanes and the Public Works Department's plans for them. (Chron) Enigmatic Texas barbecue pitmaster John Mueller died at age 52. The Texas legend from Frisco participated in many charitable Houston barbecue events and had a hand in mentoring several noted Houston pitmasters. (CultureMap Houston) University of Houston All-American cornerback Marcus Jones announced he will miss the Birmingham Bowl to prepare for the 2022 NFL Draft. The senior capped his college career with a standout season featuring contributions on defense and special teams while even scoring a touchdown on offense. (Houston Patch) Today's Houston Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Ring, the home security company. Ring does a lot more than doorbells: check out their full suite of smart home products at Ring.com. And thank you Ring for helping to make local news happen in Houston! Today in Houston: Christmas Stocking Fiesta — CenterWell Senior Primary Care in Downtown East. (10 a.m.) From my notebook: Downtown Houston: "Only a few more days to see [and SMELL] @hiltonamericashouston's Nutcracker display, made entirely out of chocolate. Created with over 2 tons of chocolate (a whopping 6.5 million calories), it took the culinary team over 2,000 hours to complete." (Instagram) Houston Texans: "Offense, defense + special teams all took care of business. John Harris recaps Week 15 in Jacksonville." (Facebook) Houston Health Department: "#GetTested for #Covid19 this week to add another layer of protection to your #holiday gathering. Combined with your initial vaccination, booster shot, and mask, we can celebrate more safely." (Facebook) Houston Public Media: "Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo confirmed the county's first omicron-related death — the individual was in his 50s and resided in Harris County Precinct 2." (Facebook) Houston Community College District: "Houston Community College (on-site and remote) will be closed for Winter Break from Dec. 20 to Jan. 2. We hope you have a safe and happy holiday season filled with family and friends and a prosperous and joyful new year! #WeAreHCC." (Facebook) More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news! Events: Brighten The First Day Of Winter With 15 Percent Off FTD's Sunniest Blooms (December 21) Add your event Loving the Houston Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved: Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe Get your local business listed in front of readers Send me a news tip or suggestion at [email protected] That's it for today! I'll see you around. — Jeffrey Perkins About me: Born in San Antonio, I was raised in Arkansas but got back to Texas as soon as I could to attend Texas A&M University, where I earned a bachelor's degree in Telecommunication Media Studies. I started my journalism career as a copy editor at The Eagle in Bryan, Texas, in 2014 and later became the high school sports beat writer for the paper. My seven years at The Eagle strengthened my passion for journalism, and I love getting to know people and telling their stories, both on the field and off. I've seen firsthand the importance of hyper-local journalism in a community, especially in an eventful 2020, when I helped with news coverage and design in addition to my high school athletics beat responsibilities. I joined Patch in 2021 as Texas Field Editor for the Conroe-Montgomery County area. I welcome your questions, comments and story ideas! Please contact me at [email protected] or (479) 264-5801.