Kathryn Way

• Rebuilding Commission Reports Urgent Need To Prepare for Future Natural Disasters on Gulf Coast [Houston Public Media]
• Houston Developers Settle Fraud Case for Improper Use of Funds [Houston Chronicle]
• Homebuilder K. Hovnanian Considers 15-Acre Development in South Houston [HBJ ($)]
• Parents Cheer as HISD Trustees Vote 5-4 Against Charter School “Transfer” Proposal [abc13]
• Austin-Based Dine-In Movie Theatre Chain Joins New Woodlands Retail Development [HBJ]
• Floyd’s 99 Barbershop Joins Heights Waterworks Redevelopment on 19th [Houston Chronicle]
• Developers Cautiously Optimistic About Downtown Opportunity Zones, Consider Flipping Vacant Office Buildings into Apartments or Hotels [Bisnow]
• City Council Member Proposes Flat Monthly Garbage Collection Fee To Cover Firefighter Raises [Houston Public Media]
• Gensler Designs 2-Story, 130k Sq. Ft. River Oaks Surgical Center with Room for Retail Downstairs [HBJ ($); previously on Swamplot]

Photo of The Galleria Christmas Tree: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Texas Lawmakers Want To Give State More Authority over Houston-Dallas Bullet Train [Texas Tribune; previously on Swamplot]
• What Chevron’s Demo of Old Houston Press Building Says About Preservation in Houston [Houston Public Media; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Home Sales Down in November but Sales to Date Still Higher Than 2017 [Houston Chronicle]
• After Bitter Fight, City Council Agrees to Spend $3 Million Renewing Airport Music [Houston Public Media]
• Service Industry Veteran Opens Eclectic Cottage Grove Eatery Elliot’s Table [Culturemap]
• Nearly 20% of People Under 65 in Harris County are Uninsured—the Highest Rate in the Country [Houston Public Media]
• Popular Houston Tex-Mex Staple Molina’s Cantina Picks Fulshear for Third Location [Culturemap]
• Historic 1937 River Oaks Home Designed by John Staub Hits the Market for $7.4 Million [Houston Chronicle]
• Montgomery County Woman First West Nile Virus-Related Death Of 2018 [Houston Public Media]
• Study Shows Houston Has Second-Most Expensive Commute for Workers in the Country [abc13]
• TxDOT Announces List of Completed Sections of 290 Opening Dec. 17th [HBJ]
• Houston Matters Investigates Houston’s Peculiar Urban Grackle Infestation [Houston Public Media]

Photo of 909 Texas St.: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• City Files Legal Brief Arguing that Firefighter Pay Parity is Unconstitutional [Houston Chronicle]
• Nobie’s New Tiki Concept The Toasted Coconut Aims for Spring 2019 Opening in Former Texas Shrimp Shack Spot on Richmond Ave. [Houstonia]
• Mayor’s Educational Nonprofit To Manage 15 Underperforming HISD Schools [Houston Public Media]
• More Apartment Complexes Going Up near Shepherd and West Dallas in Montrose [HBJ ($)]
• Actress Allison Williams Partners with Houston Branding Strategy Company To Provide Resources for Underfunded Nonprofits [Culturemap]
• 290 Expansion Still Slowly but Surely Making Progress, Adding New Mainlanes and Opening Exits [Covering Katy]
• Sichuan Spot Xun Yu Si Kao Opens First Texas Location in Dun Huang Plaza on Bellaire Blvd. [Eater]
• Houston Location of Amazon Web Services in CityCentre Five Now Open and Hiring [HBJ ($)]
• Arts and Entertainment Company Houston First Says it will Take 5 Years To Recover Financially From Harvey Restorations [Houston Public Media]
• Randalls Shutters Seventh Houston Area Location, Sells Spot to El Rancho Supermercado [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• Rothko Chapel To Close for Restoration Through Winter 2019 Ahead of 50th Anniversary [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• BYOB Eatery Just Dinner on Dunlavy To Close at the End of December [Eater]
• Interactive Map Highlights “Child Care Deserts” Across Texas [Child Care Deserts]

Photo of Milam at McKinney: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• AARP “Secret Shopper” Survey Finds Freestanding Emergency Rooms in Texas Misleading Patients [Houston Public Media]
• City Controller Hesitant to Spend More on More Bush Intercontinental Terminals [Houston Chronicle]
• River Oaks Baptist School Breaks Ground on $65 Million Expansion at 3900 Westheimer [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Nature Conservancy Using Part of BP Oil Spill Money to Address Steep Decline in Oyster Population [Houston Public Media]
• Temporary Issue Preventing Houstonians from Accessing Uber Monday Now Resolved [abc13]
• Spring ISD Board Votes Today on Multi-Million Dollar New Ninth Grade Centers [Houston Chronicle]
• MetroNational Paid City $5.8 Million for their 8-Story Midrise Residents to Have Surrounding Memorial City Road Access [HBJ ($)]
• Sweet Paris Crêperie & Cafe Opens New Highland Village Flagship in Former Kate Spade Spot [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Montrose Shake Shack in Former Burger King Location Set to Open in “Coming Days and Weeks” [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Firefighters Accept Buzzbee’s Pro Bono Offer To Mediate Prop B Pay Parity Dispute with City [Houston Public Media]
• Marine Vet Couple Given Fully Furnished New Atascocita Home in The Groves Community via “Operation Finally Home” [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Main St. Square: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Former Harvey Recovery Czar Claims Houston Will Be Better Prepared for Disaster But Process May Take Decades [Houston Public Media]
• Montrose Brunch Favorite Baba Yega Suffers Fire, Expects to Reopen in 2019 [HBJ]
• Proposed Membership-Only Pool Causes Tension in Heights Community over Equal Access [Houston Chronicle]
• Spec’s Sues TABC For “Abusive Regulatory Overreach” Citing Threats, Attempted Extortion [Off the Kuff]
• Drainage Improvements Among Houston Homeowners’ Priorities for Long-Awaited Harvey Funding [Houston Public Media]
• Houston Scientist To Receive Nobel Prize for Breakthrough Discovery in Immunotherapy for Cancer Treatment [Houston Chronicle]
• Attorney and Mayoral Candidate Buzbee Offers To Mediate Prop B Pay Parity Issues with City [abc13]
• Three Houston Areas Using Private Well Water on Boil Advisory after Storm Caused Wastewater Spillage [Houston Chronicle]
• New Cypress Brewery Twisted Acre Held Grand Opening over Weekend on Grant Rd. [Houstonia]
• Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Says Russia Interfered in 2016 Election at Rare MD Anderson Appearance [Houston Chronicle]
• Goode Co. Tex-Mex Venture on Katy Fwy. Now Serving Breakfast [Houston Food Finder; previously on Swamplot]
• Missouri City Makes History Electing First Black Woman for Mayor [Houston Chronicle]
• Lake Conroe Temporarily Closed Due to Flooding, Debris [abc13]

Photo of Travis St. at Preston St.: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Katy Chinese Favorite Tiger Noodle House To Open Third Location in Rice Village [Eater; previously on Swamplot]
• Third Ward Church’s Multimillion-Dollar Expansion on Former Frenchy’s Chicken Site Begins in January [HBJ, previously on Swamplot]
• County To Activate Emergency Operations Center Starting This Afternoon for Expected Floods [Houston Public Media]
• Fort Bend Pkwy., Sam Houston Pkwy. Among Most Expensive Toll Roads in the U.S. [Houston Chronicle]
• Harvey Gas Price Gougers Still Settling Cases with Attorney General’s Office [Texas Monthly]
• New York Times Exposé Prompts Southwest Key To Review Its Own Business Practices [HBJ]
• Burns Original BBQ in Acres Homes Pays Tribute to Anthony Bourdain with New Mural [Eater]
• Richmond’s Opportunity Zone Experience Shows Program May Be Less Promising Than Expected [Bisnow]
• Woodlands Board Approves Name, Map, Logo for New Waterway Arts District [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Byrne St., Woodland Heights: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Houston on Vince McMahon’s XFL Inaugural List for 2020, UH TDECU Stadium Tapped as Venue [HBJ]
• City Hires Lobbying Firm To Fight for Harvey Relief in Upcoming Legislative Session [Houston Public Media]
• Brightwood College Closes All Campuses Nationwide, Including Two in Houston [Houston Chronicle]
• Royal Caribbean in Talks To Build 200K Sq. Ft. Galveston Cruise Terminal in 2021 [HBJ]
• Nancy’s Hustle, Vibrant Among Houston’s 2018 Eater Awards Winners [Eater]
• HCC Will Build New Campus Next to UH Katy Near I-10 and Grand Pkwy. [Covering Katy]
• Houston Dad Develops Stadium Food Delivery App sEATz So Spectators Don’t Miss the Game [Culturemap]
• Texas Electric Grid Bracing for Another Record-Breaking Summer as Backup Power Reserves Are at All-Time Low [Houston Public Media]
• Class-B Multifamily Developer Nitya Capital Starts First Townhome Development off Memorial Heights [HBJ ($)]
• Dallas-Based Investment Firm Buys 6 Multifamily Properties Along Beltway 8 [Realty News Report]
• Growth of Houston Rental Rates Stabilizing After Long Post-Harvey Spike [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Employment Forecast Predicts 71,000 New Jobs in 2019 [Houston Public Media]
• New EaDo Rooftop Bar Sunset Heading to 2119 Dallas St. Will Offer Stunning Skyline Views [Eater]
• Construction Underway of 9-Foot Diameter Water Tunnel Under W. Lake Houston Pkwy. [HKA Texas]
• New York-Based Indie Film Distributor Buys River Oaks Theatre’s Parent Company Landmark [HBJ]
• City May Pre-Release Lake Houston Water Ahead of Heavy Rains Expected Friday [Houston Public Media]

Photo of Main St. METRO Rail: Ruben S. via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Fitzgerald’s Plans Farewell Events To Help It Wind Down After 42 Years of Business [Culturemap]
• Texas Will Use Latest BP Oil Spill Payout To Rehab Coastal Habitat [Houston Public Media]
• Outgoing Harris County Judge Emmett To Begin Teaching at His Alma Mater Rice U. in January [Houston Chronicle]
• Fountain View Cafe Closes for Good [Culturemap]
• Bosscat Kitchen To Open Another Location Near Grand Pkwy. and the Westpark But Not for a Few Years [HBJ ($)]
• HISD Could Face $76M Budget Deficit for the Next School Year [Houston Public Media]
• New Orleans-Based Neyow’s Creole Cafe Set To Open Friday on Richmond Near Hillcroft [Culturemap]
• Fire Damages at Least 20 La Porte Apartments in Delta Heights Complex off S. Brodway at Bayside Dr. [Houston Chronicle]
• The Subtle Artistry of Apple’s Temporary Stores [9to5Mac]
• All the Road Closures Today and Tomorrow for Bush Memorial Service [Houston Public Media]

Photo of the sunset over Houston’s skyline: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool