Houston Chronicle - 5 May 2024

TEAM PLAYER Draft pick cornerback Kamari Lassiter brings ‘relentless mindset.’ PAGE C1 SUNDAY H-GAC EXPANDS Woodlands gains seat on regional board. PAGE A13 PRIME LOCATION Will Houston be ready for its close-up when Hollywood calls? PAGE G1 HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM • SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 • VOL. 123, NO. 205 • $5.00 Advice .........G5 Comics.........U1 Directory ....A2 Editorials.A24 ObituariesA27 Puzzles.........G7 Real Estate.R1 Sports...........C1 Texas Inc .....B1 TV .................G7 Weather...A22 Zest ................G1 TWITTER: @HoustonChron LINKEDIN: Houston-Chronicle INSTAGRAM: HoustonChron FACEBOOK: @HoustonChronicle HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: VISIT NOW FOR BREAKING NEWS, CONSTANTLY UPDATED STORIES, SPORTS COVERAGE, PODCASTS AND A SEARCHABLE NEWS ARCHIVE. AUSTIN — Anne-Marie Jardine cried while looking at her best graduation portrait — a jolt searing through her body as she realized just how tainted it all is now. The University of Texas at Austin senior smiled for the photo to celebrate her academic success, her classic stole and gown vivid against the green double doors of Sutton Hall.Just days later, she was zip-tied around the wrists and loaded into a police van just yards from that picturesque backdrop, as state troopers broke up a proPalestine rally that she and many others thought would be harmless. Jardine’s final weeks as an undergrad have been disillusioning, since she became one of the reported 136 arrests police made during two protests in late April. The police response and campus unrest have cast a dark cloud over the state’s flagship as impacted students struggle through final exams and impending commencement ceremonies. “I was gonna have a cake; it Protests color students’ time at UT Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Rawan Channaa discusses demands for UT to divest from firms that protesters believe are complicit in the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza. Tenor on campus has changed, regardless of where they stand on Israel-Hamas conflict UT continues on A14 By Samantha Ketterer STAFF WRITER Memorial Hermann’s liver transplant program had been underperforming in some areas before a national scandal emerged at the Texas Medical Center hospital, according to publicly available data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. A Houston Chronicle analysis of registry data found that the hospital’s liver transplant volume had been declining since at least 2015 and, in recent years, dropped lower than would be expected of a program with a similar patient population. Meanwhile, between July 2021 and June 2023, the most recent data available, the hospital’s estimated pretransplant death rate rose Data: Fewer transplants, more deaths before pause By Julian Gill and Matt Zdun STAFF WRITERS Hospital continues on A8 Houston ISD’s state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles said Friday afternoon that the school district is facing an estimated $450 million gap in funding that will largely be made up by staff reductions as federal pandemic relief money expires and student enrollment continues to decline. Miles has said previously that the majority of the cuts will come from HISD’s central office, and that his aim is to keep them “as far away from the classroom as possible.” His remarks Friday, though, appear to give the first indication of how widespread those cuts may be. “We can’t cut $450 million in Miles: Cuts ahead as HISD faces $450M gap By Sam González Kelly STAFF WRITER HISD continues on A11 Days of excessive rainfall that experts warned could be “catastrophic” culminated in Southeast Texas on Saturday when floodwaters — described as the worst since Hurricane Harvey — rose nearly as high as power lines, prompting 20,000 to evacuate their homes while another 600 people had to be physically rescued, officials said. The flooding gripped Houston after rains began during the last weekend of April, isolating homes and soaking through cars after water levels along the San Jacinto River rose into the end of the week. But the damage was predominantly to property — there had been no reports of death or serious injury despite the dangerous conditions. Hundreds of residents were stuck or stranded in the waters as rain filled waterways and caused flooding along the San Jacinto River. By Saturday night emergency workers had rescued more than 600 people across Montgomery, Harris, San Jacinto, Walker and Liberty counties. Flood emergency not over, officials warn Karen Warren/Staff photographer A man walks through floodwaters on River Oaks Drive on Saturday in Woodloch, Montgomery County. Thousands forced to evacuate; more rain expected today Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Channelview first responders get ready to help evacuate the area due to severe flooding Saturday. By Hana Ikramuddin STAFF WRITER Flooding continues on A5

CONNECT WITH US A Hearst newspaper LATEST NEWS Scan this QR code for top stories, 24/7 LATEST SPORTS News on Houston’s teams, as it happens EMAIL NEWS UPDATES Get Houston and Texas news delivered to your inbox SUBSCRIPTION CHANGES, BILLING INQUIRIES & DELIVERY ISSUES 713-362-7211 or help@houstonchronicle.com Monday-Friday: 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday: 7:30 a.m.-11 a.m. 24/7: houstonchronicle.com/account ADVERTISE WITH US Display inquiries: houstonchronicle.com/advertising Classifieds inquiries: classifieds@houstonchronicle.com CONTACT OUR JOURNALISTS All can be reached by typing their first and last names, separated by a period, followed by @houstonchronicle.com, e.g. Firstname.Lastname@houstonchronicle.com News tips: 713-362-7491 or citydesk@houstonchronicle.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR viewpoints@houstonchronicle.com PLACE AN OBITUARY houstonchronicle.com/obits COMMENTS ON STANDARDS & ACCURACY 713-362-6303 or ReaderRep@houstonchronicle.com SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS Monday-Sunday: $24.25 a week Sunday only: $9.50 a week Unlimited Digital Access: $6.93 a week All subscriptions listed above include 24/7 access to houstonchronicle.com, our IOS and Android apps and the daily e-Edition NEWSROOM SVP/Editor-in-Chief: Kelly.Scott@houstonchronicle.com VP/Editor of Opinion: Lisa.Falkenberg@houstonchronicle.com Managing Editor for Audience and Content Strategy: Alejandra.Matos@hearst.com Senior Director of Experimentation and Innovation: Jennifer.Chang@houstonchronicle.com Assistant Managing Editor for Local News: Baird.Helgeson@houstonchronicle.com Features Editor: Melissa.Aguilar@houstonchronicle.com Business Editor: Jonathan.Diamond@houstonchronicle.com Director of Multimedia: Benjamin.Hager@houstonchronicle.com Sports Editor: Reid.Laymance@houstonchronicle.com PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE Premium days: All subscriptions include delivery of up to 10 premium issues delivered throughout the year. For each premium issue, your subscription account balance will be charged up to $8 in the billing period when the premium issue is delivered. Cancellation will become effective at the end of your current billing period. POSTMASTER Send address changes to the Houston Chronicle, 4747 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77027. Periodic postage paid at Houston, Texas, and Bryan, Texas. The Houston Chronicle (USPS 807-680) is published daily by the Houston Chronicle Publishing Co. Copyright 2024 Houston Chronicle Co. A2 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM May is the last month of meteorological spring before we typically see the relentless summer heat kick into full gear across Texas. Sure, while occasional 100- degree days are possible in May, average high temperatures tend to stay in the 80s most of the time, and average lows stay coolin the 60s for most of the month. But May also marks the peak of severe weather season across the Lone Star State.Texas averages 315 severe hail reports and 40 tornado reports during the month, the highest such averages for any month. Those are just the averages, though. If we look at the upcoming month, how hot and how stormy can we expect this May to be? The long-range weather pattern is starting to come into view, and here’s a preview of what you can expect over the next few weeks. Temperature outlook Over the first week or two of May, long-range models are showing a high likelihood of above-average temperatures across Texas. However, whenever we look more than10 days out, individual weather models become very inconsistent. That’s why meteorologists lookat ensemblemodeling, which is the process of taking multiple models with a variety of different starting conditions and averaging them together. The results are a “best guess” of what kind of weather we can expect. In the case of this May’s temperature outlook, both theECMWFand GEFS ensembles depict slightly above-average temperatures over the next 30 to 35 days. That doesn’t mean that temperatures every day will be above average, but it’s likely that the month as a whole will be quite warm. The monthly outlook from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center agrees. According to their map, forecasters have extremely high confidence that Houston will have temperatures near or above average during May, with only a small chance of below-average temperatures. Stormy outlook It’s very difficult to determine the amount of severe weather that will happen in Texas during May, but we canget a good idea by looking at model ensemble projections for rainfall amounts. Unfortunately, the two sets of ensembles disagree onhowmuchrain parts of Texas will see in May. The ECMWF ensemble expects above-average rainfall for much of Central and East Texas, while South Texas is projected to see near-average rainfall. On the other hand, the GEFS ensemble expects below-average rainfall for the southern half of the state,from San Antonio to Houston. If we take both of these ensembles into account, we can decipher that Southeast Texas is favored to see near or slightly below-average rainfall during May. While that may not sound too threatening, keep in mind that May is typically the state’s stormiest month of the year. So even if May rainfall ends up being slightly belowaverage,the citycan still expect occasional heavy rainfall and severe storms over the next few weeks. The Climate Prediction Center agrees. According to their monthly outlook, Houston has “equal chances” of above-average or below-average rainfall. The same is true for the Houston metro area, in Southeast Texas. Elsewhere, above-average rainfall is favored for parts ofCentral andNorth Texas, and below-average rainfall is favored in far West Texas. What to expect for May’s weather National Weather Service Forecasters give the southern third of Texas “equal chances” of above-average or below-average rainfall. By Anthony Franze NEWSROOM METEOROLOGIST Juneteenth,” was 89 years old in 2016, when she walked more than 1,400 miles from North Texas to Washington to present an online petition calling for the day commemorating the end of slavery to become a national holiday. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed a law establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday. The pair was among politicians, activists, athletes, scientists, a journalist and an actress to receive the nation’s highest civilian honor. A former director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and a Fort Worth activist who helped make Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday were among 19 individuals receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Friday. Former NASA astronaut Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman in space, took her first trip into space on April 8, 1993, flying on the Discovery space shuttle. Ochoa, the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, took three more shuttle rides into space, logging nearly 1,000 hours, and later became the first Hispanic director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Opal Lee, known as the “Grandmother of First Latina in space, Juneteenth activist honored By Andrea Leinfelder STAFF WRITER Opal Lee, left, and Ellen Ochoa received the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Friday. ed for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 for their work on vaccine development efforts. The professor and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine is one of 100 people placed on the inaugural 2024 Time100 Health. The recipient of the American Medical Association’s Scientific Achievement Award helped develop cheap COVID-19 vaccines administered to millions and produced in India and Indonesia. Hotez also has been recognized for fighting vaccine misinformation via the AAAS Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award. Time magazine referred to Hotez as a “science warrior.” “If you are truly committed to saving lives,” Hotez said to the magazine, “you have to combat this antiscience aggression. I can make the greatest vaccines in the world, but if no one takes them, it’s self-defeating.” The complete list of recipients will be in the May 14 issue of Time and will be available online starting May 3. Time magazine has named Peter Hotez, the co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, on its list of the most influential figures in global health. Hotez and hospital co-director Maria Elena Bottazzi were nominatTime names Hotez among global health’s mostinfluential figures By Hana Ikramuddin STAFF WRITER Brett Coomer/Staff file photo Time magazine refers to Dr. Peter Hotez as a “science warrior” for his vaccine work.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 A3 WASHINGTON — Without wielding the gavel or holding a formal job laid out in the Constitution, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries might very well be the most powerful person in Congress right now. The minority leader of the House Democrats, it was Jeffries who provided the votes needed to keep the government running despite opposition from House Republicans to prevent a federal shutdown. Jeffries who made sure Democrats delivered the tally to send $95 billion foreign aid to Ukraine and other U.S. allies. And Jeffries who, with the full force of House Democratic leadership behind him, decided last week his party would help Speaker Mike Johnson stay on the job rather than be ousted by far-right Republicans led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. “How powerful is Jeffries right now?” said Jeffery Jenkins, a public policy professor at the University of Southern California who has written extensively about Congress. “That’s significant power.” The decision by Jeffries and the House Democratic leadership team to lend their votes to stop Johnson’s ouster provides a powerful inflection point in what has been a long political season of dysfunction, stalemate and chaos in Congress. By declaring enough is enough, that it’s time to “turn the page” on the Republican tumult, the Democratic leader is flexing his power in a very public and timely way, an attempt to show lawmakers, and anyone else watching in dismay atthe broken Congress, thatthere can be an alternative approach to governing. “From the very beginning of this Congress, House Republicans have visited chaos, dysfunction and extremism on the American people,” Jeffries said Wednesday at the Capitol. Jeffries said that with House Republicans “unwilling or unable” to get “the extreme MAGA Republicans under control, “it’s going to take a bipartisan coalition and partnership to accomplish that objective. We need more common sense in Washington, D.C., and less chaos.” In the House, the minority leader is often seen as the speaker-in-waiting, the highest-ranking official of the party that’s out of power, biding their time in hopes of regaining the majority — and with it, the speaker’s gavel — in the next election. Elected by their own party, it’s a job without much formal underpinning. Butin Jeffries’ case,the minority leader position has come with enormous power, filling the political void left by the actual speaker, Johnson, who commands a fragile, thread-thin Republican majority and is constantly under threat from farright provocateurs that the GOP speaker cannot fully control. “He’s operating as a shadow speaker on all the important votes,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. While Johnson still marshals the powerful tools of the speaker’s office, a job outlined in the Constitution and second in the line of succession to the presidency, the Republican-led House has churned through a tumultuous session of infighting and upheaval that has left their goals and priorities stalled out. In a fit of displeasure just months into their majority, farright Republicans ousted the previous speaker, the now-retired Rep. Kevin McCarthy, RCalif., last fall in a never-beforeseen act of party revolt. He declined to specifically ask the Democrats for help. Johnson faces the same threat of removal, but Jeffries sees in Johnson a more honest broker and potential partner he is willing to at least temporarily prop up — even though Johnson, too, has not overtly asked for any assist from across the aisle. A vote on Greene’s motion to vacate the speaker is expected next week. As Johnson sidles up to Donald Trump, receiving the presumed Republican presidential nominee’s nod of support, it is Jeffries who holds what Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker emerita, has referred to as “currency of the realm” — votes — that are required in the House to get any agenda over the finish line. Pelosi said in an interview that Jeffries as theminorityleaderhas “always had leverage” because of the slim House majority. “But it’s a question of him showing that he’s willing to use it,” she said. Jeffries has been “masterful,” she said, at securing Democratic priorities, notably humanitarian assistance in the foreign aid package that Republicans initially opposed. But Pelosi disagreed with the idea that Democrats lending support to Johnson at this juncture creates some sort of new coalition era of U.S. politics. “Our House functions because we’re willing to be bipartisan in making it function,” she said. “He’s not necessarily saving Speaker Johnson — he’s upholding the dignity of the institution.” Jeffries is a quietly confident operator, positioning himself, and his party, as purveyors of democratic norms amid the Republican thunderclap of Trumpera disruption. The first Black American to lead a political party in Congress, Jeffries is already a historic figure, whose stature will only rise further if he is elected as the first to wield the gavel as House speaker. Born in Brooklyn, Jeffries, 53, rose steadily through the ranks in New York state politics and then on the national stage, a charismatic next-generation leader, first elected to Congress in 2012 from the district parts of which were once represented by another historic lawmaker, ShirleyChisolm, the firstBlack woman elected to Congress. A former corporate lawyer, Jeffries is also known for his sharp oratory, drawing on his upbringing in the historically Black Cornerstone Baptist Church, a spiritual home for many grandchildren and greatgrandchildren of enslaved African Americans who fled to Brooklyn from the American South. But he also infuses his speeches and remarks with a modern sensibility and cadence, bridging generations. Last year, when Republicans could not muster the votes on a procedural step for a budget and debt deal, it was Jeffries who stood intently at his desk in the House chamber, and lifted his voting card to signal to Democrats it was time to step up and deliver. Repeatedly, Jeffries has ensured the Democratic votes to prevent a federal government shutdown. And last month, when Johnson faced an all-out hard-right Republican revolt over the Ukraine aid, Jeffries again stepped in, assuring Democrats had more votes than Republicans to see it to passage. Ahead of the November election, the two parties are in a fight for political survival to control the narrowly divided House, and Jeffries would most certainly face his own challenges leading Democratsif they were to gain themajority, splintered over many key issues. But Jeffries and Johnson have both been in a cross-country sprint, raising money and enthusiasm for their own party candidates ahead of November — the Republican speaker trying to keep his job, the Democratic leader waiting to take it on. Jeffries may be Congress’ most powerful person By Lisa Mascaro ASSOCIATED PRESS Associated Press Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., pushed House Democrats to support Speaker Mike Johnson rather than see him ousted by far-right Republicans led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

A4 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM NATION & WORLD MEXICO Bodies recovered are likely 3 missing men’s Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday. While there has not yet been confirmation based on forensic examination, physical characteristics means there is a high likelihood that the bodies are those of the three tourists, local TV network Milenio reported, citing chief state prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez. The site where the bodies were discovered was near the remote seaside area where the missing men’s tents and truck were found Thursday on a remote stretch of coast. The men — identified by family members as brothers Jake and Callum Robinson from Australia and American Jack Carter Rhoad — went missing April 27. Baja California prosecutors had said Thursday that they were questioning three people in the case. On Friday, the office said the three had been arrested and charged with a crime equivalent to kidnapping.It was unclear if they might face more charges. UNITED KINGDOM Spacey denies claims made in documentary Actor Kevin Spacey has denied new allegations of inappropriate behavior from men who will appear in a documentary on British TV that is due to be released this week. In an online interview with journalist DanWootton, Spacey said he has never done anything illegal and admitted that he has struggled to get back to work after being acquitted last year of criminal charges in a London court. “I can’t go through this again, allowing myself to be baselessly attacked without defending myself,” he said in the interview entitled “Kevin Spacey: Right Of Reply,” which was aired late Friday onWootton’s YouTube channel. LastJuly, a London jury acquitted Spacey on sexual assault charges stemming from allegations by four men dating back 20 years. The court victory was his second since he saw off a $40 million lawsuit in 2022 in New York brought by “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp. The documentary “Spacey Unmasked” is set to be aired on Monday and Tuesday on Channel 4 in Britain and streamed on Max in the U.S. The documentary is said to feature testimony from men regarding events between1976 and 2013, the actor revealed during the interview. “Itake full responsibility for my past behavior and my actions, but I cannot and will not take responsibility or apologize to anyone who’s made up stuff about me or exaggerated stories about me,” said Spacey. The actor also claimed on X, formerly Twitter, that he had “repeatedly requested” that Channel 4 give him more than seven days to respond to the allegations made about him in their documentary. Spacey said the broadcaster refused “on the basis that they feel that asking for a response in 7 days to new, anonymized and non-specific allegations is a ‘fair opportunity’ for me to refute any allegations made against me.” “Each time I have been given the time and a proper forum to defend myself, the allegations have failed under scrutiny and I have been exonerated,” he added. INDONESIA 14 dead as rain triggers flooding, landslide A flood and a landslide hitIndonesia’s Sulawesi island, killing14 people, officials said Saturday. Torrential rain pounding the area since Thursday triggered a landslide in Luwu district in South Sulawesi province, said local rescue chief Mexianus Bekabel. Floods up to10 feet have affected13 sub-districts as water and mud covered the area. More than1,000 houses were affected, with 42 of them swept off their foundations. A search and rescue team worked to evacuate residents using rubber boats and other vehicles. More than 100 residents have been moved to mosques or relatives’ houses outside the affected area, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said Saturday. From wire reports AROUND THE NATION AND WORLD Spacey Protesters chanted anti-war messages and waved Palestinian flags during the University of Michigan’s commencement Saturday,asstudentdemonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war collided with the annual pomp-and-circumstance of graduation ceremonies. Officials said no one was arrested and the protest didn’t seriouslyinterruptthe nearlytwohour event atMichiganStadium in Ann Arbor, which was attended by tens of thousands of people. University spokesperson Colleen Mastony said public safety personnel escorted demonstrators to the rear of the stadium, where they remained through the conclusion of the event. “Peaceful protests like this have taken place at U-M commencement ceremonies for decades,” she added. U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro paused a few times during his remarks, saying at one point, “Ladies and gentlemen, if you can please draw your attention back to the podium.” Asheadministeredan oathto graduates in the armed forces, Del Toro said they would “protect the freedoms that we so cherish,” including the “right to protest peacefully.” The university has allowed protesters to set up an encampment on campus but police assisted in breaking up a large gathering Friday night, and one person was arrested. Tent encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies they say support the war in Gaza have spread across campuses nationwide in recent weeks in a student movement unlike any other this century.Some schools have reached deals with the protesters to end the demonstrations and reduce the possibility of disrupting final exams and commencements. Some encampments have been dismantled and protesters arrested in police crackdowns. The Associated Press has recorded at least 61incidents since April 18 where arrests were made at campus protests across the U.S. More than 2,400 people have been arrested on 47 college and university campuses. The figures are based on AP reporting andstatements fromuniversities and law enforcement agencies. At Princeton, in New Jersey, 18 students launched a hunger strike in an effort to push the universitytodivestfromcompanies tied to Israel. Senior David Chmielewski, a hunger striker, said in an email Saturday that it started Friday morning with participants consuming water only. He said the hunger strikewill continue until university administrators meet with students about their demands, which include amnesty from criminal and disciplinary charges for protesters. Otherdemonstrators are participating in “solidarity fasts” lasting 24 hours, he said. Students at other colleges, including Brown and Yale, launched similar hunger strikes earlier this year before the more recent wave of protest encampments. In other developments Saturday, police broke up a demonstration at the University of Virginia. Campus police called it an “unlawful assembly” in a post on the social platform X. Footage from WVAW-TV showed police wearing tactical gear removing protesters from an encampment on the Charlottesville campus. Authorities have not said how many people were arrested. Meanwhile near Boston, students at Tufts University took down their protest encampment without police intervention. U. of Michigan spring graduation ruffled by student demonstrations By Philip Marcelo ASSOCIATED PRESS Nic Antaya/Getty Images Nic Antaya/Getty Images Katy Kildee/Associated Press Students graduating Saturday from the University of Michigan show support for Palestine and Israel during the school’s spring commencement ceremony in Ann Arbor, Mich. TEL AVIV, Israel — A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported “noticeable progress” in cease-fire talks with Israel, though an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war in the Gaza Strip. Pressure has mounted to reach a deal halting the nearly 7-month-long war. A top official with the United Nations said there is now a full-blown famine in northern Gaza, while Israel insists it will launch an offensive into Rafah, the territory’s southernmost city, on the border with Egypt, where more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering. Egyptian and U.S. mediators have reported signs of compromise in recent days, but chances for a cease-fire deal remain entangled with the key question of whether Israel will accept an end to the war without reaching its stated goal of destroying Hamas. Egypt’s state-owned AlQahera News TV channel said Saturday that a consensus had been reached over many disputed points but did not elaborate. Hamas has called for a complete end to the war and withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza. A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, said Israel was committed to the Rafah invasion and that it will not agree under any circumstances to end the war as part of a deal to release hostages. The proposal that Egyptian mediators had put to Hamas sets out a three-stage process that would bring an immediate six-week cease-fire and partial release of Israeli hostages.It also would include some sort of Israeli pullout. The initial stage would last for 40 days. Hamas would start by releasing female civilian hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Gershon Baskin, director for the Middle East at the International Communities Organization, saidit appears that Hamas has agreed to the framework that Egypt proposed and Israel has already accepted. He said if Israel sends its top negotiators to Cairo after the Sabbath, that would signify it’s very serious. The war has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s local health officials, caused widespread destruction and plunged the territory into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The conflict erupted Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, abducting about 250 people and killing around 1,200, mostly civilians. Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others. Israeli strikes early Saturday on Gaza killed at least six people. Three bodies were recovered from the rubble of a building in Rafah and taken to Yousef Al Najjar hospital. A strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed three people, according to hospital officials. The Israeli military says it has killed 13,000 militants, without providing evidence to back up the claim. It has also conducted mass arrests during its raids in Gaza. Gaza’s Health Ministry urged the International Criminal Court to investigate the death in Israeli custody of a Gaza surgeon. Adnan al-Borsh, 50, was working at al-Awda Hospital when Israeli troops stormed itin December, detaining him and others inside, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank,the Israeli military said it and Israeli security agency Shin Bet had killed five “terrorists” in Tulkarem. Palestinian authorities said five people were killed by Israeli fire in the town of Deir al-Ghusun, a few miles northeast of Tulkarem. In related developments last week, Israel briefed Biden administration officials on plans to evacuate civilians ahead of the Rafah operation, according to U.S. officials familiar with the talks. Israel recently opened new crossings for aid into northern Gaza, but onWednesday,Israeli settlers blocked the first convoy before it crossed into the besieged enclave. Once inside Gaza, the convoy was commandeered by Hamas militants before U.N. officials reclaimed it. Progress reported in Gaza cease-fire talks By Sam Mednick and Jack Jeffery ASSOCIATED PRESS Ismael Abu Dayyah/Associated Press Palestinian medics in an ambulance evacuate wounded children after an Israeli attack early Saturday in Rafah, Gaza Strip. Israeli strikes killed at least six people.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 A5 Houston’s history, dropped 27 trillion gallons of water on Texas in 2017. The hurricane caused $125 billion in damage and led to the deaths of 68 people. Domingo Caminero, a resident who walks through the neighborhood daily, said Atascocita Shores Drive flooded around 3 a.m. Many of his neighbors, some Harvey survivors, chose to stay in their homes and wait for the lake to crest, which it is expected to do around midday Sunday. Atascocita resident Denise Krenzke said she was concerned for his neighbors who chose to stay in their homes amid the flooding. “It may not get in their houses, butit’ll be (close),” Krenzke said. Videos posted to social media showed the devastation of the flood. One video posted by an ABC13 reporter showed a truck being swept away by floodwaters in Livingston on Thursday while the driver climbed onto the hood of the vehicle. Onlookers yelled for the man to get out of the truck as it moved into the water. Another video posted to X, formerly Twitter, showed extensive flooding in Livingston that overwhelmed cars, buildings and homes with murky, flowing water. And meteorologists warned the danger from the severe weather wouldn’t let up Sunday, when rain could bring another rush to local waterways and extend the period of flooding further. Chances of rain were finally expected to dwindle by Sunday evening, providing the possibility the area could experience a much-needed break in severe weather until at least Wednesday. Meteorologists also expect the severe flooding to continue Sunday, especially if the total rainfall exceeds a few inches. Water levels along the West Fork of the San Jacinto were expected to rise Saturday evening. “The good news is the water has corrected on both forks of the San Jacinto,” Murray said. “That’s a really good sign; it’s just a question of how long it takes for that to go down.” If the precipitation subsides, Harris County was expected to reduce its emergency level from one, or “maximum readiness,” to three by Sunday should the storms clear. The transition would accompany damage assessments and efforts to return residents to their homes. “I want to be very clear that we’re not out of the woods yet and that a level of uncertainty remains,” Hidalgo said. Peter Breen and Claire Partain contributed to this report. Roughly 200 of those people and 136 pets had been rescued in Harris County. Meanwhile, Walker County officials said they performed at least 50 high-water rescues since Wednesday. “We do expect these numbers to change as we get more information in from our local partners,” said Trey Baxter, section chief of preparedness and response with the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “But these are very preliminary numbers that we got (Saturday).” Montgomery County Emergency Management officials had warned they expected the flooding to be “catastrophic.” Mandatory evacuation notices were issued Thursday for residents along the East Fork of the San Jacinto River, affecting people living in areas including Kingwood, Cypress Point and Idle Glen. In addition, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo proclaimed approximately 6,000 people must submit to mandatory evacuations. “We need you out of that area,” Hidalgo told residents along the East Fork of the San Jacinto River on Thursday. Nearly 14,000 other residents were contacted and urged to submit to voluntary notices to evacuate, said Brian Murray, deputy emergency management coordinator for Harris County Homeland Security and Emergency Management. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported in Harris County, Hidalgo said Saturday at a news conference. More than a dozen Houston-area school districts announced they would close to help families avoid the severe conditions resulting from the rain. Lone Star College also closed more than 10 campuses. The Coast Guard assisted a mother and her 12- hour-old baby girl who had been struggling with low oxygen levels upon her birth, officials said. After numerous roads in Cleveland became inaccessible to motor vehicles including ambulances, the two were taken to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, where the newborn reportedly had her condition stabilized. Water from Lake Houston rose high enough to lap against residents’ doorsteps in the Kings River Estates neighborhood. One local said that, while less severe, the flooding was the worst the area had experienced since Hurricane Harvey. Harvey, considered one of the biggest disasters in Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer The bridge over Lake Houston along West Lake Houston Parkway from Kingwood to Atascocita was closed Saturday due to high water on either side of the thoroughfare. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo describes seeing power lines relative to floodwaters. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer A home is inundated by floodwaters Saturday in Channelview as rain filled waterways. FLOODING From page A1 Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Lisamarie checks on two of her puppies Saturday in Channelview after her neighborhood was evacuated. Around 20,000 people were ordered to evacuate in the region, and about 600 people had to be rescued due to flooding.

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A8 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM The news a Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center surgeon is accused of altering records in a government database sent shock waves through the transplant community. Not only due to the serious nature of the allegations but because experts said they couldn’t recall another time when a doctor or hospital was accused of conduct that may have prevented a patient from receiving a lifesaving organ transplant. Memorial Hermann inactivated its liver and kidney transplant programs earlier this month after the hospital revealed it found evidence that a doctor was manipulating information in a national organ-sharing database. Hospital officials said the doctor changed donor acceptance criteria, which include the age and weight of donors whose organs will be considered for transplant, effectively inactivating patients from the waiting list. Memorial Hermann isn’t the only liver transplant program to come under scrutiny recently. On Monday, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center announced it was shutting down its liver transplant program as the United Network for Organ Sharing conducts a performance review. The New York Times reported that staff members raised concerns, including that the program regularly declines available organs. Experts told the Chronicle that there have been instances, though rare, where doctors or hospitals have been accused of malfeasance in connection with the organ transplant process. In those cases, doctors or hospitals were accused of manipulating the process to help a patient obtain an organ. None could remember an instance with circumstances similar to the allegations in the Memorial Hermann controversy. “I’ve seen people do it in the other direction, trying to manipulate the list to gain an advantage for their patients to get access,” said Dr. Art Caplan, a professor of bioethics at New York University. “… It’s almost utterly inexplicable to me because your mission is to try and advocate for your patients to try and get them transplants.” Experts said the allegations are particularly surprising because organ transplant centers have strong incentives to perform more surgeries. Doctors have an ethical obligation to advocate on behalf of their patients who need organs. But transplant centers that perform more surgeries also will generate more revenue, said Mark Aulisio, a professor and chair of the Department of Bioethics at CaseWestern Reserve University “Normally, more is better when it comes to a transplant program,” Aulisio said. Malfeasance is rare There have been cases where a transplant surgeon was found to be improperly altering data, but it’s been uncommon, experts said. “There are these cases, but those really are quite exceptional outliers,” Aulisio said. “That’s part of the reason we hear about them.” In 2010, the former director of the liver transplant program at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles was indicted on charges that accused him of lying to cover up the fact that an organ intended for one patient had instead gone to another. A federal jury acquitted him on all charges after a trial, according to the Los Angeles Times. There also have been instances where transplant centers have been accused of giving preferential treatment to certain patients though they did not lead to any criminal charges against the doctors or hospitals involved. One notable example is New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle, who was the recipient of a liver transplant just one day after he announced he needed one in 1995. Critics argued that Mantle, who had alcoholism and died of liver cancer just two months later, was prioritized because of his celebrity. In 2008, the Los Angeles Times reported that UCLA Medical Center provided liver transplants to four Japanese gang figures at a time when hundreds of patients died while awaiting liver transplants. Guidelines do not prevent hospitals from performing transplants on patients who are not U.S. citizens or have criminal records. Accusations of malfeasance in health care typically lead to a root cause analysis, a process that identifies the source of a problem and ways to prevent it from happening again, said Julian Rivera, an adjunct law professor at the University of Pittsburgh with extensive experience in health care. He said the process is designed to be transparent because health care providers have a responsibility to let the public know that the problem has been addressed. “There are the occasional scandals,” Rivera said. “They cause the system to reevaluate and to look at how their vigilance needs to be improved.” Rivera said hospitals should have an oversight process that involves multiple individuals to ensure the organ transplant program is functioning properly. Altering records There are legitimate reasons why a doctor would prevent a patient on the waiting list from receiving a transplant, experts said. Patients may develop an infection that would prevent them from undergoing surgery until it’s been treated, or they may become too frail to survive an operation, Caplan said. There are also “quasimedical” reasons, such as a patient with alcohol use disorder who violates the period of abstinence that many transplant centers require before a liver transplant, Aulisio said. Experts said that when a patient is formally inactivated or removed from a waiting list, several individuals should be informed of the decision, including the patient and the rest of the transplant team. Memorial Hermann said in a statement that the “inappropriate changes” the doctor is accused of making to the national organ-sharing database “effectively inactivated the candidates on the liver transplant waiting list.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement that multiple federal agencies, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Health Resources and Services Administration, are investigating the allegations. Memorial Hermann also is conducting its own investigation. Experts said it’s hard to come up with a reason why a doctor would make changes that could “effectively inactivate” patients. Doing so could undermine confidence in the organ transplant system, which could lead to fewer individuals opting to become organ donors, Aulisio said. “This is generally an altruistic donor system, whether it’s deceased donors or live donors,” he said. “And we certainly don’t want to damage people’s trust.” Experts say Memorial Hermann case is rare Kirk Sides/Staff photographer A Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center surgeon is accused of preventing organ transplants. By Evan MacDonald STAFF WRITER we typically treat higheracuity transplant patients than many of our peers. Our primary priority continues to be ensuring the continuity of compassionate care and support for patients and families.” Earlier this month, the hospital revealed that a doctor had manipulated information in an organsharing database, potentially preventing some patients from receiving lifesaving organs. The hospital has declined to identify the doctor, but the New York Times identified him as Dr. J. Steve Bynon, the longtime chief of abdominal transplantation at UTHealth Houston and Memorial Hermann. Hospital officials said the doctor inappropriately changed donor acceptance criteria, which includes the age and weight of donors whose organs would be considered for transplant, in a way that effectively inactivated patients from the waitlist. Since then, hospital officials have not released any new information, and the liver and kidney programs remain shut down. Multiple investigations are ongoing. Families of patients who died awaiting a new liver atthe hospital recently have taken legal action against Bynon and Memorial Hermann.Inresponding court documents, Bynon disputed “press accounts” of the situation, describing them as “grossly unfair” without offering further details. He has not responded to multiple requests for comment. It’s not clear whether the controversy has anything to do with the hospital’s performance data. For other perspectives on the data, the Chronicle reached out to more than two dozen transplant experts, including surgeons, researchers and transplant review committee members. All either declined to comment or did not respond. The data published by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients is important because the national transplant system, known as the Organ Procurement Transplantation Network, uses it to sharply and reached a level that was higher than expected for the first time since at least 2015. Memorial Hermann’s liver program, one of the smallest in the state, tallied nine waitlist deaths last year, the most since 2006, according to federal data. The hospital declined to make physicians available for interviews to explain the reason for the trends. Memorial Hermann issued a statement, saying it could not comment on the data but that “it is important to keep in mind that a comprehensive and thoughtful analysis must consider all factors, (including) patient acuity, as monitor patient care at transplant centers nationwide. SRTR Director Jon Snyder said he could not speculate on why Memorial Hermann’s transplant statistics had been declining while its pretransplant death numbers rose. He could say only “that the program’s rate of transplanting patients is declining relative to what we’d expect for the types of patients on their waitlist, and an increasing pretransplant mortality rate indicates that the rate at which patients are dying after being listed … is increasing relative to what is expected for the types of patients on their list.” Rising waitlist deaths The Chronicle analyzed multiple metrics compiled by SRTR. The organization primarily uses federal data compiled by the national transplant system to publish biannual reports for each transplant center, including more than 140 liver transplant programs. SRTR uses risk-adjusted models that compare a program’s observed performance to its expected performance, which is an estimate of what would be expected from a similar program with a comparable pool of patients. This method accounts for differences between programs, such as the length of time patients were registered on the waitlist and their level of sickness. SRTR boils much of its data down into a single ratio, which the Chronicle used to measure changes in transplant rates and pretransplant deaths over time, as well as compare the data to other programs. In the most recent SRTR data report, which includes the two-year period from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023, Memorial Hermann recorded more waitlist deaths than expected, based on SRTR’s statistical modeling, while also performing fewer transplants than expected. The program recorded roughly 18 waitlist deaths per 100 person-years versus only 14 deaths expected and performed only 73 transplants per 100 person-years versus about123 expected. Person-years are simply a way to standardize the number of people that are on a waitlist at a program to allow for comparison across different programs. It’s calculated as the number of days that a candidate is on the waitlist and converted to a fraction of a year. (For example, being on the waitlist for 365 days would count as one person-year. Being on the waitlist for 182 days would count as 0.5 personyears.) This method adjusts for the fact that not all candidates are on a waitlist for equal amounts of time and that different programs have different numbers of candidates on the waitlist. Snyder noted that other programs had more extreme waitlist death rates. However, according to the Chronicle’s analysis, taking both the volume of transplants and waitlist deaths together, Memorial Hermann is among the seven worst-performing programs out of about 30 peer hospitals. To be sure, one twoyear period of data is not necessarily significant on its own. And SRTR cautions that the data carries some uncertainty. However, what is clear is that Memorial Hermann’s performance in the most recent data stands in contrast to its performance in previous periods. Between 2015 and 2017 and between 2017 and 2019, Memorial Hermann recorded a strong performance when measured against its peers, performing more transplants and recording fewer waitlist deaths than expected. Between 2019 and 2021, its volume of transplants dipped to a level slightly below what was expected, continuing a multiyear trend of falling transplant rates. Even then, it still recorded far fewer waitlist deaths. Offer acceptance falls Other metrics stood out in the Chronicle’s analysis of the hospital’s liver program. A hospital’s liver offer acceptance rate ratio HOSPITAL From page A1 Hospital continues on A9

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 A9 estimates how likely a program is to accept a donor liver compared to other programs across the country receiving similar offers for similar candidates. Memorial Hermann’s liver offer acceptance rate ratio decreased more than all but one liver transplant program (Lahey Clinical Medical Center in Burlington, Mass.) between July 2016 and the end of July 2023. Between 2016 and 2017, its ratio was 2.31. In other words, the hospital was much more likely to accept an offer — 131% more likely — than expected based on SRTR’s statistical modeling that looked at organ acceptance behavior among all programs nationally. In the most recent data, that ratio had dropped to 1.05. It was still accepting more organ offers than expected, but it was only 5% more likely to accept an offer compared to expectations. Hospitals can make their own rules that dictate what liver offers they choose to accept, and many factors can influence those decisions, including staffing needs. A hospital can also choose to filter or “pre-screen” the types of organ offers it receives, further complicating the data. For example, a hospital can choose not to receive organ offers for a donor who weighs over 200 pounds. “Keep in mind that offer acceptance rate ratios give an indication of the program’s proclivity to accept offers that they actually receive,” said Snyder, via email. “Programs have the ability to pre-screen offers (indeed this is the cause of the controversy at MH today).” It is important to look at what is happening to a program’s transplant volume at the same time that it is accepting fewer offers over time, Snyder said. Of the programs that saw the largest decreases in their offer acceptance rate ratios, Memorial Hermann saw among the largest decreases in its transplant rate ratio estimate, according to the Chronicle’s analysis. In other words, Memorial Hermann’s transplant volume was decreasing more prominently than other hospitals that saw the largest decreases in offer acceptance numbers. Memorial Hermann showed an overall strong performance in other areas measured by SRTR. For example, among patients who received a liver transplant between late 2012 and 2022, fewer patients experienced graft failure — or a loss of organ function — one year after the transplant than expected, according to SRTR estimates. There also were fewer deaths than expected in that time frame. Among the patients who received a liver transplant since 2010, in almost all of the years, fewer than expected patients died or experienced a graft failure three years after the surgery. Those numbers ticked up slightly in the most recent reporting period to levels that were slightly higher than expected. ABOUT THE DATA PERSON-YEARS For many of its calculations, the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients uses person-years. For example, the SRTR reports transplants per100 person-years. It uses transplants per person-years rather than transplants per candidates in the program because candidates are not all on the list for equal amounts of time. It doesn’t use transplants per year because different programs across the country have different numbers of candidates on the waitlist. Transplants per100 person-years is a way to adjust for differences between programs. EXPECTED OUTCOMES SRTR models a number of expected outcomes for individual programs: for example, expected waitlist death rate, expected transplant rate, the expected number of organ offer acceptances and various other outcomes. To get a sense of the national picture, SRTR analyzes the waitlist outcomes, graft survival, and patient survival data at all programs in the U.S. Then, data relating to the characteristics of a patient, donor and transplant at individual programs are fit to the national data to obtain expected figures for individual programs. PEER PROGRAMS The Chronicle identified programs that could reasonably be assumed to be peers of Memorial Hermann’s liver transplant program by first finding programs of similar size. The total person-years on the waitlist was used for this calculation. (More specifically, the Chronicle used the total person-years from the beginning date of the period being studied or the date of first being listed on the waitlist until the time of death, transplant, removal from the waitlist or the last day of the period being studied.) Further, of these programs that were a similar size, the Chronicle also identified programs that were in the same geographic region as Memorial Hermann. The team used the 11 regions established by the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network. TRANSPLANTS “Transplants” in these visualizations means the transplant rate ratio estimate, which is computed by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. It is based on the observed number of transplants at a hospital per100 person-years divided by the expected number of transplants per100 person-years and is, therefore, an estimation of the program’s transplant rate relative to its expected number. When comparing different time periods, the Chronicle used the most recent data, released in January 2024, which included the time period between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2023. To collect previous and contiguous periods for Memorial Hermann and its peers, the Chronicle pulled reports from January 2022, 2020 and 2018. WAITLIST DEATHS “Waitlist deaths” in these visualizations means the pretransplant mortality rate ratio estimate, which is computed by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. Like the transplant rate ratio estimate above, this ratio estimates a program’s observed pretransplant mortality rate relative to expectations. Values above one indicate more waitlist deaths than expected. When comparing different time periods, the Chronicle used the most recent data, released in January 2024, which included the time period between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2023. To collect previous and contiguous periods for Memorial Hermann and its peers, the Chronicle pulled reports from January 2022, 2020 and 2018. OFFERS ACCEPTED “Offers accepted” in the visualizations in the story is the offer acceptance rate ratio, which is computed by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. It indicates whether the program was more or less likely to accept offers for the organ than other programs receiving similar offers for similar candidates. Values above one indicate that the program was accepting more organs it was offered than the average. Offer acceptance rate ratios are reported in year intervals. When comparing different time periods, the Chronicle used the most recent data, released in January 2024, which included the time period between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. To collect previous and contiguous periods for Memorial Hermann and its peers, the Chronicle pulled reports from January 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018, which included July 2016 through the end of June 2023. In the visualization showing Memorial Hermann’s declining offer acceptance rate ratio over time, only programs that saw an overall decrease in their offer acceptance rate ratios over the July 2016 to July 2023 period are visualized. (Programs that saw a relatively flat or positive offer acceptance trajectory are omitted for space.) The numerical decrease is based on the difference of the 2023 three-year rolling average and the 2019 three-year rolling average. Only programs with an offer acceptance rate ratio recorded between July 2022 and the end of June 2023 are included in the calculation for purposes of finding the programs with the largest decrease in offer acceptance rate ratio. 2020 GAP IN DATA Data was not reported for a few months in 2020 — between early March and early June — due to the COVID-19 pandemic. GRAFT FAILURES AND PATIENT DEATHS Outcome data is reported as hazard ratios for adults (18+), which are computed by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. Values greater than one indicate more graft failures or deaths than expected. Values lower than one indicate fewer graft failures or deaths than expected. The dates in the graft failure and patient death visualizations correspond to the point in which the transplant was performed. The most recent data report was released in January 2024. The one-year statistics include transplants between July 1, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2022. The three-year statistics include transplants between Jan.1, 2018 and June 30, 2020. The consecutive time periods in these visualizations overlap but give a general sense of Memorial Hermann’s outcomes over time. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer Memorial Hermann did have fewer patients who got a liver transplant between late 2012 and 2022 experience graft failure one year after the transplant than expected. From page 8

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HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 A11 people, we wouldn’t be able to operate central office, but that’s the money we have to find in additional revenue, a small use of the fund balance and then cuts,” Miles said. “So most of that is cuts.” HISD officials said recently that several central office departments have been reducing staff since January. On Thursday, those cuts appeared to accelerate as HISD notified scores of student support specialists that their positions were being eliminated, according to the Houston Landing. Miles said in a Friday afternoon news conference that cuts are necessary to keep the district’s fund balance, or rainy day fund, from hitting a fiscal cliff. The superintendent has stated that his goal is to keep the rainy day fund, which was on track to be depleted by 2026, above $850 million so that HISD can keep its AAA rating from Moody’s Investors Service. He blamed former Superintendent Millard House II’s administration, like leaders in many districts, for kicking the can down the road by using $1.2 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER, funds for recurring expenses over the last four years. Student enrollment has dropped by about 13,000 students in that time, resulting in less money from the state, which has not increased its basic allotment of $6,160 per student since 2019. “The district chose to spend a lot of (ESSER money) on recurring expenses, salaries, making up the difference on enrollment… and I’m sure that’s a bad strategy because at some point, the money goes away and the salaries do not,” Miles said. Miles said the $450 million gap between the district’s revenue and expenditures won’t entirely be made up of cuts, noting the district will use about $80 million from its fund balance and make back a small amount through the sale of “dilapidated buildings” and other strategies. The remainder, however, will likely be made up by eliminating thousands of positions, primarily in the central office. Individual campuses, however, will not be immune from the crunch. Miles said in March that schools that are not in his New Education System may see cuts of up to 12%, as the district returns to a pre-pandemic funding formula that awards dollars based on attendance and enrollment, and which had been paused for years as students shifted to and from remote learning. The planned cuts and layoffs are occurring as the number of HISD employees who are making more than $200,000 has tripled since last year. The district is also planning to spend at least $120 million more toward increasing teacher salaries and expanding the controversial NES program to 45 more campuses next year. The 130 NES schools, where Miles is concentrating his biggest reforms, may see slight budget increases due to their staffing model, which sees teachers earn substantially more money and support from “teacher apprentices” and “learning coaches.” HISD has declined to disclose further details about next year’s proposed budget, holding their first public budget workshop on May 16, when Miles said specifics of the budget would be disclosed to the public. Though school districts are legally obligated to hold only one public budget workshop per year, House and the elected board last year held five, beginning in February. The budget must be finalized by the end ofJune. HISD From page A1 HISD Superintendent Mike Miles said specifics of the budget will be disclosed to the public on May 16. Photos by Melissa Phillip/Staff photographer New Education System schools, such as Thompson Elementary School, may see slight budget increases due to their staffing model.

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CI HOUST TY ONCHRONICLE.COM /• SU ST NDAY, MAY 5, 2024 ATE • PAGE A13 When Daniel Peterson first discovered Joshua Chamberlain Society, he had heard the spiel 20 times before, he said. Peterson, a retired Marine sniper corporal who lost both of his legs after an explosion in Afghanistan during his second deployment in 2010, had worked with other organizations in the past that supported veterans. He remembers each organization attempting to make veterans feel as if they were part of a family, but it never felt authentic, he said. And then he met the Skinners for lunch. “Just from that lunch, I knew there was something there,” Peterson said inside of his Tomball home. “I felt like if I needed something, I was willing to call them. And that was enough.” In 2019, Gina and Johnny Skinner attended a gala in St. Louis for the Joshua Chamberlain Society — a nonprofit with a mission to help wounded veterans and families of deceased veterans feel the support and appreciation of their community. After attending the event, Gina Skinner said the couple decided that they wanted to open a chapter in Houston. “There’s plenty of veterans here that need our help,” Gina Skinner said, who also works Magnolia couple creates veterans support chapter Photos by Karen Warren/Staff photographer Gina Skinner chats with veteran Daniel Peterson on April 25 in his Tomball home as part of the Joshua Chamberlain Society. To help post-9/11wounded veterans, they created their own nonprofit Detail of the Joshua Chamberlain Society’s logo on Gina Skinner’s shirt. By Michael Garcia STAFF WRITER Veterans continues on A18 I can think of 8 million reasons why Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal are wrong about Galveston. That’s the estimated number of people who visited the island in 2022, spending $1.2 billion. The NBA legends (and TNT sportscasters) are savvy businessmen with net worths in the multimillions. So they understand the value that tourism brings, but they know nothing about Galveston. That was apparent when Barkley and O’Neal joked on air about Galveston after the New Orleans Pelicans were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder over the weekend. They spent part of their show dissing the Pelicans. “We’re not even gonna send them to Cancun. We’re gonna send them to Galveston, where that dirty-ass water be washed up on the shore,” Barkley said. “We not gonna send y’all to Cancun, y’all drive your ass, y’all quit. Drive your ass down to Galveston. We sending their ass to Galveston, Texas, right where that dirty water washed up on the beach, they can’t even get in the water.” One of Galveston’s famous natives, Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles, snapped back. “Chuck we don’t play about Galveston Texas! You better watch it sucker! Our water might not be blue, but it is still the beach and we love it! In fact, what you probably don’t know is it’s an island! Yes me and @angiebeyince still rock our BOI necklaces (Born On The Island),” she wrote. You come for Galveston, you must answer to Miss Tina and me. I have been going to the island since my childhood, spent weekends there during my college years, and continued my love for Galveston getaways through my adult years. A decade ago, I was one of a few media professionals selected to do a short socialmedia promo for the Visit Galveston’s “Love Galveston” campaign. The promo, which was supposed to run online only, was sort of my love letter to GalIn defense of Galveston’s ‘dirty water’ JOY SEWING COLUMNIST Sewing continues on A16 As the $1.5 billion firefighters’ settlement continues to stir tension at City Hall, Houston’s top two elected officials are at odds over the timing of a presentation about its financial impact. Less than two weeks ahead of the budget season, Controller Chris Hollins, Houston’s financial watchdog, protested the cancellation of an upcoming Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee hearing where he was set to discuss what the agreement means for city finances. “This information is timesensitive,” Hollins said to the Chronicle. “They’re going to have to make important decisions around the settlement in days to come, so we can’t wait for weeks and weeks at a time to share this information.” Mayor John Whitmire, in response, said he wanted Council Member Sallie Alcorn, chair of the budget committee, to be present at these meetings, but Alcorn is traveling and unable to attend the one scheduled for next Monday. “I respect the city controller’s role in informing council committees on financial matters. I also respect the committee structure, and I believe the chair should be present for important discussions such as this,” Whitmire said to the Chronicle. The mayor added his main priority over the weekend would be focusing on “the victims of the flooding in Kingwood and the first responders rescuing them.” Whitmire announced in March that his administration had reached an agreement with Budget continues on A16 Officials at odds over budget hearing Controller protests delay of presentation on settlement impact By Yilun Cheng STAFF WRITER U.S. Sen.TedCruz’s campaign is relying more on out-of-state donors than in his past campaigns as he struggles to keep pace with his 2024 Democratic opponent, Colin Allred. About 55% of the nearly $26 million Cruz has raised this cycle from individuals comes from people who do not live in Texas, according to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan group in Washington, D.C., that tracks money in politics. The analysis doesn’t include fundraising from political action committees or other fundraising committees. In2018, about 41%ofthe Houston Republican’s donations were from out of state. And in 2012, it was just 30%. Cruz is fighting to keep pace with Allred, a Dallas Democrat, whohas more money in his campaign accounts than Cruz, according to federal campaign records. Allred had $10.5 million at the start of April compared with $9.4 million for Cruz. About 42% of Allred’s donations came from out-of-state residents. Cruz has openly appealed to national conservative audiences for fundraising help, saying Democrats are targeting him. During an interview on Fox News earlier this month, Cruz Non-Texas donors boost Cruz’s reelection bid By Jeremy Wallace TEXAS POLITICAL WRITER Donors continues on A16 Long a major consideration in regional transportation planning, The Woodlands now has a seat at the decision-making table. Members of the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Policy Council on Friday approved adding the township to the policy council, which oversees regional transportation planning and doles out some federal money dedicated to the Houston area. The decision now gives the transportation council 29 memWoodlands is added to regional transportation planning board Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer The Woodlands is now approved for a position on the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s transportation panel. By Dug Begley and Claire Partain STAFF WRITERS Board continues on A22

A14 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM A photojournalist withAustin Fox 7 has been charged with two misdemeanor offenses after he appeared to collide with a state trooper last week while covering a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas at Austin. The Department of Public Safety has alleged that the journalist, Carlos Sanchez, hit a state trooper with his video camera during the demonstrations on Wednesday. Sanchez, 43, was charged this week with assault and interfering with public duties, according tohislawyer,Austin criminaldefense attorney Gerry Morris. Both charges could lead to jail time and thousands of dollars in fines. Itis the third time the state has attempted to punish Sanchez, after the county attorney declined an initial charge and a DPS detective withdrew a second one, all within about a week. The latest charging documents state Sanchez was caught on video lunging toward a trooper and striking him with his camera, “making contact” with the trooper’s “lower head and neck area with a large camera” where he was “not protected by helmet or body armor.” A second trooper, who grabbed Sanchez, also said he saw Sanchez hit a trooper, according to the arrest warrant. In a statement Wednesday, a DPS spokesperson said “we strongly believe a line was crossed last week when one of our troopers was assaulted while trying to do his job.” “While journalists should be provided access, it is never acceptable to interfere with official police duties and assaulting an officer ofthe law — no matter the degree — will never be tolerated,” the spokesperson said. Sanchez had told officers at the protest that he was pushed and that he tripped before falling toward the officer. Morris said the contact was “absolutely not intentional.” “Mr. Sanchez was performing an important news gathering function during a chaotic event when he inadvertently bumped into a police officer. He did not commit a crime,” Morris said. “We look forward to someone taking an unbiased look at the evidence and exonerating Mr. Sanchez. That may ultimately occur with a jury.” It was unclear whether the Travis County Attorney’s Office planned to accept the charges; a spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. DPS special agent Justin Winkler wrote in the arrest warrant that video footage showed Sanchez “advancing towards troopers with his camera coming within arm’s reach, causing one of the troopers to tell Sanchez to get back because he was too close.” Winkler “observed Sanchez disobey the clear, repeated commands given by law enforcement to disperse and move to a designated area and instead remain in the area, placing him within very close proximity to officers trying to take control of the crowd and keep the peace,” the arrest warrant states. “This situation made it unsafe for officers, as well as other bystanders, to effectively do their jobs.” Sanchez originally was accused last week of misdemeanor criminal trespass along with 56 others, many of them students. The charges against all of them were later dropped within a day for lack of probable cause. Then this week, the DPS detective on Sanchez’s case moved to charge him with felony assault on a peace officer before withdrawing the charge and filing the misdemeanors, Morris said. Morris did not make Sanchez available for an interview, but he said the photographer is “wondering what’s going on.” “He was just out there doing his job in a chaotic situation, and the next thing he knows he’s on the ground,” Morris said. Kevin McPherson, news director at FOX 7, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sanchez was livestreaming at the time of his arrest, which can be seen and heard on video. In one recording, he can be heard saying, “I was moving” and “I’m with the media” as officers take him down to the ground to arrest him. An officer yells, “Get on the ground! Lay down!” He continues trying to explain and asks, “Why am I being arrested?” Officers do not audibly tell him the charge against him, though one says, “As soon as you hit somebody with your camera — a police officer — on to jail.” As an officer escorts him away from campus, Sanchez explains, “They were pushing, so I — I tripped, and I almostfell onto the ground.” The officer with him says, “I wasn’t there to see it.” Protesters who saw him being dragged away expressed outrage, shouting, “He’s press!” and “What are y’all doing?” Society of Professional Journalists President Ashanti BlaizeHopkins said in a statement on social media that the new charges are“blatant retaliation and intimidation.” Blaize-Hopkins, who is also an interim associate dean at the Santa Monica College’s Center for Media & Design, called on DPS to drop the charges immediately. “TX DPS is trying to make an example out (of ) this photographer to scare other journalists from covering these highly publicized protests on campuses across TX,” she said. “What they are doing isunconstitutional and just plain vindictive.” Austin photojournalist charged in protest By Taylor Goldenstein AUSTIN BUREAU Skye Seipp/Austin American-Statesman Fox 7 photojournalist Carlos Sanchez is arrested while covering an April 24 pro-Palestinian protest in Austin. was gonna be orange and adorable,” the 22-year-old said, referencing her upcoming graduation party and the school’s trademark hue. “I think I’m gonna change the color for sure, because I don’t want to look at it.” Jardine is among those who have soured on the institution in a rebuke of President Jay Hartzell and his decision to call officers to campus. Other students remain uncomfortable or angry at the pro-Palestinian activity that continues in highly visible spaces. And then there are the students who have not taken part in the activism and see the heavy police presence as a damper on an otherwise joyful time of year. The tenor at UT has changed for students, regardless of whether they are pro-Palestinian, pro-Israel or entirely removed from the debates about the war in the Gaza Strip. “It was definitely unsettling at first,” said Vianca Sula, a Houston-area senior who held a photo shoot with her friends on Thursday, in sight of police. “Even walking to class, walking through a crowd, I’m very on edge.” Students across the country have navigated tense campus climates since Hamas’ Oct. 7 raid on southern Israel, with movements building until they reached a turning point recently with larger-scale protests and encampments at Columbia University in New York. Those inspired similar demonstrations at colleges nationwide, resulting in escalating police encounters as university administrations condemn the activity for disrupting academic activities and violating their policies. The University of Texas was swept into the spotlight early on, when Hartzell and Gov. Greg Abbott called the Texas Department of Public Safety to intervene in a “Popular University for Gaza” event that the Palestine Solidarity Committee student group organized on April 24. The university twice asked the organization to call off its protest, taking issue with a “stated intent to occupy campus.” The students insisted they aimed for a peaceful gathering and proceeded with the demonstration, but a march down a major campus thoroughfare became mayhem when mounted troopers arrived — a move that has been lauded by some and criticized by others as aggravating a peaceful situation and preempting the protesters’ First Amendment rights. Around 57 people were arrested on Class B misdemeanor charges of criminal trespassing, although all of those, including Jardines’, were later dropped. Demonstrators returned to campus on Monday and again clashed with law enforcement, leading to the arrests of 79 whose charges mostly remain on the books. The university estimates that more than half of the people who faced legal trouble were unaffiliated with UT. “Police on horseback on my campus is something that I don’t think anyone ever wants,” said Josh Hoffman, a Jewish doctoral student who opposes the protesters’ rhetoric but has mixed feelings about the administration and police’s approach. “This is my last spring semester here. … It certainly does color the end of the experience.” In the shadow of protests In some ways, the responses to continuing encampments at the University of California at Los Angeles and Columbia University have served as warnings to pro-Palestinian students at UT. They still gather most days on the South Lawn, where many of their peers were arrested, but they now hold quieter “teach ins” to help others learn about the purpose of divestment. Those mimic calls around the country for universities to pull their assets from companies that protesters believe are complicit in the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza. The scope of the horror abroad is a deeply personal issue for students who are Israeli, Jewish, Muslim or Palestinian, some of whom have family in the Middle East and some who simply feel the stakes are too high for those overseas and for the perpetuation of antisemitism or Islamophobia in the U.S. and elsewhere. Hamas’ initial attack killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages in Israel. The resulting military offensive against the militant organization has now killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, cited by the Associated Press. Showing up to protests and counterprotests feels like a duty for many at UT, who also face the reality of being college students in America — physically distant from the war and dealing with their own troubles at home. Jardine, of Austin, said she remains unsure whether she will receive her diploma, even though her charges were dropped. University officials have declined to comment on whether the arrested students will be allowed to attend graduation, citing federal privacy law. “If anything, it made me even more reassured that I made the right choice for a degree because I really do care about this,” said Jardine, who studied international relations and global studies with a focus on the Middle East. “But yeah, I do not like that school.” The spring semester ended in confusion for students who left the Travis County Jail only to show up for finals in the following days. Aryel Mejia, an aerospace engineering senior from Dallas, remembered from the lockup that she had an exam the following morning, and her friend emailed the professor to reschedule the test on her behalf. Emotionally processing the arrest was nearly impossible as Mejia completed her exams. She at least hopes to attend her engineering ceremony but plans to skip the universitywide commencement with all of the school pride and the pomp and circumstance. She is ready to leave UT. “It’s almost disrespectful to be like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna arrest all these students,’ and two weeks later, we’re gonna celebrate our students for graduating,” Mejia, 23, said. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to be there.” Mia Cisco, a junior from Austin, said she and others are trying to continue their supportfor the Palestinian movement while avoiding rearrest. (The group has scheduled its next protest for Sunday.) But walking near the area she was apprehended has been a mental struggle, and Cisco has had difficulty focusing on her academics for the first time in her college career. “It’s like a place of re-trauma every time I step foot on campus,” said Cisco, a 23-year-old Ukranian American and Muslim student. “Like, how much am I willing to retrigger myself for an ‘A’ right now?” Avoiding campus The haze over UT also exists for Jewish and Israeli students who view the ongoing protests as a major source of anxiety. Some had vocalized fears for their own safety since Oct. 7, citing antisemitism hurled at them from classmates, sprawled on walls as graffiti, or overheard while walking past the Palestinian demonstrations. Estimates place UT’s Jewish population at 3,000 on a school of almost 52,000, and the community is active. Barri Seitz, of Atlanta, spent most of her freshman year creating a group called Longhorn Students for Israel, meant to give voice to a cause she identifies with and push back against the persistent antisemitism she says she has seen on campus. Many of the protesting students are adamant that they stand againstthe Israeli government’s treatment of people in occupied Palestinian territories, not against Jews, and they draw a separation between the antisemitism they say they rebuke and the anti-Zionism that many support. Students like Seitz and her organization’s incoming president,Jasmine Rad, say the delineation is not so clear anymore. Some Jewish students say they do feel either uncomfortable or unsafe on campus, heightened by UT communications with vague details on confiscated weapons and physical assaults or threats to staff and police, suspected to be perpetrated by nonstudents or individuals unaffiliated with the university. A UT source said authorities recovered a flyer with apparently pro-Hamas propaganda from a dismantled encampment on Monday. “If I can get work done at a coffee shop or in my dorm, like, I’m avoiding campus,” Seitz, 19, said. “And it hurts because I know that’s what these groups want.” She has appreciated the university’s willingness to take action as some of her classmates call for Hartzell’s resignation. Hoffman agreed that he is thankful to UT for recognizing Jewish students’ concerns, although he is trying to balance the feeling with his distaste at videos and reports which show UT’s pro-Palestinian protesters being handled with alleged force. “I do think there is something to be said about the university setting the tone of the conversation very early on,” said Hoffman, a 27-year-old from the Chicago area. “On the other hand, like, you know, students being pepper-sprayed in the process … there’s no looking at it and going ‘Wow, I’m so glad.’” Mejia, Cisco and Jardine described being picked out of a crowd and offering no resistance when authorities rounded them up for arrests. They came for solidarity, but Jardine ended up feeling like a zoo animal. Tears welled in Mejia’s eyes as she described the moment she understood that others were watching her being apprehended. Cisco has since felt a sense of loss about the UT she loved, an institution which she does not believe is on the right side of history. “There are ways that I don’t think I’m going to be taking pride in the rest of my academic career here,” she said. “I do feel like I was lied to, like, I feel I bought into a lie about the University of Texas.” Cisco is getting through the semester like everyone else. Some can do that better than others, though, evidenced by the inevitable rumblings on campus as students ready for graduation. On Thursday, a group of students posed for a photo on the tower steps, overcast and more hushed than one might expect this time of year. A sudden pop of confetti interrupted the quiet, and sitting on a lawn nearby, many pro-Palestinian protesters jumped. UT From page A1 Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Police cars sit behind Savannah Tran as she poses for graduation photos Thursday at the University of Texas at Austin. The climate at many campuses has been tense since protests began.

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A16 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM credible challenger. Allred is leaning heavily into the issue of abortion rights, convinced voters in Texas don’t support current state restrictions that bar the procedure even in cases of rape and incest. “This campaign is about protecting Texans’ freedoms, including the freedom to access an abortion,” Allred said. “In the U.S. Senate, I will restore Roe v. Wade and ensure that women can get the health care they need.” Cruz, who supported the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022, won his last reelection in 2018 by less than 3 percentage points — the closest a Democrat has come to winning statewide in Texas since 1994. Limited early polling shows Cruz leading Allred by as much as 14 percentage points and by as little as 2 percentage points. While other U.S. Senate races nationwide are considered more competitive, the battle in Texas is fast becoming one of the most expensive in the nation. Combined, Allred and Cruz have raised nearly $80 million and spent $60 million, according to OpenSecrets. Only California, which had a heavily competitive Democratic primary earlier this month, has seen more spending for a U.S. Senate race this year. even called out U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. “He’s coming after Texas,” Cruz said. “I am his No. 1 target in the entire country.” Thanks to his 2016 run for president, Cruz has a nationwide network of donors he can tap. And while Cruz is getting more out-of-state help than in past cycles, a campaign spokesman for Cruz said both in-state and outof-state fundraising is up overall as he prepares to battle Allred. “Importantly, Sen. Cruz has seen the total number of both Texan and nonTexan donors grow massively since 2018, showing real momentum and excitement behind his reelection,” Cruz campaign spokesman Sam Cooper said. Democrats have not won a U.S. Senate seat in Texas since the 1990s. But Allred’s fundraising ability and early campaigning has brought national attention, and some political experts list Cruz as the most vulnerable Republican seeking reelection in the U.S. Senate. Nathan L. Gonzales of InsideElections, anonpartisan political analysis publication, said Democrats still have an uphill battle in Texas, but Allred, a three-term U.S. representative, gives them a DONORS From page A13 Cruz the firefighters union, resolving a bitter contract dispute that had dominated municipal politics since 2017. ‘Disappointing’ Council members and city officials, including Hollins, have closely scrutinized the settlement, which city officials say includes $650 million in back pay, salary increases of up to 34% and potentially an additional $10 million per year for special incentives. The financial strain is expected to last for decades, as the city plans to use a judgment bond to spread the cost of the back pay. Hollins initially sought to discuss his analysis of the deal at a joint budget and labor committees meeting earlier this week. He said he had informed Alcorn of his intention during a call last week. When Hollins tried to submit his presentation the day before the meeting, however, Alcorn’s office told him it was too late to modify the agenda, citing the Texas Open Meetings Act, which mandates that the city posts meeting details at least 72 hours in advance. They agreed to schedule another budget meeting the following Monday for Hollins’ presentation, according to the controller. But Alcorn later informed him the meeting had been canceled. “After the meeting was agreed to and publicly announced, to hear that it was canceled without any explanation is certainly disappointing,” Hollins said. Tumultuous moment In a Thursday memo to City Council, Hollins informed members of the committee meeting’s cancellation and announced he would publicize his findings at a public briefing Monday morning instead. Alcorn, who is on vacation, could not be reached for comment. In recent weeks, tempers have flared at City Hall over the firefighters’ agreement, with some council members questioning whether the city negotiated effectively for the union to make meaningful concessions and if Houston can cover the substantial costs. Marty Lancton, president of the firefighters union, has defended the agreement, saying his side “gave up a tremendous amount in order to get this done.” He also repeatedly said Houston’s budget could have taken an even larger immediate hit if the two sides had gone to trial. Details of the agreement are still being finalized by the city and the union, according to Lancton and City Attorney Arturo Michel. Although the Whitmire administration has disclosed the top-line numbers in the agreement, neither Hollins nor City Council members have yet received a copy of the proposed settlement. Digging into data Based on publicly available information, Hollins recently projected a budget shortfall of $230 to $280 million for the upcoming fiscal year beginning in July. This projection does not account for the potential additional $100 million in costs next year after an April court ruling concerning the city’s drainage system. The controller’s latest analysis, now set to be presented during a Monday press conference, will delve deeper into the deal’s financial implications, Hollins said. It will outline, for example, what firefighters’ salaries will look like over the next five years, how their pay compares to that in other large Texas metros and what the deal will mean for an average Houston firefighter. “It is not my job to make a determination of the fairness of the settlement, but whatI can do is help council and the public to understand what these financial terms truly mean for Houston,” Hollins said. BUDGET From page A13 Hollins veston. I was covering Houston culture then and well versed on the island’s wonderful mix of boutiques and restaurants. I loved walking or rollerblading along the seawall, flying my kites on the beaches when the crowds were few. I had my favorite hotels and poolside bars. I even enjoyed the trips to Galveston’s Walmart, which had a variety of beach toys and towels. My promo was so well-received that it became a regular spot on cable TV across Texas. Friends would call me years later saying they saw my Galveston spot after a Home Depot commercial during a weekend sports game. I received no monetary compensation for the segment, and I did it because I truly loved Galveston. Still do. When I win the lottery, I’ll buy one of those beautiful Victorianstyled homes near the Strand and ride my bike to the beach. Now, about the island’s “dirty water.” It may be shocking to see if you are accustomed to the green-blue water along the Pacific Coast and other destinations. But Galveston’s water, which appears brown, has nothing to do with pollution. It’s because of the silt, which is a mix of sand and clay, in the water. Every so often, the water turns a greenblue when there are fluctuations with the currents along the Gulf Coast. With much respect, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal should stick to sports and leave Galveston to the experts. Jon Shapley/Staff file photo People walk along the shoreline in March 2022 at the beach on Galveston Island. SEWING From page A13

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A18 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM as a math teacher for Magnolia Junior High. Johnny Skinner is a project manager with Houston Inspection. Help ranges from helping veterans with chores around the house, putting a down payment on a much needed specialized vehicle and even assisting with tuition for children of veterans after their life. The organization currently has a total of seven board members, including the Skinners, their oldest son, in-laws and two other board members, Gina Skinner said. A military background A family with military background, the Skinners have brought three veterans to their local chapter, each living all across the Houston area — all post-9/11 combat wounded veterans. As of April 26, the organization is set to welcome its fourth veteran, Gina Skinner said. Once a veteran is welcomed into the organization, the members try to support the veteran in various ways. Peterson, as an example, remembered having septic tank issues over a weekend. All it took was one phone call to Johnny Skinner and he had a new septic tank. Peterson also remembered the organization purchasing a new bed for him so he could sleep more comfortably, or when the organization put a down payment on a new vehicle so he could drive more comfortably. ‘A big family’ Aside from supporting veterans by making sure they are comfortable in their lives, the organization also provides a space for the veterans to build a relationship with one another. “What they’ve done for the other families, when we all get together, it’s just like a big family,” Peterson said. “And I have not seen or felt that with other organizations. And it’s nice that this chapter is a Texasbased chapter … if something goes wrong, they’re one of the VETERANS From page A13 Karen Warren/Staff photographer Daniel Peterson gets into his vehicle, provided with a down payment by the Joshua Chamberlain Society. first few people that I call.” The Skinners make a point to get the veterans all together, whether it be through fundraising campaigns, or just to spend some time together through dinner. Gina Skinner recalled meeting with a veteran’s wife who told her she couldn’t wait to be around people who are familiar with the military. Fundraisers for support Gina Skinner said the organization hosts several fundraisers throughout the year, including a fishing tournament, clay shooting, golf tournaments and 5 to 10K runs. Houston marathon runners will be able to raise money for the organization for a second year in January 2025. “Without fundraising, there’s absolutely no way we could help our veterans,” Gina Skinner said. As Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department faces ongoing challenges in providing basic services, such as consistent garbage collection and recycling pickup, City Council has promised to give the department a helping hand. Council members voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a 12-month, $176,600 consulting contract with Houston-based Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company to study Solid Waste and make recommendations for how the department can improve services. Ahead of the vote, Council Member Amy Peck said she hoped the firm made recommendations beyond just saying the city needs a garbage fee, which has been a much-debated topic in Houston. Other council members agreed something more needed to be done to help the department. “There’s no way we can keep operating Solid Waste like we’ve been operating it,”Council Member Sallie Alcorn said. Mayor John Whitmire said the study would be comprehensive and include metrics on efficiencies, cost effectiveness and Solid Waste’s overall performance. “(It’s) really to see how they’re doing so well with so little, quite frankly,” Whitmire said, adding that the study would also seek to amplify the department’s improvements as well. Mark Wilfalk, the director of Solid Waste, told the Chronicle Wednesday the study will look into how the department spends its money and identify ways it can be more sustainable. Wilfalk said he is hopeful the study will also educate others in city government on the issues Solid Waste faces. “I know once (Burns & McDonnell) start getting in and peeling back things that we’ve seen historically in this department for years… everyone will have an even better understanding of some of the challenges that exist in the department and the best ways to overcome those challenges and move forward,” Wilfalk said Under Whitmire’s administration,Wilfalk said there have already been some improvements to equipment, staffing vacancies and on-time service delivery for recycling. Solid Waste now has a 7% vacancy rate for critical positions like drivers, and its on-time recycling rate used to be around 30% to 40% but has jumped to 55% to 80% over the last three to four months, he said. Solid Waste’s problems have persisted for years. Wilfalk said his department has been consistently underfunded, and it’s also had a tough time hiring drivers to handle its cleanup routes given the long days drivers often face. Many Solid Waste workers are working six days a week in order to stay on top of providing residents with adequate services. In 2023, the city’s second most common 311 complaint was missed garbage pickup, accounting for 30,000 of 415,000 total calls. That number of calls set a record for the highest tally of missed trash pick up complaints in at least a decade. So far this year, 311 has received 8,355 calls for missed trash pickup, 5,671 calls for missed recycling and 3,080 for missed heavy trash pick up, according to most recent data. Issues with providing necessary services like trash and recycling pickup have impeded the department’s ability to address secondary services, like illegal dumping, which has become a multi-million dollar problem for the city. Council members have had to use thousands of their own district service funds to bankroll crews to pick up items that were illegally thrown away in their districts. City Council OKs study on garbage improvements By Abby Church STAFF WRITER Houston ISD is pushing back its end-of-year Measures of Academic Progress Growth assessment dates two weeks to May 28-30, forcing some schools to scramble to reschedule field trips and other activities planned for those dates. The district had originally planned the NWEA MAP Growth math exam for May 14, the reading exam for May 15 and the science exam for May 16. The district said in a statement Monday to the Chronicle that it had adjusted its assessment calendar as part of “HISD’s commitment to ‘run through the finish line’” and “ensure every child receives excellent instruction every day.” According to HISD, most elementary and middle school students will now take the exams from May 28 to 30, with the makeup exams scheduled from May 31 to June 5. Students at New Education System middle schools who are traveling to Washington, D.C. or Japan through the Dyad program will take the exams on May 21 to 23, with a makeup window from May 22 to 24, the district said. HISD introduced the MAP Growth exam this year to monitor student performance throughout the year. The district’s students are scheduled to take the assessment for the third time next month after taking the beginning-of-year MAP exams in September and the middle-of-year exams in January. The national, adaptive tests measure both academic achievement and growth using a RIT, or Rasch Unit, score ranging from 100 to 350. The exam also assigns students an achievement percentile that shows how they did compared with a “norm group,” which is a separate large group of diverse students who have also taken the test. In response to community concerns over the new exam dates potentially interfering with scheduled events or activities such as field trips, HISD wrote that schools will still have multiple days after the testing window for their endof-year activities. “There may be a few instances where schools have planned or invested in specific events that cannot be easily moved or modified,” the district said in a statement. “In such cases, principals are working with their division superintendent on solutions to accommodate both the assessment and the planned events.” HISD abruptly changes end-of-year testing dates Jason Fochtman/Staff file photo Students from Isaacs Elementary School, a New Education System campus, leave school last fall. By Megan Menchaca STAFF WRITER Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is in New York with Donald Trump at the former president’s criminal trial, saying he will sit through the proceedings he called a “sham.” “This trial is a travesty of justice,” Paxton wrote on social media. “I stand with Trump.” Paxton did not make clear whether he is in New York for official state business or simply to attend the trial with Trump, with whom he has a close political relationship. The Manhattan trial, now in its second week, is expected to last six weeks. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star amid his 2016 election campaign. He has pleaded not guilty. Trump also is fighting three other criminal indictments, but this likely will be the only one heard before the November presidential election, in which he’s expected to face a rematch with Democrat Joe Biden. Paxton could be seen entering the courthouse with Trump and his entourage on a live feed just before 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. Dressed in a blue suit and red tie, Paxton stood behind the former president as he spoke with reporters briefly before the trial resumed. Paxton did not make any public comments. Last month, Paxton settled a criminal securities fraud case he also disparaged as politically motivated and unfair. Prosecutors agreed to drop the felony charges against Paxton in exchange for him doing 100 hours of community service and meeting other requirements. He was also acquitted of corruption allegations in a Senate impeachment trial last year, but a whistleblower lawsuit brought by a group of his former top aides that spurred the proceedings is still active. They accused Paxton of firing them for going to the FBI with allegations that he abused the office to help a campaign donor. Paxton has denied wrongdoing. Paxton is a close political ally of Trump. He went to the U.S. Supreme Court to fight the 2020 presidential election outcome, but the case was tossed. He’s now facing possible sanctions from the State Bar of Texas for what a disciplinary committee called a “dishonest” lawsuit. Paxton is in NYC to support Trump By Taylor Goldenstein AUSTIN BUREAU

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HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 A21 CITY OF HOUSTON DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING (HYBRID HEARING) NOTICE OF RESULTS On Tuesday, April 30th, 2024, a public hearing was held before the Adjudication Hearing Officer pursuant to subchapter C of Chapter 54 of the Tex. Loc. Gov’t Code and Chapter 10 of the Code of Ordinances, Houston, Texas. The Orders are recorded in the Real Property Records in Harris County and may be obtained at 201 Caroline, 3rd Floor, Houston, TX 77002. Based on the evidence presented, the Hearing Officer entered the following fact findings for the following properties lo- cated at: 9423 BENNING DR (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77031; Legally described as LT 48 BLK 40 BRAEBURN VALLEY WEST SEC 2; Last known owner: HEATHCOTE KENNETH F. [Hearing will be reset for this property at the request of the owner.] 5208 TREMPER ST (SHED), 77020; Legally described as LTS 16 & 17 BLK 27 HIGHLAND HEIGHTS; Last known owner: TOLIVER ROBERT IV.[Hearing will be reset for this property at the request of the owner.] 6523 RADCLIFFE ST (DETACHED GARAGE), 77091; Legally described as TR 62 OF LT 62 BLK 4 HIGHLAND ACRE HOMES; Last known owner: THOMAS WILLIE JR. [An order was issued requiring the owner/lien holder to secure from unauthorized entry within thirty (30) days, obtain a permit within sixty (60) days, and complete repairs or demolition of this structure within ninety (90) days in accordance with Dangerous Building Requirements of Chapter 10 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances.] 6747 SIDNEY ST (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77021; Legally described as LT 9 BLK 21 FOSTER PLACE; Last known owner: BANG IT SERVICES. [Hearing was dismissed at the request of the city.] 3416 HADLEY ST (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77004; Legally described as LT 5 BLK PRAIRIE HOME; Last known owner: BMI INVESTMENTS INCORPORATED.[An order was issued requiring the owner/lien holder to secure from unauthorized entry within thirty (30) days, obtain a permit within sixty (60) days, and complete repairs or demolition of this structure within ninety (90) days in accordance with Dangerous Building Requirements of Chapter 10 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances.] 4705 LIBERTY RD (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77026; Legally described as LTS 89& 10 BLK 51 AUGUSTA; Last known owner: HALL JOANNETTA.[Hearing will be reset for this property at the request of the owner.] 3309 BREMOND ST (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77004; Legally described as E 1/2 OF OF LT 7 BLK 12 WILSON WM A; Last known owner: ALLEN LAWRENCE A. [Hearing will be reset for this property at the request of the owner.] 4610 PHILOX ST (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77051; Legally described as LT 15 BLK 13 FLOWER CITY; Last known owner: MALDONADO MARIA A. [An order was issued requiring the owner/lien holder to obtain a permit within sixty (60) days, and com- plete repairs or demolition of this structure within ninety (90) days in accordance with Dangerous Building Requirements of Chapter 10 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances.] 4713 MALLOW ST (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77033; Legally described as LT 6 BLK 1, SUNNYSIDE GARDENS; Last known owner: KMN REALTY LLC.[Hearing will be reset for this property at the request of the owner.] 3808 COLVIN ST (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77013; Legally described as LT 77 BLK 1 WALLISVILLE GARDENS U/R; Last known owner: PFIRMAN RICHARD.[An order was issued requiring the owner/lien holder to secure from unauthorized entry within thirty (30) days, obtain a permit within sixty (60) days, and complete repairs or demolition of this structure within ninety (90) days in accordance with Dangerous Building Requirements of Chapter 10 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances.] 8012 HOFFMAN ST (SHED), 77016; Legally described as LT 193 BLK4TRIANGLE GARDENS; Last known owner: FRANKLIN JAMES ROY.[Hearing will be reset for this property at the request of the owner.] 8012 HOFFMAN ST (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77016; Legally described as LT 193 BLK 4 TRIANGLE GARDENS; Last known owner: FRANKLIN JAMES ROY.[Hearing will be reset for this property at the request of the owner.] 1501 VICTOR ST (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77019; Legally described as LTS 1 THRU 5 BLK 69 BAKER WRSSBB; Last known owner: HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND I LP. [Hearing was dismissed at the request of the city.] Austin Commercial is soliciting proposals for the MD Anderson Clinical Services Building Project for Bid Package 3 – Interiors and rebidding select scopes for BP1, 2, and 4. The project is located in Houston, TX. All project and bidding documents can be accessed through Building Connected interested parties must email David Nolan at houstonestimating@austin-ind.com to gain access. Sealed bids are due on 06/04 at 2PM through Building Connected. All interested Texas HUB organizations are encouraged to propose. HOUSTON GATEWAY ACADEMY, INC. is accepting sealed bids for vended meals for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) for the 2024-2025 school year. Proposals are due by May 15, 2024 at 2:00 PM CST. Visit https://www.hgasc hools.org/apps/pages/rfp24 for the full RFP. NOTICE TO BIDDERS The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) is planning to issue the procurement documents listed in this advertisement. IFB No. 4024000131: Flatbed Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Router.Solicitation will be available on or about 05-06- 2024. IFB No. 4024000132: Oil Water Separator Cleaning Services. Solicitation will be available on or about 05/06/2024. Prospective bidders/proposers can view and download these solicitations by visiting METRO’s website at ridemetro.org/Open Procurements If you are unable to download the documents or are having difficulty, please contact 713-615-6125 or email Contracts/Property Services at propertyservices@ridemetro.org. NOTICE TO CREDITORS Notice is hereby given that original Letters Testamentary for the Estate of ARCHIE LEE FINDLEY, Deceased, were issued on March 21, 2024, in Cause No. PR44300, pending in the County Court-At-Law No: 2 And Probate Court, Brazoria County, Texas, to: MARCELLA ANN CALVO. All persons having claims against this Estate which is currently being administered are required to present them to the undersigned within the time and in the manner prescribed by law. c/o:A.G. CROUCH Attorney at Law 235 W. Sealy Street Alvin, Texas 77511 DATED the 21st day of March 2024. /s/ A.G. Crouch A.G. CROUCH Attorney for MARCELLA ANN CALVO State Bar No.: 05148000 235 W. Sealy Street Alvin, Texas 77511 Telephone: (281) 331-5288 Facsimile: (281) 331-9346 Email: agcrouch@crouchlawoffice.com LEGAL NOTICE BakerRipley, announces a Request for Proposal(RFP) #24-04 for WFS Rosenberg Lease which will be posted on our website at https://bakerripley.org/get-involved/become-a-vendor/ on May 7, 2024. Interested Vendors can submit their proposal to Joan Gee at joan.gee@svn.com by June 7, 2024 by 10:00 AM (CST). LEGAL NOTICE BakerRipley, announces a Request for Proposal(RFP) #24-05 General and HVAC Contractors for Weatherization. The RFP will be posted on our website at https://bakerripley.org/get-involved/become-a-vendor/ on May 7, 2024. The deadline for submitting a proposal is Tuesday, June 18, 2024 by 10:00 AM (CT). Per TGC 2269 and 437.054, The Texas Military Department (TMD) is seeking competitive sealed proposals from vendors to install a new 100 kW natural gas generator to be installed at Bryan Readiness Center (RC). Work includes but is not limited to modifications to existing power systems to accommodate the addition of the generator, including a new Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS), a branched gas line from existing gas line and regulator to feed the generator, structural work required to install a fenced concrete pad for the generator, and site civil work required for grading and utilities (underground electrical wiring and conduit and natural gas piping). The total estimated cost of this project is $250,000.00. Vendors must request via the group email FY24BryanEmergencyGen@cfmo.mil.texas.gov the Drawings/Plans and Specifications electronically in digital format. Vendors MUST attend one (1) of the two (2) MANDATORY site visits at 10:00 AM, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, OR 2:00 PM, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at 1700 East 25th Street Bryan, Texas 77802. Failure to attend one of the two site visits will result in disqualification of the response.Competitive Sealed Proposals for TMD24-CFMO-0034924 Bryan RC Emergency Generator will be received by the TMD until 10:00 AM, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, at Camp Mabry, building 38, Austin, Texas 78703. REQUEST FOR STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL TESTING (CMT) SERVICES AND FORENSIC INVESTIGATION AND EVALUATION OF IN-PLACE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS FOR THE 365 TOLLWAY PROJECT SOQ – CMT LAB & FORENSIC SERVICES - 2024-05 Request for Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) packets may be obtained from the Hidalgo County Regional Mobility Authority’s (HCRMA) website from which a CivCAST link will be posted at www.hcrma.net. To be considered, each firm should submit proposals electronically through CivCAST. Any informational questions regarding this SOQ may be submitted in writing via CivCAST to Ramon Navarro, P.E, Chief Construction Engineer. Deadline to submit your proposal via CivCAST is June 14, 2024, at 4:30 PM. Any SOQs received past this deadline will not be considered. SOQs will be evaluated on the firm’s technical ability, experience, and ability to perform the work. The Hidalgo County Regional Mobility Authority , in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all respondents to the SOQ that it will affirmatively ensure that for any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit SOQs in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award. CITY OF HOUSTON DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS BUILDING AND STANDARDS COMMISSION (HYBRID HEARING) NOTICE OF RESULTS On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, a public hearing was held before the Building and Standards Commission pursuant to subchapter C of Chapter 54 of the Tex. Loc. Gov’t Code and Chapter 10 of the Code of Ordinances, Houston, Texas. The Or- ders are recorded in the Real Property Records in Harris County and may be obtained at 201 Caroline, 3rd Floor, Houston, TX 77002. Based on the evidence presented, the Commission entered the following fact findings for the following properties located at: 1826 ESTHER DR (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77088; Legally described as TR 50B OF LT 50 BLK1HIGHLAND ACRE HOMES; Last known owner: CASTANEDA SAMUEL NUNEZ ANAYA A. [An order was issued requiring the owner/lien holder to obtain a permit within sixty (60) days, and complete repairs or demolition of this structure within ninety (90) days in accordance with Dangerous Building Requirements of Chapter 10 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances.] 1822 ESTHER DR (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77088; Legally described as TR 50A OF LT 50 BLK1HIGHLAND ACRE HOMES; Last known owner: CASTANDEA SAMUEL NUNEZ ANAYA A. [An order was issued requiring the owner/lien holder to obtain a permit within sixty (60) days, and complete repairs or demolition of this struc- ture within ninety (90) days in accordance with Dangerous Building Requirements of Chapter 10 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances.] 1822 ESTHER DR (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77088; Legally described as TR 50A-1 OF LT 50 BLK 1 HIGHLAND ACRE HOMES; Last known owner: SCOTT PEGGY.[An order was issued requiring the owner/lien holder to obtainapermit within sixty (60) days, and complete repairs or demolition of this structure within ninety (90) days in accordance with Dangerous Building Requirements of Chapter 10 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances.] 8530 CARGILL ST (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77029; Legally described as LT 3 BLK 6 PLEASANT VIEW SEC 3; Last known owner: PFIRMAN RICHARD L. [The owner shall pay a civil penalty in the sum of one thousand two hundred and sixty dollars and zero cents ($1,260.00) to the City of Houston for Ordinance violations. An order was issued requiring the owner/lien holder to secure from unauthorized entry within thirty (30) days, obtain a permit within sixty (60) days, and complete repairs or demolition of this structure within ninety (90) days in accordance with Dangerous Building Requirements of Chapter 10 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances.] 1040 IMPERIAL LN (SHED), 77336; Legally described as TR 18 BLK G HIDDEN ECHO U/R; Last known owner: HAYNIE LINDA WOOD.[An order was issued requiring the owner/lien holder to secure from unauthorized entry within thirty (30) days, obtain a permit within sixty (60) days, and complete repairs or demolition of this structure within ninety (90) days in accordance with Dangerous Building Requirements of Chapter 10 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances.] 9102 HUENI RD (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77365; Legally described as LT 30 WORLEY ACRES U/R; Last known owner: RRH DEVELOPMENT CORP.[An order was issued requiring the owner/lien holder to secure from unauthorized entry within thirty (30) days, obtainapermit within sixty (60) days, and complete repairs or demolition of this structure within ninety (90) days in accordance with Dangerous Building Requirements of Chapter 10 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances.] 2610 BRILEY ST (GARAGE APARTMENT), 77001; Legally described as LT 10 BLK 20 WILSON WM A; Last known owner: WEBB BERNICE. The owner shall pay a civil penalty in the sum of one thousand two hundred and sixty dollars and zero cents ($1,260.00) to the City of Houston for Ordinance violations. An order was issued requiring the owner/lien holder to secure from unauthorized entry within thirty (30) days, obtainapermit within sixty (60) days, and complete repairs or demolition of this structure within ninety (90) days in accordance with Dangerous Building Requirements of Chapter 10 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances.] 3307 MCILHENNY ST (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77004; Legally described as TR 6B BLK 1 WILSON W A; Last known owner: GUYTON MARY COLE. [An order was issued requiring the owner/lien holder to obtain a permit within sixty (60) days, and com- plete repairs or demolition of this structure within ninety (90) days in accordance with Dangerous Building Requirements of Chapter 10 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances.] 7020 ABILENE ST (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77020; Legally described as LT 12 BLK 23 LIBERTY HEIGHTS SEC 3; Last known owner: CAMPOS CATALINA.[An order was is- sued requiring the owner/lien holder to secure from unauthorized entry within thirty (30) days, obtainapermit within sixty (60) days, and complete repairs or demolition of this structure within ninety (90) days in accordance with Dangerous Building Requirements of Chapter 10 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances.] 913 WILMINGTON ST (MAIN STRUCTURE), 77033; Legally described as LT 25 BLK 11 SUNNYSIDE GARDENS; Last known owner: JORDAN HENRY L. [Hearing will be reset for this property at the request of the city.] ZIMMERMAN PROPERTIES CONSTRUCTION, LLC is now accepting bids from all Subcontractors to help construct Amber Ridge Apartments located in Angleton, TX. Amber Ridge Apartments will be a Multi-Family housing community consisting of 48 units, 3 buildings, a Clubhouse and a Maintenance Garage. All interested bidders, including Minority Business Enterprises, Women’s Business Enterprises and Section 3 Business Enterprises should contact Zimmerman Properties Construction, LLC at the following number: 417-883-1632 or email relliott@wilhoi tproperties.com. Zimmerman Properties Construction, LLC is an EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER ZIMMERMAN PROPERTIES CONSTRUCTION, LLC is now accepting sealed bids from all Subcontractors to help with construction on Meadowbrook Plaza Rehab located in Houston, TX. Meadowbrook Plaza is a rehab on current property. This is a Multi-Family housing community consisting of 220 units and 55 buildings, which includes a Clubhouse/Maintenance Garage. All interested bidders, including Minority Business Enterprises, Women’s Business Enterprises and Section 3 Business Enterprises should contact Zimmerman Properties Construction , LLC at the following number: 417-883-1632 or Mark Michael at 417-861-0813 or email relliott@ wilhoitproperties.com. All subcontractors must register with Zimmerman Properties Construction, LLC which we will submit to HFC. Zimmerman Properties Construction, LLC is an EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER HoustonChronicle.com/Place-Legals legals@chron.com 713.362.6868 VIEW LEGAL NOTICES AT HoustonChronicle.com/Legals Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Notice of Technical Completeness for Compost Registration Application No. 42049 Application. KCC Renewables, LLC has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for a registration to authorize a composting facility. The proposed facility will compost non-hazardous municipal wastewater, municipal sewage sludge, stormwater sludge, domestic septage and holding tank waste, water treatment plant residuals, Class 2 and Class 3 non-hazardous industrial waste, source-separated organic material, and positively-sorted organic material from municipal or industrial waste streams, which include landscape trimmings, clean wood materials, chipped wood and brush, sawdust, manure, vegetative material, liquid and solid food residuals, paper, meat, fish, dairy, oil and grease materials, and grease-trap waste that has undergone saponification before it is received at the facility. This facility is proposed to be located at 579 County Road 493, Dayton, in Liberty County, Texas. The proposed site covers approximately 115.7 acres, and the applicant proposes to process an average volume of 600 tons per day in Phase 1, and 950 tons per day in Phase 2. The application was received by TCEQ on June 30, 2023. The following link to an electronic map of the site or facility’s general location is provided as a public courtesy and is not part of the application or notice: https://arcg.is/0KyfX8. For exact location, refer to application. The TCEQ executive director has completed the technical review of the application and prepared a draft registration. The draft registration, if approved, would establish the conditions under which the facility must operate. Motion To Overturn. If the executive director approves this registration, persons on the mailing list for this application may file a motion to overturn with the Office of the Chief Clerk. A motion to overturn is a request for the Commission to review the TCEQ executive director’s action. Any motion must explain why the Commission should review the TCEQ Executive Director’s action. You will receive directions from the Office of the Chief Clerk on deadlines and other requirements for filing a motion for reconsideration. Information. For more information about this registration application or the registration process, please call the TCEQ’s Public Education Program, Toll Free, at 800-687-4040 or visit their webpage www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/pep. General information regarding the TCEQ can be found on our website at www.tceq.texas.gov. Si desea información en español, puede llamar al 800-687-4040. Further information may also be obtained from KCC Renewables, LLC, at the mailing address P.O. Box 19497, Houston, Texas 77224, or by calling Mr. Mark Apostle, Chief Financial Officer, at 210-382-7720. NOTICE TO CREDITORS AD $90.00* Contact our team: legals@chron.com OR Visit our 24/7 website to place, anytime: HoustonChronicle.com/Place-Legals *Includes frst 36 lines and1Afdavit of Publication. $2.00 each additional line. Mayor John Whitmire met recently with White House officials to ask for more voucher funding to help address homelessness, said Mike Nichols, director of Houston’s Housing and Community Development Department. Whitmire traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of a group of bipartisan mayors who collectively made the pitch to the Biden administration — including the president’s chief of staff and the director of the Office of Management and Budget — as well members of Congress. The Houston Housing Authority has currently paused its issuance of new vouchers, which are used to house the chronically homeless and Houston’s lowest earners, because it has exceeded its federally set voucher budget. What’s more, the collection of organizations that work to address homelessness as part of the Coalition for the Homeless in Houston and Harris County is also calling for help filling a funding gap and preparing to potentially reduce services to house more people as pandemic-related federal funds come to an end. Nichols was the CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless before he was appointed as the city’s housing director in February. Nichols said the mayor was working on a homelessness plan that would be the “next step” in making the issue “rare, brief and nonrecurring.” “This is the beginning of developing how we fund this plan,” he said. Nichols said he hopes that the housing authority, Harris Center, county, state, nonprofits and philanthropists will work together to help Houston reduce its homeless population. Houston’s housing efforts have widely been viewed as a success. Since 2011, the city has managed to reduce its annual count of the number of people living in shelters, on the streets or in places not meant for habitation by more than twothirds. Still, the Whitmire administration believes more needs to be done. The Houston mayor and other mayors from across the nation specifically asked federal officials for three things, according to Nichols. They asked for increased funding for housing choice vouchers, which can help those who are homeless and others with very little income pay for market-rate housing of their choice (though, in Texas, landlords are allowed to turn down applicants who are using a voucher to pay for a portion of their housing). They requested an increase in project-based vouchers, which could incentivize developers to build more housing specifically for people who are leaving homelessness or have very low incomes. And they called for changes that would make it easier for veterans to be eligible for vouchers, such as not allowing a disability stipend to put a veteran over the qualifying income threshold. Nichols said Biden administration officials seemed receptive to the mayors’ asks. Along with the president’s chief of staff and the director of the Office of Management and Budget, mayors spoke with the secretary of Housing and Urban Development and officials from the Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services departments, Nichols said. He and Joshua Sanders, director of intergovernmental relations for the city, stayed in Washington for another day to speak with members of Congress, whom Nichols said expressed some pessimism about getting legislation passed. However, Nichols said he told Congress “the Houston story — that we can prove that it’s fiscally responsible to house people in permanent supportive housing, rather than living on the streets.” He said the city could prove that providing housing, when coupled with a case worker who can connect residents to resources such as mental health and job training services, yields better long-term outcomes. And he made the case that addressing homelessness was a health and safety need that could unite both sides of the political aisle. “What’s exciting is that this was a bipartisan group of Republican and Democratic mayors, big cities and smaller-sized cities, all agreeing to this plan,” he said. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff file photo Houston’s John Whitmire and other mayors made a request for more voucher funding on homelessness. Mayor seeks funds in D.C. for homeless By R.A. Schuetz STAFF WRITER “This was a bipartisan group of Republican and Democratic mayors … all agreeing to this plan.” Mike Nichols, director of Houston’s Housing and Community Development Department

A22 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM | Go to AccuWeather.com Honolulu Anchorage Havana Belmopan Cancún Villahermosa Mérida Mexico City Guadalajara Monterrey Chihuahua Hermosillo Veracruz Acapulco El Paso New Orleans Dallas Washington New York Miami Atlanta Detroit Houston Chicago Minneapolis Phoenix Salt Lake City Denver Los Angeles San Francisco Portland Little Rock Seattle Boston Montreal Ottawa Toronto Thunder Bay Winnipeg Regina Calgary Saskatoon Vancouver Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. NORTH AMERICA TODAY 110s 100s 90s 80s 70s 60s 50s 40s 30s 20s 10s 0s -0s -10s T-storms Rain Showers Snow Flurries Ice Jet stream Cold front Warm front Stationary front Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2024 HOUSTON’S SEVEN-DAY FORECAST METRO AREA OUTLOOK UV TODAY COMFORT INDEX RIVERS, CREEKS AND BAYOUS Yesterday’s readings by the Houston Health Department: Note: No measurements on weekends; charts in Sunday and Monday papersreflect forecast ratings from the previous Friday. Count percubicmeterofair Low Medium Heavy Extremely heavy Tree pollen Weed pollen Grass pollen Mold spores Values indicate the exposure to the sun’s Ultraviolet rays. 0-2, Low 3-5, Moderate 6-7, High 8-10, Very high 11+, Extreme Today’s forecast for the entire metro area by the TCEQ: Good Moderate Unhealthy forsensitive groups Unhealthy Very unhealthy Hazardous Ozone watch The comfort index takes into account how the weather will feel based on a combination of factors. A rating of 10 feels very comfortable while a rating of 0 feels very uncomfortable. KEY TO CONDITIONS SUN AND MOON POLLEN AND MOLD AIR QUALITY NATIONAL 8 a.m. Noo 10 a.m. n 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. COASTAL FORECAST FOR THE RECORD INTERNATIONAL GALVESTON TIDES TEXAS TEXAS LAKES NATIONAL cont. WEATHER Highs Feet Lows Feet Flood Latest 24-hr. Location stage stage chg. Full Latest Release pool level cfs s- sunny pc - partly cloudy c - cloudy sh - showers t - thunderstorms r - rain sf - snow flurries sn - snow i - ice Temperature Degrees F Precipitation Inches Otherreadings 80 73 TODAY Showers and a heavier thunderstorm 87 75 Partly sunny and windy MONDAY 89 74 TUESDAY Clouds and sun, breezy and humid 92 75 WEDNESDAY Partly sunny, breezy and humid 90 72 THURSDAY A t-storm around in the afternoon 83 63 FRIDAY Times of clouds and sun 80 64 SATURDAY Sunshine and patchy clouds GALVESTON BAY: Wind from the east-southeast at 8-16 knots today. Seas 2-4 feet. Visibility less than a mile at times in showers and thunderstorms. Tonight: Wind from the south-southeast at 8-16 knots. Seas 2-4 feet. A thunderstorm around this evening. MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL TO HIGH ISLAND OUT 20 TO 50 MILES: Wind from the east-southeast at 10-20 knots today. Seas 3-6 feet. Visibility less than 2 miles in a thunderstorm; otherwise, clear. Tonight: Wind from the southeast at 10-20 knots. Seas 3-6 feet. A couple of evening thunderstorms. Canyon Dam 909 886.54 63 Conroe 201 202.93 20945 Houston 41.73 48.33 N.A. LakeTravis 681 630.48 98 Livingston 131 133.23 Brays Bayou South Main 54 17.67 -3.98 Brazos River Bryan 43 34.48 +7.58 Hempstead 50 37.69 +0.34 Richmond 48 37.00 +4.85 Bufalo Bayou Piney Point 50 33.83 -3.58 Shepherd Dr. 23 4.56 -7.14 Clear Creek Friendswood 12 2.87 +0.02 Colorado R. Austin 29 11.76 -0.23 Bastrop 25 4.17 +1.54 La Grange 32 4.68 +0.30 Columbus 34 10.55 +0.52 Wharton 39 7.67 -0.07 BayCity 44 3.07 -0.17 Greens Bayou EastexFwy. 61 45.12 -5.34 Guadalupe R. Hunt 12 7.69 -0.03 Comfort 26 3.25 +0.02 Spring Branch 36 1.80 none New Braunfels 13 9.42 none Gonzales 31 11.03 -0.58 Cuero 20 7.56 -0.05 Victoria 21 5.69 +0.15 Dupont 20 9.95 +0.39 Little River Little River 30 4.31 -1.79 Cameron 30 7.85 -1.01 Navasota R. Easterly 19 27.50 -2.69 Neches River Evadale 19 18.53 +0.14 Pine Island B. SourLake 25 28.48 +2.09 Sabine River BonWier 30 31.34 +2.03 Deweyville 24 26.15 -0.05 Orange 4 2.45 none Burkeville 43 33.42 +4.98 San Bernard R. E. Bernard 17 8.38 +1.80 E.San.Jac. R. Cleveland 19 20.11 -4.96 W.San.Jac. R. Conroe 116 119.15 +1.67 San Jacinto R. Sheldon 10 16.73 +4.99 Sims Bayou Telephone Rd. 30 3.55 +0.07 Trinity River Goodrich 36 48.85 +2.83 Liberty 26 30.88 +0.49 Village Creek Kountze 20 20.69 +1.08 White Oak B. Heights Blvd. 48 11.15 -4.81 3:07 a.m. 1.5 2:28 p.m. 1.3 9:09 a.m. 0.8 9:05 p.m. 0.2 Today Mon. Cleveland 74/51/t 66/49/c Columbus 79/58/t 73/57/t Denver 79/44/c 62/40/pc Des Moines 70/52/c 76/59/c Detroit 72/48/t 69/46/pc Duluth 61/42/s 64/47/s Fairbanks 61/38/pc 53/33/c Great Falls 62/38/sh 55/38/r Hartford 54/49/r 78/56/sh Honolulu 84/73/sh 85/72/pc Indianapolis 74/55/c 71/63/t Jackson, MS 83/66/t 88/69/t Juneau 52/41/r 53/40/r Kansas City 66/57/c 77/57/c Las Vegas 68/51/pc 80/57/s Little Rock 74/66/r 82/71/t Los Angeles 71/52/pc 71/53/s Memphis 81/66/r 83/70/t Miami 86/75/pc 84/74/s Milwaukee 61/46/pc 64/52/s Minneapolis 70/50/s 74/57/s Nashville 86/65/t 76/68/t New Orleans 85/73/t 87/73/c New York City 56/53/r 75/61/pc Oklahoma City 70/60/r 77/61/t Orlando 88/69/pc 90/67/s Philadelphia 64/58/r 77/62/t Phoenix 86/61/s 87/63/s Pittsburgh 79/62/t 74/54/sh Portland, OR 56/48/r 56/45/r Sacramento 66/43/pc 70/46/s St. Louis 75/62/t 81/66/t Salt Lake City 57/39/r 55/42/r San Diego 66/53/c 68/54/s San Francisco 62/49/s 64/50/s Santa Fe 78/42/pc 67/37/s Seattle 55/46/r 55/43/r Tucson 89/53/s 85/55/s Washington, DC 69/65/r 79/63/t Today Mon. Africa Cairo 81/65/s 81/61/s Cape Town 68/56/pc 68/58/pc Casablanca 71/63/pc 72/60/pc Dakar 82/72/pc 82/72/pc Johannesburg 76/54/s 79/53/s Lagos 94/79/t 95/78/t Asia/Pacific Beijing 74/57/c 79/54/c Ho Chi Minh City 95/82/t 97/82/t Hong Kong 86/79/t 88/78/pc Islamabad 91/68/s 96/70/s Jakarta 93/78/pc 92/77/sh Karachi 94/81/s 99/81/s Kuala Lumpur 91/77/t 92/77/t Manila 96/82/c 97/81/c New Delhi 105/82/pc 106/82/pc Seoul 67/57/r 61/55/r Shanghai 71/61/r 82/63/pc Singapore 91/81/c 88/80/t Sydney 64/60/r 68/60/r Taipei 88/74/pc 90/73/t Tokyo 80/68/c 75/67/c Canada Calgary 53/37/c 58/41/c Edmonton 63/43/c 52/40/r Montreal 57/49/r 71/48/pc Toronto 68/47/sh 68/46/s Vancouver 58/47/r 58/45/sh Winnipeg 63/45/pc 71/53/c Europe Amsterdam 62/49/pc 65/51/r Athens 74/54/s 74/56/s Berlin 67/47/c 67/49/c Copenhagen 57/48/sh 59/44/r Dublin 61/43/pc 59/44/sh Frankfurt 67/53/r 62/49/sh Geneva 70/53/sh 58/49/r Istanbul 66/49/s 65/49/s London 63/47/c 62/50/r Madrid 69/52/c 72/45/pc Moscow 51/33/sh 51/34/pc Paris 64/53/sh 65/48/r Prague 68/48/pc 68/53/sh Rome 70/50/pc 71/57/pc Stockholm 54/41/r 52/29/pc Vienna 76/50/c 76/57/c Warsaw 82/56/c 71/48/c Zurich 68/50/c 61/51/r Latin America Bogota 68/52/c 69/50/c Buenos Aires 69/63/c 68/62/sh Caracas 90/77/t 90/76/sh Havana 90/70/sh 90/71/sh Kingston 89/80/t 89/80/pc Lima 73/66/pc 73/64/s Rio de Janeiro 86/72/s 85/75/s San Juan 88/78/t 84/76/sh San Salvador 87/70/t 89/71/t Santiago 62/40/pc 61/43/s Sao Paulo 89/67/s 89/66/s St. Thomas 89/81/pc 87/78/r Mexico Acapulco 87/72/s 88/70/s Cancun 91/78/pc 91/78/pc Guadalajara 97/61/c 96/59/pc Guanajuato 94/56/c 94/55/c Mazatlan 84/64/c 85/60/pc Merida 103/78/s 104/77/s Mexico City 89/61/s 90/60/c Puerto Vallarta 86/68/c 86/66/c Tampico 89/79/t 90/79/pc Veracruz 95/78/s 94/77/c Middle East Baghdad 89/71/c 86/62/t Beirut 71/61/sh 71/62/sh Dubai 94/77/s 95/82/s Jerusalem 71/54/s 65/53/sh Kabul 71/50/s 76/51/s Mecca 101/73/pc 105/74/pc Riyadh 98/78/pc 100/75/pc Tehran 79/64/s 73/60/sh Tel Aviv 75/65/s 74/64/sh Today Mon. Today Mon. Abilene 78/67/pc 87/70/t Amarillo 72/59/pc 85/50/s Austin 80/70/t 88/72/t Beaumont 80/72/t 86/74/c Brownsville 89/78/t 92/79/pc Bryan/College St. 80/73/t 90/74/t Corpus Christi 86/77/t 88/77/c Dallas/Ft. Worth 77/69/r 80/73/t El Paso 90/64/s 85/62/s Galveston 80/74/t 82/76/pc Kingsville 87/78/t 92/79/c Laredo 91/77/t 97/75/pc Longview 77/67/t 83/71/t Lubbock 78/64/pc 91/52/s McAllen 91/77/pc 91/78/s Midland/Odessa 79/66/c 91/61/s San Angelo 79/67/pc 91/69/t San Antonio 82/72/t 85/73/c Texarkana 73/69/r 82/72/t Victoria 85/74/t 88/75/pc Waco 76/69/t 80/72/t Albany, NY 56/51/r 77/49/pc Albuquerque 82/49/pc 73/46/s Anchorage 50/39/c 47/38/c Atlanta 84/66/t 83/66/t Baltimore 69/64/r 79/63/t Billings 68/46/c 53/42/r Birmingham 87/68/t 86/67/t Boise 53/40/sh 55/39/sh Boston 54/47/sh 70/57/c Bufalo 67/50/sh 68/46/s Charleston, SC 83/69/t 83/71/t Charlotte 81/66/t 78/65/t Chicago 64/47/pc 71/60/pc Cincinnati 78/59/t 73/61/t George Bush Intercontinental Airport through 3 p.m. Sat. High 83 Low 68 Normal high 84 Normal low 65 Record high 94 in 1890 Record low 42 in 2013 24-hour total 0.00 Month to date 2.81 Normal month to date 0.57 Year to date 19.92 Normal year to date 14.84 Top wind speed 17 mph High barometer 29.94 in. Low barometer 29.87 in. High dewpoint 72° Low dewpoint 67° Average dewpoint 69° High humidity 96% Low humidity 67% TODAY: Showers and a heavier thunderstorm. High 77 to 82. Winds southeast 8-16 mph. TONIGHT: Humid; a thunderstorm around early. Low 70 to 75. Winds southeast 7-14 mph. None Medium 24 Medium 8 Medium 7634 0 1 2 2 1 1 Sunset tonight 8:02 p.m. Sunrise Monday 6:34 a.m. Moonrise today 4:52 a.m. Moonset today 5:37 p.m. New moon First quarter Full moon Last quarter May 7 May 15 May 23 May 30 Today Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. 7 7 5 4 4 6 through7 a.m.Saturday through7 a.m.Saturday Fire trucks can now take three to five years to build due to supply chain issues. That’s why The Woodlands is ordering five new fire trucks totaling more than $8 million to keep its engines up to date. The new trucks will come alongside a slate of new projects and growth within The Woodlands Fire Department, which is currently undergoing a $14.6 million project at its Fire Station 5 and Emergency Training Center. The department’s new 16-member firefighting company and newest ladder truck will call the station home when it opens in summer 2025. New equipment The three fire engines and two ladder trucks are already included in The Woodlands Fire Department’s five-year plan as shown in the township’s capital reserve study. The vehicles will be used to cycle through the department’s aging reserve fleet, which ranges from 12 to 20 years old. The order totals around $8.6 million; by ordering the five trucks before April 30, the township will save more than $160,000. The first fire engine is expected to roll out by 2026, with the final ladder truck planned for 2029. Payment is not due until the trucks are delivered, Fire Chief Palmer Buck said. “We want to start that purchase procedure to avoid any extra cost increases and get in line to get our fire trucks built,”Buck said. “This will help get us back in line with what we need to do to keep our frontline apparatus in the shape they need to be.” Expansion plans As part of the fire department’s first expansion since 2012, the existing Station 5 will be replaced by the new 23,000- square-foot facility due to structural issues. The current station at 10100 Branch Crossing Drive will be repurposed for other fire department use. The fire department is still working on the land transfer for the new Station 5 property, which sits on the former Sterling Ridge Park and Ride property, Buck said. The township’s emergency training center will also get 3,000 new square feet of space as part of the project. The center will have an additional12,000 square feet of space refurbished within the next five months, Buck said. Buck said construction for both will cost an estimated $14.6 million, which is $1.6 million over designated funding. “We have been working back and forth with our architect and our construction manager to rightsize the project and bring it mostly in budget,” Buck said. The department hopes to break ground on the new station by the end of June and finish the project in 14 months. “I have been pushing staff and our architects to still (break ground) in the second quarter. They’re telling me that might be June 30 at midnight … but we’re working really hard to get it started by then.” Woodlands FD buys 5 trucks as part of projects Jason Fochtman/Staff file photo The Woodlands Fire Department is moving forward with the purchase of five new trucks totaling more than $8 million and a $14.6 million project at its Fire Station 5 and training center. By Claire Partain STAFF WRITER bers, at a time when Houston’s involvement as the major city in the region remains in flux. However, that The Woodlands was not on the transportation council was always more a matter of law rather than a desire to leave them out of decision-making. According to federal law, any city with a population of 50,000 is entitled to a seat at the transportation council table. The Woodlands — pop.118,000 — is a township, which in Texas is not legally treated the same as a city. Getting The Woodlands on the transportation council therefore required some changes to both state law last session and the transportation council’s bylaws. “They are everything a city is, except they say township,” said Waller County Precinct 4 Commissioner Justin Beckendorff, chairman of the transportation council. For the township, officials said it offers a chance to influence planning like all member cities do. “This position enables The Woodlands Township Board to be an additional voice for our residents on transportation and mobility issues,” township board of directors chairwoman Ann Snyder said. “We look forward to working with other regional stakeholders on addressing these important matters.” Population growth and commercial development in southern Montgomery County has made transportation an issue for residents as many major roads, including Interstate 45 and Texas 105, face increasing congestion and are planned for expansion. However, adding The Woodlands came with some opposition — though not to their inclusion but to the process. Adding the township is one of a handful of changes to the transportation council’s bylaws, which are rarely updated, that officials began discussing monthly in December. Many of the changes are uncontroversial and prompted by minor language tweaks in federal policy. Others, however, proved contentious for the transportation council, notably how to adjust its membership to satisfy a Houston voter referendum that required the city to only participate in regional boards with proportional voting. As it currently stands, Houston has four votes on the 28 — soon to be 29 — member board. “The city of Houston still maintains we take the bylaws as a whole,” policy council member and Houston Council Member Abbie Kamin said Friday, during a discussion of the changes, arguing H-GAC should either pass all changes at once now — or wait to pass any. Waiting to add The Woodlands, however, was unnecessary, MontgomeryCounty Judge Mark Keough said. “This should have happened a long time ago, given our emphasis on transportation,” Keough said. “We are not asking for so much; we agree on it.” The 18-3 vote to add The Woodlands came with minimal opposition from Houston and Metropolitan Transit Authority appointees who said the changes should be taken together. Missouri City policy council member Marcus Snell abstained. Other changes are awaiting a legal opinion about some of the effects of the bylaw changes, which H-GAC officials said could come anytime. “I do not think it will take another few months,” said Rick Guerrero, chief outreach and government affairs officer for HGAC. BOARD From page A13

HO OU USTONCHRONICLE. TLOOK COM • SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 • SECTION A There is a long, proud history of protest at the University of Texas at Austin. I am grateful to work at a university where students, faculty and staff care deeply enough about community, national and world events to rally around those causes. Demonstrations play a role on campuses such as ours. A university, after all, encourages students to discover and develop points of view, and to express them. These activities challenge the ways we think and feed a campus’ dynamic atmosphere. UT students have held dozens of peaceful protests, largely without incident, throughout this academic year. We also have a responsibility to keep the campus and its people safe, and to allow our teaching and research to continue. Our rules provide structure for this responsibility and set up conditions for the co-existence of protests, safety and education. We are constantly reviewing those rules, improving on them, and making sure they protect everyone — those who are protesting and those who are learning, working or visiting campus. These rules also protect free speech, and enforcing them uniformly and consistently keeps us from discriminating against any particular point of view. For decades, groups with an incredible array of differing views have shared a respect for our rules. These students, though energized by a conflict or cause, have nevertheless worked with us and found permissible ways to express themselves without putting others at risk. Regrettably, protesters, including many not affiliated with UT, have refused in recent weeks to accept these rules and processes. It pains me deeply that even though the organizers declared their intent to break our rules, they rebuffed numerous attempts by our Office of the Dean of Students to meet beforehand. The on-campus encampments they said they would establish, and then did, were clearly ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR DEMONSTRATIONS Protesters roil UT. How should we treat them? Suzanne Cordero/AFP via Getty Images State troopers stand guard during pro-Palestinian protests on April 29 at the University of Texas at Austin. Last Thursday, the day after the first protest arrests at the University of Texas-Austin, I held my final class of the semester. The undergraduates were unusually quiet as they trickled into the junior honors seminar about why history is so important to us Americans. I started class with a neutral “How’s everyone doing after yesterday?” Finally, one student, who seemed to speak for them all, shrugged and offered a dispirited “fine.” Everyone nodded in listless resignation, suggesting they weren’t fine at all, but overwhelmed and barely holding it together. It had been a brutal week at UT. Texans everywhere must be alarmed at what is happening now on the flagship campus. Frightening images of DPS troops in riot gear intimidating and arresting people continue to appear on national and international news. More than 100 students and other protestershave been arrested, and more protests seem likely. After more than 500 faculty signed a petition calling for a vote of no confidence in the university president, legislators have threatened to strike back at “woke faculty.” Long before this month’s disturbing events, higher education had been decried with claims that professors are loony Marxists who seek to indoctrinate students. The perception is that higher education has lost its way. One essential element missing in this cacophony is an open and honest conversation between the people of Texas and the faculty they have trusted to educate the students of our state. We need to talk about speech on campus. Definitions of speech are complicated and its expression through mass, public protest is particularly challenging. The First Amendment guarantees free speech and “the right of the peoAaron E. Martinez/Associated Press A protester is taken away by Austin police officers last month during demonstrations at the University of Texas. Aaron E. Martinez/Associated Press A pro-Palestinian protester yells “Free Palestine” as she is handcuffed by campus police at UT-Austin. We can all learn a lot from UT’s long history of protest By Charlotte M. Canning History continues on A26 University president blames disruptions on outside agitators By Jay C. Hartzell President continues on A26

A24 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM OPINION Nancy A. Meyer • PUBLISHER & PRESIDENT Jack Sweeney CHAIRMAN Kelly Ann Scott SVP/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alejandra Matos MANAGING EDITOR FOR AUDIENCE AND CONTENT STRATEGY Jennifer Chang SENIOR DIRECTOR OF EXPERIMENTATION AND INNOVATION Lisa Falkenberg VP/EDITOR OF OPINION Raj Mankad DEPUTY OPINION EDITOR F o unded 1 9 01 • A H earst N e w s p a per Three years ago, Randall Williams, an OB-GYN and Missouri’s health director, was apparently determined to find evidence to shut down the state’s only abortion clinic. With medical records from a St. Louis Planned Parenthood facility at his disposal, Williams ordered one of his health inspectors to compile a spreadsheet of patients’ medical identification numbers, the dates of their medical procedures and the gestational age of any fetuses. In the last column, he included the date of their last menstrual period. Williams hoped this data would prove the clinic had botched some abortion procedures, allowing the state to revoke its license. This frightening attempt at reproductive surveillance was a preview of the radical anti-abortion measures that would emerge in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Though that ruling didn’t ban the procedure nationally, it gave mostly Republicanled states the leeway to push the boundaries of extremism. The result is a patchwork of policies so broad and vague, even some conservative jurists are flummoxed as to how to enforce them. Donald Trump is just fine with that, apparently. Heck, in Trump’s America, Randall Williams might be hailed as a pioneer. In a recent Time Magazine interview, Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, made it clear he had no intention of stopping states from going to horrific lengths to infringe on women’s bodily autonomy. Even if it means passively condoning draconian abortion bans, such as Texas’, which doesn’t provide exceptions for rape or incest and is unclear about when doctors can perform an abortion to protect a woman’s health. Would Trump allow states to prosecute women for having abortions? “It’s totally irrelevant whether I’m comfortable or not … the states are going to make those decisions,” he said. Would he veto a nationwide abortion ban if it came to his desk? “It’s all about the states, it’s about … states’ rights. States are going to make their own determination.” Should states monitor women’s pregnancies so they know whether they violated an abortion ban? “I think they might do that,” he said. Several states are already laying the groundwork for such surveillance. In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin essentially killed a bill passed by the Legislature that would have banned police from obtaining search warrants to get menstrual data from phone apps and other technology that women use to keep track of their periods. Indiana’s attorney general has attempted to get medical records of women traveling to another state to get an abortion. Kansas' Republican-controlled Legislature overrode the governor’s veto of a bill that requires medical care facilities and providers to report reasons why women received an abortion. In New Hampshire, the Legislature approved a bill requiring abortion providers to share detailed data about their procedures, including dates and locations of each abortion, methods used, the state where the pregnant patient resides and gestational age of the fetus. Trump’s tepid, hands-off approach to abortion is stunning for a politician who once boasted that he could murder someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose votes. Apparently, demanding that states protect women’s health is a step too far for his loyal legions. Or is it? Anti-abortion measures have been overwhelmingly a losing issue for Republican candidates, with abortion rights being codified even in red states through ballot referendums. Of course, as with most of Trump’s policy pronouncements, confusion may be the point. His evasiveness on abortion effectively lets state lawmakers and the courts choose when and how to enforce bans. Incidentally, states often prefer confusion, too, since chilling doctors' decision making is easier and cheaper than prosecuting it. Trump’s strategy also allows him to have it both ways. He can boast about reshaping the U.S. Supreme Court into a solidly conservative bench, paving the way for the end of Roe. Yet he can also distance himself from states that pass extreme measures, as he did when the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a pre-Civil War abortion ban without exceptions for rape and incest could go into effect. It’s important to remember that Trump is leading President Joe Biden in many state and national polls. For all of his sideshows — from Truth Social diatribes to defying court-mandated gag orders to apparently snoozing through his criminal trial over allegedly paying off a porn star — he is still a very real threat. Not just to democracy, but specifically to women of child-bearing age who might vote for him. How, for instance, would Trump’s laissez-faire abortion policy help a pregnant woman living in a state with a strict abortion ban if her water breaks prematurely? Would he allow doctors to sit idly by as a woman bleeds out in the waiting room or awaits sepsis in the parking lot? A similar conundrum came up last month during oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court over Idaho’s abortion law, which criminalizes the procedure except to save the life of the mother. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, whom Trump appointed, grilled Joshua Turner, Idaho’s deputy solicitor general, who waffled on whether the state’s ban conflicted with a federal law requiring emergency rooms to treat and stabilize patients with urgent medical issues. “You are hedging,” Barrett said. “If they were exercising their medical judgment they could, in good faith, determine that life-saving care was necessary,” Turner said. “But some doctors couldn’t,” Barrett said. “Some doctors might reach a contrary conclusion.” Even one of the high court’s conservative justices who voted to overturn Roe appears to recognize the virtue of protecting not just the life of the mother, but her overall health — which, by the way, can affect her future fertility. Biden gets it, too. Despite his personal uneasiness with abortion, he recently announced rules strengthening medical privacy laws barring physicians, insurers and other health care providers from disclosing health information to law enforcement or state officials attempting to investigate or prosecute patients and doctors. It’s why his administration is trying to strengthen access to contraception, supporting women who need to travel for reproductive health care and defending abortion medication in court. The politics in this country may be totally bonkers. But there’s still some common sense among us common folk. Most of us understand that pregnancies are complicated and carry enormous health risks. Most of us agree that there’s something unsettling about governments monitoring women’s menstrual cycles. And most of us know the difference between a leader doing everything in his power to protect women’s health, versus one who would happily let chaos reign. EDITORIAL Trump wouldn’t stop menstrual surveillance States would be free to enact draconian anti-abortion measures ‘Gather no moss’ Regarding “The Rolling Stones kick off Hackney Diamonds Tour with exhilarating Houston show at NRG Stadium,” (April 29): True to their name, the Rolling Stones have “gathered no moss,” as evidenced by their energetic concert last Sunday at NRG Stadium. As I watched them play, sing and strut their stuff, I thought to myself, “I want to be like that when I am 80!” We can glean two (or more) lessons from this enduring rock band. First, do what you love, unabashedly, and second, music has the power to unite us in a shared experience. As a salute to their greatness it seems, the large, multigenerational audience behaved themselves, waiting patiently in long lines to buy merchandise and entering and leaving the concert civilly. May we cherish the lessons of the Rolling Stones and “gather no moss” as we travel toward old age and the end of our lives on Earth. Barbara Lynn, Houston Student demonstrations Regarding “Police, protesters clash again at UT-Austin as pro-Palestinian demonstrations return,” (April 29): While I certainly do not support police officers pepper spraying women, or men, in the face because they are loud and shouting things the police do not necessarily agree with, I wish the female protesters, especially, would get their priorities straight. Hold up signs that say “Free Palestinian women,” “Free Muslim women,” “Stop raping Jewish women and girls.” Let’s call for divesting from corporations that harm women, instead of divesting from corporations that are tied to Israel. Oops, that would probably be all of them! Darlene Prescott, Pasadena, University of Texas graduate ’76 The protests are not about threatening Jewish students on campus. They’re about the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians and people’s opportunity to work and live under Palestine rule in a two-state solution. Who is going to rebuild a city of over 2 million that has been blown to bits with no remaining infrastructure? Gaza looks like Berlin, Germany, in July 1945. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gone too far in trying to wipe out more than 2 million people over the actions of a few. It’s a shame that the three largest religions in the world, all from that area, believe in the same God but constantly kill each other. James Brown, Houston Across America’s college campuses, students are protesting against the war between Israel and Hamas and urging support for Palestine. While some of these protests are peaceful, some are not and they disrupt the ability of Jewish students to attend class. Students have paid to attend class, and it is the responsibility of the university to provide a safe environment for all students to attend class in person. Administrators of those universities who will not provide for on-campus classes should be fired, and the National Guard should be called in to escort and provide the necessary security to safeguard those students. Why have we become so weak that we allow a bunch of radical students and outside agitators to take over and occupy our colleges and universities? This is America, the greatest country in the world, and we should not allow the chaos and disruption caused by these protesters. Hamas is a terrorist organization, and any protester who claims they are pro-Hamas should be arrested and jailed or deported. Robert T. Haas, Missouri City Please help me understand. Rightwing protesters can riot to overthrow a democratic election (we have all seen the evidence) and be labeled patriots and hostages, yet left-wing protesters are arrested and suspended from universities. Does freedom of speech only apply to conservatives? Eric Jorgeson, Houston State of our nation I spent last week closely monitoring protests on college campuses, the New York hush money case against Donald Trump, the arguments made before the Supreme Court about presidential immunity, the comments of Republican leaders and voters, and the newest presidential preference polls — polls which fortunately aren’t always accurate this early in the race. I watched with distaste most of the Sunday morning news shows. This compels me to worry that even if the verdicts of legal cases against Trump are rendered prior to November (which seems unlikely), those outcomes won’t significantly impact the 2024 presidential election. Sadly, I am amazed that so many potential voters don’t care about whether Trump has committed crimes or engaged in despicable behavior. Moreover, despite Joe Biden’s long and documented record of accomplishments, too many are willing to vote for someone who admits he will use the office of the presidency as a tool for revenge and who will undermine democracy, along with the rule of law. As a Jew, I am deeply disturbed by the not-so-coincidental rise of antisemitism. Frankly, I remain perplexed by the possibility that the majority of Americans are poised to vote against the only candidate who is a decent human being and who cares more about his country and its citizens than himself. Never in my 72 years have I experienced such trepidation about the state of our nation. Richard Cherwitz, professor emeritus, University of Texas at Austin LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Lessons from the Stones Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Mick Jagger, with bandmates Ronnie Wood, left, and Keith Richards, performs on April 28 at NRG Stadium. SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Viewpoints c/o 4747 Southwest Freeway, Houston, Texas, 77027 or viewpoints@chron.com. We welcome and encourage letters and emails from readers. Letters must include name, address and telephone numbers for verification purposes only. All letters are subject to editing. BIBLE VERSE Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 A25 OPINION When the air isn’t too dirty, you can see NRG’s WA Parish power plant from the football field at George Ranch High School in Fort Bend County. But the Parish plant tends to make the air dirty. It burns gas and coal. That creates power, and it creates a lot of pollution, including climate-changing carbon dioxide, the neurotoxin mercury and nasty little particles called PM2.5. Parish releases more carbon every year than the entire state of Delaware. It doesn’t always help keep the lights on, either. During the early heat wave in May 2022, Parish caught fire, and three of its four coal-burning units were down for days when we needed them most to meet the surge of demand. One of these units also quit in the middle of the night during Winter Storm Uri. Parish is exactly the kind of plant several new nationwide pollution standards from the Environmental Protection Agency will help clean up. One of these standards will be particularly good for Texans’ health, especially children’s. It will reduce the amount of mercury and other toxic pollutants like lead and arsenic that are released when coal is burned. Established by the EPA in 2012, the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards in just the first eight years was associated with 160,000 fewer deaths from heart disease — and this updated version is stronger. Mercury can cause lifelong learning problems for children, as well as issues with their ability to play sports, and even to draw. It’s tainted all our coastal waterways, and Texas Parks and Wildlife has 14 fish consumption advisories for mercury right now across the state. Crucially, this standard closes a loophole for plants that burn a dirtier coal called lignite. That loophole has allowed these coal plants to release three times as much mercury as others. It also reduces the allowable amount of cancer-causing benzene—a serious problem specifically in disaster-prone, refinery-rich Harris County. The 2019 fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Company chemical storage facility in Deer Park led to plumes of benzene drifting miles away for weeks. Another new standard will be good for our health, too — not to mention our safety and grid anxiety. It will reduce the amount of climate-changing carbon that can be released from existing power plants such as Parish that burn coal. It will also apply to any plant built in the future that will burn gas. Harris County ranks in the 99th percentile nationally for vulnerability to worsened flooding and projected sea level rise, according to the U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index, an exhaustive, data-driven, interactive tool that the Environmental Defense Fund, which I work for, developed in partnership with Texas A&M and community groups across the country. As coal plants work to come into compliance, the standards have plenty of flexibility to ensure reliability when demand peaks during emergencies, such as Uri or — this is Texas, after all — the summer. And the standards come at a time when the energy industry is already busy cleaning up after itself. In the past 10 years, almost 75% of net capacity gains in the U.S. have come from renewable sources. In Texas, wind capacity surpassed coal four years ago, and no state added more solar or battery capacity in 2023. There is even more solar, battery and wind power waiting to connect to the grid. The Inflation Reduction Act has made it cheaper to build and operate all this clean energy than just to keep dirtier coal and gas plants running. Under Administrator Michael Regan, the EPA is working to reduce both air and climate pollution bit by bit, smarter standards by unprecedented federal investments, all playing off of each other like a welldrilled football team. Even when the air is dirty, you can still see the future. Sunny, windy Texas isn’t waiting. We’re making it happen now. Colin Leyden is the director of state regulator and legislative affairs with the Environmental Defense Fund in Austin. EPA’s new rules let Houston breathe easier By Colin Leyden Kirk Sides/Staff photographer A pile of fuel coal sits next to the stacks of the coal-powered electric generation units in February at the WA Parish Generating Station in Richmond. I first heard the term “guaranteed income” at a difficult time in my life. I was unemployed and fighting COVID. I signed up for San Antonio’s Two Year Fund, run by UpTogether, and it turned out to be life-changing. The initiative gave $5,108 each to 1,000 individuals and families. We received an initial payment of $1,908 in December 2020, followed by eight quarterly payments of $400 from April 2021 through January 2023. It makes me sad and angry to see Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton try to ban guaranteed income initiatives like the one I took part in. He calls it a “handout” and giving people “free money.” But I’m living proof that it’s a great investment in families and our communities. The money allowed me to do three important things. First, I was able to move my family from a small apartment into a rented house. It’s so hard to find safe, quality and affordable housing. The application fees alone make it impossible to look at more than a couple of places. Thanks to the extra funds, my children and I have a home we’ve always dreamed of — one with a backyard! Second, I was able to buy a car. I paid cash so I didn’t have to go into debt. There are still bills, though, because of insurance and maintenance. One huge benefit of having a vehicle was being able to travel to supermarkets to buy healthier food for my family. Third, I reentered the workforce. I have a college degree but still struggled to find work that paid the bills. The extra funds gave me the space to find a position that used my skills and allowed me to get ahead. I now manage a rental assistance and transitional housing program for persons living with HIV/ AIDS. One extra benefit of the guaranteed income initiative was being able to volunteer more in my community. I got my kids involved as a family activity. We would bring supplies to a nursing home. Did I mention that I was able to keep my dignity by not having to fill out unnecessary papers and tell people my struggle? I felt supported for the first time ever. People know what’s best for their own lives. Investing in families like mine works. What doesn’t work is the system that forced us to jump through a million hoops for food stamps and go on a waiting list for a housing voucher. And the assistance the government did provide was not enough to meet our basic needs, much less help us thrive. I’m such a big believer in guaranteed income that I’m now a member of the Rising Up Together initiative in San Antonio. We are coming up with solutions to share with elected officials to better address poverty and help people who are struggling financially. I encourage more Texas cities to enact guaranteed income and invest in people. This changed my life and will change the lives of others, too. Ingrid Sullivan is a resident of San Antonio. How a guaranteed income program changed my life By Ingrid Sullivan Courtesy of Ingred Sullivan Ingrid Sullivan, third from the right, details how San Antonio’s guaranteed income program helped her family thrive. In federal district courts within the 5fth Circuit Court of Appeals, especially in the Northern District of Texas, statues of Lady Justice should have their blindfolds removed and their scales fully tipped to one side. No longer does the premise undergirding the American rule of law — that judges are impartial and will refrain from advancing their own policy preferences — hold in many courtrooms, as savvy right-wing litigants continue to engage in a dangerous practice called judge shopping. In recent years, well-funded and politically powerful rightwing attorneys and their clients have begun strategically filing cases before ideologically sympathetic judges located in farflung district court divisions. Conservative state attorneys general and litigants with ties to right-wing dark money groups have used these hand-picked judges to advance an unpopular and sweeping agenda that would be all but impossible to advance through Congress or electoral politics. And many of these judges have had no qualms, it seems, about prioritizing their right-wing policy preferences over judicial precedent or congressional intent. Recent examples include: • U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, the only active district judge in Amarillo, who struck down the 20-year-old FDA approval of mifepristone, a drug used in the majority of medication abortions — effectively banning it nationwide. The ruling would have taken the drug off the U.S. market after allowing a week for appeals, but the 5th Circuit intervened. For now, as we await a Supreme Court ruling on the case, mifepristone remains available in states where abortion is legal. • U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, one of two active district judges in Fort Worth, who ruled several times to invalidate the Affordable Care Act, including striking required insurance coverage for preventative care, such as cancer screenings and the drug that prevents transmission of HIV. He has also declared the Indian Child Welfare Act unconstitutional and struck down regulations against untraceable ghost guns. • U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, the other active district judge in Fort Worth, who invalidated President Joe Biden’s student debt relief program and declared the Minority Business Development Agency’s consideration of race unconstitutional. • U.S. District Judge James Hendrix, the only active district judge in Lubbock, who declared that passage of the $1.7 trillion federal appropriations bill in 2022 was unconstitutional and struck down a requirement that Texas give reasonable accommodations to pregnant workers. In the shadow of these and many other cases, a nonpartisan group of federal judges, the Judicial Conference of the United States, issued guidance on March 12 to stem judge shopping in hopes of bolstering public confidence in the courts. They recommended a limited subset of cases — cases seeking to bar or mandate application of a state or federal law — be subject to random assignment across federal district courts. In defiance, the Northern District of Texas refused to adopt this voluntary guidance, citing a lack of data on remedies sought in filed lawsuits and the need to hold jury trials where the case was brought. Notably, this district court is where the most egregious judge shopping occurs. The Texas court’s refusal came after weeks of outrage from the right falsely claiming the Judicial Conference’s recommendations somehow assault judicial independence. Sen. Mitch McConnell wrote to a dozen chief district judges decrying the guidance as a political power play. Judge James Ho of the 5th Circuit — who was sworn into office in the private library of the right-wing billionaire at the heart of the Clarence Thomas ethics scandal — issued a statement critical of the guidance. The excuses the Northern District asserts against randomizing cases are all hat, no cattle. These cases aren’t brought by aggrieved private individuals, but by government actors or strawman litigants propped up by right-wing dark money groups with no connections to the rural districts most often selected. More aptly, in an era of court hearings held on Zoom or the like, there is nothing to prevent a case from efficiently proceeding in a different division. But to accept the Judicial Conference’s recommendations, the judges in the Northern District of Texas would have to admit that judge shopping is a problem — something they cannot do because it would be an admission of their own impartiality. Refusal to adopt this guidance will further erode public confidence in the courts — already near a record low — by allowing judges to continue operating as partisan actors. The Northern District and other district courts should immediately take steps to adopt the anti-judge shopping guidance for the good of the judiciary and our nation. Failing that, Congress should act swiftly to ban judge shopping. It’s time for our judiciary to adhere to constitutional principles — not a political playbook. Devon Ombres is the senior director for courts and legal policy at the Center for American Progress. Ombres thanks Zachary Geiger for his assistance with this column. Right-wing dark-money groups engage in ‘judge shopping’ By Devon Ombres Associated Press file photo U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, shown in his 2017 Senate confirmation, struck down mifepristone.

A26 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM OPINION ple peaceably to assemble.” More recently and locally, the Texas Legislature passed a law in 2019 that widened free speech rights in Texas by ensuring that anyone can gather peacefully on the campuses of public colleges and universities “for expressive activities” and that “common outdoor areas” are available to anyone. These definitions are broadly accepted, but little help when someone is faced with speech that they find abhorrent, frightening or misleading. Some of the opinions voiced at campus protests, like the ones at UT last week, struck some people as all three, confronting us with questions about free speech. Shouldn’t students be focused on their classes and learning? I’d argue that actually, protests aren’t interfering with my students’ education. They’re part of it. And the university needs to recognize that. Mass protests by UT students stretch back more than 100 years. In 1917, after Gov. James Ferguson tried to ban sororities and fraternities on campus, and also moved to remove UT President Robert Ernest Vinson, students organized a march — and the governor was not successful. In 1944, UT’s Board of Regents fired university President Homer Rainey, who’d long clashed with them. Rainey, for instance, had refused to fire four economics professors who supported the New Deal; and he defended the English Department’s plan to teach John Dos Passos’ novel “USA.” In support of Rainey, UT students went on strike, and 8,000 of them marched mutely to the Capitol and governor’s mansion. In 1957, students supported sophomore Barbara Smith, a Black woman, who was removed from her leading role in the opera “Dido and Aeneas” after a state legislator, who objected the mixed-race cast, pressured the university president. The university explained that its decision was “to ensure Miss Smith’s well-being and to squelch any possibility (of) a cut in the university’s appropriations.” More than 1,500 students signed a petition urging her reinstatement in the role. In the late ’60s and early ’70s — when campus protests were the most frequent — they focused on matters including racial integration, the war in Vietnam and the killings at Kent State. In the 1980s and 1990s, students protested the university’s investment holdings in apartheid-era South Africa, a ruling against affirmative action and also the Persian Gulf War. Since 2000, students have exercised their right to speech over issues including the Iraq War, Black Lives Matter, abortion (for and against), campus carry, race in admissions (for and against), and sexual misconduct. Most of those protests happened with only UT campus police present — but too many involved outside police. In November 1969, for instance, an Austin newspaper complained about the scruffy counterculture crowd that mixed with students at the Chuck Wagon restaurant in the student union building, and called for the scene to be “cleaned up.” The tense atmosphere eventually led to a student sit-in stormed by Austin police and Texas Department of Public Safety officers. In the fight between police and students, glass doors were shattered and tables overturned, and a total of 30 people were ultimately arrested. It left many people wondering why violence and outside law enforcement were necessary to enforce campus rules. They were right to wonder. Decades of research indicates that the presence of police is likely to increase, rather than prevent, violence.“When the police respond by escalating force — wearing riot gear from the start, or using tear gas on protesters — it doesn’t work,” summarized reporters from FiveThirtyEight and The Marshall Project. “In fact, disproportionate police force is one of the things that can make a peaceful protest not so peaceful.” We are seeing this in Austin now as protests continue, calls grow for the no-confidence vote in UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell and many question what actually happened, given that all 57 people detained in the first round of protest-related arrests have been released without charges. Students are going to protest. Universities have to ensure that students exercising their freedom of speech and assembly can learn from their experiences without draconian punishments. Campuses have to guarantee that any limitations on protest are neutral in time, place and manner. More importantly, universities must offer opportunities for the community to argue complex issues so that protests are positive learning experiences and not violent clashes with authorities. Students are well equipped to do this, as my class demonstrated to me. Last Thursday, as our final class session progressed, students’ mood lightened. They were sharing the culmination of a semester’s thinking and demonstrating their new knowledge of history and the stories people tell. When the presentations finished, I asked each student to offer their most important takeaway from the class. The most common response was, as one class member put it, “I need to do my own research.” Their commitment profoundly moved me. The students had taken the opportunity the class provided further than I ever imagined. They claimed their freedom of thought and speech to see themselves as empowered and confident in their abilities. These are the best lessons Texas students could be learning. Charlotte M. Canning is the Frank C. Erwin, Jr. Centennial Professor in Drama at the University of Texas at Austin, where she also serves as the secretary of the General Faculty and Faculty Council. She has taught at UT for over 30 years and is the recipient of the UT Regents Award for Outstanding Teaching. HISTORY From page A23 Austin History Center/Austin Public Library The Austin campus has a long history of protest. On May 28, 1917, students marched to the Capitol in protest of the governor’s attempt to remove the university’s president. prohibited by our rules, including a prohibition against camping that became effective in 2012. They also threatened to effectively disrupt the education of more than 52,000 students and to set an alarming precedent for anyone seeking to establish encampments in the future. Demonstrators were repeatedly urged, then ordered, to take down the encampments and disperse. At every step, they refused. At that point, regardless of anyone’s opinion, this was no longer a traditional assembly or protest. By the plain language of our rules, it was criminal trespassing. Some have asked why Texas Department of Public Safety officers were on our campus during the protests. This is a fair question with a clear answer: They were protecting the safety of our campus community by assisting the University of Texas Police Department. Our police department is outstanding, but its size is limited. We knew — as did the demonstrators — that it was unlikely to be adequately staffed for what was coming. We have watched with concern as disruptive and illegal encampments have sprung up on other university campuses, and we took seriously the preprotest threats — voiced by organizers and others with no affiliation with UT — to “occupy” our own. As university leaders, we recognized that at other schools, encampments have preceded further and more serious disruptions, safety risks, injuries, and ultimately, more severe and dangerous police intervention. Also, if we allowed encampments in this instance, it would be nearly impossible to stop encampments from other groups in the future without facing challenges of chilling speech or viewpoint discrimination. It is difficult — for all of us — to see serious police presence and arrests on our campus. It is worse, though, to see a handful of people flout rules meant to protect everyone. It is worse still to see that disorder escalate from encampments to occupations, as has happened at Columbia University and UCLA. And it is terrifying to contemplate where such occupations might end — and who might get hurt. We share the sincere and deep concerns of many Longhorns about the lives lost in Gaza and Israel. Their human reactions — and their need to express them in hope of a better world — show the importance of our traditions of protest and assembly. Still, UT is a community. Our foremost responsibility has always been to keep that community safe. We want to work with protesters — within our rules and laws — so they can express themselves. We need them to work with us to fulfill the responsibility we share. Jay C. Hartzell is president of the University of Texas at Austin. PRESIDENT From page A23 Aaron E. Martinez/Associated Press UT President Jay C. Hartzell says state troopers were called in after protesters not affiliated with the campus trespassed and refused to abide by rules.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 A27 Baker, Dorothy Lott, Betty Tucker, Sue Blue, Sheryl Lowman, Christopher Weil, Diana Cotterell, Jack Mahony, Catherine Weiss, Mary Gonzalez, Eugenie McDonald, Emmett M.D. Johnson, Sally Novak, James Lisenby, Ann Orr, Alice Catherine Eugenia Searls Johnson Mahony, beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, and friend, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on April 27, 2024, in Houston, Texas after courageously battling leukemia. She leaves a legacy of deep and abiding love, selfless concern for others, and optimism, even in the face of life’s biggest challenges. Catherine Eugenia Searls was born to Catherine Montgomery Searls and David Thomas Searls, on November 11, 1939. Cathey was a fifthgeneration Houstonian and often described her childhood as idyllic. Her ability to make deep and meaningful friendships started at an early age and was a constant throughout her life. At the time of her death, Cathey still maintained cherished friendships from St. John’s School, where she started in first grade in 1946, the year it was founded. She attended St. John’s for seven years until she went to Lamar High School, graduating in 1957. She was a Yearbook Beauty at Lamar and was the Duchess of Houston at the Texas Rose Festival. It was at Lamar that she met her future husband Robert “Bobby” Johnson. Cathey attended RandolphMacon Women’s College in Virginia for two years and graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with majors in history and art history. She pursued her love of history and art throughout her life. Cathey was the family historian. She spent countless hours researching her great grandfather, Eugene Heiner, who was the first licensed architect in Texas. Her research and subsequent paper led to a state historical marker in his honor at Houston’s Glenwood Cemetery. Some of Mr. Heiner’s buildings still stand—the Houston Cotton Exchange Building, the Leon and Blum dry goods store, which has been incorporated into the Tremont Hotel in Galveston, and numerous courthouses across Texas, including the Lavaca County Courthouse in Hallettsville. Unbeknownst to her family, Cathey was even a featured speaker in a documentary film on historic Texas courthouses – a fact discovered by her grandchildren one night while they were watching television and suddenly screamed that their beloved “Coco” was on TV. In a newspaper article covering the dedication of Mr. Heiner’s state historical marker, Cathey was quoted as saying that what struck her most during her research was “how well he got along with everybody.” The same was said about Cathey throughout her life. In 1964, Cathey married her high school sweetheart, Dr. Robert Marion Johnson, Jr. of Houston. Cathey and Bob moved to New York City where he completed his medical residency in ophthalmology. While living in New York, Cathey continued to pursue her interest in art, working as a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She loved her time in New York, and it remained one of her favorite cities throughout her life. After living in Fairfield, California where Bob served as a physician in the Air Force, Cathey and Bob settled in Seattle, where he founded the Evergreen Eye Clinic, and she owned and ran the American West Gallery, which focused on Western and Native American art. While Cathey was always a proud Texan, she enthusiastically embraced what she referred to as the “outdoor life” of the Pacific Northwest. Cathey learned to ski in her forties and skied with her family in the nearby mountains every weekend once the snow started falling in November. In the summers, she led her family on hikes in the mountains, swam in Lake Washington, and could often be found baking a pie with fruit picked from her yard. Cathey lost her husband Bob to cancer in 1987. Widowed with two children, she dealt with the loss and adversity with the love, grace, and strength that were the hallmarks of her life. She protected her sons and made countless personal sacrifices to provide a loving and secure environment. She gave them every opportunity, opened her house to their friends, and spent every weekend driving “her boys” around the Pacific Northwest for their athletic pursuits. Her cooking prowess was well known among her sons’ friends, and her house was a favorite sleepover destination as a result. She delighted in not only her sons’ accomplishments, but those of their friends as well; she was often referred to by these friends as “the nicest person I have ever met.” After being introduced by one of her late husband Bob’s best friends, Cathey wed William (“Bill”) Bahr Mahony in 1996. Cathey felt blessed to have found true love for a second time. The couple first lived in Darien, Connecticut. Upon Bill’s retirement, they moved to his hometown, Charleston, South Carolina. Cathey loved her life with Bill. They enjoyed an adventurous and active lifestyle: traveling, attending lectures, playing golf, and enjoying the history and culture of Charleston, as well as its surrounding beaches. Cathey felt back at home in the South, and she loved the beauty of Charleston and its many gardens. Once again combining her love of history and art, she and Bill restored an old house in the South of Broad Historic District. The home and its garden were a passion and point of pride and became a frequent stop on the Historic Charleston Tour of Homes. In 2023, Cathey and Bill moved back to Houston to be close to their children, grandchildren, and extended family. Cathey always considered Houston home, and she loved being able to drive her grandchildren home from school and attend their concerts and sporting events. Throughout her many moves, Cathey stayed connected to her friends, an incredibly diverse group assembled over the course of her life who spanned the country and all walks of life. She delighted in human connection and was there to provide love to whoever may have needed it. Cathey was a member of many organizations, worked tirelessly to support various charities, and was a woman of deep faith. She most recently was an active member of Grace Episcopal Cathedral in Charleston, S.C. and attended Christ Church Cathedral in Houston, Texas. She is survived by her husband Bill, her sons Robert Searls Johnson and wife Lesley, Logan English Johnson and wife Kristin, grandsons Wilson and Davis Johnson, granddaughters Carson and Dylan Keller, sister Susan Searls McMahan and husband Tom, brother David T. Searls, Jr. and wife Pinkie, her husband’s children Bahr Mahony, and Katherine Garcia, grandchildren Dr. William Mahony, Harrison Mahony, Michael Garcia and Brandon Garcia, sister-in-law Betsy Johnson Anderson, and many nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank Dr. Hagop M. Kantarjian, M.D. and the other doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center for their superb care. “Miss Cathey,” as she was afectionately referred to by her nurses, was deeply appreciative of the care that MD Anderson provided. A memorial service celebrating Cathey’s life will be held on May 13, 2024, at 2:00 pm at Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Avenue, Houston, Texas 77002. Following Cathey’s wishes, the family would like to request any donations in Cathey’s memory be made in furtherance of leukemia research to MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Leukemia, P.O Box 4486, Houston, Texas 77210-4486 (or at MDAnderson.org/ gifts) or to Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Avenue, Houston, Texas 77002. CATHERINE SEARLS JOHNSON MAHONY 11/11/1939 - 04/27/2024 Sally Schneider Johnson, a beacon of light and love, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, the 30th of April on the family ranch in Goliad, Texas. She was 85 years of age. Born on the 29th of October 1938 in Corpus Christi, Texas to professional golfer Charles Schneider and his wife, Blanche, Sally’s life was a vibrant tapestry woven with love, dedication, and a zest for life that touched everyone she knew. A proud graduate of Lamar High School in Houston, Texas, Sally carried her spirit of adventure to the University of Texas, where she joined the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, a decision that would shape many friendships and memories in her years to come. It was there where she also embraced her lifelong passion for education and community. In 1960, Sally ventured on a new chapter, marrying her high school sweetheart, David Marion Johnson, in a heartfelt ceremony in Lafayette, Louisiana. Their love story was one for the ages, creating a family and a lifetime of happiness as they welcomed their twins, Clayton and Craig, in 1963, followed by their son, Todd, in 1966, and their daughter, Susanne, in 1968. After Sally and David married, they moved to Corpus Christi to work for Magcobar Drilling Mud Company. They moved to Houston and finally settled in Goliad, TX, where she flourished as a devoted wife, mother, volunteer, and friend. Her love for experimenting with new recipes and entertaining friends and clients of her husband’s oilfield service company filled their home with warmth and joy. She welcomed family, friends, and even friends of friends into her home and at family events like lunch or dinner, cookouts, or weekends at Port O’Conner. With all of her entertaining, she often joked that she would like to come back as a ‘customer’ of such thoughtful events. Sally’s playful spirit and knack for strategy made her a welcome opponent among her circle, enjoying board and card games. An active volunteer with Blue Bird Circle and a faithful member of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Sally lived her values through service and fellowship, touching the lives of many in her community. Sally is preceded in death by her loving husband, David M. Johnson, and her parents, Blanche and Charles Schneider. Sally is survived by her brother Sam Schneider; her children, Craig (Kathy) Johnson, Clayton (Myra) Johnson, Todd (Paige) Johnson, and Susanne (James) JohnsonMaida; her seventeen grandchildren, Brett (Jessica) Johnson, Nicholas (Kristin) Johnson, Heather (Brooks) Johnson-Kelm, Hayley Johnson, Audrey Johnson, Lauren Johnson, Madeline Johnson, Daniel Johnson, Erin (Cole) Johnson-Hajek, Wells Johnson, John David Johnson, Pierce Johnson, Hill Johnson, Blake Johnson, Michael Maida, Mason Maida, and Lindley Maida; great-grandchildren Barrett Johnson, Anne-Katherine Johnson, Bowen Johnson, Hudson Johnson, Beckett Johnson, Ellie James Johnson, Sterling Kelm, Tucker Johnson, and Charlotte Johnson, Leighton Hajek; and nephews Scott Schneider, Steven Schneider, and Kyle Schneider. The family wishes to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated ranch staf, including Buck McKinney, Karen Bartos, Colton Rains, Nesi Moreno, Abigail Marie Hlavac, and Rebekah Elizabeth Hlavac, provided her with care and companionship that enriched her final years. Her indomitable spirit, generosity, and the warmth of her presence will be deeply missed, yet fondly remembered by all who had the pleasure of knowing her. Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from five o’clock in the afternoon until seven o’clock in the evening on Thursday, the 9th of May, in the library and grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston. A memorial service is to be conducted at three o’clock in the afternoon on Friday, the 10th of May, in the sanctuary at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer Road in Houston with Rev. Dr. Jim Jackson ofciating. Immediately following, all are invited to join the family during a reception in Fellowship Hall. The family will gather for a private interment at Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston. For those unable to attend the service, virtual attendance may be accessed by selecting the “Join Livestream” icon on the service section on Sally’s memorial tribute page at www.geohlewis.com. While there you may also share fond memories and words of comfort and condolence with her family. SALLY SCHNEIDER JOHNSON 10/29/1938 - 04/30/2024 R. Emmett McDonald, MD, 71, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his wife and family on Thursday, April 4, 2024 after a courageous three year battle with ALS. Dr. McDonald was a voracious reader, with subscriptions to the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Houston Post, and eventually, albeit reluctantly, The Houston Chronicle. He often read several stories from all in the morning, just before heading to Memorial Hermann Northwest or Park Plaza to meet with patients, consult with his colleagues, and perform surgeries - a routine he maintained for over 30 years in private practice. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Diane Wolf McDonald, his daughter and son-inlaw Therese McDonald Odell and Chris Odell, daughter Catherine McDonald, grandsons North and Henry Odell. Other survivors include his siblings Michael McDonald, MD and wife Rebecca, sisters Maggie Bilski, Katie McDonald, Anne McDonald Maier, and Sally McDonald, MD and husband Dejan Stambolic, brother-in-law Karl Wolf and wife Gina, as well as all his nieces and nephews and their families. He will be missed terribly by all. The family would like to extend a heart-felt thanks to his caregivers: Harrison Ohiri, Norma Martinez, Sarah Rohweder-Bilski, Ana Rodriguez, Marisol Lopez and Alejandra Gomez. Funeral Services will be Friday, May 10, 2024 at 4:30 PM at St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church in Houston, 6800 Bufalo Speedway, followed by a reception that evening from 6 PM to 10 PM at at McGovern Centennial Gardens, 1500 Hermann Drive. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the ALS Association to help find a cure. EMMETT MCDONALD, MD 10/17/1952 - 04/04/2024

A28 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM Ann Shafto Noel Lisenby, passed away peacefully at her home in Houston surrounded by her children on Saturday, the 27th of April 2024. Ann was born on the 30th of January 1933, in Monroe, Louisiana to Sara Neville and Wesley (Bobby) Simes Shafto. Ann attended Monroe’s Neville High School, named after her maternal grandfather Ernest Neville. Ann graduated from Newcomb College in 1955, where she studied elementary education and was a proud member of Chi Omega sorority. Following college graduation Ann married John P. Noel, Jr. and together they shared 50 blessed and happy years. Ann and John were christened together as infants, were childhood friends and went on to become college sweethearts. After John’s passing in 2006, Ann found great joy in her nine year marriage to Thomas J. Lisenby. With Ann’s support and commitment, John’s career took them to Port Arthur, Pittsburgh, Madrid, Tokyo, Philadelphia, and Houston, making countless friends around the world. Ann took great pride in her Houston home, where she lived for 51 years. Ann’s home reflected her love of antiques, gardening and her southern style. Following John’s retirement, Houston County Lake became a second home where they enjoyed spending many happy days with family, relaxing on the porch, bird watching, reading and visiting with their neighbors. Ann enjoyed traveling to England, combining her love of history, architecture, art and beautiful gardens. She was a lifelong learner taking history, decorative and fine arts classes for many years. She cherished weekends in Galveston with Tom, her time on the golf course and around the mahjong table. A lifelong Episcopalian, Ann was a member of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, where she was a member of the Altar Guild. She was a dedicated and passionate docent at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens for many years. Ann was also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Ann lived for, supported and loved her family and many dear friends. Nothing brightened “Gran’s” day more than spending time with her nine grandchildren along with the visits and pictures of her ten great grandchildren. Ann was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 50 years, John Payne Noel, Jr.; her loving husband of nine years, Thomas Jackson Lisenby; her parents, Sara Neville and Wesley Simes Shafto; her brother Wesley Simes Shafto, Jr.; and her grandson Quinton Matthew Noel. Ann is survived by her children, John Payne Noel III and wife Susan, Robert Wesley Noel and wife Carrie, and Ann Noel Parish and husband John; her grandchildren, Christopher Bartlett Noel and wife Claire, Wesley Ryan Noel and wife Andrea, Andrew Thomas Noel, Sarah Noel Richardson and husband Mark, Valerie Noel Jordan and husband Ethan, Katherine Noel Sibley and husband Matthew, John Lannom Parish III and Allie Neville Parish; and her ten great grandchildren. The family wishes to express their gratitude and love to Ann’s loving and kind caregivers, especially Maria Granados who was her devoted friend for 30 years, Pat Lee, Destiny Babalola and Dorothy Alfred. A memorial service is to be conducted at eleven o’clock in the morning on Monday, the 20th of May, at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road in Houston, where the Rev. Martin J. Bastian, Vice Rector is to ofciate. Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception at St. Martin’s. In lieu of customary remembrances, the family suggests memorial contributions be directed to The Bayou Bend Collections and Gardens, 6003 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77007 or to St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road, Houston, TX 77056. Please visit Ann’s online memorial tribute at GeoHLewis.com where memories and words of comfort and condolence may be shared electronically with her family. ANN SHAFTO NOEL LISENBY 01/30/1933 - 04/27/2024 Betty Jean James Lott passed away unexpectedly on Saturday morning, April 27, 2024, at HCA Houston North Cypress, with her children by her side. Although Betty was 92 years and 13 days old, her passing was sudden and unanticipated by all who knew and loved her. She was born in Brenham, Texas on April 14, 1932, the only child born to Varner Augusta James and Ruth Lemon James. The young James family moved as the jobs came to Varner (from cowboy to truck driver) & Ruth, a nurse, and eventually to Houston where they settled in the Heights. Betty attended Hamilton Junior High School and graduated from John H Reagan High School-Class of 1949. She was a proud member of the drum and bugle marching corps, the Reagan Redcoats, performing on the bass drum and cymbals. Following graduation, she worked for Liberty Mutual and the phone company. She married Aloysius Michael Lott, the love of her life, (and big brother of her friend, Connie) on August 25, 1951 at All Saints Catholic Church in the Houston Heights at 7:00 a.m. They moved from the Heights to the Camp Logan area of Houston in 1953, where they resided until 1976 when they moved to the Jersey Village area. Betty’s focus was being a homemaker and raising her 5 young children and she considered thatafull-time job until her volunteering activities at St. Pius X High School resulted in a full-time position in the registrar’s ofce, from 1981 until retirement. Betty was preceded in death by her parents, Varner Augusta James and Ruth Lemon James, Aloysius Michael Lott, her husband of 57 years, and her granddaughter, Lauren Beth Remmert, and Aloysius’ parents, Mike and Vicky Lott. She is survived by her children: Jim Lott & wife, Jodi, Sharon Peebles & husband, Tim, Barbara Harrison & husband, Dale, Tim Lott and Theresa Page & husband, Bill, her grandchildren: Kelly Terrell & husband, Joe, Keri Meyer & husband, Eric, Ben Remmert & wife, Lindsay, Adam Harrison, Sara Harrison, Bryan Lott & wife, Kristin, Kyle Page & wife, Jordan, Ryan Page & wife, Callie; great grandchildren: Brandon Terrell & Andrew Terrell, Kinsley Meyer & Kase Meyer, Asher Remmert & Mara Remmert, Luciana Lott & Levyna Lott, Jace Page, Grey Page & Collins Page and Josie Page. Survivors also include brother-in-law, Michael J. Lott & wife, Myrna & and numerous nieces, nephews and relatives and life-long friends. Visitation will be at Forest Park Westheimer Funeral Home and Cemetery, 12800 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX on Sunday, May 5, 2024 from 2:00 until 5:00 with a rosary at 4:30.The funeral service will be conducted on Monday, May 6, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at Forest Park Westheimer Funeral Home and will be ofciated by Betty’s grandson, Deacon Ben Remmert, with interment immediately following at Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery. Pallbearers serving in Mrs. Lott’s honor are her grandsons, Bryan Lott, Kyle Page, Ryan Page, Adam Harrison, Joe Terrell, and Eric Meyer. A reception will be held after the graveside service at Tio Chuco Mexican Restaurant, 11426 West Road, Houston, Tx. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations be made to the St. Thomas High School Annual Fund, St. Pius X High School, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, or a charity of your choice. Mom was a devoted wife, a dedicated mother, friend to all, and truly one of a kind. BETTY J. LOTT 04/14/1932 - 04/27/2024 Christopher Jon Lowman, a vibrant soul whose zest for life touched everyone around him, passed away from cancer on April 24, 2024, leaving behind a legacy of love, laughter, and unforgettable memories. Born with an unmatched level of curiosity and a passion for exploration, Chris embarked on countless adventures that took him to the far corners of the globe. He loved to travel with Sara, his wife and best friend, and daughters, Abby and Kate. Whether hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro, diving into the depths of the ocean in Hawaii, fishing in Canada with his dad, immersing in diverse cultures, or spending time on Lake Conroe, Chris embraced every experience with boundless enthusiasm and a contagious joy for life. Beyond the thrill of travel, Chris was also deeply passionate about sports, specifically the Iowa State Cyclones and the Houston Astros. There was no place too far he wouldn’t travel to tailgate. He also loved coaching his daughters’ teams in every sport and season. Chris’s favorite role was being a father. His two daughters were the light of his life, and he loved every minute spent with them. He beamed with pride for all of their accomplishments, and he enjoyed nothing more than sharing a bottle of wine with all his girls at dinner. Chris had a gift in his ability to connect with others. He built bridges across all age groups and he was the life of the party no matter the age of the crowd. His genuine warmth, kindness, and unwavering support touched the lives of all who had the privilege of knowing him. Chris had a way of making everyone feel valued and cherished, and his absence will be deeply felt by all who were fortunate enough to call him a friend. Chris was an inspiration to get out of your comfort zone and explore new places. Chris was born in Ames, Iowa on July 15, 1961. He graduated from Marshalltown High School, Iowa State University (BA), The University of Iowa (MBA), and South Texas College of Law (JD). Chris was a trial attorney, focusing on commercial and business disputes. He was a recognized leader in the representation and protection of car, RV and boat manufacturers and dealers. He was proud to be the chair of the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee for the State Bar of Texas. He is survived by his wife Sara, daughters Abby and Kate, parents Susan and Jim Willeke and Jon and Jill Lowman, brother Robin Lowman, sisters Staci Romain (Byron) and Heather Burke (Kyle), his beloved pets Cleo (dog) and Lily (cat), sisters-in-law Kelly Labanowski (Larry) and Lisa Meyer (Fred), Eric, Maggie, Jane, Caroline, Paul, Clare, Charlotte, Blair and Cole (nieces and nephews), his mother-in-law Eileen Sudenga and countless close friends. A celebration of Chris’s life will be held in October (exact date and location to be determined). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to ProVision, Inc. or the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory CHRISTOPHER JON LOWMAN 07/15/1961 - 04/24/2024 Dorothy Stuckey Baker went to be with the Lord on May 2, 2024. She is reunited with her husband of 58 years, W.H. “Bill” Baker, who died on July 17, 2000. Dorothy was born April 26, 1925 in Dallas, TX to James D. and Rae Miller Stuckey. She graduated from Huntsville High School and attended the University of Houston Business College. She worked for over 15 years managing one of Houston’s largest insurance agencies and later, she assisted her husband in their family real estate firm. Dorothy was active in the Blue Bird Circle of Houston, The Women’s Institute, Village Republican Women, Junior League of Houston, Lakeside Lunch Bunch, and various Bridge Groups. She volunteered at Shriner’s Hospital for Children. In 1997, she and Bill were named Volunteers of the Year for the entire Houston Medical Center, the first couple to be so honored. She was also active in and served her church, Chapelwood UMC. Dorothy always felt the presence of God in her life. God sent Bill Baker (to whom she always referred as “My Bill”) into her life at just the right time. They traveled the world together and loved spending time at their Galveston Bay home. Her greatest joy was being with her nieces and nephews, including Great and Great Greats. Dorothy is predeceased by her parents, brother James T. Stuckey and sister Nina Walker. She is survived by brother Doyle Stuckey and sister Betty Rae Frances, and numerous nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service will be held May 7, 2024 at 1:00 PM in the Chapel of Chapelwood United Methodist Church, 11140 Greenbay HTX 77024. In lieu of flowers, gifts in Dorothy’s memory may be made to the Chapelwood Foundation, or the charity of your choice. DOROTHY BAKER 04/26/1925 - 05/02/2024 Sheryl Doris Blue, 77, passed away peacefully April 29, 2024 in Pasadena, Texas. Sheryl was born on August 16, 1946 to the late Albert and Doris O’Connor in Fort Worth, TX. She was a graduate of Trimble Technical High School with Honors in 1964 and then North Texas State University with Honors andaDegree in Education in 1967. She married her High School sweetheart Dr. Monte Blue July 1, 1966. Shortly after being married his career brought them to Houston, Texas. She taught Business in Pasadena ISD as they began raising their first daughter Michelle Hiller and she ultimately retired after the birth of their second daughter Laura Meijer. Sheryl was a beloved wife of 57 years and devoted mother who had a serving heart. As her children grew up you could always find her volunteering at the School, Church, or any extra-curricular group her children belonged to. She was a dear friend to many and would always put others before herself. As her children married and began having their own children she became the most involved and doting Nana. She was a huge part of their lives and it gave her great joy to see her grandchildren flourish. She loved any opportunity to get the entire family together and would decorate for every occasion. Her home became a winter wonderland every Christmas as she could never have too many decorations. Each year the grandchildren got together to decorate cookies and gingerbread houses or any other craft she had put together. She would not miss a sports game, performance, play, awards ceremony etc because her family brought her such happiness. Sheryl was a light in so many lives and will be greatly missed. Sheryl is survived by her loving husband, Monte Blue; daughters, Michelle Hiller and son-in-law Lonnie Bob Hiller, Laura Meijer and son-in-law Marcel Meijer; grandchildren, Ashley Hiller, Trey Hiller, Brett Hiller, Ryan Hiller, Landon Meijer, Parker Meijer, Kale Meijer, and Gracie Meijer. Sheryl is preceded in death by her parents Albert and Doris O’Connor and her brother Pat O’Connor. A small service will be held to celebrate her life and lay her to rest in Fort Worth, Texas. SHERYL BLUE 08/16/1946 - 04/29/2024 Mary Anna passed away peacefully in Austin on May 1, 2024, at the age of 97. She was born and, until 2022, lived her whole life in the Heights neighborhood of Houston. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Charlene and Tom Laramey, of Austin; nephew, Bob Norris; daughter-in law, Jevada Weiss; and grandsons, Jason and Jared Weiss. She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Andy; her daughter, Julie; and two sons, Drew and Herman. Mary Anna loved gardening, bowling, and trips with Andy. She is surely giving tips to the angels on growing their azaleas and roses. Visitation will be at Heights Funeral Home, 1317 Heights Blvd., Houston, TX 77008, on Monday, May 6, from 5:00PM to 7:00PM. A private interment will be at Forest Park Lawndale, Houston. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mary Anna’s memory may be made to All Saints Catholic Church, 215 East Tenth Street, Houston, TX 77008-7025. MARY ANNA WEISS 09/20/1926-05/01/2024 James L “Jim” Novak, born October 24, 1946 in Oklahoma City, OK, died March 13, 2024 at the Richard A. Anderson Texas State Veterans’ Home in Houston, TX. Predeceased by his parents, JT and Regina Novak, wife Gretchen Fahrenthold Novak, and brother Pete Novak. Survivors include his children, Timothy Novak of Colorado and Amanda Novak of Chico, CA, granddaughter Stella Blue, brothers Tom (Sherlyn) of College Station, Richard (Diane) of Houston, sister Luanne, also of Houston, and numerous nieces and nephews. Memorial Mass at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 9900 Stella Link Rd, Houston, on Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 10:00 am. Reception to follow. Inurement at Houston VA Cemetery at a later date. JAMES “JIM” LOREN DOUGLAS NOVAK 10/24/1946 - 03/13/2024

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 A29 Diana “Dede” Miller Weil, 87 years young, passed away peacefully at home on Friday the 3rd of May 2024, following a brief illness. While her absence has already left a void in the lives of those who knew her, we know that she is now at peace and in the arms of her beloved husband and family. Dede was born on the 9th of June 1936, to Isidore (I.L.) and Bertha Miller in Houston, Texas. She was the younger sister to Arnold Myron Miller Sr. and grew up in Old Braeswood where she developed numerous lifelong friendships with the families and children who lived in in the neighborhood. While she graduated from the St. John’s School and attended Pine Manor College, her academic career was cut short by a chance meeting with the love of her life, Sylvan Conrad Weil Jr. from Alexandria, Louisiana. Dede and Connie were married on the 23rd of February 1957, and she was briefly wisked away to live in Alexandria where Connie joined the family business. This relocation was short lived as Dede soon thereafter “convinced” Connie that Houston provided them with more opportunities both for work and for raising their yet to be born first child, Steven. As rumor has it, Dede told Connie that she was moving back to Houston and that he had the option of coming back with her. From that point forward, Dede made Houston her home and they both immersed themselves and their family in the Houston community at large. Dede was a dedicated spouse and attentive mother to her children, Steven, Ronnie and Lauren. Despite the time requirements involved with raising 3 children, Dede found the time to pursue many of her passions that enriched her life and those around her. As such, she was a patron of the arts and attended and was a strong supporter of the Houston Symphony, the Houston Opera and theater. She treasured her weekly mah-jongg games, the so-called tennis group that would spend more time socializing than actually playing tennis, her daily walks, workouts at the Houstonian, and weekends at Walden on Lake Conroe. Walden in particular provided so many fantastic memories for her and her family, particularly the annual Jack Benny charity tennis tournament. The Weil’s annual Christmas Eve party at their house required no invitation and was a staple amongst friends, family, and those new to Houston for over 30 years. Dede and Connie loved to travel the world with friends and family and had the opportunity to visit some of the most remarkable places around the globe. While she would admit that she most loved their trip to New Zealand, her favorite place to visit was New York City where she would always stay at the Regency Hotel and have cofee every morning at the Viand Diner around the corner. She was fortunate to share this particular experience with many of her grandchildren. Dede never had a sick day and was never tired when it came to her family. While Dede certainly adored her children, her passion was indeed vested in the lives of her 9 grandchildren. Mame as she was called never missed a sporting event, recital, graduation, Bar Mitzvah or important event in the lives of grandchildren. She was often seen dragging Connie along to numerous weekend events that often lasted from sunrise to sundown. This unyielding dedication to her grandchildren created incredibly strong bonds between each and every one of them and now the absence of which has left a huge void in their lives and the lives of their extended families. Dede is preceded in death by her husband Connie, her parents, and brother Arnie. She is survived by her sister in law Susie Miller and cousin Frann Gordon Lichtenstein, children Steven Weil (wife Debbie), Ronnie Weil (wife Lenora), Lauren Friedman (husband Jefrey) and her grandchildren Steven Weil Jr, Brooke Weil, Lindsey Weil, McKenna Weil, Ronnie Weil Jr, Miller Friedman, Megan Holtgrave (husband David), Emma Friedman, Buddy Friedman as well as Courtney Wright and Candice Wright. Her positive influence on each and every one of them is cherished and will always be remembered. The family would particularly like the thank those caregivers who made her last few years and most recent illness as joyful as possible. We are most grateful for the professional and expert care of Jay Davis MD and Erin Furr-Stimming MD. As well, for Sherry Galantine, Monsie Pereda, Myrna Mendoza and Alice Dixon who were always at her side and provided a loving and caring environment while at home. The assistance throughout the years from Cindy Papke is greatly appreciated. She adored you all. A funeral service is to be conducted at one o’clock in the afternoon on Monday, the 6th of May 2024, in the sanctuary of Congregation Beth Israel, 5600 North Braeswood Boulevard in Houston, where Senior Rabbi David A. Lyon is to ofciate. (Kindly note: Those unable to attend the funeral service in-person, virtual attendance may be accessed be visiting Mrs. Weil’s online memorial tribute at GeoHLewis.com and selecting the “Join Livestream” icon in the “Service” section.) The interment will follow, via an escorted cortege, at Congregation Beth Israel Memorial Garden in Houston. Immediately follow all are invited greet the family during a reception at a venue to be announced during the service. In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests memorial contributions be directed to Congregation Beth Israel, 5600 North Braeswood Blvd, Houston, TX, 77096; or Houston Symphony, (Attn: Development Department), 615 Louisiana St., Suite 102, Houston, TX 77002; or UTHealth Houston, (Attn: Ofce of Development), 7000 Fannin, Suite 1200, Houston, Tx 77030, in support of Neurodegenerative Research and Erin Furr-Stimming, MD.; or the charity of your choice. Please view Mrs. Weil’s online memorial tribute at GeoHLewis.com, where memories and words of comfort and condolence may be share electronically with her family. DIANA “DEDE” MILLER WEIL 06/09/1936-05/03/2024 Jack Raymond Cotterell, 83, of League City, TX, passed away on April 27, 2024. Jack was born on December 31, 1940, in American Falls, Idaho, to Cliford Mansfield Cotterell and Lauretta Bell (neé Anderson) Cotterell. He attended Beaverhead County High School in Dillon, Montana, where he met his soon-to-be wife, Joan. They married on July 27, 1958, had three children, and enjoyed 64 years of marriage. He graduated from Idaho State University in 1964 with a degree in industrial electricity and instrumentation. His career took him and his family across the country until they settled in League City in 1974. The son of a teacher who was dedicated to building up others, Jack taught apprenticeship classes at the local union and was a mentor to many throughout his career. Jack was a member of the Pipe Fitter’s Local Union 211 for 59 years. He was also a longtime member of the League City Masonic Lodge. Jack was also honorably discharged from his service in the National Guard of Idaho and Montana and as a reserve of the Army. A dedicated father, grandfather and great grandfather, Jack was involved in his children’s, grandchildren’s, and great grandchildren’s various activities as they grew. He participated in coaching football, baseball, softball, leading Boy Scout troops, performing in dance recitals, and being the best spectator a kid could ask for. After retirement, he enjoyed traveling the country with Joan, Lizzie, and their RV club, The Roving Gypsies. He was a naturally gifted dancer and cribbage player, enjoying both into old age. He leaves behind to cherish his memory: daughter Laurie Blackshear, sons Jack Vernon (JV) and Anthony Edward (Tony), 7 grandchildren Sean, Kate, Rebecca, Sarah, Catherine, Jack, and Tyler and 5 great-grandchildren Casen, Coda, Olivia, Truett, and Indigo. In celebration of his life, there will be a visitation on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Crowder Funeral Home, 851 FM 517 Rd W, Dickinson, Texas 77539. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at 1:00 pm, at Crowder Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Galveston Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in his memory to the causes that were important to Jack: Triangle Special Hockey Association trianglespecialhockey.org Autism Society of North Carolina www.autismsociety-nc.org JACK RAYMOND COTTERELL 12/31/1940 - 04/27/2024 Sue McLemore Tucker passed away unexpectedly but peacefully, enveloped in the love of her family. Born October 30, 1930, in Kansas, she and her parents moved to Texas when she was nine years old After attending the University of North Texas majoring in vocal performance, she returned to her hometown of Kermit and met and married an oil field tool pusher who promised her they would never leave West Texas. Three months later he announced their move to Houston and although she claimed she kicked and cried all the way here, for 70 plus years she was one of the city’s loudest and proudest boosters. Together they built a successful real estate/insurance business, The Jim Tucker Co. Eventually she left the dayto-day work of the company and became more involved in social and political activities. Following their divorce in the mid-1970s, she returned to the workforce and remained in the real estate industry until well-past her 70th birthday. Fiercely independent, Sue was a sassy, principled woman, a social justice warrior. Her proudest work came from the years she volunteered as a hand-holder at Planned Parenthood. She was grounded in her values and her legacy was instilling those in all the strong women (and two men) who survive her: her only daughter, Terri Burke and husband Michael; her granddaughters, who called her Suzy, Kelly Burke; and Kathleen Alvarez and husband Randy; and her great-granddaughter, who called her Bubbles, Ella Alvarez. Others left to remember her are cherished friend Larry Mercer and wife, Anne and their granddaughter MaryJane; Laurie Martinez and husband Michael; and her former husband, Jim Tucker. She was predeceased by Lee Merwin, the love of her life, and her beloved Ms. Jones, the last in a long line of dogs lucky enough to be loved by her. There will be a celebration of her life on Thursday, June 27 at 6 p.m. Please email tuckerburke30@gmail. com if you plan to attend or want to send a personal memory. And Sue would ask that you not send flowers but donate to either Planned Parenthood of the Gulf Coast, weareplannedparenthood.org, or The Immunization Partnership, immunizeusa.org. Shortly before her passing she said she was worried about the future of our democracy; and asked that we honor her by voting Democratic in November. SUE TUCKER 10/30/1930 - 04/23/2024 Alice Telfer Ingwersen Orr led a life filled with artistic and creative pursuits, a deep passion for her family and a heart for contributing her special talents in service to her community. She reminded her family often that she and her beloved husband Duke (Duncan Hamilton Orr, 1929 – 2018) had shared “a wonderful life” together and she admonished her children to “love each other” and their families. She was returned to the Lord on April 9, 2024, with her son Jon at her bedside.After a suburban Chicago childhood in Flossmoor, Illinois and graduation from Homewood Flossmoor High School, Alice studied Fine Arts at the University of Colorado, Boulder from 1948-1952. It was there that she met Duke who had dated Alice’s roommate but soon realized who the real prize was. Married in 1952, they then welcomed Charles in 1956, Stuart in 1958 and Jonathan in 1961. Alice’s dedication to the art of homemaking and parenting was evidenced in her commitment to serving in leadership roles for her son’s extensive scouting, music and sports endeavors. Raised with a strong sense of service for the betterment of the community, Alice led art projects that raised funds for numerous non-profits. For Houston Hospice, Alice lent her formidable skill in art and teaching to design and produce hand-painted notecards which were then sold across retail outlets. A prolific knitter, she produced countless blankets for the Houston-based Project Linus which provides handmade blankets to children who are seriously ill, sufering from trauma or otherwise in need.In 1975, with her sons growing independence, Alice became a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) and worked in West Houston at Memorial Hermann Hospital where she contributed to a challenging role in hospice.Alice always found a way to return to her heart’s calling to create art. She remained a prolific painter throughout her life with her work now gracing the homes of her children. She was known for vibrant florals, landscapes and abstract scenes working in oil, acrylic and watercolors and even expanding into the medium of stained glass.Alice and Duke’s abiding friendship and love carried them through an extensive exploration of the world. Their adventures included numerous trips to Western and Eastern Europe. They then added Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia. More locally, their travels across the U.S., Canada, Central America and Mexico led to a deep appreciation of the natural beauty in the southwest and their curation of an indigenous art collection of museum quality which the family retains to this day.Alice was preceded in death by husband Duncan Hamilton Orr; her son Charles; parents Henry Newton Ingwersen, Sr and Isabel Christina Spence Ingwersen; and siblings Henry N. Ingwersen Jr, Mary Ingwersen, and Janet C. Ingwersen.Alice leaves behind eight grandchildren who were enriched by having Alice in their lives: Melodye (Martinez) Ranyak (Kyle), Nick Martinez, Andrew Orr, Isabella Orr, Miles Orr, Sophia Hanani, Evan Hanani, and Natalie Hanani. ALICE ORR 03/31/1931 - 04/09/2024 We remember and love ‘Jeannie’ Gonzalez, a child of God who lived a remarkable, loving, caring and giving life of 105 years. Former HISD Board Trustee, member of the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame, and co-founder of the American Heritage Education Foundation, Inc. Jeannie’s AHEF continues as America’s largest designer, producer and distributor of free K-12 patriotic teacher, family and student lesson plans in all fifty states to preserve and strengthen America’s Judeo-Christian based founding principles. Jeannie’s memory will never be forgotten. EUGENIE KAMRATH GONZALEZ 12/29/1912 - 05/06/2018

A30 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM Ask NEWYORK — U.S. deaths of moms around the time of childbirth have fallen back to prepandemic levels, new government data suggests. About 680 women died last year during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth, according to provisional CDC data. That’s down from 817 deaths in 2022 and 1,205 in 2021, when it was the highest level in more than 50 years. COVID-19 seems to be the main explanation for the improvement, said Donna Hoyert, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maternal mortality researcher. The coronavirus can be particularly dangerous to pregnant women. And, in the worst days of the pandemic, burned out physicians may have added to the risk by ignoring pregnant women’s worries, experts say. Fewer death certificates are mentioning COVID-19 as a contributor to maternal deaths. The count was over 400 in 2021 but fewer than 10 last year, Hoyert said. The agency on Thursday released a report detailing the final maternal mortality data for 2022. It also recently released provisional data for 2023. Those numbers are expected to change after further analysis — the final 2022 number was 11% higher than the provisional one. Still, 2023 is expected to end up down from 2022, Hoyert said. The CDC counts women who die while pregnant, during childbirth and up to 42 days after birth from conditions considered related to pregnancy. Excessive bleeding, blood vessel blockages and infections are leading causes. There were about19 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in 2023, according to the provisional data. That’s in line with rates seen in 2018 and 2019. But racial disparities remain: The death rate in Black moms is more than two-and-a-half times higher than that of white and Hispanic mothers. “In the last five years we’ve really not improved on lowering the maternal death rate in our country, so there’s still a lot of work to do,” said Ashley Stoneburner, the March of Dimes’ director of applied research and analytics. The advocacy organization this week kicked off an education campaign to get more pregnant women to consider taking low-dose aspirin if they are at risk of preeclempsia—a high blood pressure disorder that can harm both the mother and baby. There are other efforts that may be helping to lower deaths and lingering health problems related to pregnancy, including stepped-up efforts to fight infections and address blood loss, said Dr. Laura Riley, a New York City-based obstetrician who handles high-risk pregnancies. But there’s a risk that those kinds of improvements are being offset by a number of factors that may reduce the ability of women to get medical care before, during and after a birth, she said. Experts say the list includes the closure of rural hospitals and a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that did away with the federally established right to abortion — and contributed to physician burnout by causing doctors to feel constrained about providing care during pregnancy-related medical emergencies. “I think there’s good news. We’re making strides in certain areas,” said Riley, head OBGYN at Weill Cornell Medicine. “But the bad news and scary news is ... there are these other political and social forces that make this (reducing maternal deaths) difficult.” Maternal deaths fall to pre-COVID levels By Mike Stobbe ASSOCIATED PRESS Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press In 2023, U.S. pregnancy-related deaths fell back to pre-pandemic levels, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. Pedestrians who are not white ended up in the emergency room for traffic-related injuries at higher rates than white people, according to a new federal report published Thursday. There were more than137,000 emergency room visits involving a pedestrian injury between January 2021 and December 2023. Asian pedestrians went to the ER 2.23 times more than white people, while Black people went 1.93 times more and Hispanic people 1.7 times more. Multiracial people or people of another race had the highest rate compared to white people: 2.47. The findings were released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report also pointed to higher rates of ER visits for vehicle-related injuries in the 15- 24 and 25-34 age groups, and men were nearly twice as likely than women to get treatment. CDC researchers said unsafe walking environments can be attributed to development that prioritizes cars over pedestrians and disinvestment in certain neighborhoods based on race and income. This also can lead to poor investment in pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, like sidewalks, crosswalks and streetlights, they said. New cars have been designed to be safer, but pedestrian deaths have been ticking upwards. In 2021, pedestrian-motor vehicle crashes killed 7,000 people, the most in 40 years. Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said new vehicles must have automatic emergency braking. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that could save more than 300 lives per year and prevent about 24,000 injuries. Researchers in the CDC report also said things like narrowing roads and reducing speed limits can help with pedestrian safety. Study: Non-white pedestrians more often land in emergency room By Kenya Hunter ASSOCIATED PRESS Charlie Riedel/Associated Press file A pedestrian crosses a street last year in a shopping district in Kansas City, Mo. A new report examines traffic-related injuries. WASHINGTON — The IRS said Thursday that it has taken steps to address a wide disparity in audit rates between Black taxpayers and other filers, and is more closely examining the returns of larger numbers of wealthy people and major companies. “We are overhauling compliance efforts to advance our commitment to fair, equitable, and effective tax administration and hold ourselves accountable to taxpayers we serve,” according to an annual update from the agency. A study from January 2023 involving university researchers and the Treasury Department found thatIRS data-driven algorithms selected Black taxpayers for auditing at up to 4.7 times the rate of non-Black taxpayers. The study said the IRS disproportionately audited people who claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is aimed at low- to moderate-income workers and families: While Black taxpayers accounted for 21% of the claims for that break, they were the focus of 43% of the audits concerning the credit. “We have taken swift initial action to dramatically reduce the number of those audits. We have also made changes to the selection criteria for those audits,” IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said. Werfel, who was sworn in a little more than a year ago, has testified before Congress about the issue and last September he wrote to the Senate Finance Committee that the IRS would make changes. The discriminatory audits, he told reporters, “degrade trust in our tax system.” Werfel and the IRS have tried over the past year to show how money from the Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden’s big climate, health and tax law, has helped to modernize the agency and improve taxpayer services, and that people making less than $400,000 per year would not be subject to more audits due to the new funding. Noting the promise to keep audit rates for people making $400,000 per year and less at 2018 levels, he said on Thursday that “we haven’t in any way exceeded that rate.” He added: “There is no new wave of audits coming for middle and low income” taxpayers — “that is not in our plans in any way shape or form.” The IRS is focusing the next year on using the funding boost to conduct higher rates of audits on suspected wealthy tax cheats after having collected hundreds of millions of back taxes this year. Ensuring that people pay their taxes is one of the tax collection agency’s biggest challenges. The audit rate of millionaires fell by more than 70% from 2010 to 2019 and the rate on large corporations dropped by more than 50%. The IRS plans to raise audit rates on companies with assets above $250 million to 22.6% in 2026, from an 8.8% rate in the tax year 2019. It also plans to increase audit rates by tenfold on large, complex partnerships with assets over $10 million. “While the IRS has accomplished a lot so far with IRA funding,” he said, “we need to do much more to make improvements and transform the IRS for the benefit of taxpayers.” IRS to address racial disparity in audit rates By Fatima Hussein ASSOCIATED PRESS Kevin Wolf/Associated Press file IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said his agency has made changes to its selection process to address a wide racial disparity in audit rates. WASHINGTON — About 4 in 10 Americans now label China as an enemy, up from a quarter two years ago and reaching the highest level in five years, according to an annual Pew Research Center survey released Wednesday. Half of Americans think of China as a competitor, and only 6% consider the country a partner, according to the report. The Pew report, which is drawn from an April 1-7 survey of a sample of 3,600 U.S. adults, found that roughly half of Americans think limiting China’s power and influence should be a top U.S. foreign policy priority. Only 8% don’t think it should be a priority at all. For the fifthyearina row, about eight in10 Americans report an unfavorable view of China, the report said. American attitudes toward China have turned largely critical after the U.S. launched a trade war against China in 2018 and since the emergence of COVID-19, which was first reported in China. Beijing’s human rights record, its closeness to Russia and its policies toward Taiwan and Hong Kong also have left Americans with negative views of the country, according to Pew’s previous analyses. Atthe same time,theU.S. government has been overt about competing with China on economic and diplomatic issues. Following that, 42% of Americans say China is an enemy of the U.S., the highest level since 2021, when Pew began asking the question. Older Americans, conservative Republicans and those with a sour view of the U.S. economy are more critical of China and more likely to consider the country an enemy, the report said. Pew: More people label China as foe By Didi Tang ASSOCIATED PRESS

SMART MONEY THREE FACTORS Examining the links among inflation, the Fed and federal debt. PAGE B2 FUEL FIX SOLAR IN LIMBO Waitlists for grid access stymie clean energy projects. PAGE B4 PERSONAL TECH VITAL APPS Free and low-cost apps make your Mac more useful. PAGE B5 TEXAS INC. HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM • SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 • SECTION B CPS Energy CEO Rudy Garza closed a deal on three natural gas power plants Wednesday, is scrambling to build new transmission lines from South Texas and needs to hit San Antonio’s climate targets by 2030, all while providing affordable energy to America’s lowest-income major city. In other words, the boss at one of the nation’s largest city-owned utilities must solve all the problems facing the Texas grid, only on a smaller scale. “My job is to move us into the future in as quickly a manner as possible, but also affordably,” Garza told me at CPS’ headquarters. CPS is one of the few cityowned utilities left in Texas that operates every step, from the generator to the customer. San Antonio customers don’t have a choice of electricity provider, like other parts of Texas, but they enjoy lower rates, and if they have a complaint, they can call their City Council member. However, CPS remains part of the ERCOT grid and is subject to the wholesale electricity market. CPS generates more electricity than its customers need and must play by the same rules as private electric companies. Being vertically integrated did not spare San Antonians from blackouts during 2021’s Winter Storm Uri. The storm left hundreds of Texans dead and politicized the electricity business, but Garza said he is not afraid to speak truth to power. “Energy reliability is neither Republican nor Democrat,” he said about his oftenfrank conversations with policymakers. “I think we would do better if we spent more time talking about the future than we did lamenting the past.” Garza started his career as an electrical power engineer with TXU in the 1990s before Texas switched to a competitive market in 2000. He knows the pros and cons of each system but recognizes that CPS’ business model allows him to innovate in Utility official navigates challenges CHRIS TOMLINSON COMMENTARY Tomlinson continues on B6 A Florida real estate firm has purchased Jones on Main, a mixed-use complex that has been a landmark in downtown Houston for about 100 years. The deal is a sign that some investors are still willing to bet on Houston office space in spite of the broader challenges facing landlords post-pandemic. The Wideman Co., an Orlando-based real estate firm, paid an undisclosed, all-cash price for the complex on Tuesday, the company said. The acquisition includes the JPMorgan Chase Bank Building, a 34-story, 794,000-square-foot tower at 712 Main as well as its companion building, the Great Jones Building, a 10-story, 95,000-squarefoot tower at 708 Main. Wideman plans to renovate much of the vacant offices in the complex while retaining its historic character, retail spaces and one of downtown’s first food halls, Finn Hall. The buildings were constructed in stages in about 1908, 1929 and the 1950s. “You just don’t build buildings like this anymore and that uniqueness is what we want to lean into with modern touches, amenities and services,” said Matthew Wideman, CEO of The Wideman Co. “This won’t be your grandfather’s stodgy office building.” The seller was an entity tied to Lionstone Investments, which also has headquarters at 712 Main. The former building owner previously renovated Jones on Main in partnership with Houston real estate firm Midway. Lionstone declined to comment. The sale comes after coworking giant WeWork previously shut its 95,000-square-foot location at 708 Main. The space Historic towers downtown sold, will be renovated By Marissa Luck STAFF WRITER Towers continues on B7 Colvill Office Properties The Wideman Company, a Florida-based real estate firm, has purchased the iconic Jones on Main. WASHINGTON — Two years after Congress passed a lucrative tax credit to spur the creation of a new clean hydrogen sector that would clean up heavy industry and offer a pathway for fossil fuel-centered economies such as Texas’ to decarbonize, the future of the new technology is growing increasingly uncertain. In the last week, the National Petroleum Council, a group composed primarily of oil and gas executives that advises the Department of Energy, cautioned that billions of dollars in incentives approved by Congress will be nowhere near enough to bring the nascent industry to the scale envisioned by the Biden administration — a report Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm called “sobering.” And the Environmental Protection Agency dropped clean hydrogen as a recommended option for power companies to meet new restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions, after The Biden administration has been trying to move money for the production of equipment to get clean hydrogen to market. High costs are making future uncertain for clean hydrogen By James Osborne WASHINGTON BUREAU Hydrogen continues on B3 ENERGY There also are concerns about lack of infrastructure to move it, existing market being small New York Times file photo

B2 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM Business Editor Jonathan Diamond: Jonathan.Diamond@houstonchronicle.com B2 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM A reader sent me a question that combines the top three drivers of U.S. economic news in the past two years — federal debt, inflation and the Federal Reserve — and asks for logical cause-and-effect linkages between them, and realworld implications. I’m happy take it on because understanding how those factors interact is important. Here’s the question: Q: Michael, I am trying to understand something here. The government spent a ton of money that it didn’t have stimulating the economy postCOVID. This caused inflation to increase. So the Fed boosts its rate to cool inflation. When the Fed boosts its rate, banks have to pay to borrow money from the government. Does that higher rate go back to the government? It’s sort of like a tax on those who don’t have money to pay for houses and cars. So the poorer portion of our society is being taxed to pay for government spending. Those who have funds to pay cash aren’t really affected by the higher rates. Is this logic correct? — Alexander McLeod, San Antonio A: My short answer to your final question — “Is this logic correct?” — is mostly no. I’ll do my best to break down the impacts of the three factors you raise. Yes, the government did spend money it didn’t have. But that’s an ordinary thing for the U.S. and most other governments over the past century. Or basically forever. The magnitude of U.S. borrowing has gotten substantially greater in the past decade, though. We do not have an actual answer yet for “how much is too much debt,” but the activity itself is highly precedented. Am I worried? Yes. But we don’t have certainty on whether we’ve hit limits or what the limits are. Driving inflation Your statement that “This caused inflation to increase” is not the right cause and effect. More accurately, the combination of low interest rates, extra fiscal stimulus through the pandemic and an energy shock from the Russian invasion of Ukraine probably caused inflation to spike dramatically in the summer of 2022. The rate of inflation has since dropped to a normal range, even if prices (outside of energy) have not declined. Prices rarely outright decline. The Fed did boost rates beginning in 2022 to cool inflation, as a 2% inflation rate is one of its key goals and mandates. Inflation is around 3.5% as of this writing and the Fed as a result has indicated recently that it may not lower rates until further progress is made on inflation. Higher benchmark interest rates are set by the Federal Reserve, technically both the country’s central bank and a nongovernmental entity. The interest paid and the interest earned by the Federal Reserve requires an extra step of explanation for accuracy. As the central bank for the U.S., the Federal Reserve actually pays interest to banks for their excess reserves. The Federal Reserve also uses funds to go out in the marketplace to buy U.S. government bonds and earns interest on the rate the U.S. government pays on its bonds. “Who is making extra money off of higher interest rates?” is part of your question, and viewed a certain way, the Federal Reserve actually books extra interest income based on the difference between what it pays banks for deposits and what it earns on securities with its balance sheet. Private banks, which raise interest rates on consumers and businesses when the Federal Reserve raises interest rates on them, may earn higher interest income in this environment than they did before. But private banks are not the government. Who profits? The federal government, by contrast, earns no big amounts of money from higher interest rates. Not at all. Basically, just the opposite. The U.S. government, as a massive borrower, pays more when interest rates are higher. The Federal Reserve may earn money as a net lender if it chooses to own more bonds, especially after times of monetary stress like 2008 and 2020. Private banks may earn more as lenders in a higher interest rate environment. The federal government, however, pays a lot more. To your question of whether higher rates are like a tax on people who do not have money to own cars or houses by paying cash for them, I would say “sort of” but add that is not specific to our current higher-rates environment. What I mean is that in every interest rate environment, low or high, individuals who borrow month to month on their credit card are paying rates in the range of12% to 25%. That’s the real and substantial tax on people who borrow, but it happens all the time and not just now. And the “tax” goes to banks and credit card lenders, not the government. Wealthier folks, or people with substantial savings in the bank, are in a position — right now — to earn more on their savings than they have over the previous two decades, roughly 2001to 2022. That’s again neither a tax nor a government bonus but a private sector cost or benefit of participating in the banking system and earning interest on one’s savings. Your statement “the poorer section of our society is being taxed to pay for government spending” is an inaccurate understanding. To vastly simplify things, I would generalize the situation the following way instead: Folks with no savings (generally poorer, but this can include middle- and upper-income people as well) are generally paying high interest rates to credit card lenders in every interest rate environment. At all times. Folks with middle and upper incomes who borrow to own a car or home are paying higher interest rates, right now, to private lenders on their car and home loans. But again, that extra income is captured largely by private lenders, not the government. Wealthier folks and institutions with surplus funds are earning higher interest rates on their savings and interest-bearing investments. If they lend to the U.S. government by buying government bonds, they are earning a lot more now than they did two years ago. The federal government is a pauper in this scenario and is paying out higher interest rates. Not exactly like on a credit card, because the rates are roughly 4.5% to 5.5%. But that’s much worse than the 1.5% to 2.5% it was able to pay a few years ago. The Federal Reserve pays higher rates of interest for private bank deposits but also earns higher rates on the bonds it buys. Although it’s had higher earnings in recent years, that has more to do with its larger post-crisis balance sheet than anything else. As for the idea that “those who pay cash aren’t really affected by higher rates,” I’d say that’s somewhat true. But more than that: Those who have cash are benefited by higher rates because they can earn more money on their savings. Michael Taylor is a San Antonio Express-News columnist, author of “The Financial Rules for New College Graduates” and host of the podcast “No Hill for a Climber.” michael@michaelthesmartmoney.com | twitter.com/michael_taylor Fed, debt and inflation: Three news drivers Seth Wenig/Associated Press Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday said that interest rates will remain unchanged as inflation has stayed stubbornly high. THE SMART MONEY Michael Taylor COMMENTARY

HOUSTON CHRONICLE ON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE TONCHRONICLE.COM SUNDAY, M AY 5, 2024 5, 2024 B3 power companies’ complaints about the cost of the technology. The moves come at a time of pronounced hand wringing among many in the energy sector about not only the high costs of producing clean hydrogen fuel but the lack of infrastructure to move it and the fact that the existing fossil-based hydrogen market is relatively small. At CERAWeek in Houston this year, oil and gas executives there to promote hydrogen projects were noticeably pessimistic behind closed doors, said Kevin Book, managing partner of consulting firm Clearview Energy Partners. “There’s been a shift from optimism to realism by the companies who are going to have to operate these projects on their balance sheets,” he said. “The goal of creating a clean hydrogen alternative to fossil fuels is several levels of complexity removed from other clean energy goals” of the Biden administration. The Department of Energy is in negotiations with seven hydrogen hubs around the country about distributing $8 billion in federal funding, including one in Houston that has tentatively been awarded up to $1.2 billion. But the challenge facing the hubs’ developers, who will have to find private investment to match the federal funding, is whether they can find buyers for clean hydrogen fuel that remains hugely expensive when compared with traditional hydrogen fuel, a relatively small market dominated by refineries and chemical plants. HyVelocity Hub, the consortium developing the Houston hub, declined to make members available for an interview but said in a statement that it was working toward completing negotiations with the Department of Energy in the next several months. “We have not been given a concrete date for when the negotiation process will be complete,” it said. Frank Wolak, president of the Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Association trade group, attributed the skepticism around hydrogen energy in part to the fact the Treasury Department still hadn’t finalized rules on how the clean hydrogen tax credits are to be claimed. “People are getting antsy,” he said. “There was an exuberance when the (tax credits were) written, and now we’re waiting for the rules to be finalized. It’s a quiet period of time where people are wondering when it’s going to get going.” Research firm Enverus Intelligence Research said in a report last month that just 30% of U.S. clean hydrogen projects aiming to be in operation by 2030 have signed any customers, with the majority of projects relying at least in part on “novel hydrogen applications” such as transportation and power. And the National Petroleum Council warned that under current incentives, demand for clean hydrogen was likely to be limited to existing hydrogen customers and that industries the Biden administration has been targeting as likely customers for clean hydrogen fuel, including trucking, shipping and steel manufacturing, were unlikely to sign on. “Achieving (clean hydrogen) deployment at scale requires a significant change from the current trajectory, led by policy that drives low-carbon solutions to displace unabated alternatives — and doing so at an aggressive pace,” the report read. With so much federal funding flowing to clean hydrogen, the expectation among analysts is that at least some of the dozens of clean hydrogen projects under development will actually get built. Some are already underway. British industrial company Linde announced last year that it was going to start construction on a $1.8 billion blue hydrogen facility — one fueled by natural gas with carbon capture — in Beaumont. And Pennsylvania-based Air Products said in November that it would go ahead on building a $4.5 billion blue hydrogen plant in Louisiana. And a wave of other projects are expected to be greenlighted in the next two years, once the Treasury Department finalizes its rules — worth up to $3 per kilogram for the cleanest projects — said Brian Murphy, an analyst with S&P Global Commodity Insights. “Its happened a little more slowly than the optimists would have wanted back in 2020, but from our end there’s a feeling of real momentum,” he said. “There’s definitely going to be hurdles along the way. There were always were when you’re stating a new industry from scratch.” To that end, the Biden administration has been moving to get money to manufacturers to start producing the electrolyzers, fuel cells and other equipment necessary to bring clean hydrogen to market, distributing $750 million to more than 50 projects nationwide in March, including a fuel cell manufacturing plant being developed outside Dallas by Canadian company Ballard Power Systems. That money, along with the $8 billion in hub funding, is plenty of incentive to get a first wave of clean hydrogen facilities built. But the Biden administration is envisioning those initial projects as the launching pad for a nationwide network of clean hydrogen plants, connected by pipelines to industrial zones, truck depots, ports and power plants, funded by private investors. Once the government funds run out, however, it’s an open question whether the private sector would be willing to go along, said Book of Clearview Energy Partners. “With that many billions of dollars, the hubs are likely to get built,” he said. “But it’s unclear whether this is going to be a new phase of energy infrastructure or a herd of white elephants.” HYDROGEN From page B1 Yi-Chin Lee/Staff file photo CEO Mike Graff, right, takes Bill Gates on a tour of American Air Liquide’s hydrogen production site in Houston. Plenty of federal funding has been flowing to clean hydrogen.

B4 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM FUELFIX Ninety miles west of Chicago, the corn and soybean fields stretch to the sky, and dreams of the clean energy future dangle — just out of reach. To the east of Route 52, there’s the first phase of the 9,500-acre Steward Creek solar farm, in the works since 2019. To the west,there’s South Dixon Solar, which once hoped to begin construction on 3,800 acres in 2022. Both projects have been approvedby theLeeCountyBoard. But neither can be built, according to a county official, due to PJM Interconnection, a powerful but little-known entity that controls access to the high-voltage electric grid in northern Illinois. “There isn’t anything we can do to help the state move forward (with its clean energy goals),” said Lee County Zoning Administrator Alice Henkel. “This is all PJM. They have the control.” As the clean energy transition surges ahead, with prices for electricity from wind and solar dropping and market share growing, long waitlists for new power sources seeking approval to connect to the electric grid have quietly emerged as a major barrier. Across the nation, the waitlists for large projects to connect to the grid — and deliver power to homes and businesses — have ballooned, leaving over 1,400 gigawatts of wind and solar power in limbo, enough to allow the United States to achieve 90% clean electricity. “We really shouldn’t have this kind of breakdown in something that’s so vital,” said Mike Jacobs, a senior energy analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. And nowhere is the problem worse, according to a recent first-of-its-kind report, than in the PJM region, which spans Washington, D.C., and 13 states, in whole or in part, including northern Illinois. PJM came in last out of seven regions, witha grade of D-,in the Generation Interconnection Scorecard report prepared for the business association Advanced Energy United. PJM’s performance had “few bright spots,” according to the report, which was based on publicly available data, as well as recent interviews with energy developers and engineers working in the field. The report found that in a nation with “agonizingly slow” grid connection processes, the PJM process of studying and green-lighting new requests to connect to the grid was the slowest, with the most unpredictable timelines. One clean energy developer was quoted as saying he had stopped doing new projects in the PJM region. PJM’s delays are severe enough to pose a significant risk to Illinois’ ambitious clean energy goals, according to a 2023 report from the Natural Resources Defense Council. “(PJM) has unnecessarily set our transition to cleaner energy back by years,” said Clara Summers, the Consumers for a Better Grid campaign manager at the Citizens Utility Board. PJM, a federally regulated private company that manages part of the high-voltage electric grid, declined a request for a phone interview, instead issuing a written statement saying the interconnection scorecard report “is an assessment of conditions and practices that no longer exist in PJM.” “Over three years ago, PJM and its stakeholders identified improvements to the interconnection process and developed landmark reforms in record time. These new rules are enabling PJM to process New Service Requests faster and more efficiently,” the statement said. PJM said the “more relevant challenge” is getting previously approved projects built. “This is the challenge we need to confront as an industry rather than looking back on problems that have been largely addressed,” the statement said. “PJM is not delaying the energy transition.” But critics of PJM’s operation say that delays continue. While PJM points to 40 gigawatts of power that’s approved but awaiting construction, there were 290 gigawatts of power waiting to connect to the PJM grid at the end of 2023, up from 88 gigawatts in 2018, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a federally funded research center. A tidal wave In Lee County, wind turbines sprout from cornfields, some as tall as skyscrapers. There was heated debate when the state’s first utility-scale wind farm was built here in 2003, Henkel said as she drove her SUV down quiet country roads. But as time went on, farms continued to produce, the turbines did their jobs and concerns faded. The county now has 280 wind turbines, with enough power to meet the electricity needs of roughly 200,000 homes. “It works for this area,” said Henkel. “We are contributing to green energy and energy independence, so I’m proud of that.” Proposals for big solar projects started arriving here about five years ago, part of a national trend. A tidal wave of renewable energy projects — driven by falling wind and solar costs and state and federal policies — was building, and heading toward the grid. “It’s happened really fast,” said Joe Rand, an energy policy researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and lead author of Queued Up, a series of reports on the grid-connection waitlist. “We’re in a rapid and fundamental energy transition in this country.” In the PJM region, the median time a new energy project had to wait before being allowed to connect to the grid rose to more than five years in 2022, up from just 20 months in 2005. PJM effectively slammed on the brakes in 2022, with a decision, approved by regulators, that it would not review newer grid-connection requests — submitted after September 2021 — until early 2026, according to government documents and PJM reports. That allowed PJM to focus on clearing the backlog of older requests but left newer projects with potential waits of up to four years — just to begin the review process. As part of a broader package of generally well-received reforms, PJM also went to a new review process in which gridconnection requests are studied in clusters, rather than one by one. Other changes included new financial requirements for applicants, aimed at discouraging speculative projects. Among the local projects affected byPJMdelays: DerivaEnergy’s South Dixon solar farm in Lee County, which applied to connect to the grid in 2019. According to PJM’s timelines, the project should get an agreement to connect to the grid by mid-2025. Phase 1 of Hexagon Energy’s Steward Creek solar farm submitted its requests to connect to the grid in 2019 and 2020. The project should get an agreement by mid-2025. “Having things dragged out — it certainly makes the development timeline a lot trickier,” said Hexagon senior director of development Scott Remer. “It introduces risk to how we’re going to continue to develop and mature the project.” Planning for the future No one is saying that PJM’s job is easy. ThePennsylvania-based company — a membership organization that includes utilities and power providers — is the largest grid operator in the country, coordinating and directing the flow of electricity to 65 million people in a time of unprecedented change. And PJM is by no means the only region struggling. A recent report based on a survey of 123 wind and solar developers nationwide found that the grid-connection process was the top cause of delays of six months or more, followed by local ordinances and zoning, community opposition and supply chain issues. At the Solar Energy IndustriesAssociation, senior director of energy markets and counsel Melissa Alfano said that the grid-connection process nationwide is a “huge” problem for big solar farms. Rand said the issue has moved “to the forefront of the national energy conversation.” “(Grid-connection) has become the leading barrier to new power plants coming online and new renewables being deployed,” he said. There are more than1,400 gigawatts of clean energy in grid connection waitlists nationwide, and 1,000 gigawatts of battery storage, or technology that collects energy for later use, according to the most recent Queued Up report. That would be enough to take the United States to 90% clean electricity under current conditions, according to Nikit Abhyankar, a senior scientist at the Goldman School of PublicPolicy at the University of California, Berkeley. However, Abhyankar cautioned that only about 19% of projects that enter the grid-connection waitlists end up being built. Before the waitlists surged, about 24% of projects got built, according to the 2020 edition of Queued Up. PJM, historically a leader among grid operators, entered the current era in a strong position. But critics say that while some regions have taken bold steps to meet the challenge of clean energy, PJM has moved more cautiously. “Honestly, it’s deer in the headlights behavior,” said Summers, grid campaign manager at CUB. California’s grid operator — or PJM equivalent — has pursued a blue-state strategy of proactively planning the expansion of the high-voltage grid. That’s helpful, experts say, because a right-sized grid allows new clean energy to connect more easily. In the Texas grid region, a red-state, free-market approach has also drawn praise: new projects can connect to the grid fairly easily, but bear additional risk thattheir power production may be curtailed if the energy supply exceeds demand. Both regions earned overall grades of B in the interconnection scorecard report, the highest grades awarded. PJM, in contrast, stuck to a “sub-par” process for studying grid-connection requests for far too long, the report said. And when PJM did make reforms, the transition to an improved process froze opportunities for new projects to be considered. The report also gave PJM a low grade for forward-looking grid planning, in which strategically located long-distance power lines are built and upgraded to meet the growing demand for electricity. Experts say that planning for the grid of the future — and building it — brings a multitude of benefits: It’s easier for farflung locations to access the cleanest, lowest-cost electricity; the risk of blackouts and other power interruptions diminishes; and adding new power sources is faster and less costly. But today the United States is expanding the grid “in the most expensive way possible,” via painstaking piecemeal additions, according to Rob Gramlich, president of the power-sector consulting firm Grid Strategies and a co-author of the interconnection scorecard report. “It’s very costly to just keep putting these Band-Aids on the system when there are huge economic efficiencies that come with higher-capacity lines and upgrades,” Gramlich said. Studies have repeatedly concluded that expanding and upgrading the high-voltage grid creates economic benefits, with a 2022 study in the journal IEEE Transactions on Power Systems finding that adding high-voltage power lines between huge, largely disconnected sections of the grid would create as much as $2.90 worth of benefits for every dollar spent. PJM got a D+ for proactive grid-planning in the interconnection scorecard report. The report did note PJM is finalizing a new long-term planning process. However, the authors wrote, it’s not yet clear if the new process will lead to the kind of proactive expansion that would make it easier for new energy sources to come online. Ambitious targets Peter Nichols grew up in Lee County: swimming and canoeing in the Rock River, and accompanying his grandfather on visits to his farmland. “We’d go around every week and collect eggs and check on the cattle,” he recalled. It was the kind of childhood that forges deep ties to the land, andNichols, a retired doctor and emeritus professor in Southern California who visitsLeeCounty regularly, said that when he and his siblings received offers to lease land to two local solar projects, they took the decision seriously. They spent a lot of time discussing the pluses and minuses, including the opportunity solar would offer to let the land recover from the demands of corn and soybean farming. They decided solar was the right choice for them about four years ago, Nichols said, and then they waited. “We’re attached (to our land), we want things that are good for it, and now we’re kind of just held in limbo. That’s aggravating,” Nichols said. The grid-connection slowdown has affected a wide swath of people, including landowners who plan to lease to developers and the growing number of companies — including data centers — that want to use clean energy. States such as Illinois, which have set ambitious targets for wind and solar energy, are feeling the impact as well. A 2023 Natural Resources Defense Council report found that the PJM grid-connection process isn’t currently getting new wind and solar farms online fast enough to put Illinois on pace to meet its clean electricity goals. And a recent planning report from the Illinois Power Agency said grid-connection delays — along with supply chain issues and the amount of time needed for construction — create a “significant challenge” for ambitious state clean-electricity targets. Still, advocates and experts are heartened by increasing attention to grid-connection delays nationwide, including a 2023 order from the Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission requiring reforms to the grid-connection process. Another federal order, addressing long-term planning of the high-voltage grid, is expected this year, and federal regulators are looking into other improvements. Rand said there is a lot more room to improve the grid-connection process, but he is “optimistic” that the country is at or near the peak of the problem. Gramlich, whose résumé includes a stint as a senior PJM economist in the late 1990s, said that every problem in the grid connection scorecard report is solvable, and in each case, someone around the country is doing things right. “Now really all we need to do — at the risk of oversimplification — is identify those activities that work and get everybody else to adopt those activities,” he said. Rooftop view On a brisk afternoon in March, Lee County offered evidence of the delays — and a glimpse of what could lie beyond. When Henkel pulled her SUV to a stop next to a piece of farmland promised to the Steward Creek solar farm, bare fields stretched for miles, interrupted, here and there, by a few lonely landmarks — a house, a water tower, a smattering of leafless trees. There was nothing to suggest rows of sleek black panels, turning in tandem to follow the sun, until Henkel offered up her cellphone, with photos she had taken during a visit to a big solar farm in Coles County in central Illinois. She had actually climbed up on top of her car to get a better view of the panels, she said with a chuckle. “It’s hard to really grasp it from the ground level, because of how tall they are,” she said. “Then once I got up there I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is quite the sight.’” Stacey Wescott/Tribune News Service Alice Henkel, a zoning administrator for Lee County, walks in a farm field that will become part of the 5,000-acre Steward Creek Solar farm in Lee County in Illinois. By Nara Schoenberg CHICAGO TRIBUNE Long waitlists leave wind, solar in grid limbo Stacey Wescott/Tribune News Service Illinois’ Lee County has numerous turbines but is still waiting on several green energy projects.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 B5 TECHNOLOGY HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 B5 Big-name apps may dominate work and recreation on a computer, but for me it’s the little things that make using it more fun and useful. When I set up a new Mac, I have a handful of small, but critical, apps that I install, many of which are free. Those that aren’t, don’t cost much and are totally worth the price. Because I’m all about the sharing, I’ll channel the now-retired Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus and offer up some of my favorite small macOS apps, and one tip that will give you access to many, many more (if you use an Apple Silicon Mac.) Oh, and one of these is available for Windows users, too! AirBuddy 2.0 v2.airbuddy.app $12.99 I’ve been such a huge fan of AirBuddy for so long, I’m kind of amazed that I haven’t written about it here. It is absolutely the best way to manage Bluetoothbased Apple devices that connect to your Mac. AirBuddy was built originally to allow AirPods users to see battery status on a Mac in the same way you can on an iPhone or iPad: Open the case, and a slick animation displays the charge levels for the AirPods and their case. Click on the status window to connect your AirPods to your Mac. But over time, the developer has expanded its capabilities so the app shows you the power level of other Apple devices on your network, quickly accessible via a Menu Bar icon. You can see the juice left in iPhones, iPads, other Macs running AirBuddy, even accessories like mice, keyboards and trackpads. Best of all, it can give you alerts when one of these items needs to be charged. If you want advanced capabilities, AirBuddy supports Siri Shortcuts, making it easy to see the power level and connection state of any of these devices, and work with them accordingly. Pure Paste Available in the Mac App Store Free One of my biggest Mac pet peeves is that the paste function brings over by default the formatting of the source document’s text. If you copy a block of text from a website and paste it into a word processing document, it will format the pasted text as it was on the site — which no one ever wants. The default should be no formatting, and Pure Paste gives you that. Install Pure Paste and, in the settings, select “Automatically clear formatting.” Now when you copy from a source, it strips out bold, italic, links, fancy fonts and more. What you get with a Command+V is sweet, pure, plain text. The Extras menu item allows the option to strip everything but hyperlinks, which is great if you’re building a clickable list of URLs. On the off chance you do want the formatting, just press the Option key before you do a Commnd+C. You also can customize these key commands. Apparency mothersruin.com/software/ Apparency/ Free If you’ve ever wanted to know a lot more about the files on your Mac, Apparency will scratch that itch. Once installed, it uses the Finder’s Preview pane to show you details about the apps and documents you highlight, such as the full filename; whether it’s a native Apple Silicon or Intel app; whether it uses the Sandbox security feature or is notarized, and lots more. Mac apps are actually a special kind of folder, and if you click the Open with Apparency button you’ll see in the Preview pane, it reveals the app folder’s contents in the Finder. For the technically inclined, this can be quite the rabbit hole. With documents, you still see a preview but also more detail about the file than you would get in the Finder. For example, PDF and word processing files show you the number of pages, the author, what app was used to create it and when it was created/modified/last opened. Parallels Toolbox for Mac & Windows parallels.com/toolbox $24.99 per year I’ve long sung the praises of Parallels Desktop for Mac, which lets you run Windows and other operating systems as a virtual machine on the Mac. When you install Parallels, you also get Parallels Toolbox, a collection of 56 utilities. But Toolbox is also available as a standalone package for Mac and Windows (where it has 48 utilities). Toolbox’s Mac apps are grouped into categories: productivity, simplifying actions, system monitoring, screen capture and recording, privacy and security, and downloading and converting media. Any of these categories would be worth the $25 alone, making this a huge bargain. Among my favorite tools: A clipboard manager, for saving multiple copied items to be pasted later; a memory manager that leans out the Mac’s RAM when you need a performance boost; the ability to download and convert video in different formats; a barcode and QR code generator; a timer that tells you when to take a break; a temperature monitor; and many more. I use many of these every day, and they’ve saved me from buying other, separate utilities. Bonus tip iOS and iPadOS apps on your Mac I’m always surprised that some owners of Apple Silicon Macs don’t realize you are able to run many iPhone and iPad apps on the desktop. This is possible because the processors in those mobile devices are built on the same foundation as those in newer Macs. While not all iOS/iPadOS apps will run on a Mac, a surprising number will. For example, if you use any Wyze or TP-Link smart-home accessories, those developers’ apps will let you manage them from your Mac. OurGroceries, one of my favorite shopping-list apps for the iPhone and iPad, also works on the Mac. Got a Nest or Ecobee smart thermostat? While there’s no native Mac app for it, there is Thermowatch, an iOS app that works on the Mac. Unless developers of a mobile app have built a Mac-specific version that costs extra, if you paid for them on your mobile device, you don’t have to pay again to run them on your Mac. To find them, click on your account name in the lower left corner of the Mac App Store, then click on the “iPhone and iPad Apps” button. You’ll see all the apps you have bought or downloaded for your mobile devices, available to download to your Mac. Wheee! dsilverman@outlook.com threads.net/@dsilverman Screenshot AirBuddy lets you see the status of the battery levels in your various Apple devices and will even alert you when one is low. Free, low-cost apps make Mac a joy to use Dwight Silverman PERSONAL TECH

B6 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM Lisa Mabley was laid off a year ago from her job as a software engineer at a Twin Cities software company. Over the course of five months, she sent her résumé to nearly 300 companies. She received justtwo offers at the end. “The one that I did not accept has (since) had layoffs,” said Mabley, who lives in Minneapolis. “If I had taken the other job, I would perhaps be unemployed again.” Those months were stressful for Mabley, who was the only person in her household working at times. In September, she began working remotely for a tech startup based in Los Angeles. “It was super alarming to not have any income coming in,” she said. Mabley and other tech workers have come face-to-face with an unexpected reality: The industry — which for so long has been filled will promises of unending opportunity — is now oversaturated with candidates. The environment Mabley found herself in was far different from when she switched careers eight years ago to become an engineer. Then, recruiters solicited her at least once or twice a day. “I guess I thought I had it made after that point,” Mabley said. “I was like, ‘The demand is so high in the field. I will never have to work hard to find a job again.’ “ Companies that rapidly grew their tech talent during the pandemic to help them shift production online — aided by the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Plan that rewarded companies for retaining and adding employees — have terminated workers in large numbers over the past year to reduce operating costs and improve profitability. Ben Solberg, who lives in Hudson, Wisconsin, was previously vice president of digital marketing and digital product for a large financial services corporation in Minnesota, where he led software product and user-experience teams. His position was eliminated more than two months ago. Finding employment, even with his résumé, has been a hassle. For the roles he’s applying for, it’s not uncommon to see 3,000 to 5,000 other applications submitted. Given the age of his children, he’d be more inclined to change careers than relocate for a job. That, however, hasn’t be an issue given the wide acceptance of remote work, Solberg said. The problem is that tech has shifted to an employer’s market, as companies have “an absolute wealth of candidates,” he said, “I have never experienced a market like this in my life.” The current market for tech jobs has seen an unusually high number of layoffs nationwide. Earlier this month, Tesla, Apple and Amazon Web Services all announced layoffs. Tesla terminated 10% of its workforce, which would affect about 14,000 people. Apple announced it was laying off 600 employees while AWS announced it was cutting hundreds of workers from the cloud-computing business of parent company Amazon. Among the high-profile local players, Minneapolis-based software company Jamf, which provides Apple device management and security functions to large corporations, in January announced it was cutting its full-time workforce by 6%, affecting nearly 170 employees. The U.S. tech sector has shed 74,672 jobs in 2024, adding to the more than 260,000 layoffs in 2023, according to Layoffs- .fyi. “With large tech stocks now being rewarded by Wall Street for their cost discipline rather than just growth, others have used this as an opportunity to right size, which has led to a bit of a layoff contagion, as the broader layoff narrative provides cover to any individual company choosing to do the same,” said Jeff Tollefson, president of the MinnesotaTechnology Association. In Minnesota, the impact has been a bit more muted. While there has been some downsizing of tech departments at Minnesota companies, it’s mostly shown up as a hiring slowdown. There were 5,483 unique IT job postings by Minnesota companies this past March, compared to 16,000 in May 2022, Tollefson said. The industry shift has affected sales at Horizonal Talent, an IT digital and creative staffing company based in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. In the second half of 2022, the company saw client requests plunge by 38%, said Jeremy Langevin, cofounder and chief executive. There was an additional drop of 52% last year, with requests falling below pre-pandemic, early 2020 figures. Langevin said inflation anxiety and interest rate hikes crept into the minds of decisionmakers, leading to a hiring pullback. Horizonal had two rounds of layoffs itself in 2023. “I started getting nervous,” Langevin said. The pullback follows a hiring spree. In 2021, Horizonal Talent had a 78% increase in requests to fill positions, with thousands of people fast-tracked into the interview and hiring process as many companies grew their tech payroll. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, for example, grew its payroll 103% from 2019 to 2022, according to the SEC. Many companies appear to have misjudged the sustainability of their post-pandemic staffing needs, Langevin said. The emergence of remote work has also allowed companies to expand their hiring pool nationwide and offshore jobs to people in India, Latin America and parts of Europe. Employers can pay $40,000 to someone in India, where the going rate in the U.S. is $140,000, he said. Meanwhile, the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence has led companies to discover “they may not need as many software engineers on their teams as previously thought,” Tollefson said. The reduction of venture capital investing is also dampening hiring, said John Tedesco, founding partner of Arena Partners, a consulting firm for software companies. With less cash being deployed, investors and funds concentrate on fewer companies, usually their high performers. Tech startups with less cash slow down hiring or lay off workers. Meanwhile, Section 174 of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 removed the option for companies to deduct research and development expenditures. Beginning in 2022, instead of reporting those dollars as an expense so companies like Minneapolis-based software developer Modern Logic can hire a developer to work on a project, all costs related to R&D had to be paid off within five years. “We got 20 percent to 30 percent more expensive, which makes it very hard for me to justify employing people in the United States,” said Modern Logic CEO Dustin Bruzenak. The current job market has made it difficult for recent college graduates with computer science degrees or those completing coding boot camps, Tollefson said. It’s just as difficult, though, for industry veterans like Susan G. and Abby B., both Twin Cities technologists who were laid off and asked to not have their last names published given their job searches. Susan works in software product management. Abby is a user-experience researcher. Susan was laid off from a tech startup in L.A. a year ago. Aside from a three-month contract this winter, she’s been unemployed. Abby has been looking for a job the past 10 months. User-experience researchers, whose jobs are primarily to study the market and determine if there’s a product fit for a software or device, are one of the positions hitthe mostin this layoff atmosphere, she said. “It really is (about) who you know,” Susan said. “Referrals are key to even just getting a conversation with a recruiter.” Abby has seen starting salaries decrease by as much as $30 an hour. “I totally understand market forces and everything, but my skills have not changed from two years ago,” she said. “I’m still worth the money.” For years, colleges and career-development institutions encouraged people to earn certificates in software coding, web development or user-experience research. In the current environment, Abby said it’s a waste of money. “It’s not ethical to recruit people into these boot camps right now,” she said. “I have seven years of experience and I’m having this much trouble finding a job.” For many tech workers, boom becomes bust By Nick Williams STAR TRIBUNE ways others cannot. CPS is a leader in wind, solar, battery and nuclear power. The company has retired most of its coal-fired facilities and wants to shut down three aging natural gas plants. Some critics argue CPS spends too much on new technology, while others insist the utility is not doing enough to fight climate change. Sound familiar? Garza said purchasing the three natural gas plants generating 1,710 megawatts from Talon Energy for $785 million will meet San Antonio’s immediate needs. But state and federal policies make investing in new facilities riskier. “I’d like to see some of those regulatory policies get a little more mature before I decide whether to ask my customers to spend a billion dollars for a massive 600-megawatt gas plant,” he said. “I can live with taking a risk for 25 years. I’m not sure I’m gonna take on that risk for 50, because we already did that with coal plants, and we lost.” Garza prioritizes saving customers money because he knows firsthand how low-income families often choose among paying electricity bills, filling prescriptions or buying groceries. CPS has awardwinning programs to weatherize 16,000 homes and 20,000 multifamily units and reduce total energy use by 1% per year. Those money-saving investments, though, will not keep bills from rising. Building new transmission lines is one example of the challenge of balancing reliability and affordability. CPS often curtails renewable electricity from South Texas because the wires can carry only so much power without melting. But building new transmission and distribution lines adds a couple of dollars to customer bills for decades. “Asking for rate increases is difficult in this day and age,” he said. “But it allows us to make those billion-dollar annual investments over the next decade that we’re going to have to make to continue to move the needle.” New technologies also present opportunities and challenges. CPS is talking to the large military bases around San Antonio about small nuclear reactors to generate power. Home solar panels, mini-natural gas generators and home battery systems can act as shock absorbers when demand spikes, but only if CPS knows about them. What CPS cannot do is slow the growing demand for electricity from data centers, oil and gas facilities, electric vehicles and home gadgets. Demand could grow by two-thirds by 2030. “We’ve got an obligation to serve,” Garza said. “When somebody shows up at my doorstep and asks for service, I don’t have the discretion to say, ‘I’m sorry, we can’t serve you.’” San Antonio, like Texas, is one of the fastestgrowing communities in the nation. When it comes to the grid, Texans would do well to watch and learn from CPS’ strategies. Award-winning opinion writer Chris Tomlinson writes commentary about money, politics and life in Texas. Sign up for his “Tomlinson’s Take” newsletter at houstonhchronicle.com/tomlinsonnewsletter or expressnews.com/ tomlinsonnewsletter. TOMLINSON From page B1 OCI Solar Power San Antonio’s CPS Energy, one of the nation’s largest city-owned utilities, is a leader in wind, solar, battery and nuclear power.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 B7 now is a fully furnished office space available for direct lease, Wideman said. In recent months, the economic development group Downtown Houston included 708 Main as a hypothetical example for what an office-toresidential conversion could look like as part of its analysis of potential tax incentives to spur more. Wideman didn’t rule out a conversion potential, but he said it’s not in his firm’s immediate plans for 708 Main. About 30% of the office space in the complex is vacant. Wideman is examining a variety of possible new uses. At 712 Main, roughly 100,000 square feet of offices will be converted into speculative suites. The turnkey suites — ranging from 2,000 square feet to more than 10,000 square feet — would allow tenants to move in quickly. Spec suites have become a popular solution for many tenants navigating changing office space requirements since the pandemic. “It’s no question the future of office is changing, and owners that don’t adapt to the future of remote work and the flexible workweek will be left behind,” Wideman said. Although Houston’s office market is struggling with stubbornly high vacancies, Wideman said, the uniqueness of the Jones on Main complex, coupled with its desirable location, made the firm more confident in its future. “When a firm with a half-century track record of investing in 12 other states commits to downtown Houston, that is a meaningful endorsement of our future,” said Kris Larson, president and CEO of Downtown Houston, in a statement. TOWERS From page B1 Staff file photo Costumers enjoy happy hour at Swallow’s Nest Cocktail Bar in Finn Hall in 2022. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Finn Hall was one of the first true food halls that opened in downtown Houston in late 2018. The Wideman Co., the new owner of Jones on Main, plans to renovate much of the vacant offices in the complex while maintaining Finn Hall operations. Karen Warren/Staff photographer The co-working firm WeWork previously leased the Great Jones Building at 708 Main Street, but now its furnished spaces are available for lease.

B8 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM GENERAL MANAGER Flavory Food LLC Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time General Manager - Flavory Food LLC (Houston, TX) - Oversee day-to-day operations of the restaurant; Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations. Minimum Requirements : High School Diploma or equivalent plus 2 years of experience in the job offered or as manager/supervisor within the food service industry. Must have the ability to lead and motivate a team, make decisions under pressure, and handle various aspects of restaurant operations. Must be able to work 40 hours a week, across Monday to Sunday, business hours 11am to 9pm. e-mail Resume to: Thghou@gmail.com MANAGER, COOKS/BAKER & HANDS Entier HS Preferred Gulf of Mexico Unspec yrs exp See Below To Apply Full-Time We require the following positions to work within our offshore contracts in the USA Gulf of Mexico region. We are looking for customer focused team players who have a passion for our industry. ∑ Chef Manager ∑ Day Cook ∑ Night Cook/Baker ∑ Gallery Hand ∑ Utility Hand We offer the best benefits in our industry, including: ∑ Great rates of pay ∑ Health and Life insurance ∑ Stable, steady job assignments For more information regarding individual positions, please visit our website at http://www.entier-services.com AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to or discrimination as to race, color, national origin, gender, maritial status, creed, religion, age, mental or physical handicap or veterans’s status. PRODUCTION ENGINEER QuietFlex Manufacturing Company L.P. Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time QuietFlex Manufacturing Company L.P. seeks a Production Engineer to work in Houston, Texas to be responsible for the continuous improvement of manufacturing processes, fabrication and assembly, cost reduction initiatives, processing of engineering changes, and introduction of new flexible duct products for residential and commercial HVAC systems and fiberglass mats for industrial applications. Apply online at https://careers.daikincomfort.com/ . Must put job code ENGIN002140 on resume. DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR Assured Partners Houston, LLC d/b/a Professional Enrollment Concepts, Inc. Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Assured Partners Houston, LLC d/b/a Professional Enrollment Concepts, Inc. seeks a Database Administrator, in Houston, TX to establish and maintain inbound and outbound EDI connections related to insurance eligibility and payroll deductions. BS+3 or MS+1. See full req’s & apply online: https://careers-professionalenrollmentconcepts.icims.com/jobs Job Reference: 2024-15550 RETAIL CLERK Brazos Valley Investors Group LLC Edu Req/See Below College Station, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Promote new products & services, process orders. Collect payments & execute multiple bookkeeping tasks, ensuring all policies are followed. Assist in merchandizing & display maintenance. Order supplies, maintain & organize work area. High School is required. Mail Resume: Brazos Valley Investors Group LLC; Attn: S. Akhtar, 11701 State Hwy 30, College Station, TX 77845. FIELD SPECIALISTS Geolog Americas Inc. Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Geolog Americas Inc. seeks Field Specialists to work in Houston, TX and various unanticipated locations in the U.S. and offshore to ensure smooth operations of the assigned Unit on rigs, including all crew members comply with the rules and regulations set for the rig. Apply online at https://www.geolog.com/careers/apply-online . ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER SAIPEM AMERICA INC Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER, High School 12 mo exp, USD 76918 year Res: SAIPEM AMERICA INC, 1311 Broadfield Blvd, Houston Tx 77084 AVL MASTER RIGGER & INSTALLATION LIAISON Covenant Communications Corporation Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time AVL Master Rigger & Installation Liaison – Coordinate planning, de- sign, installation, & calibration of large-scale Audio, Video, & Lighting (AVL) systems for events in partnership with Worship Ministry leadership. Install, program, & manage Audio Digital Signal Processors using system networking protocols including Q-SYS, Dante, BSS Audio Architect, Audio Video Bridging (AVB), Symetrix Composer, Meyer Compass and MAPP3D, and L’Acoustics Network Manager & Sound Vision. Integrate installed audio into commercial spaces using knowledge from Harmon Pro Audio Designer – Fundamentals. Create, deploy, & troubleshoot Extron designs for Audio/Video control systems. Utilize AutoCAD & SketchUp to design & draft illustrations for drawing sets for project installations. Be responsible for strategic rigging & planning for large scale AVL reinforcement system installations. Represent House of Worship project objectives & directives associated with rigging plans utilizing OSHA safety requirements. Coordinate pre/post installation close-out documents & post installation training for House of Worship media teams. Require 3 years of work experience in audio visual production management for events including planning & installation of audio & visual systems & production rigging & Certifications in a) Q-Sys Level 1 for building networked audio system design using QSC, (pro Audio and Video Brand) ecosystem; b) Dante-Levels 1, 2 and 3 for digital audio & networking using Dante Controller with Dante devices, creating larger networks, & building a Layer 3 Enterprise network; c) Sketchup Pro 3D Architectural Visualization for visualizing complex 2D & 3D ideas using 3D Modeling Software; d) Harman Pro Audio Designer-Fundamentals for integrating installed audio into commercial spaces; e) BSS Audio Programmer (Audio Architect) for HiQnet Audio and/or BSS Audio Soundweb London; f) Extron Certified: A/V Associate for AV technologies & overview of Extron products & applications; g) Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) Certification; & h) OSHA 30 for 30-hour training on workplace safety including ergonomics, PPE protocols, & fall protection. Travel to project sites inside the United States. Covenant Communications Corporation has 1 full time position in Houston, TX. Email resume to shawn@covcom.com TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS SPECIALIST Safekick Americas, LLC Edu Req/See Below Katy, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS SPECIALIST: Design, modify and implement computer, information, and communication networks for an organization providing IT solutions in the offshore oil and gas industry. Perform network modeling, analysis, and planning, including analysis of capacity needs for network infrastructures using working knowledge of the following technical trade tools: Cisco switches, routers, firewall, VMWare systems, Cisco ASDM, and NPort Windows Drive Manager. Provide network and system hardware design, and perform hardware, software and system installation, integration and testing for oil & gas projects. Create plans and layouts. Design network and computer security measures. Manage IT operations dealing with end user hardware for updates and maintenance and system configuration, automation and controls, including integration and commission hardware and software based on client’s systems requirements and provide technical support to state-of-the-art oil & gas systems applications for real-time control systems using working knowledge of the following technical trade tools: MySQL Database system (installation and configuration), SDM (Safekick Data Manager), SKDS (SafeKick Data Sender) and SVD (Safe Vision Daemon). Manage ongoing service desk operations, providing remote support to our users, engineers, as well as rig companies and customers to solve issues using working knowledge of the following technical trade tools: Bomgar Remote (now BeyondTrust Remote), COIN remote system, Claroty Secure Remote Access, and Freshdesk Support System. Maintain our servers by enhancing capabilities through system upgrades as well as identifying and resolving issues that impact performance, remediating bad data and UI issues. REQS: Must have 2 years of experience in the job or in IT positions dealing with delivery of IT solutions for the offshore oil and gas industry and the listed technical and trade tools. Mail resume, Attn. Iara Conrado, Safekick Americas, LLC, 1350 Ravello Dr., Katy, TX 77449. CLOUD ARCHITECT Core Technology Services, Inc. Ed pref/See Below Katy, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time CLOUD ARCHITECT (Katy, TX): Oversee co’s cloud computing strategy, incl cloud adoption plans, cloud mgmt, & monitoring. Oversee architecture & deployment in cloud environments, incl public, private, & hybrid cloud. Act as consultant to the organization by continuously researching & studying the latest trends & issues. Drive enterprise organizational alignment to ensure successful cloud adoption, security, governance, monitoring, & risk mgmt is adhered to. Dsgn cloud environments w/ a focus on cloud native technologies & demonstrate technical cloud architectural knowl, playing a vital role in the dsgn of production, staging, QA, & dvlpmt of cloud infrastructures running in 24×7 environments. Implmt & oversee all aspects of the cloud environment incl provisioning, scale, monitoring, & security. Deliver cloud strategies, aligned w/ business objectives & w/ a focus on cloud migrations. Provide leadership in infrastructure migration methodologies & techniques incl mass application movements into the cloud incl implmtn of cloud native w/in global enterprise environments. Nurture cloud computing expertise internally & externally to drive cloud adoption. Act as key stakeholder to ensure validation of new cloud or SaaS solutions adhere to architecture roadmap. Implmt reqd systems, solutions, & processes needed to ensure cloud cost, monitoring, scalability, & redundancy are accounted for & continuously validated. Ensure all cloud solutions adhere to security & compliance best practices. Collaborate w/ Enterprise Architecture, Data Platform, DevOps, & Integration teams to ensure cloud adoption follows standard best practices. Reqs: Master’s deg (or equiv) in Computers, Comp Sci, Comp Engg, or related field, + 5 yrs of exp in position involving similar duties/tech’l capabilities. Must be willing to relocate & work anywhere in the U.S. Apply to Core Technology Services, Inc. by emailing your resume to ma lek@coreitx.com. MECHANICAL ENGINEER Oliden Technology Ed pref/See Below Stafford, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Mechanical Engineer. Dsgn mechanical components for downhole LWD&MWD tools, incl customized mechanical connections & stabilizers, as well as communication devices & cables for surface use. Generate 3D models utilizing SolidWorks & prep detailed mechanical blueprints for production purposes. Dvlp fishing diagrams & craft operational guidelines. Execute mechanical computations & simulations to establish & validate suitable materials & structures. Aid in the assembly of downhole eqpmt & contribute to testing & certifying novel materials & techniques. Adapt components manually &/or collaborate w/ suppliers to swiftly adjust parts as required. Sustain the mechanical aspects of products, anticipate potential issues, & assess & propose alterations to enhance stability, performance, & costeffectiveness. Conduct thorough analysis to identify the underlying causes of failures & devise proposals for enhancements. Oversee the procurement of projects earmarked for commercialization, encompassing mechanical parts, sensors, cables, etc. Keep a vigilant eye on fluctuations in the cost of crucial components, supplying pertinent data to bolster the sales team. Engage w/ global suppliers to explore feasible mfg approaches, ultimately trimming expenses & lead times. Scrutinize & determine the outcomes of nonconformance reports. Monitor the status & delivery timeline of components, orchestrating harmonious interactions w/ mfg, shipping, & suppliers to ensure punctual contract fulfillment. Maintain a comprehensive BOM, compose & regularly update manuals for both mfg & maintenance. Additionally, furnish customers w/ adept tech’l support. Oversee inventory tasks, furnish instructions for quality checks, & prioritize tasks to fulfill the reqmts of the production team. Req Master in Mechanical Engg w/ 4 months of rltd exp. Apply to Oliden Technology, 4025 Bluebonnet Dr, Stafford, TX 77477, Attn: HR. SENIOR INTEGRITY ENGINEER Invacor Solutions LLC Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Senior Integrity Engineer. Performing/reporting on integrity risk/reliability analysis using computational tools/techniques to identify integrity threats; performing Pipeline Integrity studies based on ILI Inspection data, metal Loss, Geometry, mapping, Bending Strain, Pipeline Movement, Dent Strain/ILI Run Comparison; performing a thorough engineering review from client historical information/previous pipeline inspections for consideration throughout the full ILI Inspection project; ensuring projects comply with applicable codes, practices, QA/QC policies, performance standards and specifications; performing quality assurance on all final reports prior to customer submission; investigating pipeline segments/defects that do not meet integrity risk/reliability targets; interacts w/customers to ensure final reporting data reflects their specific data requirements; collaborating w/application engineering on root cause analysis; preparing, scheduling, coordinating/monitoring assigned engineering projects; supporting continuous improvement plan for analysis tools, processes methodologies for long-range integrity plan/optimization. Requires Master’s or foreign equiv in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, or related field and 72 months experience in Mechanical Engineering. 3 years prior on job training/industry courses re In Line Pipeline Integrity analysis/risk assessments onshore/offshore pipelines to identify deficiencies, corrosion, stress, cracks, dents, gouges required. Knowledge of industry standards related to ILI Inspections and Integrity Reporting including ASME B31G (Original and Modified), ASME/ANSI B318S, API 1160, 49 CFR 192 and 49CFR195. $137,030/year. Send resume to: Invacor Solutions LLC, 6230 Bingle Road, Houston, TX 77092 SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER Invesco Ed pref/See Below Houston, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Senior Software Engineer, F/T at Invesco (Houston, TX) Using Agile methodologies, complete all tasks related to tech’l analysis, building & unit testing, QA, system test & implmtn. Analyze reqmts, dsgn, build & test system components or amendments. Work closely w/ business analysts, project managers, architects, & other dvlprs to dsgn & implmt systems that support the Investment Services business. Must have a Bach’s Deg in CIS, Comp Sci, Comp Engg or related tech’l deg. Must have 5 yrs of progressive exp in S/ware Engg or Dvlpmt positions working w/in Investments/Fin’l Services domains. Must have at least 2 yrs of exp w/: working in project teams & w/ third party vendors; Agile Scrum dvlpmt, systems analysis, & s/ware architecture principles; SQL, relational d/base dsgn & dvlpmt life cycle principles; & utilizing: Java, Spring Boot, JSON, API’s, microservices, CI/CD pipelines, Visio, Scripts, Autosys, open-source frameworks, & associated dsgn principles; Data-centric technologies, incl Snowflake; Data mgmt tools, incl Informatica & Markit EDM; MuleSoft, RAML/SWAGGER, API Gateways, Docker Containers & React; Business intelligence reporting tools, incl Power BI; Automated workflows & applications (Appian); Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence concepts & techniques; & AWS cloud platform. Position may be eligible to work hybrid/remotely but is based out of & re- ports to Invesco offices in Houston, TX. Must be available to travel to Houston, TX regularly for meetings & reviews w/ manager & project teams w/in 24-hrs’ notice. Apply online (https://careers.invesco.co m/) or email resume to: Niamh McNamee, Global Mobility Specialist, Niamh.McNamee@invesco.com. DATA ANALYST Two Sigma Solutions LLC Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Two Sigma Solutions LLC seeks Data Analyst in Houston, TX. Incls but not limited to Analyze & curate massive amounts of data for thousands of different tradable instruments, incl stocks, bonds, futures, contracts, commodities, & more. Create systematic, automated processes & tools that allow team to scale & rapidly onboard new for research, modeling, or trading. Co. “Hybrid” work attendance policy: In-office work attendance req’d at aforementioned office address for collab days based on each team’s req’mt; telecommuting/working from home permissible for remainder of same month. Must have Master’s or equiv in Stats, Math, CS, or rel analytical field + 1 yr exp in data analysis or rel exp; OR Bachelor’s or equiv in Stats, Math, CS, or rel analytical field + 3 yrs exp in data analysis or rel exp. Must have exp working on data pipelines, incl ingestion, cleaning, transformation & automation. Must have exp w/ data analysis on lrg datasets. Must have exp w/ Python incl using pandas to process data. Must have exp w/ SQL along w/ working of relational dbase sys’s. Must have exp in using Microsoft Office Suite incl excel & ppt. Must have demonstrated knowl of fin’l instruments. Must have exp interacting w/ fin’l data vendor platforms like Bloomberg terminal. Must have exp w/ data visualization. Must pass co.’s req’d skills assessment. Employer will accept any amount of grad coursework, grad research exp or exp w/ req’d skills. Send resume to TS/HR Dept., Two Sigma Investments, LP, 100 Avenue of the Americas, 16th Fl, NY, NY 10013 or email resume to TS-Posting@twosigma.com & ref Job # 12567. LEAD ELECTRICAL COMMISSIONING ENGINEER NES Global, LLC Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time NES Global, LLC seeks Lead Electrical Commissioning Engineer to Support the Clients’ Commissioning team in the performance management of the EPC contractor, who with the assistance of a commissioning engineering contractor will be responsible for delivery of fully commissioned Assets in the United States of America. Must have a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and 60 months of experience in electrical commissioning or related occupations. Must have five (5) years working experience in the Electrical Commissioning field to include: 24V, 48V and 110V DC electrical equipment, 110V, 208V, 220V, 227V, 415V, 440V, 480V, 4.16kV, 6.6kV, 11kV, 13.8kV and 33kV AC electrical equipment, 50Hz and 60Hz power generation and distribution systems, and GE MS Frame and LM Gas Turbines. Must have four (4) years experience of MkV/MkVI controller operation with troubleshooting. Must have three (3) years working in an operating LNG Facility. Must have two (2) years experience programming and testing of Sepam, MultiLin, E300, T-sysT & L&T protection relays. Must have two (2) years of experience using the following softwares: Speedtronic, SFT, WinCC, Enervista & ControlLogix. Up to 75% domestic travel including offshore work in the Gulf of Mexico may be required. Job location: Houston, TX. Please send resumes to resumesupport@nesfircroft.co m and refer to Job ID#2323. PROJECT ENGINEER GAS PROCESSING Enerflex Energy Systems Inc. Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Enerflex Energy Systems Inc. seeks two (2) Project Engineer Gas Processing to lead all other Engineering Groups (process, instrumentation, controls, design & drafting, vessels and purchasing) in performing all tasks required to support the production of the final product. The position requires a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical or Mechanical Engineering and 36 months of experience in Project Engineering or related occupations. Must have 3 years of related industry experience. Must have 3 years of experience in process simulation with HYSYS or Promax software. Must have 3 years of experience with sizing and design of Pressure relief valves, blowdown valves, and flare systems. Must have 3 years of experience with design of gas processing units to include amine treating, dehydration, condensate stabilizer and cryogenic. Must have 3 years of experience performing Hydraulic calculation and line sizing. Must have 3 years of experience producing technical documents to include P&IDs, equipment data sheets, and cause & effects. Must have 3 years of experience with plant commissioning, startup and operation. Must have 3 years of experience sizing vessels and separators. Up to 20% domestic or international travel required. Job location: Houston, TX. Please apply to Job ID#1527 at https://jobs.enerflex.com AUDITING CLERK Ultimate Precision Tech, LLC Ed pref/See Below Houston, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Auditing Clerk wanted in Houston to compute, classify, and record accounting data to keep financial records complete.Req.: 2 yrs. exp. in job offered or similar position. Knowl. accting. syst. Quick books & auditing procedures. Mail resumes to: Ultimate Precision Tech, LLC 5829 W Sam Houston Pkwy. N. Ste 1007, Houston, TX 77041 Taylor’s International Svcs, Inc. Lafayette, LA HIRING EXPERIENCED STEWARDS, NIGHT COOKS, BAKERS & GALLEYHANDS Due to expansive growth,Taylor’s International Services, Inc. is looking for experienced offshore Stewards, Night Cooks, Bakers and Galleyhand personnel. Must have valid TWIC card and be able to pass a comprehensive pre-employment physical and background check. If you are looking foracareer, not just another job, come in at 2301 S. College Ext., Lafayette, LA 70508 Apply online at: www.taylors-international.com/careers Email resume to: hr@taylors-international.com Fax resume to: 337-269-5558 Taylors International Services, Inc. is an EEO/Affrmative Action Employer M/F/D/V

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 B9 TRANSPORTATION SUPERVISOR PLATINUM HOTSHOT LLC Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time TRANSPORTATION SUPERVISOR: Work Schedule: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Mon-Fri/ 40 hrs/wk. Wages: $71906.00/ Year. Supervise the work of office, administrative, or customer service employees to ensure adherence to quality standards, deadlines, and proper procedures. Review orders, schedules, shipping, or receiving notices to determine work sequences and material shipping dates, types, or destinations. Confer with customers, employees, contractors, or other personnel to exchange information or resolve problems. Assisting with any related issues that may arise. Resolve worker problems or collaborate with employees to assist in problem resolution. Provide feedback to the company’s leadership. Maintain or verify records of time, materials, expenditures, or crew activities. Prepare, compile, and submit reports on work activities, operations, production, or work-related accidents. Compute or estimate cash, payroll, transportation, personnel, or storage requirements. Plan and establish schedules. Associate degree in Business Administration/ Commerce, with 12 Months of experience as Transportation Supervisor. Special Skills or Requirements: 12 months experience in logistics, and customer service. Job Order # 16377045. Job Location: Houston TX. Send resume to: PLATINUM HOTSHOT LLC. 7111 Harwin Dr. STE. 255E Houston, TX. 77036. MULTIPLE POSITIONS East Freeway Truck Stop, Inc. Edu Req/See Below Channelview, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Multiple Positions at East Freeway Truck Stop, Inc. in Channelview, TX. Email resume to Zain Farooqi at zainfarooqi@hotmail.com for: Store Clerks to receive merchandise, accept payments and make change for customers in convenience store. Stock shelves, set up displays, promote sales. Record sales and reconcile accounts using company computer system. Education and experience required. Deli Cooks to prepare fast foods from menu of items offered at convenience store including hamburgers, hot dogs, fried chicken and sandwiches. Experience is required. Shift Managers to oversee truck stop operations; ensure inventory of groceries and gasoline; sell foods, groceries, and gasoline. Responsible for ordering, marketing, purchasing, and vendor dealings. Reconcile all accounts, prepare various reports and write payroll checks. Maintain inventory and equipment. Degree and experience required. Cashiers to operate cash register, receive merchandise, accept payments and make change for customers in convenience store. Stock shelves, set up displays, promote sales. Record sales and reconcile accounts using company computer system. Education and experience required. BUSINESS FINANCE MANAGER AG&P Americas, Inc. Edu Req/See Below Spring, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time AG&P Americas, Inc.; Business Finance Manager; Spring, TX will collaborate with Managing Director and the Director of Operations to monitor, analyze and improve business performance of operations; own the setup and maintenance of projects in accounting system in accordance with contract terms and accounting policies, including rate schedule and customer billing requirements during the project cycle from project initiation to project closeout. Must have a Bachelor’s degree, or foreign equivalent, in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or closely related field and3years of experience as an accountant or related occupation with a multinational company. Must have 3 years of experience working with multinational teams across country, cultural and organizational boundaries. Must have a CPA license. Apply for the ‘Business Finance Manager’ position at https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/ recruitment.html?cid=f5689c4a-4496-4d18-bfff 67a77a177d1e&ccId=273943701225_32582&lang=en_ US&selectedMenuKey=CareerCenter. ENG’G GROUP LEADER Doka USA Ltd. Degree required Tomball, TX See below for yrs. exp See below to apply Full-Time Doka USA Ltd. seeks an Eng’g Group Leader (Tomball, TX) to determine & plan tchncl sltns for all types of frmng prjcts. Req’s a Bach dgr in Civil Eng’g, Prjct Mgmt, or rltd &7yrs of exp in concrt frmng. Mst have the fllwng exp: readng blueprnts of various strctrs w/in the infrstrctr, hgh-rise, commrcl, institutional bldng sctrs; AutoCAD (Incl 3D), Tekla, Mathcad, RStab, Wrd, Excl, & PwrPint; static anlyss & calcs of cncrt frmng & shrng systms incl shrng, wall frms, singl-sided frmwrk, & clmbng pltfrms; frmwrk systms & assstng on job site w/ corrct assmbly&use accrdng to fld drwngs; tchncl knwl of concrt & steel material & stndrd mthds of frmng strctrs built out of concrt or cmbo of cncrt & Steel; dsgnng custm steel parts & shpng tmbrs for frmwrk applctn; creatng BOM based on frmwrk drwngs to prvd prcng and/or dlvry lists for prjcts; bldng mthdlgy & site lgstcs, incl cnstrction equip, bldng schdl, & site cnstraints; & dsgnng frmwrk systms for highrise & infrstrctr prjcts, such as hydraulically lftd frmwrk systms, suprstrctr brdge solutionns & Girder Caps. Up to 15% dome trvl req’d. Send resume to nicole.childs@doka.com & ref code EGLTX. INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER Piping Technology & Products, Inc. Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Required to design projects through the processes of planning, concept development and calculation for each project. Aid with design analysis, testing, evaluation, and implementation of project requirements. Required to provide project support by maintaining product documentation and supply bill of materials per project. Required to aid with Design and analyze pipe support for stress calculation, constant design and bellows design as well as perform sizing, selection and material take off for pipe supports. Coordinate with drafting dept. to ensure final drawings meet set standards. Work with Drafting Dept, Purchasing Dept, Vendors, Subcontractors, and Production Department to ensure each project is meeting its requirements and to prepare quotes for each project. Estimate production time and related costs to provide information for management decisions. Under direction of Operations Manager, Lead new product development projects to timely completion. Requires a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. Please Mail resumes to HR at Piping Technology & Products, Inc., 3701 Holmes Rd., Houston, TX 77051. SALES AND CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MASH ATM’s LLC Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time SALES AND CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE: Work Schedule: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, 40hrs/wk. Wages: $38,605/year. Answer customers’ questions about services, prices, availability, or credit terms. Handle customer’s complaints, provide appropriate solutions and alternatives within the time limits; follow up to ensure resolution. Compute and compare costs of services. Contact customers to discuss how services can meet their needs. Complete contract forms, prepare change of address records, or issue service discontinuance orders, using computers. Maintain customer records of customer interactions or transactions, recording details of inquiries, complaints, or comments, as well as actions are taken. Negotiate prices or terms of sales or service agreements. Determine charges for services requested, collect deposits or payments, or arrange for billing. Education: None. Experience: 12 months in Sales and Customer Service Representative. Job Order# 16552571 Job Location: Houston, TX. Send resume to: MASH ATM’s LLC. 7111 Harwin Dr. Ste 110A, Houston, TX 77036. COMPUTER SUPPORT SPECIALIST TURNKEY HOSPITALITY SOLUTIONS LLC Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Computer Support Specialist: Work Schedule: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Mon-Fri/ 40 hrs./wk. Wages: $ 65894 /year. Analyze science and other data processing problems to develop and implement solutions to complex application problems, administration issues, or network concerns. Use statistical tools to interpret data sets. Analyze data, research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs. Update software or enhance existing software capabilities. Read technical manuals, confer with users, or conduct computer diagnostics to investigate and resolve problems or to provide technical assistance and support. Troubleshoot datarelated issues. Must be proficient in programming. Associate degree in business/ commerce/ information technology with 24 months experience as a Computer Support Specialist. Job Order#:16529687 Job Location: Houston, TX. Send resume to TURNKEY HOSPITALITY SOLUTIONS LLC 3455 S DAIRY ASHFORD RD 180 HOUSTON TX 77082 HEALTH SOLUTIONS ACTUARIAL ANALYST Aon Consulting, Inc. Ed pref/See Below The Woodlands, Texas Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Aon Consulting, Inc. seeks a Health Solutions Actuarial Analyst in The Woodlands, Texas to conduct actuarial analysis. Reqs a Bachelor of Bus. Admin deg in Actuarial Sci or a rltd field + 1 yr of actuarial analysis exp. Must have at least 1 yr of exp in each of the following: Providing actuarial assistance for health & benefits underwriting; Reviewing group insurance contracts, agreements,&employee booklets; Assisting in analytic projects, incl pooling risk simulations & drugs utilization reviews; Assisting in collecting&completing input for fin’l models incl Incurred But Not Reported (IBNR) Claims models, Actuarial Value Plan Models, & Pricing Models; Collecting & submitting fin’l data for benchmarking projects; Utilizing MS Office, incl MS Excel & MS PowerPoint;&Organizing data&d/bases using MS Access & SQL. Local telecommuting available up to 2 days/wk HVAC DESIGNER/ENGINEER Davis Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc. Edu Req/See Below Stafford, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Davis Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc. in Stafford, TX seeks an HVAC Designer/Engineer to perform Light Commercial & Resid. Code Compliant & Func. HVAC Sys. Designs for Sales & Install. Ensure correct install. of performed HVAC Sys Designs. Perform tasks using a Commercial HVAC Load Program. Position reqs. Bach deg. in Mech. Engin, Civil Engin, or rel. field +5yrs of rel. exp. Emp.will accept any suitable combo of edu, trng, or exp. Position req. 5 yrs of exp. performing Commercial & Residential HVAC System Designs with the following HVAC Software Programs or skills: Wrightsoft Right-Suite Universal Software program; ACCA Manual J, S, & D; AutoCAD HVAC designs; Wrightsoft Right-CommLoad; Carrier Hourly Analysis Program; Trane Trace 3D+ or Trace 700; and, Fresh Air Calculation as per ASHRAE 62.1. Email resume to Thdavis@davisac.com. RISK ADVISOR, TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING - CYBER SECURITY (CYBER THREAT MANAGEMENT -VULNERABILITY ID) (MANAGER) (MULTIPLE POSITIONS) (1500883) Ernst & Young U.S. LLP Edu Req/ See Below Houston, TX Exp Req/ See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Risk Advisor, Technology Consulting - Cyber Security (Cyber Threat Management -Vulnerability ID) (Manager) (Multiple Positions) (1500883), Ernst & Young U.S. LLP, Houston, TX. Provide advisory services on technology risk and security to help clients protect themselves against cyber attacks. Requires travel up to 80%, of which 20% may be international, to serve client needs. Employer will accept any suitable combination of education, training, or experience. $145,900.00 per year. For complete job description, list of requirements, and to apply online, go to: ey.com/en_us/careers and click on "Careers - Job Search”, then “Search Jobs" (Job Number - 1500883). CIVIL DRAFTER Doan & Associates, LLC Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Civil Drafter needed in Houston, TX, to produce drawings, using computer-assisted drafting systems (CAD), drafting machines or by hand. Draft plans and detailed drawings for structures, installations, and construction projects. Coordinate structural, electrical and mechanical designs and determine a method of presentation to graphically represent building plans. Analyze building codes, by-laws, space and site requirements, and other technical documents and reports to determine their effect on civil designs. Draw maps, diagrams, and profiles, using cross-sections and surveys, to represent elevations, topographical contours, subsurface formations, and structures. Associate degree in Architecture, Civil Engineer or related field required. 40 hrs/week M-F, 9 am- 6 pm. Mail resumes to: Doan & Associates, LLC; Attn: Jimmie Doan, 10101 Southwest Freeway, Suite 375, Houston, Texas 77074. NETWORK ENGINEER Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.) Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full/Part-Time Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.) has the following positions in Houston, TX: Network Engineer: Perform new deployments and maintenance including upgrades, migrations, and decommissioning of network infrastructure. (ref. code REQ-2404- 135709: $137,218/year to $156,200/year). Individual pay is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus or equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base salary, Meta offers benefits. Learn more about benefits at Meta at this link: https://www.metacareers.com/facebook-life/be nefits. For full information & to apply online, visit us at the following website http://www.metacareers.com/jobs & search using the ref code(s) above. PORTS STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Lloyd Engineering Inc. Ed pref/See Below Bellaire, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Ports Structural Engineer: Dsgn small to large projects w/ a primary focus on structural, geotechnical & general civil dsgn elements of project. Dsgn projects ranging from general site layouts to complex structural dsgn. Possess detailed understanding of soil-structure interaction under gravity or lateral loading. Perform dsgn tasks to clearly illustrate constructible/practical plans, details & tech’l specs. Observe construction field to verify general conformance w/ contract docs. Produce docs such as studies/reports, dsgns, details, sketches, opinions of costs. Dsgn heavy industrial & port & harbor maritime related projects along w/ construction observation. Utilize the following s/ware: Staad Pro or SAP 2000, GROUP, LPILE, CWALSHT, AUTOCAD, Optimoor & Microsoft Office. Req Master’s in Civil/Structural Engg w/ 2yrs exp. Apply to: Lloyd Engineering Inc., 6565 West Loop South, Ste 708, Bellaire, TX 77401. Attn: HR. RESEARCH ANALYST (MULTIPLE OPENINGS) MPG Operations LLC Ed Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs exp./See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Will apply knowledge of mathematical modeling, derivatives, & options pricing to build fin’l tools. Salary: $150,000 - $200,000/year. Reqs a Master’s deg in Fin’l Engg, or a rltd quantitative field, + 3 yrs in a prof’l systematic trading occupation developing & applying complex mathematical & simulation models. Must include 3 yrs of exp w/ each of the following: model crude oil in pipeline flows, waterborne arbitrage, crude blending, & production; dvlp risk monitoring & back-testing; options pricing & modelling, incl vanilla options, calendar spread options (CSOs), & arbitrage (arb) options; Python & SQL; identify risks utilizing qualitative & quantitative methods through scenario analysis; VAR modelling; &, monitor portfolio exposures in real time, generate risk reports, & construct stress test scenarios. To apply please send resume to recruiting@mlp.com and ref job code 0382 when applying. SENIOR MANAGER, APPLICATION AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGY (MULT POS) PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services LLC Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Senior Manager, Application and Emerging Technology (Mult Pos), PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services LLC, Houston, TX. Hlp clnts dsgn approaches to idntfy & priortze emrgng techs that can hlp slve their bus prblms. Req Bach’s deg or foreign equiv in Bus Admin, Engg Mgmt, Info Sys, Engg, Comp Sci or rel + 6yrs rel wrk exp, of whch at least 5yrs mst be post-bach’s, progrssv rel work exp; OR a Master’s deg or foreign equiv in Bus Admin, Engg Mgmt, Info Sys, Engg, Comp Sci or rel + 4yrs rel work exp. 80% telecommtng permitted. Mst be able to commute to designated local office. Domestic &/or int travel up to 80% req. Please apply by sending your resume to US_PwC_Career_Recruitment@pwc.com, specifying Job Code TX4124 in the subject line. STAFF ELECTRICAL ENGINEER Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc. Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Exp Req/SeeBelow See Below to Apply Full-Time Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc. – Houston, TX – Staff Electrical Engineer – Perform electrical automation design of projects from the conceptual phase through design completion. Modify & review production drawings for a variety of projects including, but not limited to: power plants, process facilities, industrial facilities, healthcare facilities, airports, educational institutions, commercial, & governmental and military facilities. Req. BS+3/MS+2. Telecommuting allowed thirty (30) days per year. Domestic travel required up to 25% for internal meetings and client site visits. To apply: Qualified applicants please submit resume to www.burnsmcd.com/careers . Requisition ID 241195. EEO/Minorities/Females/Disabled/Veterans. ARCHITECT/ ASSOCIATE PROJECT MANAGER Goree Architects Inc (GAI) Houston, TX See Below To Apply Goree Architects Inc (GAI) is hiring for the following roles (Houston, TX): Architect - with construction document production & admin efforts; Associate Project Manager - Assist with project coordination & communication. Both roles work with PMs & production staff throughout life cycle of project while serving as the secondary POC for each project. Min Reqs: Bachelors in Architecture (or foreign equiv) & 4 yrs exp in architecture. Must have working knowledge with: Microsoft Teams, Newforma, Deltek Ajera, GoToMeeting, MS Office 365, MS Project & BambooHR & strong Revit experience. Send resume to HR, 5151 San Felipe, Ste 1700, Houston TX 77056 CONSULTING, SENIOR CONSULTANT Deloitte Consulting LLP Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Deloitte Consulting LLP seeks a Consulting, Senior Consultant in Houston, Texas & various unanticipated Deloitte office locations & client sites nationally, to drive software development and implementation services to address manufacturing, financial, human resources, customer relationship management, supply chain, and other business needs, utilizing SAP products. 50% travel required nationally. Telecommuting permitted. To apply CLINICAL RESEARCH COORDINATOR Premier Internal Medicine Associates of Houston PLLC Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Premier Internal Medicine Associates of Houston PLLC has one full time positions of Clinical Research Coordinator in Houston Texas M-F Duties include among other Discuss treatment plans, progress toward goals, communicate with other research team members, examine previous studies Gather data, interviews with patients and direct observation of patients. Examine current field research Conduct physical examinations Make hypotheses. Collect and analyze data Write articles Supervise the smooth operation of clinical trials. Monitor research participants. Bachelors in Human science or Medical Science or foreign degree Equivalent required. Mail Resume HR1331 West Grand Parkway South Suite 350-360 Katy Texas 77479. TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING, DIGITAL AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES – SALESFORCE.COM TECHNICAL ARCHITECT (MANAGER) (MULTIPLE POSITIONS) (1500519) Ernst & Young U.S. LLP Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Technology Consulting, Digital and Emerging Technologies – Salesforce.com Technical Architect (Manager) (Multiple Positions) (1500519), Ernst & Young U.S. LLP, Houston, TX . Provide clients with a unique business perspective on the need for continuing innovation to remain competitive. Travel required up to 50% of the time. Employer will accept any suitable combination of education, training, or experience. $144,420.00 per year. For complete job description, list of requirements, and to apply online, go to: ey.com/en_us/careers and click on "Careers - Job Search”, then “Search Jobs" (Job Number - 1500519). ERP SOFTWARE DEVELOPER Global Shop Solutions, Inc. Ed pref/See Below The Woodlands, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time ERP Software Developer. Create/modify/test/develop and enhance code/forms/script/modules of the company’s ERP software solutions based on customer requirements and business specifications. Develop appropriate software & ensure compatible hardware configuration to maximize resources. Configure and maintain important GSS ERP Menu updates. Customize & configure workflow to allow the integration of client/server applications. Design & architect software applications, etc. Master’s degree in Computer Science, Management of Information Systems, or Electrical Engineering required. Send resume to HR (REF2402), Global Shop Solutions, Inc., 975 Evergreen Circle, The Woodlands, TX 77380. FIELD SALES Alfa Laval Inc. Ed pref/See Below Houston, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Field Sales sought by Alfa Laval Inc. in Houston, TX to dvlp sustainable & profitable sales growth for Heat Exchangers Services in the U.S. by creating & executing a business dvlpmt plan. Min Req: Bach’s Deg in Engg or foreign equiv + 3 yrs of Sales Engineer exp w/ Heat Exchangers Services, & specifically w/ various Plate Heat Exchangers. 3 yrs of exp dvlpg sales proposals, estimates, specs, presentations for customers; prep’g accurate & thorough sales activity & forecast reports; providing mktg solutions for sales operations. Must be able to lift 25 - 100 lbs using product demos. Domestic travel 30% of time to meet customers, channel partners & internally. Send CV to Thanassi.Kyriacopoulos@alfalaval.com. MANUFACTURING SUPERVISOR Alegacy Equipment, LLC Ed pref/See Below Waller, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Manufacturing Supervisor sought by Equipment Fabricator and Packager, with exp. in the following i) handling all daily production activities, such as material handling, building, and maintenance of equipment and ii) providing guidance to manufacturing personnel to ensure continuous improvement of safety and quality, as well as training staff in maintenance procedures, preparation, and proper techniques and use of equipment and tools. Position requires knowledge in motor compressor parts. HS diploma (or foreign equiv.) + 2Y exp. in the job duties req. No travel or lang. fluency req. Please send resumes postal mail only to: Wilmer O. Reyes, President & Managing Partner, Alegacy Equipment, LLC, 1475 Alegacy Pl, Waller, TX 77484. OPERATIONS MANAGER Amshan Enterprises, Inc. Edu Req/See Below Rosenberg, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Operations Manager (Rosenberg, TX): Perform daily store management functions such as budgeting, accounting, & personnel work. Provide customer service & assistance. Coordinate w/suppliers & vendors to source new products. Assist employees engaged in sales & services for customers. Plan & prep work schedules & supervise employees. Train sales personnel. Review & monitor inventory stock & supplies. Maintain records of purchases & sale activities. Inspect merchandise to ensure correct pricing & displays. Reqs 36 mnths’ relevant work exp. Mail resumes to HR; Amshan Enterprises, Inc., 3206 Avenue R, Rosenberg TX 77471. RETAIL IT TECHNICIAN Alam Business LLC Edu Req/See Below Texas City, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Retail IT Technician Analyze retail sales, product margins, and costs for merchandise planners, buyers, and retail operations. Manage project activities to monitor cost and efficiency of workflow. Schedule and forecast fuel supply points with utilization of fuel management system. Work with the fuel vendors to ensure the setup of new contracts. Monitor and trouble shoot POS equipment and schedule maintenance as needed. Associates in Computer Science is req. Mail Resume: Alam Business LLC; Attn: S. Rahim, 8150 Emmett F Lowry Expy., Texas City, TX 77591. SENIOR ELECTRICAL ENGINEER Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc. Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc. – Houston, TX – Senior Electrical Engineer - Perform electrical design of projects from the conceptual phase through design completion. Modify & review production drawings for a variety of projects including, but not limited to: power plants, process facilities, industrial facilities, commercial, governmental & military facilities. Req. BS+7/MS+6. Telecommuting is allowed up to 30 days per year. Primarily Domestic travel up to 25% of the time is required for internal meetings, client & site visits. To apply: Qualified applicants please submit resume to www.burnsmcd.com/careers. Requisition ID 241297. EEO/Minorities/Females/Disabled/Veterans. SENIOR MACHINE LEARNING ENGINEER CGG Services (U.S.) Inc. Education - Unspecified Houston, TX Yrs of Exp -3years See Below to Apply Full-Time CGG Services (U.S.) Inc. in Houston, TX seeks a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to design, develop and deploy advanced machine learning models and algorithms to address critical business challenges. Must possess three (3) years of experience in the job offered or three (3) years of experience with machine learning or data science; expertise in programming languages such as Python and C/C++; understanding of machine learning algorithms, frameworks, and libraries; experience with cloud platforms, big data technologies, and distributed computing; and ability to stay current on industry trends and emerging technologies. To apply, please email resume to Job.Applications@CGG.com. Must refer to job code MLENG2023 on resume. SR. TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL - MECHANICAL KBR Technical Services, Inc. Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Sr. Technical Professional - Mechanical, KBR Technical Services, Inc., Houston, TX: Responsible for design, specification, selection & services relating to mechanical equipment such as rotating machinery, pressure vessels, atmospheric storage tanks, fired & unfired heat transfer equipment, utility equipment, packaged units, material handling & solids processing sys. 100% telecomm. permitted. May reside/work from anywhere in the U.S. Domestic travel required up to 15%. Please apply online at https://careers.kbr.com/us/en [“Find your next opportunity” search R2086735 & click “Apply Now” within position listing]. Should you have any difficulty in applying through our website, please contact Recruitment@kbr.com . DATA SCIENTIST Satori Labs Inc. Ed pref/See Below Sugar Land, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Data Scientist (Sugar Land, TX) Perform data cleaning to evaluate, clean & filter raw data. Analyze the cloud usage rate of various regions/industries. Mine & structure data from company operations to develop insights into the business. Present & explain complex info in an accessible way via advanced data visualization & storytelling methods. Bachelor’s degree. Two years exp.$48381/year.

B10 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM WAREHOUSE INVENTORY SPECIALIST Alegacy Equipment, LLC Ed pref/See Below Waller, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Warehouse Inventory Specialist sought by Equipment Fabricator and Packager, with exp. in: (i) engaging in inbound or outbound operations, such as transportation or warehouse activities, safety performance, and logistics quality management, (ii) performing inventory forecasting and projections to fulfill product or material demand, optimize inventory levels, and avoid overstock, and (iii) ensuring efficient flow of products within supply chain, providing accurate and timely order fulfillment. HS Diploma (or foreign equiv.) + 2Y exp. in the job duties req. No travel or lang. fluency req. Please send resumes postal mail only to: Wilmer O. Reyes, President & Managing Partner, Alegacy Equipment, LLC, 1475 Alegacy Pl, Waller, TX 77484. CFO TECH SOLUTIONS DIRECTOR HighRadius Corporation Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time HighRadius Corporation seeks CFO Tech Solutions Director to work in Houston, TX to lead the Digital Transformation team with consulting and technical backgrounds and play a key leadership role in helping expand the Company’s fintech footprint throughout existing customer base. Need Master’s degree in Engineering, Technology or Management (Computer Science) or related field of study plus five (5) years supporting fintech sales leads with technical consulting experience with fintech products including Order-to-Cash, Procure-to-Pay, or Record-to-Report. Upload resumes to https://www.highradius.com/about/careers/. Must put job code (RFF24-02) on resume. CONSULTING, SOLUTION SPECIALIST Deloitte Consulting LLP Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Deloitte Consulting LLP seeks a Consulting, Solution Specialist in Houston, TX & various unanticipated Deloitte office locations & client sites nationally to provide SAP software advisory and implementation services to help companies unlock the value of big technology investments as discrete services or comprehensive solutions. 15% travel required nationally. Telecommuting permitted. To apply visit apply.deloitte.com. Enter XB24C100461 in "Search jobs” field. EOE, including disability/veterans. ENGINEERING ADVISOR – TECHNICAL SERVICE TotalEnergies Petrochemicals & Refining USA, Inc. Edu Req/See Below La Porte, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time TotalEnergies Petrochemicals & Refining USA, Inc. seeks an Engineering Advisor – Technical Service to work in La Porte, TX. Assist clients with providing subject matter expertise for technical difficulties or questions in relation to Polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) grades and their specific attributes. 25-30% travel to customers in the United States and Canada. Submit resume to ustalentacquisition@totalenergies.com. Must put job code TEPRI.60072708 on resume and subject line. SENIOR GLOBAL APPLICATIONS ENGINEER National Oilwell Varco, L.P. Education: Bachelor’s Houston, TX Yrs. Exp: 5 years See Below To Apply Full-Time Senior Global Applications Engineer needed by National Oilwell Varco, L.P. in Houston, Texas to provide technical and applications engineering support for global operations, sales, and engineering teams by reviewing well designs, product application alongside hookup and procedures, running torque and drag analysis, swab and surge calculations, tubing stress calculations, and all related hydraulic calculations. Travel required. To apply, please email Rachel Echols, Senior Global Mobility Specialist, at corpexpatservices@nov.com and reference Job Number: 7310175. BOOKKEEPER (2 POSITION) MFK, LLC. SugarLand, TX See Below To Apply Work under direct supervision to compute, classify, & record numerical data to maintain financial records, assist in performing combination of routine bookkeeping duties. fwd Resume: Attn HR MFK, LLC P.O. Box 272224 Houston, Texas 77277-2224 CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Red Cedar Gathering Company Durango, CO See Below To Apply Provides construction management support, coordinates activities between Engineering, Operations, and third-party contractors for the construction of Red Cedar Gathering pipeline systems, compression facilities, and treating/dehydrator facilities. Project development for efficiency improvements. Quality assurance/control, monitors progress and contractor performance, safety, and cost control. Coordinates with Operations and Commercial. BS/BA in Engineering, Construction Management, or related w/ 10 yrs. exp; OR a high school diploma w/ 15 yrs. exp. Closing date: 5:00 pm 05/14/2024. For job details and to apply, visit: www.sugf.com CONSULTING, MANAGER Deloitte Consulting LLP Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Deloitte Consulting LLP seeks a Consulting, Manager in Houston, TX & various unanticipated Deloitte office locations & client sites nationally to manage information technology projects, including software development and implementation services to address manufacturing, financial, human resources, customer relationship management, supply chain, and other business needs throughout the enterprise, utilizing Oracle products. 50% travel required nationally. Telecommuting permitted. To apply visit apply.deloitte.com. Enter XB24C95981 in "Search jobs” field. EOE, including disability/veterans. JAVA SDET Global Force USA Inc Edu Req/See Bleow Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time JAVA SDET - Global Force USA Inc (Houston, TX) - Writing the Test Cases and testing the stories that the Squad is working on as per the User requirements. Min Reqs: Mstr’s in Comp Sci, IT Mgmt or reltd field. Must have completed grad level courses in object-oriented programming, java programming & internet apps, data modelling & implementation techniques, & software project mgmt/team. Must be willing to work at unanticipated locs throughout the USA. 50% trvl req’d. e-mail resume to: mel.warden@globalforce-us.com LICENSED SPECIALIST IN SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY Splendora Independent School District Edu Req/See Below Splendora TX. Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Licensed Specialist in School Psychology . Splendora Independent School District, Splendora TX 77372. Bachelor degree or its equivalent in Psychology. With Texas Licensed Specialist in School Psychology or Trainee Status Certificate/Letter for Specialist in School Psychology by Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologist. Send resume to: Brian Kroeger, Splendora Independent School District, 23419 FM 2090 Splendora, TX 77372 or apply at website: https://www.applitrack.com/splendoraisd/onlineapp/_application. aspx? OFFICE SUPPORT ASSISTANT Cyfair Pediatrics Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Greeting patients, answering calls, and scheduling appointments. Collecting patient information and updating medical records. Verify medical insurance information and enter details into electronic billing systems. Handling and transcribing medical records. Managing communications with doctors, patients, and third-party payers. Maintain and update filing, inventory, mailing and database systems using computers. No education or experience is needed. Full time permanent position. Salary $25,667; Send Resume: Attn: Carina Bui, 5627 FM 1960 Rd West Suite 100, Houston, TX 77069 SR. MANAGER, ECOMMERCE DELIVERY Conn Appliances, Inc. Ed pref/See Below The Woodlands, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Conn Appliances, Inc. in The Woodlands, TX seeks Sr. Manager, eCommerce Delivery. Responsible for sprint delivery of prod mngmnt backlog in coordination w/Product Mngmnt team. Reqs: BS or foreign equiv in Electronics Engnrng, Comp Sci, Comp Engnrng, or closely rltd field & 10 yrs in job offered or in service delivery, prod dvlpmnt, or tech project delivery role. Must possess 7 yrs eCommerce/Retail IT exp; & 5 yrs working in Agile environment. Exp with Retail org supporting Omni-Channel initiatives such as eCommerce, Web, & Mobile apps; & etc. Apply online: https://www.conns.com/careers TECHNICAL SALES ENGINEER Maddisoft LLC Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Technical Sales Engineer: resp for all tech stage of sales process. Determine approp tech to meet client’s reqs. Demonstrate to clients how to improve service & reduce costs using tech solutions ERP, IIOT, Industry 4.0 Tools, Smart & Connect Equip, AutoCAD, MS Office Suite, Remote Monitoring. Conduct mkt research. Perform analysis of cost & sales. Can work in office in Houston, TX or can work remote from any location. Telecommuting is allowed. Apply to Maddisoft LLC, 2900 Wilcrest Dr, Ste 405, Houston, TX 77042 or email to rmaddi@maddisoft.com CONSULTING, SPECIALIST LEADER Deloitte Consulting LLP Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Deloitte Consulting LLP seeks a Consulting, Specialist Leader in Houston, TX & various unanticipated Deloitte office locations & client sites nationally to Oversee the creation of innovative and transformative Cloud-based technology solutions that address clients’ next generational needs; create effective IT visions, strategies and roadmaps, in direct alignment and support of business and technology objectives. 50% travel required nationally. Telecommuting permitted. To apply visit apply.deloitte.com. Enter XB24C27721 in “Search jobs” field. EOE, including disability/veterans. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT LD Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. in Houston, TX seeks to fill the position of Continuous Improvement Ld to be responsible for facilitating continuous improvement process work sessions and leading teams through rapid improvement events to address strategic projects or value stream initiatives. International travel required 15% of the time. To apply, visit jobs.halliburton.com and enter #187304 in “search by keyword” field. If offered employment, must have legal right to work in U.S. EOE, including disability/veterans. FINANCIAL CLERK I Buy Beauty, LLC DBA Fastboy Marketing Ed pref/See Below Houston, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time FINANCIAL CLERK sought in Houston, TX. Requires 2 yrs. exp. on job offered. In lieu of the required exp., applicants with any suitable combination of education, training or experience, including Associate degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or Business Management, are acceptable. Respond by mailing resume only to: Ms. B. Lam. Must refer to (job T/H-#10),IBuy Beauty, LLC DBA Fastboy Marketing, 11011 Richmond Ave., Suite 900, Houston, TX 77042. INSTALLATION ENGINEER III FMC Technologies, Inc. Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time FMC Technologies, Inc. in Houston, TX seeks to fill the position of Installation Engineer III to perform hands-on assembly and pressure testing functions in the field alongside service technicians, provide technical input to RCAs and resolution of field non-conformances, and provide technical support and leadership for onshore personnel including operations coordinators, workshop manager and quality department. Domestic and international travel required 35% of the time. To apply, please email resume to NAM-Recruiting@technipfmc.com. Must reference job #6620.636.18. IN-STORE MARKETING ASSOCIATE Cellphone4us LLC Ed pref/See Below Houston, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Cellphone4us LLC - In-Store Marketing Associate - Provide staff and users with assistance solving computer-related problems; Change or rotate window displays or signage; Place prices or descriptive signs on backdrops, fixtures, merchandise, or floor; Assemble or set up displays or products in store space, using colors, pictures, or other accessories to display the product; Take photographs of displays or signage; and Use computers to produce signage. Candidate should have a HS Diploma or its frgn. equiv. 40hrs/wk. Resume: Ehsan Imam, 11200 Northwest Fwy #600, Houston, TX 77092. your next

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 B11 MEDICAL TRANSCRIBER Synergy Groups Medical, LLC Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Synergy Groups Medical, LLC in Houston, TX seeks a Medical Transcriber to read Charts and notes prepared by physician to prepare medical records for patients. Accurately transcribe and maintain records, list medical conditions, treatments prescribed, and medications recommended by physician. Maintain computer databank for facility subject to access and confidentiality rules. Certificate in Medical Transcription required. Mail resume to Synergy Groups Medical LLC, Attn: Hiring Manager, 10101 Bissonnet, Suite 105A, Houston, TX, 77036. OFFICE COORDINATOR MOMO & CO, LLC Ed pref/See Below Houston, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time MOMO & CO, LLC seeks an Office Coordinator in its 3403 W T.C. Jester Ste A-20, Houston, TX 77018 location to Resolve customer complaints; Review records; Research, compile, and prepare reports; Compute figures; Maintain records pertaining to inventory; and Coordinate or perform activities associated with shipping and receiving. Candidate should have a high school diploma or its foreign equivalent and twenty-four months of experience in the job offered. Mail Resume: Saima R Bhatti, 3403 W T.C. Jester Ste A-20, Houston, TX 77018. PRODUCT MANAGER Technical Toolboxes Powertools Inc. Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Technical Toolboxes Powertools Inc. in Houston , TX seeks a Product Manager to provide well-defined pipeline and petroleum engineering software product enhancements and new features for the Company’s proprietary portfolio of products. Responsible for the technical management of pipeline and petroleum engineering software products, ensuring the delivery of customized industry-specific solutions. Education and experience required. Send resume to Technical Toolboxes Powertools Inc., Attn: Stephanie Kaiser, 10370 Richmond Avenue, Suite 1150, Houston, TX, 77042. QUALITY INSPECTOR 5 Star Trading LLC Edu Req/See Below Houston Metro, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time 5 Star Trading LLC has one full time vacancy of Quality Inspector for its Business in Houston Metro area. M-F. Duties include Examine rags, reject products, mark items, grade and measure dimensions, quality control. Report to Manager. Associate plus 12 months experience in relevant field required. Mail Resume to HR at 5314 Scenic Orchard Richmond TX 77407. TECHNOLOGY HP Inc. Edu Req/See Below Spring, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time HP Inc. is accepting resumes for the position of Industrial Designer in Spring, TX (Ref. # 7520332). Designs the industrial design for physical hardware products and systems based on established design principles and in accordance with design strategy, practices, and guidelines. Telecommuting permitted. Annual Salary: $115,000.00/year to $145,000.00/year. Email resume to HP USA Jobs, jobshpusa@hp.com. Resume must include Ref. #, full name, email address & mailing address. No phone calls. Must be legally authorized to work in U.S. without sponsorship. EOE. CELL PHONE STORE REPRESENTATIVE Rock On Wireless LLC Ed pref/See Below Houston, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Rock On Wireless LLC - Cell Phone Store Representative - Respond to patrons while addressing questions about various products; Examine cell phone merchandise. Review inventory and sales records Confer with owners of the business to develop methods and procedures to increase sales. Candidate should have an Associates Degree in Computer Science or any Associates Degree. 40hrs/wk. Resume: Alym Lakhani, 5710 Fondren Rd, Suite D Houston, TX 77036. DENTAL LABORATORY TECHNICIAN Bahman Hakim DDS LLC Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Dental Laboratory Technician - Bahman Hakim DDS LLC (Houston, TX) - Creating accurate models of patients’ mouth and teeth from the Dentist’s moulds. Minimum Requirements: High School diploma or equivalent plus two years’ experience in the job offered. Must have 2 years of experience Designing replacement and alignment devices using computer-aided design (CAD), Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). e-mail Resume to: magicdentists1@gmail.com DEVOPS - RELEASE ENGINEER Schlumberger Technology Corporation Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Schlumberger Technology Corporation is seeking a DevOps - Release Engineer, in Houston, TX, to provide a stable framework for dev, deployment, audit & accountability for sftwr test & troubleshoot code before release. Min BS, or forgn ed equiv, in Comp Eng, Sftwr Eng, or other closely rel IT field + 3 yrs of post-bacc exp as a DevOps Eng or other closely rel DevOps role. For complete req’s, visit https://careers.slb.com/ , Job ID: 4754 BUSINESS/DATA ANALYST SBS Corp Edu Req/See Below Fulshear, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Business/Data Analyst – Fulshear, TX. MS in Comp. Sci., Engg., IT or clos. rel. 2 yrs bus. analyst or clos. rel. exp. req’d. Travel & reloc., as req’d. Mail CV to Attn: HR/Job #0320, SBS Corp, 5757 Flewellen Oaks Ln #704, Fulshear, TX 77441. ENGINEER I Ardurra Group, Inc. Ed pref/See Below Houston, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Engineer I, Ardurra Group, Inc., Houston, TX. Work on various engineering projects such as Traffic Control Plans, signals design, signal timing, signing, Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) design, Illumination design, and pavement marking design. Telecommuting permitted: remote work possible up to 2 days per week within a reasonable commuting distance from the Houston, Texas office. To Apply: Mail a resume to Shawn Handlovitch at 11750 Katy Fwy, Ste. 300, Houston, TX 77079. EOE. MANUFACTURING SUPERVISOR Kayden Industries (USA) Inc. Edu Req/See Below Conroe, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Manufacturing Supervisor, Kayden Industries (USA) Inc., Conroe, TX: Oversee day to day operations in the manufacturing of Kayden Centrifuges. International travel required up to 5%; Domestic travel required up to 5%. For complete job description, list of requirements, & to apply, go to: https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/ mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=2fb9cdb7-9e6e-4995-bc2b8afde45e2ac2&ccId=19000101_000001&jobId=492581&lang=en_US . MULTIPLE OPENINGS Azee Systems Inc Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time (Azee Systems Inc has multiple openings in Houston, TX) Software Engineer (Job Code 001): Design, dev., & impl. data-driven s/w solutions & efficient, scalable & supportable mission critical data-centric sys. Will work in various unanticipated client locations throughout the U.S. Req. BS in Comp. Sci., Engr., or related & 3 yrs exp. Send resume & refer to job title to Azee Systems Inc 7447 Harwin Dr, Ste 280, Houston, TX 77036 or hr@azeesystems.com. PRODUCT CHAMPION Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. in Houston, TX seeks to fill the position of Product Champion to work with the Product Development & Commercialization process of assigned mechanical engineering projects and coordinate the cross-functional resources required to realize the full value of a new product introduction and commercialization targets. To apply, visit jobs.halliburton.com and enter #187339 in “search by keyword” field. If offered employment, must have legal right to work in U.S. EOE, including disability/veterans. SENIOR PROCUREMENT SPECIALIST Kuraray America Inc Edu Req/See Below Houston TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Kuraray America Inc seeks a Senior Procurement Specialist in Houston TX to create and align purchasing strategy to meet the goals of internal customers and global businesses. Requires up to 20% domestic and intl travel. Need bachelor’s degree (or equivalent combination of educ and/or work experience) in supply chain mgmt, operations mgmt, or related field + 2 years’ experience in similar occupation. Apply: http://www.kuraray.us.com/careers/. SHIFT MANAGER 3NS Restaurant Group LLC., dba Frenchy’s Chicken Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time 3NS Restaurant Group LLC., dba Frenchy’s Chicken seeks a Shift Manager to oversee evening shift. Order supplies, arrange schedules, handle complaints. Keep accurate records of sales. Maintain safety and cleanliness of restaurant. Handle promotions. High School/GED and twenty-four (24) months experience in retail sales management required. Email resume to almedafrenchys@gmail.com SOFTWARE ANALYSTS Dataquad, Inc. Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Software Analysts, Houston, TX: Design, develop & modify software systems using UNIX, SQL, Oracle, PLSQL. Develop & direct software systems testing & validation procedures, programming, & documentation. Travel/relocate to various unanticipated U.S. locs. Send res to: Dataquad, Inc., 2000 S Dairy Ashford Rd, Suite 405, Houston, TX 77077. BILINGUAL TEACHER Splendora Independent School District Edu Req/See Below Splendora TX. Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Bilingual Teacher . Splendora Independent School District, Piney Woods Elementary, Splendora TX. Bachelor degree in any field or its equivalent in the US. With eligibility to obtain Texas Probationary/ Standard Teaching Certificate in Bilingual Education Supplemental Spanish (EC-6). Apply at website: https://www.applitrack.com/ splendoraisd/onlineapp/_application.aspx? BUSINESS SYSTEMS ANALYST Vortex Companies, LLC Ed pref/See Below Houston, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Business Systems Analyst: Vortex Companies, LLC; Houston TX 77060. Prvid guidnce dur’g eval o/a bus. requrmnt & how to meet w/out of the box configrtn or customztn. Req’s: Bachlr’s in Comp Sci or Info Technology +24 mos employ. exp in Comp Systems Analysts. Knwldg o/SalesForce or PowerQuery software. Demnstrbl ability in use o/data visliztion platforms RStudio. Email CV: bmalone@vortexcompanies.com DENTAL ASSISTANT, ORTHO. Nathan Nussenbaum DDS PLLC Ed pref/See Below Houston, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time Dental Assistant, Ortho.: Nathan Nussenbaum DDS PLLC; Houston, TX 77075. Respsbl for perform’g lmtd ortho. duties under supervsn o/Dentist, w/Ortho. cert., in patients w/vary’g ages. Reqr’s: H.S. diploma. Valid TX State Brd o/Dental Exminrs - TX Regr’d Dental Assist. certificate. Knwldg o/ortho techqs need’d to assist in diagns’s, prevntn, mngmt, & corrctn o/mal-positnd teeth & jaws, & maligned bite pattrns. Email CV: DrNathan@kleandental.com DENTAL HYGIENISTS HT Dentistry PLLC dba V Family Dentistry Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Bleow See Below To Apply Full-Time HT Dentistry PLLC dba V Family Dentistry seeks Dental Hygienists in Houston, Texas. Conduct initial patient screenings, clean teeth (i.e. remove plaque), and advise patients on oral health maintenance and preventative care. Associate’s degree in Dental Hygiene and Registered Dental Hygienist License required. Mail resume to ATTN: Michael Tran, 16427 W Little York Rd., Ste H, Houston, TX 77084. GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHER DRAW Academy Ed pref/See Below Houston, TX Yrs exp/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time General Education Teacher: DRAW Academy, Houston TX 77063. Plan &teach prgm for stud’ts that includ. gen. ed., Spec. needs, & emergnt biling. stu. in 4th-8th grd. Req’s: bachel’s frm accrdt Uni. no spec. field o/study. +12 mos emply. exp. as Elem. School Teacher. Valid TX Edu. Cert. from State Board Edctr Cert.: English lngg Arts & Read’g (grds 4-8). Fluency in the Spanish language. Email CV: fdonat ti@drawacademy.org MULTIPLE OPENINGS Kanshe Dayalu Enterprises Inc. Edu Req/See Below Katy, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Kanshe Dayalu Enterprises Inc. has multiple openings for the following position: Master’s only/equiv.: Big Data Developer (KBD24): Design big data solutions that leverage open source and cloud-base solutions. Mail resume with job ID # to HR: 2039 N. Mason Rd., Ste. 604, Katy, TX 77449. Reference job ID # KBD24. Unanticipated work site locations throughout U.S. Foreign equiv. accepted. PROJECT MANAGERS Preferred Engineering, LP Edu Req/See Below Nassau Bay, TX Exp Req/See Below See Below to Apply Full-Time PROJECT MANAGERS, Nassau Bay, TX: Review project proposal/ plan to determine time frame, funding limitations, procedures, staffing, & allotment of resources to various phases of mechanical and industrial engineering projects. Prepare project reports for management, client, or other stakeholders. Some local travel req’d. Send res to: Preferred Engineering, LP, careers@preferred-engineering.com QUALITY ENGINEER IV Daikin Comfort Technologies Manufacturing, L.P. Edu Req/See Below Waller, TX Yrs Exp/See Below Call/Fax/email/See Below Full-Time Daikin Comfort Technologies Manufacturing, L.P. seeks a Quality Engineer IV to work in Waller, Texas to be responsible for the continuous improvement of Daikin’s HVAC product quality and procedure adherence to ensure quality consistency. Apply online at https://careers.daikincomfort.com/. Must put requisition # ENGIN001999 on resume. S3D AUTOMATION SUPPORT Bechtel Energy Inc. Edu Req/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Bechtel Energy Inc. has an opening in Houston, TX for S3D Automation Support: Develop, maintain & Support SRD Product Group for Energy. Position requires a Bach degree or foreign equiv in Comp Sci or related Eng degree or a related field and 10 yrs of exp in any occupation in which the required exp was gained. Telecommuting is permissible. To apply, email resume to bechtelusjobs@bechtel.com & ref job #7328333. SENIOR AUDIT MANAGER TPS Thayer, LLC Edu Req/See Below Sugar Land, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time TPS Thayer, LLC seeks a Senior Audit Manager to work in Sugar Land, TX to be responsible for all the various phases of an audit engagement to assist both privately held and publicly traded clients as well as government, not-for profit, and 401K audit clients. 10% domestic and international travel required. Submit resume to Sid Nueno at SNueno@tpscpas.com. Must list Job ID AUD-PL202304 on resume. SR. PROGRAMMER/ANALYST III American National Group Services LLC Edu Req/See Below League City, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time American National Group Services LLC (League City, TX) seeks a Sr. Programmer/Analyst III to apply both technical concepts, skills and knowledge of internal policies and procedures to solve complex application development problems. Bachelor’s in Info Tech, Software Eng., or closely rltd field. + 5 yrs. exp. Must be able to work in various unanticipated locations throughout the U.S. To submit resumes, apply online at jobs.americannational.com. ACCOUNTANT M-M-R-C Health Management LLC Ed Pref/See Below Houston, TX Yrs Exp/See Below See Below To Apply Full-Time Accountant sought by MMRC Health Management LLC at Houston, TX. Please send CV to 7001 Corporate Dr., Ste 306A, Houston, TX 77036, attn.: HR. Q: I have hands-on work experience instead of a college degree and wonder if that is holding me back from progressing in my career. I am considering going to school to pursue a degree, but I don’t know about the expense or the time away from work. What are your thoughts about the experience of a degree? A: It is not an either/or answer with a degree(s) or experience instead, we are in a labor market on the verge of significant technological changes and labor shortages in some areas. Seeking a college degree is not necessarilyawrong decision. However, to make a good choice, you must spend some time on self-reflection and your work experience. Naturally, specific career fields demand more focused skills and more knowledge that requires a college or higher degree. You must meet certain educational requirements and pass state and national examinations to practice in some specialized areas. However, a college degree does not always guarantee success in your career. Some significant employers who once had a degree as a requirement to work in their organization have now reconsidered. Attending college is only sometimes the path for everyone. But acknowledging the contributions of your work experience is being recognized as significant. Soren Kaplan, Ph.D., is an awardwinning author who wrote Experiential Intelligence, Harness the Power of Experience for Personal and Business Breakthrough. This book takes a different approach by helping you understand how your life experiences add to your unique skills when pursuing a career. It has been over 100 years since IQ Intellectual Intelligence was introduced to assess Intelligence. In the 1990s, EQ, Emotional Intelligence, became popular in describing your ability to regulate emotions and use empathy to navigate work and personal relationships. Kaplan describes XQ, Experiential Intelligence, as a third component of assessing your experiences. XQ is the combination of mindsets, abilities, and the know-how you acquired from life experience that drives you to pursue your goals. One of the reasons Kaplan’s work is important is that it gives you more depth and understanding towards talking about your skills in a meaningful way that can be as significant as a degree. Employers are beginning to realize that Intelligence has a broader context, just as regulating your emotions helps you with leadership and working with others. In today’s fast-changing environment where technology is disrupting the labor market, bringing your Experiential Intelligence to the workplace can help you adapt and tap into a different way of solving problems — using your Intelligence developed out of experience. According to Kaplan, Your Experiential Intelligence exists on three levels, and understanding how your experiences have helped you develop certain mindsets can add to your career growth. The first level is the most tangible aspect — the know-how, which includes your practical knowledge and skills. The second level involves your abilities, which guide how you apply your knowledge and skills to use them most effectively. For example, how you use your ability to manage uncertainty during times of change. The third level is the mindset, which consists of your attitudes and beliefs about yourself, others, and the world. When you recognize self-awareness in your mindsets, abilities, and know-how, you grow your Experiential Intelligence. Taking it a step further, you increase your ability to control your career path when you understand what led to your mindset. Developing your Experiential Intelligence will help you become a better leader. When progressing in your career, think about how your hands-on work experience has given you the skills needed to help solve problems and contribute to the success of your employer. Pursuing a college degree can be a worthwhile goal because it exposes you to new ways of thinking, and you share a common bond with your classmates that can last throughout your career. But never discount that your life experiences will always enrich your career to help you stand out. Kimberly Thompson, M.Ed., is a national board-certified counselor and career coach. Send any questions you may have to kim@careerrescue.com or visit her blog online at the website HoustonChronicle.com/careers. Education background vs. your hands-on experience KIMBERLY THOMPSON Shutterstock

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Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images ‘Relentless mindset’ Kamari Lassiter’s work ethic helped him become one of the top corners in the nation, and it perfectly embodies the attitude DeMeco Ryans wants for Texans. C2 SPOR HOUSTONCHRONICLE TS .COM • SUNDAY SU , MAY 5, 2024 • SECTION C ND HHH AY KENTUCKY DERBY PHOTO FINISH Mystik Dan wins first leg of Triple Crown in dramatic fashion. PAGE C3 ASTROS QUIET NIGHT Lineup musters just three hits in shutout loss to Seattle. PAGE C4 UH YEAR OF CHANGE AD Chris Pezman discusses program’s present, future. PAGE C5

C2 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM TEXANS Sports Editor: reid.laymance@houstonchronicle.com • sptletters@houstonchronicle.com DeMeco Ryans couldn’t hide the excitement on his face even if he wanted to. When he made the phone call to Kamari Lassiter, he smiled wide. It was a natural smile, not forced. He was genuinely happy. “We’re fired up to have you. You excited to be a Texan or what?” Ryans asked Lassiter after Houston drafted him the 42nd pick on April 26. “Man, hell yeah, coach, I’m too ready,” Lassiter said. Ryans laughed. In Lassiter, Ryans found another player he believes fits exactly what he’s trying to build in Houston. A player who many say has that relentless mindset that Ryans models as the head coach. A player who will do anything it takes to win. It didn’t matter that some draft experts had other cornerbacks ahead of Lassiter — this was one of Ryans’ guys. Lassiter first met with the Texans’ staff at the NFL scouting combine in late February and early March. He had a formal meeting with the team there and later multiple times over Zoom. There was an immediate connection. “I really fell in love with the coaching staff, just by how wholesome they were,” Lassiter said last week. “I feel like they were someone I could click with and someone I could play well under.” Ryans said Lassiter’s passion showed up on film during the evaluation process. It showed up in how he played. Lassiter played three seasons at Georgia, won two national championships and became one of the team’s best and most consistent players. That’s why he was a no-brainer when the Texans were on the clock at No. 42. He’ll be another piece as Houston tries to build off its first playoff appearance in four years. “He can play inside, he can play outside,” Ryans said. “You just talk about a guy who is a leader, a guy who works hard. He’s everything that our team is about. “You talk about everything being relentless and attacking. With the relentless mindset every single day, that’s what Kamari brings.” The makings of Lassiter To understand how Lassiter came to this mindset, you have to first understand his upbringing. He wore a diamond chain in the shape of a lock and key on draft night. And though it was definitely flashy, there was meaning behind it. The chain was symbolic of who he is and who he represents.Written on the chain were the words “Locksmith Lassiter,” a nickname he gave himself because he prides himself on having things on lock, and K3, which represents the people who mean the mostto him in his family: Kammie, Kenneth and himself, Kamari. Kammie Carter, his mother, had Kamari when she was 19. She was a single mom in college and remembers wondering how she’d care for a child when she was just a kid herself. But she found a way. She raised Kamari as a single mom for most of his life. She said Kamari’s biological father was in his life for some time, but they eventually went their separate ways when Kamari was about 3 or 4. She had help from her mother, stepfather, aunts, uncles and siblings, which allowed her to re-enroll in school. “It truly takes a village,” she said. And she also worked three jobs because she wanted Kamari to have a great life. She worked at Walmart, a call center and a local grocery store at night while going to school. She later graduated and worked her way up in the finance industry. Kammie sent Kamari to private schools and stressed the importance of education. Lassiter took AP courses. He was on the honor roll every year. He made the dean’s list. He had a 4.4 GPA. School always came before football. And she demanded the best from her son because his only job was to do well in school. Carter admits she was a strict parent. But that was with reason. Savannah, Ga., was rough, she said. “I was a single parent trying to raise a young Black man in America, so I had to be tough on him,” said Kammie, who later met and married Kenneth Carter, who became an integral part in Kamari’s life. Kamari fell in love with football at an early age. He first started playing the sport when he was four years old. His mother was looking for an activity to harness her son’s energy. He’d be bouncing off the walls, she said, when he came home from school. So she reached out to a good friend, who is also Kamari’s godfather. He recommended she sign Kamari up for the Savannah Stars football team. When they pulled up to the first game in their car, Kamari opened the door before the car could even park. He loved it immediately. And he was good, too. Kamari told his mom and his pediatrician one day at a doctor’s visit that he wanted to play in the NFL. They warned him of the odds and told him he’d have to work hard. Carter said she noticed how her son internalized those words. As he got older, he worked hard on the football field. He was always one of the best. The family moved to Tuscaloosa, Ala., when Kammie got a promotion. That’s where Kamari’s football career took off. Never backed down When Chris Smelley, the head coach of American Christian Academy, and Brian Newton, the offensive coordinator, first met Lassiter in the summer of 2017, he was fairly tall and skinny for a 14-year-old at about 5-foot-7 and 125 pounds. “Skinny, skinny,” Smelley said. But Lassiter had ambitions. His goal was to play in the SEC, his mother told the coach. Smelley had played in the SEC as a quarterback at South Carolina for three years before transferring to Alabama to play baseball. He knew how tough it was and how often people dream of playing there. “In my mind, I was thinking, ‘Yeah, so does everybody else,’ ” Smelley said. But it became apparent early on that Lassiter was different. For one, he was extremely intelligent. Smelley and Newton said Lassiter scored a 21 on the ACT as an eighth grader and later improved the score to a 28, which is considered an above-average score for the college admissions test. His intelligence helped him learn the playbook, football schemes and helped him diagnose plays a lot quicker than his peers. Second, he was physical. He didn’t believe in just making the tackle. He wanted to punish ball carriers. He wanted to make them feel it when he hit them. He wanted it to hurt. And third, he was extremely competitive. He hated to lose reps. Even as a freshman going up against upperclassman, he was never scared of a challenge. In fact, he embraced it. And he always thought he should win those reps. “A lot of kids shut it down when they know they are going against someone who is more advanced than them,” Newton said. “But not (Lassiter). No, he would challenge you right in the face. That made him who he was. He didn’t back down.” When college coaches visited ACA to recruit his best friend Cam Jeffrey, who was in the same grade, and not Lassiter, he took that as a challenge. One day,former NFLrunning back Cadillac Williams, then an assistant coach at Auburn, came to visit Jeffrey. Lassiter was happy for his friend, but he still wondered, “Why did they want Cam and not him?” So Lassiter started to focus more. He put more effort in the weight room, and by the time he was a senior, he was 5-11 and 185 pounds of muscle. “It was like a light switch went off in his head,” Newton said. “Don’t get me wrong, Kamari and him were best friends, but knowing Cam was getting the attention, the competitive spirit took over.” Lassiter, who played both offense and defense, became an all-state receiver. He was also a shutdown corner and the team’s best player. He’d dominate other prospects at summer recruiting camps. And soon, all the top schools were asking for Lassiter, who ended his high school career a four-star recruit. Smelley remembers talking to former Alabama coach Nick Saban after a Crimson Tide recruiting camp. Saban told him that Lassiter stood out above all the players at the camp because of how he looked him in the eye, took to coaching and how he picked up on everything. Alabama made him an offer later that day. It was one of his many offers. Georgia Tech also wanted him. Vanderbilt made an offer. And so did Clemson and Georgia. They all came after him hard. He chose Georgia. Kamari’s motivation The first time Fran Brown met Lassiter, the latter was a sophomore at Georgia. Lassiter had been recruited by one defensive backs coach, who left before he arrived at Georgia, had played for another coach during his freshman year, and here was Brown, his third position coach in three years. So their first meeting didn’t exactly get off to the best start. Lassiter wasn’t exactly sure of Brown, who said the sophomore was trying to feel him out and wasn’t completely listening. “I remember our first conversation, I’m saying something, and he’s like, ‘Oh aight.’ I said ‘Hey,I’m not asking if you agree, do what the (expletive) I said to do,” Brown, now the head coach at Syracuse, said with a laugh. “He knew I was serious, and I said, ‘I’m going to earn your trust by the time we spend together.’ “We spent so much time together over two straight years, and he became one of the better players I’ve ever coached.” Brown didn’t care if Lassiter liked him, but he wanted to him to know he cared. Every day,they had voluntary meetings from 7-7:25 a.m. Kamari would pick up his younger teammates at 6:45 a.m. and bring them to the football facilities. They went over film and what they did right and what they did wrong in games. They went over technique, scheme, their opponents. They’d figure out ways to gain an edge. Lassiter would also encourage his fellow defensive backs to come to the meetings. If they’d fall asleep, Lassiter would wake them up. “He was on them,” Brown said. “I remember him taking a young corner and making him sit next to (Lassiter) in all the meetings, and if that kid would Perry McIntyre/ISI Photos via Getty Images New Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter, pictured left with Georgia last season, didn’t allow a touchdown to be scored against him last season. ‘EVERYTHING OUR TEAM IS ABOUT’ Ultra-competitive cornerback Lassiter is the epitome of what second-year coach Ryans wanted in the draft By Jonathan M. Alexander • STAFF WRITER Texans continues on C3

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COMHHH SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 C3 LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The 150th Kentucky Derby produced one of the most dramatic finishes in its storied history — three noses at the wire. Mystik Dan desperately fought to hang on with two challengers coming to him in the closing strides. He did,too, after a delay of several minutes while the closest threehorse photo finish since 1947 was sorted out. That year, Jet Pilot won by a head over Phalanx, who was another head in front of Faultless. This one was much tighter. Mystik Dan, an 18-1 shot, edged Sierra Leone by a nose, with Forever Young another nose back in third on Saturday. Sierra Leone was the most expensive horse in the race at $2.3 million. Long shots Track Phantom and Just Steel led the field through the early going, with 3-1 favorite Fierceness racing three-wide just off the leaders. At the top of the stretch, everything changed. Track Phantom drifted off the rail, opening a hole that Hernandez squeezed Mystik Dan through, and the bay colt suddenly found another gear. He quickly opened up a daylight advantage on the field. “When he shotthrough that spot, he was able to cut the corner and I asked him to go for it,” Hernandez said. “He shot off and I’m like, ‘Oh man, I’ve got a big chance to win the Kentucky Derby.’ ” To Mystik Dan’s outside, Sierra Leone and Forever Young took up the chase in the middle of the track. As Mystik Dan sped along the rail, Sierra Leone lugged in and bumped Forever Young three times in the stretch, but jockey Ryusei Sakai didn’t claim foul. Mystik Dan got so close to the rail that Hernandez’s boot struck it. “ButIthink we can buy another pair of boots,” he said. The winner’s share of the record $5 million purse was $3.1 million, with the jockey and trainer typically earning 10% each. “Just a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant jockey and ride,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “Brian is one of the most underrated jockeys, but not anymore, right?” Sierra Leone, the second choice at 9-2 odds, and Forever Young from Japan came up just short at the wire in front of 156,710 at Churchill Downs, the largest crowd since 2018. “You get beat a nose in the Kentucky Derby, it’s a tough one,” said Chad Brown, trainer of Sierra Leone. “But I’m so proud of the horse.” It was just the 10th Kentucky Derby decided by a nose — the closest margin in horse racing — and the first since Grindstone edged Cavonnier to wear the garland of red roses in 1996. The crowd waited several minutes in the heat and humidity as the result was reviewed by the stewards and declared official. “The longest few minutes of my life,” Hernandez said after he and Mystik Dan walked in circles while the stunning result was settled. “To see your number flash up to win the derby, I don’t think it will sink in for a while.” Fierceness finished 15th in the field of 20 3- year-olds. Owner Mike Repole is 0-for-8 in the derby. He had the favorite in 2011 with Uncle Mo, who was scratched the day before the race with an illness. Last year, Forte was scratched the morning of the race as the favorite with a bruised foot. Mystik Dan ran 1 1 ⁄4 miles over a fast track in 2:03.34 and paid $39.22, $16.32 and $10. Hernandez and McPeek had teamed for a wire-to-wire win in the Kentucky Oaks for fillies on Friday with Thorpedo Anna. McPeek is the first trainer to sweep both races since Ben Jones in 1952. McPeek’s only other victory in a Triple Crown race was also a shocker: 70-1 Sarava won the 2002 Belmont Stakes — the biggest upset in that race’s history. The colt spoiled the Triple Crown bid of War Emblem. The winning owners are cousins Lance and Brent Gasaway and Daniel Hamby III, all from Arkansas. They bred Mystik Dan. “We’ve done it with what I call working-class horse,” McPeek said, explaining the colt’s sire and dam weren’t big names. Sharilyn Gasaway, Brent’s wife, said, “It is surreal for sure. We feel like we’re just ordinary people and we’ve got an amazing horse.” Sierra Leone returned $6.54 and $4.64. Forever Young was another nose back in third and paid $5.58 to show. Catching Freedom was fourth, followed by T O Password of Japan, Resilience, Stronghold, Honor Marie and Endlessly. Dornoch was 10th and then came Track Phantom, West Saratoga, Domestic Product, Epic Ride, Fierceness, Society Man, Just Steel, Grand Mo the First, Catalytic and Just a Touch. KENTUCKY DERBY Mystik Dan holds on for win Late charge by two other horses leads to victory by a nose, the race’s closest margin in decades By Beth Harris ASSOCIATED PRESS Kiichiro Sato/Associated Press Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. rode Mystik Dan to a narrow win over Sierra Leone and Forever Young in the 150th Kentucky Derby. try to fall asleep, he’d pop him in the head with a pen, tell him to take notes. Tap him in his chest, and tell him, ‘Nah, come on, bro. You’re the future.’ ” Lassiter was one of the Bulldogs’ leaders and one of their better players — on a team filled with future NFL players. It showed on the field, too. The Bulldogs won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and ’22 with Lassiter playing a key role. He was a starter on the 2022 team. He was often tasked with taking away the opposing team’s best receiver. His best season was his final one at Georgia. Lassiter allowed only 136 passing yards while in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus’ advance stats, which was the lowest figure among FBS cornerbacks with a minimum of 350 coverage snaps in 2023. He allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete only 38.5% of their passes when he was in coverage, the second-lowest figure among all FBS cornerbacks with minimum of 350 coverage snaps. And he didn’t allow a single touchdown last season. So when Lassiter went in the second round, Brown was actually shocked. He said he thought his star pupil would go in the first round. One of the knocks against Lassiter was his speed. He ran a 4.64 in the 40-yard dash at his pro day, which likely hurt his stock. But Brown said if you have concerns about Lassiter’s speed, look at the film. “Just look at what happened last year,” he said. “Everybody we played in the SEC, when they went up against Kamari Lassiter, those stats dropped. Every person. There’s not a guy that got off on him.” Against LSU in the conference championship game two seasons ago, Lassiter was targeted once whenlinedup againstMalik Nabers, the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft. He didn’t allow a catch, according to PFF. Against South Carolina last season, Lassiter was targeted twice when lined up against Xavier Legette, the No. 32 pick. He allowed Legette to make one catch for minus-3 yards. Against Alabama in the SEC championship game last season, Lassiter was targeted once when lined up against Jermaine Burton, the No. 80 pick in the draft. He didn’t allow a catch. “With all due respect to everyone else, he was the best corner on the team for two years,” Brown said. “One of the best football players on defense, period.” Brown said Lassiter’s biggest motivation is his mother, Kammie. He doesn’t want to let her down. If his grades were slipping, all Brown would say was “Do you want me to call your mom?” “ ‘No, no, no coach, I got it. Just give me one more week, I got it,’ ” Brown recalled Lassiter saying. “He was scared. He didn’t want her to be upset with him, and he turned those grades around so fast.” They had a saying whenever Brown thought Lassiter wasn’t completely locked in. Brown would tell Lassiter “The home team,” and he knew what it meant. His family members back home, from his mother to his grandparents and stepfather, were counting on him to be a good man, Brown said. He’d lock back in. ‘Ultimate competitor’ Kammie Carter says she didn’t realize her son had a future in football until his freshman year at Georgia. She knew he could play. She had watched him dominate competition in high school. But SEC? NFL? It never really registered. “When he committed to Georgia,I was always like, ‘what is he going to do there?’ ” his mother said with a laugh. “I did not think Kamari was going to play football. I thought he might have been the water boy or something like that. “I did not know that this kid could play at that high level. When he first touched the field and he’s out there giving hits, and all this other stuff, I’m like, ‘OK, if (Georgia coach) Kirby Smart trusts him, then OK, he can do this.’ ” Lassiter loves football. He loves everything about it. His mother said after games, the family would have dinner together, and Lassiter would be on his phone watching the film, breaking it down. He’d watch play after play. He’d rewind it back and watch it again. And that’s led him here: The Texans’ first pick in the 2024 draft. When asked if he felt he could play nickel and what Texans fans were getting in him, Lassiter said he feels he can play anywhere in the secondary. “Wherever the coaching staff needs me, I feel like I can go out and play and do it at a high level,” Lassiter said, before responding to the next question. “Texans fans, you are getting someone who is the ultimate competitor, someone who is a real-life dog, someone who hates to lose, hates losing more than he loves winning. “Someone who will stop at nothing to be successful.” That’s exactly what Ryans was looking for. TEXANS From page C2 HOW THE RACE WAS WON Horse Wt. PP 1 ⁄4 1 ⁄2 3 ⁄4 1M Str. Fin. Jockey Odds Mystik Dan 126 3 8-1 1 ⁄2 6 1 ⁄2 4 1 ⁄2 1 1 ⁄2 1-2 1-nose Brian Hernandez Jr. 18.61 Sierra Leone 126 2 181 ⁄2 17-11 ⁄2 16-head 8-1 3-1 2-nose Tyler Gaffalione 4.79 Forever Young 126 10 16-21 ⁄2 16-21 ⁄2 15-1 7 1 ⁄2 2-head 3-13 ⁄4 Ruysei Sakai 7.03 Catching Freedom 126 4 15-head 13-head 13-head 6 1 ⁄2 5-1 1 ⁄2 4-43 ⁄4 Flavien Prat 8.47 TO Password 126 9 171 ⁄2 18-1 18-head 11-head 7-1 1 ⁄2 5-11 ⁄4 Kazushi Kimura 48.20 Resilience 126 18 7-head 81 ⁄2 8 1 ⁄2 2-head 4 1 ⁄2 6-5 Junior Alvarado 31.85 Stronghold 126 17 5-1 4-head 6-head 4-head 6-2 73 ⁄4 Antonio Fresu 35.55 Honor Marie 126 7 19-11 ⁄2 20 20 10-head 8-1 1 ⁄2 8-neck Ben Curtis 14.90 Endlessly 126 13 20 19-head 19-1 15-1 1 ⁄2 15 1 ⁄2 9-41 ⁄4 Umberto Rispoli 48.83 Dornoch 126 1 131 ⁄2 121 ⁄2 14-1 13-head 12-1 101 ⁄2 Luis Saez 22.91 Track Phantom 126 11 1-head 1-head 1 1 ⁄2 3-head 9-1 1 ⁄2 11-4 Joel Rosario 41.58 West Saratoga 126 12 61 ⁄2 7-2 7-1 14-head 14-1 12-head Jesus Castanon 22.93 Domestic Product 126 14 14-head 14-2 12-head 17-head 17-2 1 ⁄2 13-1 Irad Ortiz Jr. 24.17 Epic Ride 126 20 4-2 51 ⁄2 5-head 9 1 ⁄2 13 1 ⁄2 143 ⁄4 Adam Benschizza 47.57 Fierceness 126 16 31 ⁄2 3-11 ⁄2 3 1 ⁄2 5-1 10-1 15-8 John Velazuez 3.21 Society Man 126 19 91 ⁄2 111 ⁄2 11-head 16-1 1 ⁄2 11-head 16-11 ⁄4 Lanfranco Dettori 47.41 Just Steel 126 6 2-head 21 ⁄2 2-head 12 1 ⁄2 16-1 1 ⁄2 17-31 ⁄4 Keith Asmussen 21.27 Grand Mo the First 126 15 12-1 15-head 17-1 19-1 18-1 18-33 ⁄4 Emisael Jaramillo 49.32 Catalytic 126 5 10-head 91 ⁄2 10 1 ⁄2 20 20 19-131 ⁄4 Jose Ortiz 34.82 Just a Touch 126 8 111 ⁄2 101 ⁄2 9-head 18-2 1 ⁄2 19 1 ⁄2 20 Florent Geroux 11.57 Source: Equibase

C4 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HHH HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM ASTROS Jose Altuve arrivedatthe plate in Friday’s seventh inning with a chance to deliver another critical swing in a career full of them.Ninety feet away stood Jake Meyers, the potential go-ahead run in a game the Astros had evened with an eccentric rally. A crowd of 33,796 at Minute Maid Park hummed in hopes of the type ofmomentthatproved so elusive in this team’s miserable first month. Altuve, surprisingly, typified the Astros’ lack of timely hitting during it. He had four hits in 21 at-bats with a man in scoring position ashe cameupFridayto faceMariners relieverGabe Speier. The left-hander started him with a wide fastballandasliderover the plate. Altuve took both. Speier then tried a fastball well above the strike zone, and Altuve sprung a surprise. The pitch arrived near shoulder-height to Altuve, who still bunted it up the third-base line. Josh Rojas did all he could, making a barehanded pickupand firing a throwto firstbase that arrived too late. Altuve hit the bag with his arms spread in a “safe” motion that umpire QuinnWolcott matched. Meyers scored, the decisive run in a 5-3 win for anAstros teamshowing signs of awakening. “I sawthe third baseman a little back, and Jake Meyers on third is a pretty fast runner,” Altuve said later. “I felt like we needed this game. And it was a mustwin for us. So I wanted to take the chance.” The play epitomized a pivotal seventh inning for Houston, one that again illustrated the type of approach its lineup has struggled to deploy. The Astros entered Friday’s series opener against first-place Seattle with the majors’ third-highest batting average but ranked 15th in runs per game,their19th-ranked OPS with men in scoring position a primary factor. Before Thursday’s game against Cleveland, manager JoeEspada voiced a need for his offense to “remind ourselves who we are, what has made us successful. And it’s that we control the strike zone, we swing at strikes, we hit balls hard and we pass the baton.” A five-run seventh inning against the Guardians offered an example. Friday, theAstrosdisplayedanother. Houston sent 10 men to the plate and scored four runs while hitting just one ball out of the infield. Five hitters drew walks. Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman drew three in a row, with Bregman’s forcing in a run. Mauricio Dubón produced a flyball witha runner on thirddeep enough for a sacrifice fly that tied the game. Altuve had one of two infield singles. “Altuve,instincts,”Espada said. “Runner on third, third baseman’s playing back,base hit, steals second base. That’s Houston Astros baseball. That’s what we need to continue to do.” Seattle starter George Kirby held Houston to one run over six innings. The right-hander entered with 38 strikeouts and four walks in six starts. The Astros countered his precision with aggression, swinging at 50 of 88 pitches he threw. It produced just four hits and zero walks. Upon his exit, the Astros met Seattle’s bullpen with a string of determined plate appearances. Jeremy Peña drew an eight-pitch walk to open the seventh. Meyers later worked a pinch-hit walk. Altuve arrived with two outs, affording his squeeze attempt little margin for error. According to MLB, Altuve sprinted up the firstbase line at 31 feet per second. His average sprint speed entering Friday was 27.7 feet per second, according to Baseball Savant, which considers anything above 30 feet per second elite. Altuve used another burst two pitches later to steal secondbase,the 300th stolen base of the second baseman’s career. Only fourplayersinMLBhistory have amassed 2,000 hits, 200 home runs, 400 doubles and 300 steals with a career batting average of .300 or better: Willie Mays, Paul Molitor, Derek Jeter and Roberto Alomar. Altuve may now join them; his career average after Friday’s game sat at .308. “He’s like a fine wine,” said Peña, whose average sprint speed of 29.8 feet per second ranks in the upper echelon of major-league players. “He keeps hitting these 31son the speed tracker. He’s still got it.” A night after they combined to go hitless in four at-bats with men in scoring position Thursday, Alvarez and Bregman contributed to two rallies. Alvarez, who entered the game hitless in 17 straight at-bats, lined a double against Kirby in the fourth inning. Bregman, who entered batting .200, singled to move Alvarez to third. Peña’s slow groundball scored him. Alvarez arrived in the seventh inning with one walk in his last 66 plate appearances. Bregman, dropped from the No. 2 lineup spot to the cleanup spot Friday, came up with one walk in his last 43 plate appearances, a striking number for one of the game’s most discerning hitters. Both entered Friday with thehighest chase rates of their careers. Alvarezdrewafive-pitch walk from Speier, who ceded to right-hander Cody Bolton. Bregman worked a seven-pitch walk, taking a borderline pitch for ball four, to force in the inning’s final run. “I think we’ve been talkingabout,we’renotlooking for any heroes,” Altuve said. “We’re looking for guys to get on base to score runs. And that’s what we did tonight.” The Astros played the tauter game against aMariners team that stymied them at Minute Maid Park last season, winning six of sevenmatchups.Itleft their record at 12-20 but sustained thenearestthing to a pushoftheir season to date. Houston claimed its fifth win in six games and its first when trailing after six innings. “The level of confidence rises when you start playing good baseball,” Espada said. “And that’s what happens through a long season. Sometimes you start going through stretches where you question yourself. But we’ve just got to continue to remind ourselves how good we are when we play our style of baseball, doing the little things well. And when we do that we’re a really, really good team.” Altuve typifies patient approach at plate By Matt Kawahara STAFF WRITER Karen Warren/Staff photographer Jose Altuve’s bunt single scored the decisive run in Friday’s 5-3 win over the Mariners. UP NEXT ASTROS VS. MARINERS When/where: 1:10 p.m. Sunday at Minute Maid Park. TV/radio: SCHN; 790 AM, 93.3 FM (Spanish), 1010 AM (Spanish). Friday’s game Astros 5, Mariners 3 Seattle AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Rojas 3b 4 0 3 0 0 0 .338 Rodríguez cf 4 0 1 0 0 0 .270 Polanco 2b 4 1 1 1 0 3 .183 Haniger rf 3 0 0 0 1 0 .211 Raleigh c 4 0 0 0 0 0 .208 France 1b 3 0 0 0 1 1 .245 Garver dh 3 0 0 0 1 2 .138 Raley lf 3 1 1 0 0 1 .224 b-Urías ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .143 Moore ss 3 1 1 2 0 1 .203 Totals 32 3 7 339 Houston AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Altuve 2b 4 1 1 1 0 0 .348 Tucker rf 3 0 0 0 1 1 .283 Alvarez dh 3 1 1 0 1 1 .246 Bregman 3b 3 0 1 1 1 0 .204 Peña ss 3 1 0 1 1 1 .325 Diaz c 4 1 2 0 0 0 .291 Singleton 1b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .255 Loperfido lf 2 0 2 0 0 0 .364 a-Meyers ph-cf 1 1 0 0 1 1 .222 Dubón cf-lf 3 0 0 1 0 0 .282 Totals 30 5 7 455 Seattle 001 020 000—3 7 1 Houston 000 100 40x—570 a-walkedfor Loperfido in the 7th. b-struck outforRaley in the 9th. E—Raleigh (2). LOB—Seattle 5, Houston 7. 2B—Alvarez (4). HR—Polanco (5), off Blanco; Moore (2), off Blanco. RBIs—Polanco (13), Moore 2 (6), Peña (13), Dubón (14), Altuve (12), Bregman (11). SB—Altuve (7). SF—Dubón. Runners left in scoring position—Seattle 1 (Raleigh); Houston 3 (Peña 2, Diaz). RISP—Seattle 0 for 3; Houston 2 for 6. Runners moved up—Peña, Singleton. LIDP—Rodríguez. DP—Houston 2 (Peña, Singleton, Peña; Peña, Altuve, Diaz, Tucker, Diaz, Tucker). Seattle IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Kirby 6 4 1 1 0 3 88 3.76 Thornton, H, 3 1/3 1 2 2 1 0 16 2.70 Speier, L, 0-1, BS, 0-1 1/3 1 2 2 3 0 23 2.45 Bolton 1/3 0 0 0 1 1 12 1.74 T.Miller 1 1 0 0 0 1 14 2.08 Houston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Blanco 6 5 3 3 2 6 94 2.09 Martinez, W, 2-2 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 1.96 Pressly, H, 4 1 2 0 0 0 1 17 5.27 Hader, S, 3-4 1 0 0 0 1 2 22 5.93 Inherited runners-scored—Speier 2-2, Bolton 3-1. WP—Pressly. Umpires—Home, Adrian Johnson; First, Quinn Wolcott; Second, Junior Valentine; Third, Ramon De Jesus. T—2:36. A—33,796 (41,000). Mariners 5, Astros 0 Seattle AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Moore ss 3 0 0 0 2 1 .194 Rodríguez cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .269 Polanco 2b 5 1 2 0 0 0 .193 Garver dh 5 0 2 1 0 2 .152 France 1b 4 2 2 0 0 0 .255 Haniger rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 .212 Raleigh c 4 1 1 2 0 1 .210 Urías 3b 4 1 1 1 0 1 .154 Haggerty lf 3 0 0 0 1 0 .000 Totals 36 5 10 4 3 6 Houston AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Altuve 2b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .338 Tucker rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .274 Alvarez lf 3 0 2 0 1 1 .256 Bregman 3b 2 0 0 0 2 0 .200 Peña ss 3 0 1 0 0 1 .325 Diaz dh 3 0 0 0 0 1 .283 Singleton 1b 3 0 0 0 0 1 .241 Loperfido cf 2 0 0 0 1 0 .308 Caratini c 3 0 0 0 0 0 .262 Totals 27 0 3 047 Seattle 010 112 000—5 10 0 Houston 000 000 000—0 3 1 E—Singleton (1). LOB—Seattle 8, Houston 4. 2B—Polanco (1), Garver 2 (6). HR—Urías (3), off Valdez; Raleigh (7), off Valdez. RBIs—Garver (8), Urías (8), Raleigh 2 (15). SB—Haggerty (1). Runners left in scoring position—Seattle 6 (France, Raleigh, Garver 3, Moore); Houston1 (Peña). RISP—Seattle 2 for 13; Houston 0 for 2. Runners moved up—Polanco, Raleigh, France. GIDP—Polanco, Raleigh, Caratini, Bregman, Diaz. DP—Seattle 3 (Urías, Polanco, France; Urías, Polanco, France; Moore, France); Houston 2 (Altuve, Peña, Singleton; Peña, Altuve, Singleton). Seattle IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Gilbert, W, 3-0 8 2 0 0 4 6 96 1.69 Saucedo 1 1 0 0 0 1 10 2.25 Houston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Valdez, L, 1-1 5 1/3 9 5 5 1 3 91 3.97 Scott 2/3 0 0 0 1 2 15 1.88 Bielak 3 1 0 0 1 1 31 4.96 HBP—Valdez (Rodríguez). WP—Valdez. Umpires—Home, Quinn Wolcott; First, Junior Valentine; Second, Ramon De Jesus; Third, Adrian Johnson. T—2:25. A—34,205 (41,000). One of baseball’s most fearsome sluggers arrived for his first at-bat Saturday night and squared to bunt. Yordan Alvarez is mired in a mini-slump, but that made his decision no less of a surprise. The ploy worked. Alvarez pushed a bunt to the third-base side and legged out a single. It also proved a harbinger, however, of just how difficult the Astros would find generating offense on this night. Logan Gilbert, the lanky Mariners right-hander, wove eight scoreless innings against them at Minute Maid Park, silencing their lineup with speed, sliders and splitters. FramberValdez could not match him, even against a struggling Seattle offense. And the Astros fell 5-0 in the second game of this threegame series. Alvarez’s bunt single came with two outs in the first. Gilbert did not surrender another hit until Jeremy Peña lined a oneout single in the seventh. He scattered four walks and struck out six. Houston put two runners into scoring position against him. Neither advanced beyond second base. “He’s got really good stuff,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “He’s got the explosive fastball, he’s got the slider. If you don’t get him in the zone, he’s a really tough guy to hit. And we just expanded the zone today against him. But he’s got some really good stuff. You have to tip your hat to him.” Gilbert and George Kirby, the Mariners’ starters in the first two games, combined to allow one run in 14 innings. Bryce Miller will carry a 2.04 ERA to the mound in Sunday’s finale. The Astros counter with Hunter Brown, with a chance to win a third consecutive series. Houston is 12-21. Gilbert worked efficiently. He walked four but erased three runners with double plays. He avoided sharp contact. Astros hitters averaged an 83.2 mph exit velocity on 17 balls in play against him. Peña’s single followed a walk to Alex Bregman, putting a rare runner into scoring position and offering a crowd of 34,205 a reason to stir. Gilbert promptly quieted it. He spun a first-pitch slider that Yainer Diaz grounded into an inning-ending double play. Houston was shut out for the second time this season, offering no support to Valdez, who allowed five runs in 5 1 ⁄3 innings in his second start back from in injured list stint for elbow inflammation. Mariners hit Valdez A sound approach for right-handed hitters against Valdez is to try to take his sinker to the opposite field. An all-righthanded Seattle lineup, including three switch-hitters, employed it to effect. Six of the Mariners’ nine hits against Valdez went to the opposite field. Ty France lined a curveball down the right-field line for a single in the second. Valdez hung another curveball to Mitch Haniger, who lined it to left and moved France to third. He scored on a double play. In the fourth, Jorge Polanco doubled to the right-field corner and scored when Mitch Garver doubled to the gap in right-center. Luis Urías crushed a sinker 420 feet to straightaway center in the fifth inning, the first home run against Valdez this season. The second came aninning later. France opened the sixth with a single to right field. Two batters later, Cal Raleigh drove a full-count cutter 390 feet over the wall in left-center. Valdez didn’t face another batter. “I think they executed the plan that they wanted to execute,” Valdez said through an interpreter. “And I fell behind some hitters, so I think that affected me as well.” Seven of the nine hits Valdez allowed came in two-strike counts. Hitters were just 6-for-28 against the left-hander in twostrike counts in his first three starts. Three Mariners struck hits after falling behind 0-2. Opponents are 8-for-17 with four doubles after falling behind 0-2 against him this season. “I thought he threw the ball really well,” Espada said. “I think the story is just we couldn’t get much going offensively.” Seattle hitters averaged a 95.5 mph exit velocity on 20 batted balls in play against Valdez. The Mariners have proved a difficult recent matchup for him. Valdez owns a 7.08 ERA in 20 1/3 innings in his last four starts against them. Small ball Alvarez took a page from Jose Altuve’s book in Friday’s four-run seventh inning, bunting for a hit in his first at-bat Saturday. It was the third bunt hit of Alvarez’s major-league career, per Baseball Reference. Alvarez awoke ranked in the bottom sixth percentile of major-leaguers in average sprint speed this year. Alvarez had another infield single in the ninth and is 3 for his last 23. He owns a .250 average and .769 OPS, the latter down from .982 onApril14.Espada expressed optimism Saturday afternoon that Alvarez’s line-drive double a day earlier was an encouraging sign. “Even great hitters go through stretches when they feel like they’re not going to get a hit ever again,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Dude, you’re one of the best in the game.’ But after hehitthat ball hard, and he pulled it the way he wanted to pull that ball, it made him feel like, you know what, I’m close.” MARINERS 5, ASTROS 0 Hits hard to come by in loss By Matt Kawahara STAFF WRITER Kevin M. Cox/Associated Press Shortstop Dylan Moore, right, and the Mariners kept the Astros off the bases for most of Saturday’s game, which Seattle won 5-0 to keep its half-game lead over the Rangers for first place in the AL West.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 C5 UH Q&A WITH ATHLETIC DIRECTOR CHRIS PEZMAN SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — As he sat in the lobby of a posh resort last week, athletic director Chris Pezman reflected on the changes the University of Houston has undergone in the nearly 12 months since joining the Big 12 Conference. Fittingly, perhaps, the Hyatt Regency at Gainey Ranch was in midst of a massive renovation as the league’s three-day spring meetings were held in suburban Phoenix. The same can be said for UH’s athletic department as it continues to evolve to life in the Power Four. Pezman spoke with the Houston Chronicle in a wide-ranging interview, touching on topics ranging from construction projects at TDECU Stadium, name, image and likeness, the early returns of new football coach Willie Fritz, how the hefty buyout paid to former coach Dana Holgorsen has left a cashstrapped budget, the successes of Year 1in the Big 12 and outlook for the future. Q: How is construction coming with upgrades to the west side of TDECU Stadium? Pezman: I don’t want to jinx us, but we are in a really good place. Our crew is working to get ahead so that — you can’t ever make up days with weather — but the project is going really well. The super structure steel is up for the video board so you can see what the mass is, and the steel is going in on the rest of the building so you can understand the size of it. The precast, which is the concrete that will go out for the club seats, starts going in mid-May. Daktronics starts installing the video board in the next couple weeks. We’ll start seeing the video board operational sometime at the beginning of July. Q: How many suites have been sold? Pezman: Ten of the 13 suites are already sold, and we have signed contracts. We’ve got three we are holding onto that we have people inquiring about. We expect those to be gone by the fall. Q: When will the project be completed? Pezman: It will all be ready for fall 2025. The video board (which at160 feet in width will be the largest in the Big 12) will be up and working during the football season. Construction will continue but the main concourse (in the west end zone) will still be operational on game day. The end zone in that back parking lot is obviously gone, but we accounted for making sure the building is fully operational for game day in the fall. Q: Any updates on the adjacent Memorial Hermann Football Operations Center under construction? Pezman: We should have some new renderings that we’ll probably share in the next week. Q: How do feel like first season in the Big 12 has gone? Pezman: There is so much change going on that it’s hard to (focus) on any one thing. You think about the transfer portal, NIL and then going into the Big 12 all happening at once, so it’s been really nice being in a room where we are making decisions about what the future of our industry is going to be like. That’s really rewarding. Overall, I think it’s gone really well for us. Principally, I think the biggest thing is just the fans coming back and how excited they are and knowing we are just going to build off that, especially when we get football going. Q: How were meetings last week at the Big 12 spring meetings with the additions of the Four Corner schools and departure of Texas and Oklahoma? Pezman: It’s a good group of athletic directors. There are some hard decisions that are being made right now, but at the end of the day, it’s a good group of people and they’re just trying to figure it out which is nice. The difference between where we were is, here, everybody is trying to grow. Not that everybody wasn’t trying to grow before, but everybody’s ambitions maybe weren’t the same. We always had P5 ambitions and maybe somebody else wasn’t, so now you’re in a room and I’m trying to kick your (butt). At the same time there’s a lot of collegial respect. Q: What has the Willie Fritz effect been with the football program since he was hired in December? Pezman: It’s real. It’s not a knock (from previous coach Dana Holgorsen) but there’s a social engagement and just a different demeanor with the way that he reacts with people and how contagious that is. Obviously, we are worried about winning football games, but how that spawns off to the staff in the building. The way he interacts with the academic staff; he knows everybody’s name. Within 30 seconds of talking to him you realize he knows five people in your life and vice versa. But also from the donor community, season-ticket holders, everybody is like, ‘This is our guy.’ Everybody is rallying around him, and I can’t wait for us to get through some of the transition pains. When we look up in two to three years, we’re going to be really, really happy with where we are. Q: You mentioned fans coming back, how has Fritz influenced that? Pezman: He’s embraced it. We did an alumni reception (during the weekend of the Red & White spring game). Normally we’d get about 50 guys to show up and we had overall 200. We had dudes in there that I knew that I hadn’t seen in a long time. I’m talking years. When those guys come out to practice, he makes sure he recognizes all the former lettermen and all the high school coaches that attend practice. It’s not anything that takes any effort but it’s that little touch. That’s what makes people feel so excited to come back. Q: The school has a summer tour coming up to different parts of the state and locally, featuring yourself, Fritz and Kelvin Sampson. What’s the message you want to send? Pezman: The sure will of what Kelvin did to get us where we are … his energy, his stubbornness, is what has turned us into who we are. How do we replicate that everywhere else. We’ve got a lot of people that we’ve lost. I would tell you the group that we’ve got to reconnect with is the 30-to-55-year-olds. That’s the group that was astrodome to moving back on campus, but we didn’t renovate yet and we didn’t win a freaking thing. We just kind of lost them. That’s the group now that has earning potential that needs to come back, come to a game, and then turn into season-ticket holder or donor. We’re starting to find them. Q: “Donor fatigue” is a term being used, not just at UH but around college athletics. How do you avoid putting so much weight on one small group when asking for money, whether it’s for the Football Operations Center, NIL, RISE campaign or other initiatives? Pezman: One of the things that NIL has been interesting for us where we have a unique advantage and we are capitalizing on, most of our NIL money is corporate money. When you go look at other schools in our league or adjacent conferences, almost all their NIL is donor funded. Where we have a chance is we have Mattress Mack or John Daspit, very important businesses like that, or Jamal Shead getting a deal with Exxon Mobil. You can’t do that at other places. We have access to that money or that market. That’s where we have a chance, particularly with NIL and sponsorships, that we have to be a lot more savvy. There are marketing dollars, but there’s also community dollars and outreach dollars that they have available to them. We have to be savvy enough to find ways to tap into that. One of the things we have to do is unify all our revenue efforts. We have some deals out there that are pending that are seven figures that if we land it takes that burden off our donors. There’s always going to be that need but we have to be smart with the way we ask them for help because it has to be sustainable. Right now this whole model isn’t, particularly as we talk about student-athlete compensation, we have to be a lot more thoughtful about spreading out the asks. At the same point we’ve got to go where the money is and people that want to help. Q: What’s the biggest challenge right now for the athletic department? Pezman: Our biggest challenge right now, honestly, is money. We’re trying to catch up to a lot of other schools that have had greater resources for decades. I would tell you right now we’ve got a pretty big hole to fill. We’re trying to figure out a way to either manage our business better or enhance new revenue streams. Everybody chases the same things: self-generated revenue, ticket sales, donations, multimedia rights, those are the main ones. We’ve been way behind on that. If you look at UCF and Cincinnati, we are about $10 million behind them on self-generated revenues. There’s not any reason for it. We could make excuses all day long, but until we meet or exceed that we’re failing and that’s on me. Q: How do you close that gap? Pezman: You’ve got to continue to grow the season ticket base. Obviously, we saw a huge spike last year, first year in the Big 12, obviously the Texas game was a big part of that. Our whole goal is to maintain those numbers, don’t regress. We want to get where we are 33,000 to 35,000 season tickets sooner than later. Q: With UH not receiving a full media share until 2025- 26, where does your total budget currently stand? Pezman: We’re at the $95-$97 million range for this year. Our goal is to get to the average ($120- $125 million) as soon as we can. We have to figure out ways to do that in a challenging environment with NIL. That’s the challenges. That same dollar used to go to us, now it’s to the kids, a million different ways, capital projects. It’s a very difficult problem that nobody has figured out the solution yet. Q: What type of impact has the $14.8 million buyout for former football coach Dana Holgorsen had on the athletic department? Pezman: It’s impactful. We’re carrying it on our books. I’ve got to solve it. It affects us how we move forward. I knew we had lost our momentum, and to see the response that we’ve gotten with Willie it justifies the decision. It was really expensive, and it was really painful for a lot of reasons. We want it to work. We have to make it work. But you also have to be smart enough to realize when it’s not and move on. (The school is currently on the hook for roughly $300,000 in monthly payments through the 2027 season). It’s a lot of money. It’s a heavy number. When we hired Dana we were still on the outside (Group of Five) looking in. We were trying to prove that we were investing and that athletics is important to us. We needed to do something like that. I don’t want to say to make a statement, but it was proof of commitment. Dana is a good coach. It just didn’t work. Q: How much has the belt tightening limited what you can do? Pezman: I would tell you 95% of our budget is locked. It’s scholarships, meals, insurance, game guarantees, salaries. It’s not like I can walk in and lay off a thousand employees and make it up. It limits our ability to do further investments in other areas that we want to invest in. In the long run it’s going to even out, because I think the success that we’ll find in short order with football will offset it. Q: How would you sum up what UH has achieved in Year 1 in the Big 12? Pezman: We’ve had some pretty amazing highs, obviously men’s basketball, volleyball, swimming, men’s and women’s golf. Then we’ve had some sports that I expected us to do a lot better. I think our staff responded, our fans responded, our game-day environment, particularly football and basketball, people felt that we were a bigtime program. Obviously, we’re not satisfied and need to continue to grow. All in all, I think it’s been a really good first year. It’s rare when you can come in the league and win the Big 12 championship in men’s basketball, the toughest league in the country. That’s pretty special. I don’t take that for granted. CHALLENGES IN SIGHT Money, navigating the NIL landscape and Big12 growing pains among the issues facing UH By Joseph Duarte STAFF WRITER Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer Chris Pezman spoke about the early returns from hiring new football coach Willie Fritz. UH athletics A rendering of the new UH football ops building, which is expected to be open in the fall. UH athletics A rendering of the new UH locker room. The facility is scheduled to be finished in the fall.

LEADERS’ SCORECARDS EAGLE BIRDIE BOGEY DOUBLE BOGEY HOLE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 OUT 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 TOT PAR YARDS 520 371 158 413 456 573 414 221 418 3, 544 421 417 377 533 190 521 175 382 442 7,002 PAR 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 3 4 36 4 4 4 5 3 5 3 4 4 72 Scott Dunlap 4 4 3 4 4 6 4 2 5 36 4 4 3 5 3 4 3 4 4 70-135 -9 Stuart Appleby 4 3 2 4 4 5 4 3 3 32 4 4 3535 3 4 4 67-136 -8 Joe Durant 5 3 3 4 3 5 4 3 4 34 4 444 2 4 4 4 4 68-136 -8 Steven Alker 5 4 2 4 4 6 3 3 4 35 4 4 4 5 3 4 2 4 4 69-137 -7 Thongchai Jaidee 4 5 2 4 4 6 3 4 3 35 4 4 4 4 3 5 3 4 5 71-137 -7 9 under Scott Dunlap.........................................................32-33—65 Y.E. Yang...............................................................35-30—65 8 under Thongchai Jaidee..................................................34-32—66 7 under Timothy O’Neal.....................................................35-32—67 Rod Pampling .......................................................35-32—67 6 under Mike Weir...............................................................35-33—68 Joe Durant.............................................................33-35—68 Steven Alker ..........................................................34-34—68 Miguel Angel Jimenez ..........................................34-34—68 Jeff Maggert..........................................................35-33—68 5 under Stuart Appleby .....................................................35-34—69 Darren Clarke.........................................................34-35—69 Marco Dawson ......................................................35-34—69 Bernhard Langer...................................................37-32—69 Dicky Pride.............................................................36-33—69 4 under Padraig Harrington ...............................................33-37—70 Woody Austin .......................................................35-35—70 Billy Mayfair...........................................................36-34—70 Stephen Ames ......................................................36-34—70 Mark Calcavecchia ................................................35-35—70 Chris DiMarco ........................................................35-35—70 Scott McCarron .....................................................35-35—70 Tom Pernice...........................................................36-34—70 Charlie Wi ..............................................................36-34—70 3 under Brian Gay................................................................34-37—71 Tim Herron.............................................................35-36—71 Ken Tanigawa........................................................36-35—71 Billy Andrade .........................................................36-35—71 Shane Bertsch .......................................................37-34—71 Olin Browne ...........................................................36-35—71 K.J. Choi.................................................................36-35—71 Clark Dennis...........................................................35-36—71 Paul Goydos...........................................................37-34—71 Jerry Kelly...............................................................35-36—71 Jesper Parnevik .....................................................36-35—71 John Senden..........................................................34-37—71 2 under Paul Broadhurst....................................................36-36—72 Bob Estes...............................................................35-37—72 Corey Pavin............................................................34-38—72 Cameron Beckman...............................................35-37—72 Glen Day ................................................................36-36—72 Lee Janzen.............................................................36-36—72 Robert Karlsson ....................................................36-36—72 Rob Labritz............................................................37-35—72 Larry Mize ..............................................................37-35—72 Gene Sauers ..........................................................37-35—72 Duffy Waldorf .......................................................37-35—72 Ken Duke ...............................................................36-36—72 Ernie Els .................................................................36-36—72 Richard Green........................................................37-35—72 Mark Hensby .........................................................35-37—72 Colin Montgomerie ...............................................37-35—72 Vijay Singh.............................................................37-35—72 Retief Goosen........................................................37-35—72 Wes Short..............................................................37-35—72 Even Justin Leonard.......................................................34-39—73 Scott Parel.............................................................38-35—73 David Duval...........................................................37-36—73 Heath Slocum.......................................................39-34—73 Kevin Sutherland..................................................35-38—73 1 over Tim Petrovic ..........................................................40-34—74 David Toms............................................................38-36—74 Arjun Atwal ...........................................................39-35—74 Paul Stankowski...................................................36-38—74 Esteban Toledo.....................................................38-36—74 Ricardo Gonzalez ..................................................39-35—74 2 over Jay Haas ................................................................38-37—75 John Huston ..........................................................41-34—75 Mario Tiziani..........................................................38-37—75 Brett Quigley .........................................................37-38—75 4 over Thomas Bjorn .......................................................39-38—77 Paul McGinley .......................................................40-37—77 Kirk Triplett............................................................38-39—77 Boo Weekley .........................................................37-40—77 John Daly...............................................................39-38—77 8 over Fred Funk ..............................................................38-40—78 SATURDAY’S FIRST ROUND C6 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM GOLF McKINNEY — Taylor Pendrith has been here before — holding or sharing a lead after three rounds on the PGA Tour. The Canadian was one of six among the top 10 on the leaderboard seeking a first tour victory at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Pendrith chipped in twice for consecutive eagles to kick-start an 8-under 63 on Saturday for a one-shot lead over second-round leader Jake Knapp. “I have no idea,” Pendrith said when asked if he’d ever had back-toback eagles, which came on the par-5 fifth and par-4 sixth holes as he finished at 19-under 194. “I don’t think so. Maybe a first.” It was the third time on the PGA Tour this season, and vaulted him ahead of Knapp. Pendrith’s lead was two before Knapp birdied the par-5 18th for a 67. Ben Kohles (65) and first-round leader Matt Wallace (67) were two shots off the lead, one stroke ahead of Alex Noren and Kelly Kraft, playing near his Dallas home at the TPC Craig Ranch in the suburb of McKinney. Troy Merritt, the only two-time PGA Tour winner among the top 10, shot 70 and was at 14 under with three others, including one-time winner Kevin Tway. The son of 1986 PGA Championship winner Bob Tway shot 64, while Vince Whaley and Byeong Hun An each shot 66. Wallace and Knapp, a rookie won won the Mexico Open in February, are the others with PGA Tour victories. Pendrith settled for second from the top of the third-round leaderboard at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2022. He was in the same position at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship earlier that season before a 76 left him in a tie for fifth. “I think just stay patient and play my own game and don’t get ahead of myself,” Pendrith said. “Make as many birdies as you can, because I think it’ll take a low one tomorrow.” Pendrith was working on a low one after a 26- foot chip shot rolled around the hole and went in, then a 41-yarder bounced about 25 feet from the hole and rolled in with almost perfect speed. Koepka on top at LIV Singapore Brooks Koepka, looking for his fourth victory on the LIV Golf circuit, shot a 7-under 64 on Saturday to lead by three strokes after the second round in Singapore. Rain delayed the start of play by several hours in steamy Singapore with the round finishing near dusk. Koepka was at 12-under overall at the Sentosa Golf Club. GOLF Pendrith fires an 8-under 63 to take lead at Byron Nelson W IRE REPORTS THE WOODLANDS — Scott Dunlap followed a morning round of 7-under 65 with an afternoon round of 2-under 70 to take a one-shot lead at the rain-delayed Insperity Invitational. Dunlap bogeyed his final hole — the ninth atThe Woodlands Country Club — to tighten the leaderboard. Joe Durant and Stuart Appleby are one shot back at 8 under. Defending champion Steven Alker and Thongchai Jaidee are two shots back. After Friday’s first round was rained out by the storms that hit the area, thePGATour Champions event scheduled a 36-hole day Saturday. “Just a long day,” said Durant, who had a pair of 4-under 68s. “I’m just amazed we were able to play quite honestly with the amount of rain we’ve had. Hope we get to play one more round, but we’ll see. Mother Nature wins every time.” The forecast for Sunday includes a 55% chance of thunderstorms early and another round of rain around noon.By getting in 36 holes on Saturday, the tournament is official. Two tournaments earlier this year have been shortened to two rounds. Durant had a three consecutive birdies on Nos.13- 15 — two par fives with a par three in the middle — to make his run but bogeyed No. 16. “I played very solid,” Durant said. “I hadn’t been playing well the last month, but I’ve been working on a few things and it is starting to come together. I hit the ball really nicely, missed a couple of short putts for the day which might be the difference, but all-in-all, very pleased with how I played. Itis just a long day. You are battling all day and just got to keep going, keep trucking and just see what happens.” Dunlap and Y.E. Yang each shot 65s in the morning round, but scores were higher in the afternoon. Yang shot 75 and is tied for ninth at 4 under. Langer’s return Playing 36 holes in one day probably wasn’t the best for Bernhard Langer, who was playing his first tournament since he tore his Achilles while playing pickleball at home in Florida. Langer said his doctors told him the recovery would be at least four months, but he made it back sooner to play in The Woodlands, where he has won four times. Wearing a size 10 shoe on his right foot and a 10 1 ⁄2 on his injured left foot, Langer opened with a 3- under 69. But on his second 18 holes, he dropped to 74 and was at1under going into Sunday’s final round. “That (36 holes) is exactly whatI didn’t need, so I’m thrilled that I made it through but it wasn’t easy,” Langer said. “I was hoping for flat lies, but I was up on tee boxes and down off the tee boxes, in and out of bunkers and stuff, but I made it. I need some rest now, put that foot up.” Three-peat bid Alker’s bid for a third consecutive title isn’t out of the question. He is one shot back after rounds of 68 and 69. Alker was near the top of the leaderboard until a bogey at the par-5 sixth (he had started his second round on the back nine). Alker came back to birdie No. 7 and stay within striking distance. “It’s always good to come back to a place you have won before and two have done it twice is even better,” he said this week. “I’m trying not to put too much pressure on myself this week, but it’s there.” Greats of golf Jack Nicklaus was among the fan favorites in the annual “Greats of Golf” scramble. His ceremonial tee shot (only a swing, no ball) received cheers. On the course, he later hit an approach to the 18th green over water that was right on target and set up a birdie putt by partner Tom Watson. INSPERITY INVITATIONAL Dunlap leads after 36 holes in1day By Reid Laymance STAFF WRITER Photos by Eric Christian Smith/Contributor Scott Dunlap followed a 65 in his first 18 holes on Saturday with a 2-under 70 in his second round of the day at the Insperity Invitational. Tom Watson celebrates his birdie on the 18th hole that was set up by teammate Jack Nicklaus, seen wearing red, in the “Greats of Golf” scramble.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COMHHH SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 C7 NBA Leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to their first trip to the second round of the playoffs in 20 years, has stamped Anthony Edwards as one of the faces of the NBA. It was evident the Atlanta native, who faces the defending champion Nuggets in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals Saturday night, possessed that potential even six years ago whenEdwards and his Holy Spirit Preparatory high school team made a quick trip to Houston for a couple games against some of the city’s best players. “He’s always been such an unbelievable personalityevenasayoungkid,”said local basketball event operator Marcus Sloan, who along with Jim Hicks and Glenn Smith helped put together the 2018 Christmas Crossover at Delmar Fieldhouse. “He’s always had this almost larger-than-life personality, very passionate, very confident, cocky almost, but he backed it up every time he played. His infectious energy, it grows on people. You tend to root for a kid like him because he’s so authentic.” Edwards showed that complete off-the-court packagewhenheandacouple high school teammates joined Hicks, a longtime fixture on Houston’s basketball scene, on his radio show “The Chop Shop” that aired on 102.5 KMAZFM.Edwardswasonly17 at the time, so it had to have been one of his first radio interviews, but he still handled himself with aplomb even asSloan,who satin on the show with Hicks, predicted Houston’s Concordia Lutheran and Elkins would send Edwards back home with a pair of losses. Thepredictionjustmade Edwards, who already was answering to his nickname “Ant-Man” at that point, smile, which Hicks says was a theme throughout the weekend, including when he and “The Chop Shop” co-host Robert Hatter gave Edwards a ride back to the team hotel near TheGalleria and askedhim the pure Texas question: Whataburger or In-N-Out? “He said, ‘Man, just take me to Jack in the Box, then I’m going to walk around The Galleria,” Hicks recalled. “He was so grounded and so natural. He had us cracking up while he was sitting in the back seat. He’s not a kid who has ever been Hollywood.” Evenin his fourthyearin the league, Edwards is known for playing with joy, but his first game in the Christmas Crossover, which featured 20 teams in 13 games over two days, wasn’t necessarily a happy one as Sloan’s prediction — or atleasthalf ofit—played out like he said it would. ConcordiaLutheranwas 17-1andcoming offaTAPPS state championship and rolled into Delmar with three Division I players: Montavious Murphy (Kansas State), Pierce Hellums (Sam Houston State) and R.J. Keene (Boise State). They also entered the building with no fear, despite all the speculation, which turned out to be accurate, that Edwards would be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft two years later “That was a very confidentgroup,”ConcordiaLutheran coach Bill Honeck said. “We always love to play those invite-only games against the best teams, and of course, we hadall heardabout thisguy who was going to be the No. 1draft pick in the NBA. But, I just remember them never having a hesitation. There was that question mark, of course, like ‘OK, how good is he? ‘But it only took a few minutes for them to see they can definitelyplaywith himandhis team.” Honeck’s bunch did more than just play with Holy Spirit, they led nearly the entire game and won 82-71.Edwards played well, scoring 25 points with14 rebounds and 6 assists, but he struggled with his shot, only shooting 1-for-7 from the 3-point line. Meanwhile, Murphy, who spent two years at Kansas State and currently is playing professionally overseas, put up bigger numbers with 31 points on 5-for-11 shooting from 3 to go along 14 rebounds. Honeck said Murphy “had that look in his eye that night,” but also acknowledges that his group couldn’t do a whole lot with Edwards defensively. “Iknewhewasgood, but he made a bounce pass in transition on us that was just perfect. He read the angle, made the absolute perfect pass, and that’s when I said,‘Ohyeah, he’s special,” Honeck said. “I also think everytimeAnthonytried to score, he did score. We played our usual 1-3-1 (defense) and did our best to keep him out of the middle. He only had one dunk on us, so that was pretty good, but he was still really hard to stop when he attacked.” Sloan knows the feeling. Part of the idea of bringing Edwards to Houston started when Sloan took his Houston Defenders AAU team to Indianapolis for an event on the Under Armour circuit two years earlier when Edwards just 15 years old. Houston’s group was scheduled to face the Atlanta Xpress one evening, soSloan satin for a little scouting session during a morning game. That’s when he first laid eyes on Edwards. “He is killing.He goes for like 42. I’m like, ‘Oh no.’ It was unbelievable,” Sloan said. “So, in my mind, I’m thinking, ‘I am not going to let him kill us like that.’ Then, the first play of the game against us, he catches on the 3-point line, rips through, side steps, shoots a 28-foot 3 … cash. I’m like, ‘Yo, timeout. Listen, we’re going to go triangle-andtwo on him.’ So, the whole game I had two people guarding him, and we ended up winning the game, butthatwasabigeye-opener.” Two years later, Sloan, Hicks and Smith collaborated to get several out-ofstate teams including Atlanta’s Holy Spirit, Maryland’s C.H. Flowers, Oklahoma’s Lawton Christian and Louisiana’s Crescent City and Alexandria Peabody to come to Houston for the Christmas Crossover.The ideawas to pitEdwards against Houston’s best players, which included Concordia Lutheran’s Murphy, and originally Morton Ranch’s L.J. Cryer, who currently stars at University of Houston. However, earlier thatmonth Cryer, who played on the same highschoolteamas Colorado big man Eddie Lampkin, injured his ankle. So the organizers made a lastminute change, inserting Donovan Williams and Elkins into the Cryer/Morton Ranch spot. Williams, who has spent the past two seasons in the G League, was a Top 100 recruit and signed with Texas, making him a good matchup for Edwards. Unfortunately for Williams and Elkins, Edwards still was stinging from that opening night loss. Edwards scored 32 points and threw down an early tomahawk dunk with Williams at least in the picture near the rim in Holy Spirit’s 80- 73 win. “That first game kind of woke him and his teammates up a little bit,” Hicks said. “I don’t think they knew what to expect coming down here. Of course, he played well both nights, but Concordia Lutheran was a really, really good team. Elkins was too, but Ant reallysteppedit upthat second night when he realized the type of players he was facing.” Because of Hicks, Sloan and Smith, a group of former Houston high school basketball players and coaches, as well as the fans atDelmarFieldhouse those two nights, can always say they saw Edwards before he was fully formed into an NBA superstar. It’s something Honeck brings up all the time, and even forces him to call up YouTube to show the highlights — properly titled “Anthony Edwards vs. Montavious Murphy” — to the non-believers. “Just yesterday in our athletic period, a young freshman said, ‘No way we played against Anthony Edwards,’ ” Honeck said, laughing. “I said, ‘Look it up,it’srightthere.’Thestuff he’s doing in the NBA now is incredible. The power and the agility he has, plus the skill, only a few players in the world have that. So, it’s fun to watch him now and tell people we faced him and beat him back then.” Even though the AntMan left Houston with a 1-1 record, his talent and vibrantpersonality was obvious, even six years before he helped sweep Kevin Durant and the Suns out of the playoffs. “You could tellhe was alwaysaRedAntinwhatever ant bed he occupied, pun intended,” Hicks said. “That’s the way he is now, and that’s the way he was then.” TIMBERWOLVES Edwards always stood out City showcase offered an early look at rising star By Matt Young STAFF WRITER Kevin Liles/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images Anthony Edwards played at the 2018 Christmas Crossover at Delmar Fieldhouse as a prep player, giving fans an early look at the future Timberwolves star. points despite dealing with foul trouble. Game 2 is Monday night in Denver. Three days after undergoing knee surgery, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was on the bench in the second row, next to the scorer’s table and behind assistant Micah Nori, who did the instructing, roaming and switching. Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for Denver, but also had seven turnovers. Jamal Murray scored 17 points after being held scoreless in the first half. Tied at 84, the Timberwolves went on an 18-7 run to break it open. Reid had 10 straight points for the Timberwolves at one point during the pivotal stretch. Last year, the Wolves were a tough first-round opponent for Denver despite being without Reid (broken wrist) and Jaden McDaniels (broken hand) and with Karl-Anthony Towns coming off a severe calf strain that had cost him 52 games. This time, not a single Timberwolves player was listed on the injury report. Edwards added seven rebounds and two blocks to his scoring barrage. Aside from being healthier, the Timberwolves were much better thanks to the dramatic improvement in Edwards’ game, Denver coach Michael Malone suggested. “There’s no weaknesses in his game,” Malone said. “And it's going to be a hell of a challenge trying to slow him down.” Kleber out with shoulder injury Dallas Mavericks center Maxi Kleber has a separated shoulder that will sideline him indefinitely and raises doubts about his status for the rest of the playoffs, a person with knowledge of the injury said Saturday. Kleber injured the right shoulder in the first half of the Mavericks’ clinching 114-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the club hasn’t disclosed details of the injury. Dallas won the firstround series 4-2 and will face top-seeded Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals starting Tuesday night. Kleber was driving toward the basket in transition, running near full speed, when he fell hard on his right side after getting upended in a collision with L.A.’s Amir Coffey, who was called for a blocking foul. DENVER — Anthony Edwards scored a playoff career-high 43 points, Naz Reid had 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets 106-99 in Game 1 of the second-round series Saturday night. Edwards was unstoppable in the first half, scoring 25 points, and Reid took over in the fourth quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 NBA NOTEBOOK Edwards powers Timberwolves to Game 1 win in Denver W IRE REPORTS DALLAS — Tyronn Lue said he wants to be coach of the Los Angeles Clippers for the longterm and declined to address directly speculation that the Lakers would target him in their search after firing Darvin Ham. Lue was asked about his future and the talk of the Lakers after Dallas ended the Clippers season with a 114-101 victory in Game 6 of a first-round series Friday night. “I don’t really have a comment on that,” Lue said when asked about his name surfacing in the Lakers’ search. “It’s great to be wanted. That’s a really good feeling. Like I said, I want to be here. Hopefully, we’re able to solidify that.” Speaking to reporters in the final minutes of his 47th birthday after a latenight finish, Lue said he felt strong support from owner Steve Ballmer and team president Lawrence Frank among others. Lue has two years remaining on his contract, and ESPN, citing anonymous sources, reported that the Clippers are interested in an extension. “I didn’t come in to bounce around, go all over the place,” Lue said. “They’ve all been great to me. Just having a great relationship with the owner, with the front office. It’s great. I would love to be here longterm.” TheClippers were without star forward Kawhi Leonard in four of the six games against the Mavericks with right knee inflammation. He missed three of five games in a first-round loss toPhoenix last year. “I give our guys credit for just sticking with it through all the ups and downs and all the negative scrutiny and all the things that they went through this season,” Lue said. “Having to go into a series again short-handed.” Lue coached Cleveland to the 2016 NBA title with LeBron James, who left for the Lakers in free agency two years later. Lue was gone just six games — all losses—into the season after James' departure from the Cavaliers. The Clippers reached theWestern Conference finals in Lue’s first season and have a 184-134 record in the regular season under him. “This was a good year,” Lue said. “Overall, I wouldn't trade it for anything, outside the early ending. I like the guys in the locker room. They respect me. I respect them. I'm ready to move on to next season and get better.” Western Conference First round No. 1 Oklahoma City 4, No. 8 New Orleans 0 Game 1: Oklahoma City 94, New Orleans 92 Game 2: Oklahoma City 124, New Orleans 92 Game 3: Oklahoma City 106, New Orleans 85 Game 4: Oklahoma City 97, New Orleans 89 No. 2 Denver 4, No. 7 L.A. Lakers 1 Game 1: Denver 114, L.A. Lakers 103 Game 2: Denver 101, Lakers 99 Game 3: Denver 112, L.A. Lakers 105 Game 4: L.A. Lakers 119, Denver 108 Game 5: Denver 108, L.A. Lakers 106 No. 3 Minnesota 4, No. 6 Phoenix 0 Game 1: Minnesota 120, Phoenix 95 Game 2: Minnesota 105, Phoenix 93 Game 3: Minnesota 126, Phoenix 109 Game 4: Minnesota 122, Phoenix 116 No. 5 Dallas 4, No. 4 L.A. Clippers 2 Game 1: L.A. Clippers 109, Dallas 97 Game 2: Dallas 96, L.A. Clippers 93 Game 3: Dallas 101, L.A. Clippers 90 Game 4: L.A. Clippers 116, Dallas 111 Game 5: Dallas 123, L.A. Clippers 93 Game 6: Dallas 114, Clippers 101 Second round No. 3 Minnesota 1, No. 2 Denver 0 Game 1: Minnesota 106, Denver 99 Game 2: Minnesota at Denver, 9 p.m. Monday Game 3: Denver at Minnesota, 8:30 p.m. May 10 Game 4: Denver at Minnesota, 7 p.m. May 12 Game 5*: Minnesota at Denver, TBA May 14 Game 6*: Denver at Minnesota, TBA May 16 Game 7*: Minnesota at Denver, TBA May 19 No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. Dallas Game 1: Dallas at Oklahoma City, 8:30 p.m. Monday Game 2: Dallas at Oklahoma City, 8:30 p.m. May 9 Game 3: Oklahoma City at Dallas, 2:30 p.m. May 11 Game 4: Oklahoma City at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. May 13 Game 5*: Dallas at Oklahoma City, TBA May 15 Game 6*: Oklahoma City at Dallas, TBA May 18 Game 7*: Dallas at Oklahoma City, TBA May 20 Eastern Conference First round No. 1 Boston 4, No. 8 Miami 1 Game 1: Boston 114, Miami 94 Game 2: Miami 111, Boston 101 Game 3: Boston 104, Miami 84 Game 4: Boston 102, Miami 88 Game 5: Boston 118, Miami 84 No. 2 New York 4, No. 7 Philadelphia 2 Game 1: New York 111, Philadelphia 104 Game 2: New York 104, Philadelphia 101 Game 3: Philadelphia 125, New York 114 Game 4: New York 97, Philadelphia 92 Game 5: Philadelphia 112, N.Y. Knicks 106 (OT) Game 6: New York 118, Philadelphia 115 No. 6 Indiana 4, No. 3 Milwaukee 2 Game 1: Milwaukee 109, Indiana 94 Game 2: Indiana 125, Milwaukee 108 Game 3: Indiana 121, Milwaukee 118 (OT) Game 4: Indiana 126, Milwaukee 113 Game 5: Milwaukee 115, Indiana 92 Game 6: Indiana 120, Milwaukee 98 No. 4 Cleveland 3, No. 5 Orlando 3 Game 1: Cleveland 97, Orlando 83 Game 2: Cleveland 96, Orlando 86 Game 3: Orlando 121, Cleveland 83 Game 4: Orlando 112, Cleveland 89 Game 5: Cleveland 104, Orlando 103 Game 6: Orlando 103, Cleveland 96 Game 7: at Cleveland, Noon Sunday Second round No. 2 New York vs. No. 6 Indiana Game 1: Indiana at New York, 6:30 p.m. Monday Game 2: Indiana at New York, 7 p.m. Wednesday Game 3: New York at Indiana, 6 p.m. May 10 Game 4: New York at Indiana, 2:30 p.m. May 12 Game 5*: Indiana at New York, TBA May 14 Game 6*: New York at Indiana, TBA May 17 Game 7*: Indiana at New York, TBA May 19 Boston vs. TBD Game 1: TBD at Boston, 6 p.m. Tuesday Game 2: TBD at Boston, 6 p.m. May 9 Game 3: Boston at TBD, 7:30 p.m. May 11 Game 4: Boston at TBD, 6 p.m. May 13 Game 5:* TBD at Boston, TBA May 15 Game 6:* Boston at TBD, TBA May 17 Game 7:* TBD at Boston, noon May 19 *—If necessary CLIPPERS RESULTS/ SCHEDULE Lue looking to stay ‘longterm’ By Schuyler Dixon ASSOCIATED PRESS Kevin C. Cox/Tribune News Service Clippers coach Tyronn Lue has been the subject of early speculation regarding the Lakers’ vacancy.

C8 SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM Iga Swiatek avenged her loss in last year’s final to Aryna Sabalenka and won the Madrid Open on Saturday after a third-set tiebreaker. The top-ranked Swiatek beat No. 2 Sabalenka 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7) for her third title of the season. The 22-year-old Polish player became the youngest player to reach 20 titles since Caroline Wozniacki in 2012. Swiatek faced two match points when she was struggling with her serve at 5-6 in the third set. But she held on to force the tiebreaker, where she saved a third match point. Swiatek collapsed on the red clay after Sabalenka hit long to end a match that lasted 3 hours, 11 minutes, the longest WTA final so far in 2024. Each player broke serve five times. “Who is going to say that women’s tennis is boring now?” Swiatek said. “Congrats as well to Aryna because we both had an amazing effort today.” CYCLING Narváez defeats Pogacar at Turin Ecuadorian cyclist Jhonatan Narváez marred Tadej Pogacar’s Giro d’Italia debut as he edged the Slovenian star to victory in the opening stage on Saturday. Narváez took the leader’s pink jersey that Pogacar is heavily favored to be wearing when the race ends in Rome in three weeks. Rarely has the Giro had such an overwhelming pre-race favorite as Pogacar, with the twotime Tour de France winner targeting an audacious Giro-Tour double. Pogacar had never competed in the Italian grand tour before and he was hoping to ride into pink right from the start but Narváez beat him and Max Schachmann in a sprint between the three riders at the end of the 87-mile route from Venaria Reale to Turin. Schachmann also edged out Pogacar. “Following the best guy in the world on the climb was really hard, so it’s a special victory today,” Narváez said. “It’s still hurting me now. It was really hard. Really, really hard. But in the end, I make it.” SOCCER Real Madrid wins Spanish league Real Madrid has won its record-extending 36th Spanish league title after securing an insurmountable 13-point lead over second-place Girona with four games remaining. Madrid reclaimed its domestic crown after beating Cadiz 3-0 earlier Saturday, and Barcelona then lost 4-2 at Girona. Only a victory by Barcelona would have stopped Madrid from celebrating. Madrid also has a chance to add to its unequaled 14 European Cups. Madrid hosts Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday with their semifinal evenly balanced after a 2-2 first-leg draw in Germany. Paris Saint-Germain or Borussia Dortmund will await in the June 1 final. AROUND SPORTS Swiatek takes Madrid Open W IRE REPORTS ARLINGTON — More than three hours before Caitlin Clark made her WNBA debut with the Indiana Fever in a preseason game against the Dallas Wings on Friday night, some fans among the sellout crowd were lined up outside the arena dressed in No. 22University ofIowa jerseys. And Clark put on a show. The two-time NCAA women’s basketball player of the year led all first-half scorers with 16 points in 16 minutes and finished with a team-high 21points in the Fever’s 79-76 loss. She was 6-of-15 shooting from the field, including 5-of-13 from deep, and had three rebounds, two assists, four fouls and five turnovers. Her 21 points tied for the game high with Dallas newcomer Jaelyn Brown. “My biggest goal coming into tonight was to continue to bemyself,playaggressive,” Clark said. “I thought that’s what I did. I think there’s a lot to be proud of. “The crowd was great all night. That’s what you expect with a sellout. Those are going to be the same for the crowds all year long. So whether they’re cheering for you or cheering against you, you’dbetter getused to it.” She even had a chance to send the game into overtime. Dallas’ winning basket by Arike Ogunbowale came with three seconds left, and Clark’s 3-point attemptfrom the right corner at the buzzer fell short. “You couldn’t ask for a better game,” Clark said. Clark’s first pro basket came on a 28-foot 3-pointer near the left sideline less than a minute into play after the defense lost her momentarily on a baseline inbounds play. “I was able to get a pretty clean look for my first shot,” she said. “It’s always nice to see your first shot go in when you’re a shooter.” She hitfour 3-pointers in the half and added two of the three free throws when fouled on a shot behind the arc. She was scoreless in the third period and sat for the final five minutes after collecting her fourth foul. Christina Edge, who lived in Iowa for 35 years before moving to the Dallas suburb of Rowlett three years ago, was one of the fans who showed up early. She said arriving that early at the University of TexasArlington’s College Park Center would increase her chances of landing a photo with the basketball phenomenon. “It’s my birthday,” said Edge, who said her son gave her the ticket as a birthday gift, “and I just want a picture with her!” She carried a bright yellow posterboard sign advertising that plea. Pailynn Amos, 9, was also outside the arena wearing a yellow Clark jersey with her own sign — “When I grow up I wanna be just like her.” Rebecca Amos, Pailynn’smother,made the approximately hour-long drive from the town of Ennis. “I watched her (on TV) like crazy,” Rebecca said. “So, she (Pailynn) just kind of grew to her. Then we were like, ‘Wow, now she’s in Dallas. We could actually go see her!’ ” Clark received a rousing ovation before tipoff when introduced with Indiana’s starters. While Clark had plenty of fans in attendance, Wings fans didn’t giveher a pass. As she dribbled past her defender at midcourt during the first half, one woman shouted, “Get her! Get her!” The WNBA’s first preseason game was played the same night the Dallas Mavericks hosted the L.A. Clippers in Game 6 of a first-round playoff series about 20 miles away. The exhibitiongame was the first of two for theFever before Clark makes her regular-season debut on May 14 at the Connecticut Sun. The game sold out all 6,251 seats soon after it was announced on Dallas’ schedule, specifically requested by Wings presidentandCEOGregBibbafterClarkdeclaredinFebruary she would leave college for the WNBA with one year of eligibility remaining. Indiana won the lottery for this year’s first pick last December. A local television crew recorded the Fever’s arrival at DFW International Airport on Thursday. During Clark’s media session on Friday morning, she addressed the request to sign a couple’s ultrasound picture. “That was definitely a first,” she said witha laugh. Other WNBA players welcomed her. “It’s really great that Caitlin’s bringing all this attention to women’s basketball, so I’m really grateful for that,” Wings center Kalani Brown said. “This is what women’s basketball has deserved for quite some time now,” said Fever center Aliyah Boston, last season’s WNBA Rookie of the Year and a former college player of the year. “It’s better late than never. I’m really excited for what’s to come for this league.” The Wings said last month that they had sold out their season-ticket allotment, which accounts for about 2,500 seats. Indiana will return to College Park Center to play twice during the regular season.The team plays July 17 in the last game before theWNBA’s nearly monthlong Olympic hiatus and one day after the MLB AllStar Game at the Texas Rangers’ home stadium less than three miles away. The Fever also play there Sept.1. WNBA Clark draws preseason sellout Fever’s top draft pick debuts with 21points in losing effort against theWings in Arlington ASSOCIATED PRESS Gregory Shamus/Getty Images Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark hoists one of her 15 shots during her preseason debut on Friday night, a 79-76 loss against the Dallas Wings. LAS VEGAS — Beginning with Tyler Seguin on a breakaway, the shots came in waves at Vegas goalie Adin Hill. He stopped Seguin at point blank, saved Joe Pavelski’s rebound and then stopped Seguin again. This was the Hill of last year’s Stanley Cup championship run, and because of him the Golden Knights kept alive their hopes of repeating by beating the Dallas Stars 2-0 on Friday night to force a decisive Game 7. “You need to make big saves at big times in big games,” Hill said. “That’s how you win playoff games. I think our team learned that last year, and any team that’s won, their goalies had to catch fire at times.” The deciding game in the first-round series is Sunday in Dallas. Hill stopped 23 shots for first shutout since having two in three games in early November. Noah Hanifin broke a scoreless tie at 9:54 of the third period and Mark Stone scored an empty-netter from 176 feet away with 18.9 seconds left to seal the victory. This was the second winning goal this series for Hanifin, who was a trade-deadline acquisition from Calgary. “Ever since I got traded here, I was super excited about the opportunity coming to a team with guys that have won,” Hanifin said. “It’s a great culture here and I’m fortunate to be a part of it. I feel good about my game and I’m trying to contribute whichever way I can.” This was a classic goalie duel, with Hill looking like the player who went 11-4 with a .932 save percentage and 2.17 goals goals allowed per game in last year’s playoffs. But Hill had been up and down late in this season, and Logan Thompson got the starting job in the series’ first four games. The Knights turned to Hill for Game 5 in their 3-2 loss and then again for this one. “At the end of the year, Adin was feeling pretty good about this game,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “You could see it in practice. It was just pucks were finding their way in. ... He should have confidence. He just pitched a shutout and made some really high-end saves.” CANUCKS 1, PREDATORS 0 Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and Vancouver advanced to the second round with a victory over host Nashville on Friday night in Game 6. The Predators had a final chance to force overtime with a power play with 33.9 seconds left after Elias Lindholm was called for crosschecking Gustav Nyquist. But Nashville couldn’t beat rookie goalie Arturs Silovs, who made 28 saves to become the 14th rookie goalie in NHL history to finish off a series with a shutout and just the fifth in 30 years. NHL PLAYOFFS Hill’s shutout helps Vegas push Stars to Game 7 W IRE REPORTS John Locher/Associated Press Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill stops a shot by Stars center Tyler Seguin for one of his 23 saves in a shutout win Friday that kept Vegas’ season alive. Western Conference First round Dallas 3, Vegas 3 Game 1: Vegas 4, Dallas 3 Game 2: Vegas 3, Dallas 1 Game 3: Dallas 3, Vegas 2 (OT) Game 4: Dallas 4, Vegas 2 Game 5: Dallas 3, Vegas 2 Game 6: Vegas 2, Dallas 0 Game 7: at Dallas, 6:30 p.m. Sunday Colorado 4, Winnipeg 1 Game 1: Winnipeg 7, Colorado 6 Game 2: Colorado 5, Winnipeg 2 Game 3: Colorado 6, Winnipeg 2 Game 4: Colorado 5, Winnipeg 1 Game 5: Colorado 6, Winnipeg 3 Vancouver 4, Nashville 2 Game 1: Vancouver 4, Nashville 2 Game 2: Nashville 4, Vancouver 1 Game 3: Vancouver 2, Nashille 1 Game 4: Vancouver 4, Nashville 3 (OT) Game 5: Nashville 2, Vancouver 1 Game 6: Vancouver 1, Nashville 0 Edmonton 4, Los Angeles 1 Game 1: Edmonton 7, Los Angeles 4 Game 2: Los Angeles 5, Edmonton 4 (OT) Game 3: Edmonton 6, Los Angeles 1 Game 4: Edmonton 1, Los Angeles 0 Game 5: Edmonton 4, Los Angeles 3 Eastern Conference First round Florida 4, Tampa Bay 1 Game 1: Florida 3, Tampa Bay 2 Game 2: Florida 3, Tampa Bay 2 (OT) Game 3: Florida 5, Tampa Bay 3 Game 4: Tampa Bay 6, Florida 3 Game 5: Florida 6, Tampa Bay 1 Boston 3, Toronto 3 Game 1: Boston 5, Toronto 1 Game 2: Toronto 3, Boston 2 Game 3: Boston 4, Toronto 2 Game 4: Boston 3, Toronto 1 Game 5: Toronto 2, Boston 1 (OT) Game 6: Toronto 2, Boston 1 Game 7: at Boston, late N.Y. Rangers 4, Washington 0 Game 1: N.Y. Rangers 4, Washington 1 Game 2: N.Y. Rangers 4, Washington 3 Game 3: N.Y. Rangers 3, Washington 1 Game 4: N.Y. Rangers 4, Washington 2 Carolina 4, N.Y. Islanders 1 Game 1: Carolina 3, N.Y. Islanders 1 Game 2: Carolina 5, N.Y. Islanders 3 Game 3: Carolina 3, N.Y. Islanders 2 Game 4: N.Y. Islanders 3, Carolina 2 (2OT) Game 5: Carolina 6, N.Y. Islanders 3 Second round N.Y. Rangers vs. Carolina Game 1: Carolina at N.Y. Rangers, 4 p.m. Sunday Game 2: Carolina at N.Y. Rangers, TBA Game 3: N.Y. Rangers at Carolina, TBA Game 4: N.Y. Rangers at Carolina, TBA Game 5*:Carolina at N.Y. Rangers, TBA Game 6*: N.Y. Rangers at Carolina, TBA Game 7*: Carolina at N.Y. Rangers, TBA * — if necessary RESULTS/ SCHEDULE