Local crime, high school sports, county politics, events tonight, and business closings — the daily Greater Houston report from HERE Houston.
SportsHOUSTON, Texas — The Houston Astros reached into the St. Louis Cardinals front office for their new general manager on Friday, hiring longtime assistant GM Randy Flores to run baseball operations. At 51, Flores becomes only the 15th person to hold the Houston GM title…
SportsHOUSTON, Texas — Houston Dynamo FC will start the short 2027 MLS Sprint Season at home, hosting Sporting Kansas City at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston on Feb. 20, under the schedule the league and club released Thursday. The Sprint Season is a four-month, 14-match…
SportsHOUSTON, Texas — Right-hander Tatsuya Imai is staying put. The Houston Astros pitcher has decided not to use the opt-out in his contract, which keeps him with the club for 2027 at an $18 million salary. Imai joined Houston last winter on a three-year deal…
From the HERE City National DeskATLANTA, Ga. — The Atlanta Dream host Golden State in Game 6 of the WNBA Finals on Thursday, with a 12:30 p.m. ET start at State Farm Arena, a workday tipoff the team’s owners have publicly blamed on the league. In a letter to fans…
From the HERE City National DeskATHENS, Ga. — Georgia men’s basketball tips off its season Monday night at Stegeman Coliseum against North Carolina Central, the first step in a push for a third NCAA Tournament bid in a row. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Eastern. Coach Mike White enters…
From the HERE City National DeskRALEIGH, N.C. — NC State will put up the money, facilities and NIL backing its next football coach needs, according to a letter to fans released Wednesday under the names of Boo Corrigan, the athletics director, and Chancellor Kevin Howell, days after the school fired…
From the HERE City National DeskGREEN BAY, Wis. — Two teams coming off losses meet Thursday night at Lambeau Field, where the Carolina Panthers try to stay above .500 against a Green Bay Packers club that has its own list of injuries to manage. Carolina arrives on a short week…
From the HERE City National DeskIRVING, Texas — The Big 12 Conference on Wednesday hit UCF with a $100,000 fine after a group of Knights fans aimed chants at BYU and its sponsoring Latter-day Saints church before last Saturday’s football game in Orlando, which UCF won in overtime. The league…
From the HERE City National DeskPHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has given up his ownership stake in Polymarket, saying NFL rules no longer let players hold a piece of prediction-market companies. Barkley said the league briefs players ahead of every season on which endorsements and investments…
From the HERE City National DeskNEW YORK, N.Y. — With the World Series decided, Major League Baseball moved into its offseason Thursday, and the calendar between now and December is packed because a labor shutdown could stop the hot stove cold. Players with at least six years of service became…
From the HERE City National DeskATLANTA, Ga. — Ernie Johnson, the host who has anchored Inside the NBA since 1990, said Wednesday that the 2026-27 season will be his last at the desk. Johnson, 70, shared the decision in a video on social media and stressed that it was his…
From the HERE City National DeskPHOENIX, Ariz. — Phoenix’s first turn hosting the NCAA Women’s Final Four pumped $71.5 million into the Arizona economy, researchers at Arizona State’s Seidman Research Institute concluded. The results were released Wednesday. Researchers surveyed out-of-state fans in person at the April 3 and April 5…
Education
HOUSTON, Texas — UTHealth Houston held a ribbon-cutting Wednesday for the new home of its School of Public Health in Houston, a 10-story tower beside the Texas Medical Center’s Helix Park campus. The building at 1930 Old Spanish Trail covers about 350,000 square feet. It pulls together classes and research…
Business
HOUSTON, Texas — A Houston ship channel refinery that went dark early last year is set to make fuel again after Valero Energy agreed to buy it from LyondellBasell for $320.5 million. Valero, through its Valero Refining-Texas unit, is taking over a site of about 700 acres that sits right…
Business
HOUSTON, Texas — Houston City College will run job training for hundreds of workers at Tesla and three other employers under a set of state Skills Development Fund grants presented Thursday at the college in Houston. Gov. Greg Abbott announced four grants worth $1,726,092 in all, with the Texas Workforce…
Politics
HOUSTON, Texas — The Texas Attorney General's Office went to court Thursday against the Houston-based Harris County Clerk's Office, arguing that the county's get-out-the-vote ads on Facebook and Instagram were steered toward some racial and ethnic groups and away from others. The suit names County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth and her…
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