Dominic Anthony Walsh

1 week ago | houstonpublicmedia.org | Dominic Anthony Walsh

The Houston Health Department is losing $42 million in federal funding. A spokesperson for the department said the cut includes about $12 million in personnel costs. "At this time, we are still accessing the full impact of our programs and services," the spokesperson said. According to the Houston Chronicle, which first reported the cut, the department's $99 million budget was supplemented by about $71 million in state and federal grants.

2 weeks ago | houstonpublicmedia.org | Dominic Anthony Walsh

As Houston Mayor John Whitmire's administration pushes to close a more than $330 million budget gap, 721 city workers had accepted incentives to retire as of Thursday morning. Whitmire signed an executive order in mid-March offering a payment equal to 25% of annual pay as well as five years of employee benefits to about 3,000 workers — more than 10% of the municipal workforce — who were already eligible for retirement.

2 weeks ago | houstonpublicmedia.org | Dominic Anthony Walsh

Houston City Council is expected to again delay regulations of short-term rentals on Wednesday as council members debate possible amendments to the proposed ordinance.

2 weeks ago | houstonpublicmedia.org | Dominic Anthony Walsh

After Houston Mayor John Whitmire's administration removed cyclist protections along Heights Boulevard and Austin Street in March, advocates for a contentious safety project on 11th Street in the Heights neighborhood are worried it could be next on the chopping block. Construction finished in 2023 on a $2.3 million project to add bike lanes and other safety features on 11th Street while reducing the number of lanes for cars and trucks.

3 weeks ago | houstonpublicmedia.org | Dominic Anthony Walsh

The Houston Food Bank and Plant it Forward, a nonprofit farming organization, pitched the idea of exempting urban farms from water fees to the Houston City Council's resilience committee on Thursday. "Urban farms operate on razor-thin margins and face several existential challenges," said Plant It Forward farm program director Rachel Folkerts. Plant It Forward works with a network of independent farmers from refugee backgrounds. It hosts eight farms at four locations around Houston.