Houston Public Media (Houston, TX)

3 days ago | houstonpublicmedia.org | Andrew Schneider

A former Afghan National Army soldier in the process of applying for asylum in the U.S. was arrested last month by federal immigration agents at his Houston-area home, according to his attorney, who said the man and most of his family are being threatened with deportation. "He has eight kids. Two of those kids were born in the U.S. during the last four years," said immigration attorney Ali Zakaria, who declined to provide his client's name, citing safety concerns.

3 days ago | houstonpublicmedia.org | Adam Zuvanich

HOUSTON — A man who made online death threats aimed at the family of Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. lives overseas and was intoxicated at the time and told Houston police he was sorry for what he had done, a department spokesperson said Monday. McCullers received the threats on social media directed at his children after a poor start against the Cincinnati Reds on May 10. The Astros said Houston police and MLB security were notified. McCullers and his wife Kara have two young daughters.

4 days ago | houstonpublicmedia.org | Kyle McClenagan

A contentious piece of legislation that would have required Harris County to send 30% of its surplus toll road funds to the City of Houston will remain in legislative purgatory after failing to reach a vote by the full Texas House before Monday, the last day of this year's session. Senate Bill 2722, authored by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), would have restricted Harris County Commissioners Court's authority over millions of surplus funds from the Harris County Toll Road Authority.

4 days ago | houstonpublicmedia.org | Adam Zuvanich

More than nine months after Landon Payton collapsed and died during a P.E. class at Marshall Middle School, it remains unclear how exactly he died and whether the Houston ISD employees on hand that day could have saved him. Nonetheless, Texas lawmakers have taken steps to help ensure that similar tragedies are prevented. Lawmakers late last week passed the “Landon Payton Act” in honor of the 14-year-old student who died on Aug. 14. If signed into law by Gov.

4 days ago | houstonpublicmedia.org | Kyle McClenagan

Houston is again among the national leaders in the number of dog bites and attacks on postal workers. According to the U.S. Postal Service, there were 65 recorded dog bite or attack incidents in Houston against postal workers in 2024, marking the second year in a row the city ranked second nationally.