Houston Matters

Efforts to Fight Prostitution Focus on Buyers

Posted on · Prostitution is an ongoing problem in Houston. Law enforcement knows it. Recently, HPD arrested 20 prostitutes. But to really make inroads into addressing sex trafficking and exploitation, law enforcement is refocusing efforts away from prostitutes, and towards their buyers. We discuss prostitution in Houston — and what’s being done to address it — with three […]

Houston Matters

How Do You Make Grand Juries in Harris County More Diverse?

Posted on · Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson wants to see a change in how grand juries are selected. Grand juries of 12 people determine whether enough evidence exists to formally charge a suspect with a crime. Currently in Texas, judges are tasked with impaneling them, but it’s a time-consuming process. So, some name friends as “grand […]

Houston Matters

Election Day: Summary of Races and Ballot Measures

Posted on · It’s Election Day! Polls are now open across Greater Houston, as voters cast ballots for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and a number of other statewide offices, as well as for District Attorney in Harris County. There are also ballot initiatives, including Proposition 1, calling for money from the state’s rainy day fund to be diverted to […]

Houston Matters

Political Roundup: Election Races Hit the Home Stretch

Posted on · With Election Day just over a week away, we have our final monthly political roundup. We talk with political scientists Paul Brace from Rice University and Jay Aiyer from Texas Southern about the final throes of the 2014 election campaign, and what, if anything, candidates can do in the final week before election day to […]

Good, Bad and Ugly

Troops to the Border, No Refusals & Houston’s First Parklet: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Houston News

Posted on · From Gov. Perry sending members of the National Guard to the Texas – Mexico border, to an expansion of Harris County’s “no refusal” DUI prevention weekends to Houston’s smallest park — its first so-called “parklet” — we parse the good, the bad and the ugly of this week’s Houston news. This week’s panel of non-experts […]