Of Houston’s many nicknames, this one most highlights the week we’re having. Sure, we’re not taking home the top prize in every sport, but Clutch City is about more than that.

This week, Houston kicked off the Texas Children’s Houston Open, the Astros’ new season, and the NCAA Sweet 16.

Houston is firmly on the sports map right now—and this stretch is a preview of what’s ahead as the city prepares to host matches for the FIFA World Cup later this year.

But zoom out from the stadiums, and a very different story is unfolding.

This morning in DC, senators agreed to a proposal to fund TSA, while US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol were left out of the package.

As the proposal moves to the US House, it’s now being reported that ICE agents are checking traveler IDs at IAH and Hobby, and lines at Bush are expected to top four hours again. You could pay someone to stand in line for you, but you might need that extra cash when you go to the gas pump.

The week’s headlines don’t stop there. Let’s get into it, Houston.

Paula Solis
Deputy Director of Newsletters

✈️ Long lines are stretching through Bush Airport as TSA staffing drops during the shutdown. Airport officials say on a normal day, 37 TSA checkpoints are open, but only a fraction are running.

🚔 Houston Council Member Alejandra Salinas, alongside Abbie Kamin, is proposing a new ordinance that would limit when Houston police interact with federal immigration authorities—aiming to end routine immigration questioning during traffic stops and increase transparency around those contacts.

🏥 State Rep. Jolanda Jones knows firsthand how quickly a medical emergency can derail everything—she says it once wiped out her savings. As the ACA marks 16 years, she’s pointing to what’s still missing and why affordable health care is still out of reach for too many families.

🎤 Willie Nelson is bringing his Outlaw Music Festival back to Texas, with stops in The Woodlands, Dallas, and a Fourth of July Picnic in Austin. Big-name artists join the lineup, as the longtime Texas tradition continues—plus tickets go on sale this week for fans across the state.

🍔 Two fan favorites are heading back to Whataburger starting March 31: the Banana Pudding Shake and Bacon Steakhouse Double. The Texas-born chain is bringing both back nationwide for a limited run—so if you missed them (or want another round), now’s your window.

Want to get out and enjoy Houston this weekend? Here are a few things worth checking out.

HYROX HOUSTON
Friday-Sunday, Downtown

Astros vs. LA Angels
Friday-Sunday, Downtown

Rooftop Rodeo at POST
Friday-Sunday, Downtown

Wild West BrewFest 2026
Thursday-Saturday, Katy

4th Annual Swing for the Bean Memorial Golf Tournament
Friday, Missouri City

Bayou City Art Festival Spring Downtown
Saturday-Sunday, Downtown

7th Annual Easter Egg Hunt for All
Saturday, Sugar Land

By Sam Cohen

If you heard a loud rumble across the Lone Star State last weekend, your ears weren’t playing tricks on you: That sonic boom was actually a 26-ton meteor crashing into the ground after streaking across the sky.

People from San Antonio to Houston reported hearing and seeing the celestial rock, and now meteorite enthusiasts are on the hunt to find fragments after it broke apart mid-descent. NASA released a statement explaining what happened—the organization’s preliminary report read, in part:

“The disintegration of the asteroidal fragment – which weigh about a ton with a diameter of 3 feet – unleashed an energy of 26 tons of TNT, creating a pressure wave that propagated to the ground and causing the booms heard by some in the area. Doppler weather radar shows meteorites falling to the ground between Willowbrook and Northgate Crossing.”

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Paula Solis with reporting by ShaVonne Herndon and Sam Cohen. It was edited by Kimberly Lawson.

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