📸 More surveillance at your door

August 12, 2026

Sign Up for the Courier Houston Newsletter

Good morning, Houston!

August is National Black Business Month, and in Houston, there’s no shortage of Black-owned shops, restaurants, and establishments to celebrate with.

One of Houston’s most iconic Black-owned businesses is Provost Studios, an 80-year-old photography business that captured generations of Houstonians and took portraits for Black schools during segregation.

The unofficial ‘mayor’ of Third Ward and owner of Provost Studios, Georgia Provost, passed away this week, leaving behind a legacy that touched countless Houstonians, from elected officials to college students.

To honor Provost and Houston’s community of Black business owners, make sure to pay a visit to one of our favorite Black-owned restaurants before the month is over.

Anna Raj

Newsletter Editor, Courier HTX

Your news roundup—a quick stop for stories happening across the state that deserve a little more attention.

The Flock camera population across the Greater Houston metroplex. (Deflock Maps)

🔥 A fire raged at a recycling center in southwest Houston Tuesday morning as the Ironman Scrap Metal facility went up in flames. (ABC 13)

💊 A $2.3 billion pharmacy factory is coming to Houston—and bringing 500 jobs with it. (Culture Map Houston)

❌ Two of Houston’s most popular Black-owned nightclubs have closed after neighborhood and lease challenges. (Culture Map Houston)

🔍 Can you identify her? KHOU is asking the public for help with a 40-year-old missing persons case. Watch to find out what the Jane Doe looked like. (KHOU 11)

📸 Houstonians’ concerns grow over the surveillance of Flock cameras ahead of National Week of Action Against ALPRs (Automated License Plate Readers). (Houston Public Media).

A story worth sharing with your neighbor

The Houston Marathon Foundation awarded three $10,000 scholarships to local high school students. (Feyza Tuğba/Pexels)

Houston Marathon Foundation awards scholarships to three local grads

The cost of college is often a barrier to education for many. Financial aid, grants, and scholarships help ease the burden of this by providing funds that would be unavailable to students otherwise.

For three teenagers from Houston, that barrier became easier to overcome thanks to the assistance of the Houston Marathon Foundation.

Find out which schools the students chose →