Trash pickup in Houston has been a hot topic since spring, with chronic delays in bulk pickup leading to trash and junk lining many neighborhood streets. 

Trash pickup in Houston is seeing improvements after a required fee. (Anna Raj/Courier HTX) 

Mayor Whitmire proposed a trash fee this summer to help fix the situation after repeated complaints were made to 311 about garbage being left behind. 

Now, months after the required fee was put into place, Click 2 Houston sent a team to investigate the neighborhoods where the most complaints were made to see if anything changed.

The team found that in neighborhoods like Gulfgate, customers are no longer experiencing delayed pickup and that conditions have generally improved. 

Have you seen improvements in trash pickup since the $5 fee was put in place?

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

A famous Houston landmark has reopened after two years of being closed to the public. (Anna Raj/Courier HTX) 

📸 Houston police have lost more than 200 Flock Safety cameras after Gov. Greg Abbott decided to freeze funding in response to public concerns over surveillance and privacy. Find out what HPD has to say about it. (Houston Chronicle) 

🔥 Millions of Houstonians witnessed black smoke rising over the city early this week. Find out where it came from and why. (KHOU 11)

🌠 The James Turrell Skyspace at Rice University has reopened after being closed for two years. Here’s why it was out of commission. (Axios Houston) 

🪲 University of Houston was just awarded $1.2 million to predict the future so scientists can stop superbugs. Learn about how they plan to outsmart the critters. (Houston Public Media)

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Thanks, as always, for reading and being part of the Courier Texas community.

A story worth sharing with your neighbor

Michelle Huang’s piece “Untitled [Karankawa Couple]” is one of the most accurate depictions of the Karankawa Tribe’s history. (Anna Raj/Courier HTX)

Chiara ‘Sunshine’ Beaumont grew up knowing something Texas history had gotten wrong: Her people were still here. 

Designated “extinct” by the state of Texas, the mythology of the Karankawa being a violent tribe has permeated Texas history for hundreds of years. But now, the Karankawa Tribe of Texas wants to set the record straight. A corrected historical placard and museum exhibit are evidence of their fight to reshape Texas history and regain control over their stories.  

In Corpus Christi, years of misinformation had been taken as fact—until this past July. 

A historical marker describing the Karankawa people as “primitive,” “savage,” and “cannibal” once stood as definitive history in the Hans & Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge in Corpus since 1976. This summer, it was corrected.

Your Houston event guide 

Cutline paragraph. (Name/Courier HTX) 

🗓️ Friday, Sept. 18 

Shrek Rave

Murder Mystery Dinner

Sun City Vendor Festival    

🗓️ Saturday, Sept. 19 

Block Party for Black Maternal Mental Health

Queer Movie and Craft Night

Thrift for a Cause

🗓️ Sunday, Sept. 20

Junk Journal N Cake Tasting

Sahaja Yoga Meditation   

Rice Village Farmers Market  

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Anna Raj and edited by Crystal Niforos.

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