Tuesday, August 7 at 2pm is the last chance for the public to speak about the pending historic landmark status of the River Oaks Shopping Center, River Oaks Theater, Alabama Shopping Center, and Alabama Theater in front of City Council. Members of the public must sign up to speak by 12pm Tuesday by calling the City Secretary Anna Russell (713-247-1840), and people who have already spoken to City Council on this issue may not do......

Yesterday, 50 new American citizens were sworn in at a naturalization ceremony at the State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. During the ceremony, Houston City Council Member M.J. Khan also received the prestigious "Americans by Choice" award. The award honors the outstanding achievements of naturalized U.S. citizens. Recipients "have demonstrated their commitment to this country through civic participation, professional achievement, and responsible citizenship" and have shown "unwavering dedication to the common civic values that unite......

No, that's not a typo. Houston can't be beautiful without u — uh, you! Tomorrow is Houston Beautiful Day, so let's make Houston shine! The day coincides with the beginning of The Great American Cleanup, which lasts until May 31st. Over the next month and a half, Houstonians will plant trees, pick up trash, and paint over graffiti, among other things, to improve the appearance of their neighborhoods. You can volunteer here to organize a......

Houston City Council passed amendments to the current preservation ordinance that will make it easier for residents to designate neighborhoods as historic districts, and a two year building permit penalty if any historic landmark or structure in a historic district is demolished. For district designation, there will need to be a 51% consent of property owners, down from 67%. The permit penalty will prohibit the city from granting building permits for a site where a......

Houston City Council Member M.J. Khan of District F will be traveling to Doha, Qatar April 6-13 as a representative of the State Department's Speaker and Specialist Program. Council Member Khan will be meeting with local businessman, dignitaries, academics, students, and politicians from the region. During these visits, he will discuss topics ranging from Houston council business to the American political process and living as a Muslim in the United States. He will visit students......

This is the second in a series of posts about upcoming City Council races. Check out this week's earlier post about District I, and keep reading Houstonist for more campaign coverage. District E, currently represented by Addie Wiseman, connects the heavily Republican suburbs of Kingwood and Clear Lake by a narrow strip of land, and this year's City Council race reflects this odd districting. Candidate Annette Dwyer hails from Clear Lake and has served on......