Latest news with #Houston-area
USA Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Exotic dancer says strip clubs turned away Black dancers. Supreme Court won't get involved.
Exotic dancer says strip clubs turned away Black dancers. Supreme Court won't get involved. Show Caption Hide Caption Religious charter school case lands at Supreme Court SCOTUS hears religious charter school case WASHINGTON − The Supreme Court on June 2 declined to take up a Black adult entertainer's attempt to sue several Houston-area strip clubs for alleged racial discrimination. Chanel Nicholson has accused the clubs of limiting the number of Black dancers on stage at one time. The lower courts dismissed her class action lawsuit saying she waited too long to bring her challenge. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said that decision was "patently erroneous" and the Supreme Court should have intervened. But only one other justice, Sonia Sotomayor, agreed. More: Two men fought for jobs in a river-town mill. 50 years later, the nation is still divided. There's a four-year statute of limitations for claims brought under the federal law guaranteeing racial equality in contractual relationships and a federal district judge said that clock started in 2014 when Nicholson first began working at the clubs. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals backed that decision. Nicholson argues the clock reset every time she was turned away from the stage. In November of 2017, for example, she said she was barred from performing at one club after being told there were 'too many Black girls' working already. She filed her initial suit in 2021 after she said she was again discriminated against. Attorneys for the strip clubs say the statute of limitations applies unless the charge is a hostile work environment, which was not Nicholson's initial claim. Nicholson initially represented herself when filing her appeal but now has attorneys who say the lower courts are divided over whether the statute of limitations can also be waived when someone alleges a pattern of discrimination. Those are among the most important civil rights claims, her attorneys argue. And there should be no artificial cut off, they told the court, when the discriminatory act 'is ongoing and the reason for it is still visible in the mirror.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Exotic dancer says strip clubs turned away Black dancers. Supreme Court won't get involved.
WASHINGTON − The Supreme Court on June 2 declined to take up a Black adult entertainer's attempt to sue several Houston-area strip clubs for alleged racial discrimination. Chanel Nicholson has accused the clubs of limiting the number of Black dancers on stage at one time. The lower courts dismissed her class action lawsuit saying she waited too long to bring her challenge. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said that decision was "patently erroneous" and the Supreme Court should have intervened. But only one other justice, Sonia Sotomayor, agreed. More: Two men fought for jobs in a river-town mill. 50 years later, the nation is still divided. There's a four-year statute of limitations for claims brought under the federal law guaranteeing racial equality in contractual relationships and a federal district judge said that clock started in 2014 when Nicholson first began working at the clubs. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals backed that decision. Nicholson argues the clock reset every time she was turned away from the stage. In November of 2017, for example, she said she was barred from performing at one club after being told there were 'too many Black girls' working already. She filed her initial suit in 2021 after she said she was again discriminated against. Attorneys for the strip clubs say the statute of limitations applies unless the charge is a hostile work environment, which was not Nicholson's initial claim. Nicholson initially represented herself when filing her appeal but now has attorneys who say the lower courts are divided over whether the statute of limitations can also be waived when someone alleges a pattern of discrimination. Those are among the most important civil rights claims, her attorneys argue. And there should be no artificial cut off, they told the court, when the discriminatory act 'is ongoing and the reason for it is still visible in the mirror.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court rejects exotic dancer's racial discrimination case
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is THC in Texas going up in smoke? House OKs ban, averting showdown with Senate
The Texas House on Wednesday evening, after delays that covered the better part of two days, embraced a ban on the sale and consumption of intoxicating hemp products, avoiding a potential clash with the Senate in the final days of the legislative session. "We are not banning hemp, we are banning high," said state Rep. Tom Oliverson, a Houston-area Republican lawmaker and physician who essentially rewrote the House's version of Senate Bill 3 on the fly. "What we're doing here is correcting a problem that was created in 2019 where we essentially created a pathway whereby people could sell drugs in corner stores across our state," Oliverson said. The Texas Legislature in 2019, hoping to boost agriculture, established the Texas Industrial Hemp Program and authorized the production, manufacture and sale of industrial hemp crops and products, including those with low levels of THC. The bill opened a market for consumable hemp products with up to 0.3% THC. The Senate, at the urging of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, passed a sweeping ban in March as a way to stop the proliferation of "consumable hemp products and the hemp-derived cannabinoids" contained in snack foods, candies, beverages and smokeable products. Patrick, the three-term Republican who leads the Senate, made the bill a top priority for the 2025 legislative session and hinted at extending lawmakers' time in Austin if it wasn't passed before the June 2 adjournment. And that might have come to pass under the original House version of the bill, which took a regulatory approach over an outright ban. That is what came out of the chamber's State Affairs Committee in a rewrite spearheaded by its chairman, Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian. But once the bill was set for a floor debate Tuesday, Oliverson began circulating an amendment to bring it in line with the goals laid out by Patrick and the Senate. That prompted some behind-the-scenes legislative maneuvering, reportedly including seeking Senate concessions on a separate school-funding bill which was stalled in exchange for the House's willingness to bend on hemp. But King's approach was not without support, both in the House and among veterans. Dave Walden, the incoming state commander of Texas Veterans of Foreign War, wrote in an op-ed that he and many of his fellow former service members who have served in combat have found that the hemp products targeted by the legislation have proven to be life-savers. More: What's the status of marijuana in Texas? An explainer on THC, CBD, Delta-8 and more "Lt. Governor Patrick has called these products 'poison,' but for many veterans, they've been the antidote to a system that was slowly poisoning us with endless prescriptions," wrote Walden, who was deployed to Iraq and other areas of conflict between 2001 and 2012. "When I hear rhetoric comparing hemp to 'bath salts' or other dangerous street drugs, I cannot reconcile it with my experience or that of my fellow veterans who have found healing through these products," Walden wrote. Oliverson, an anesthesiologist, said that under his measure, veterans would still have access to approved medications containing THC, the primary psychoactive component in the cannabis plant. "People are currently self-medicating by getting this THC that is potentially not very well-regulated," he said. "What I'm getting to is ... you have to have a medical professional that's overseeing this program and regulating at what point how many milligrams is the right milligrams for each individual. "I'm sure this won't shock anybody in the room, but there are no miracle cures out there." King voted against Oliverson's amendment, likening a ban on THC to the ill-fated prohibition of alcohol a century ago. He ultimately voted for the final bill even after the amendment was added to it by a lopsided House vote. The final vote advancing the bill was 95-34. State Rep. Gene Wu, a Houston Democrat who leads his party's House caucus, said the amended bill goes too far and might do more harm than good for veterans and others. "The overwhelming majority of veterans are aggressively supporting legalization, supporting keeping the law in a regulated state," Wu said. "Texans as a whole do not want something that they've had access to for the last five years (to be banned). Something that they have enjoyed recreationally, and that has helped them medically. "They have told you that loudly and repeatedly. They have called your offices; they have written letters. They have done everything they could," Wu said. More: As Texas weighs banning consumable hemp containing THC, Austin shop sees 'stock buying' Republican Rep. David Lowe of North Richland Hills said that as an Amy military police officer who was deployed to Afghanistan he supports the measure as amended by Oliverson. "Let me be clear, there are benefits to hemp products for some individuals," Lowe said. "But as someone who has lived through the darkness onward and its aftermath, I say sincerely, stop using veterans like me as a vehicle to push your unregulated influence. There's a difference between compassion and exploitation." Democratic Rep. Rafael Anchia of Dallas warned that a THC ban would only push consumers of the now-legal products to underground sources. "You're going to be driving people into the black market," Anchia said. "You're going to criminalize veterans. You're going to be criminalizing young people. ... You're going to be criminalizing your neighbor." On Monday night, just hours before the House originally was set to vote, Patrick posted an 8-minute video on social media aimed at grassroots Republicans to put pressure on members to add teeth to the lower chamber's version of the bill. "We must ban THC," Patrick said in the video posted to X. "We can't regulate it. We don't have enough police to check every store when there are 8-9,000 of them. 'I've been here for 17 years at the Texas Capitol, 10 years as your lieutenant governor and I've never been more passionate about anything. I'm not going to leave Austin until we get this done.' Because the House's version, even as amended, differs from what the Senate passed, SB 3 must return to the upper chamber to consider the changes. The Senate can either accept what the House sends or request a conference committee to reconcile the differences. Staff writer Bayliss Wagner contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas House OKs THC ban, sidestepping potential clash with Senate
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
He Asked a Stranger to Help Move Furniture — Then the Mover Found a Body, and Things Got More Sinister from There
Harris County police arrested Steven Eberly, 36, after a man he hired as a mover discovered a dead body The mover allegedly discovered the dead body inside a box Eberly had asked him to help move Eberly was arrested after chasing the mover, who had fled the Houston-area home in his truck after discovering the bodyA man hired to move furniture at a home in Houston made a shocking revelation last Friday, leading to the arrest of a murder suspect who allegedly chased the mover down in a hectic scene that left the suspect bloodied. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a statement over the weekend that authorities arrested Steven Eberly after receiving multiple 911 calls about a dramatic scene playing out near Eberly's home in Houston. Eberly, 36, had allegedly hired a local man 'to help him move furniture' at his house on May 16, according to Sheriff Gonzalez. The man was in the process of helping Eberly move a heavy box on his driveway when he noticed 'a deceased individual' inside the box he and Eberly were attempting to move. According to home surveillance video obtained by KPRC, the man jumped back into his pickup truck and attempted to flee the scene after discovering the dead body. Eberly then chased the man down as he was driving away, reportedly jumping onto the truck bed and attempting to break the windows of the vehicle in order to stop the man from getting away. The scene ended when the man's truck struck another vehicle, resulting in Eberly injuring and bloodying his head. Harris County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Abraham Alanis said at a news conference later outside the home that authorities took Eberly into custody as he was walking back to his house, still with blood on his head. Eberly was later taken to a hospital for a medical evaluation before being officially arrested and charged with murder, according to police. Harris County inmate records reviewed by PEOPLE show Eberly remains in custody on a $2 million bond on the murder charge. He was also charged with tampering with evidence and attempting to take an officer's weapon, county jail records show. 'This was a strange one,' Sheriff Gonzalez said in a statement Sunday, adding that officials 'determined the deceased individual at the home was a contractor who had been working at the home.' Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. The victim was identified as Luis Silva Mendez, USA Today reported. The outlet added that a motive has yet to be determined by police. 'He's just somebody that's probably taking care of his family that had to do housework and had to do mowing and there's no way that what happened to him should have happened,' a neighbor told local KPRC. Read the original article on People
Business Journals
19-05-2025
- General
- Business Journals
Here's why people move to — and stay in — Houston, according to new Rice University Kinder Institute survey
Houston's population is growing fast. The latest Houston-area survey from Rice University's Kinder Institute reveals key trends about what's drawing people to the area, what's keeping them here and what they think Houston's biggest challenges are.
