Texas, and more specifically, Houston/Harris County, must be allergic to boring, drama-free days because there’s never a dull news moment in the Lone Star State. Whether the topic is politics, storm challenges, or criminal justice, the state where everything is bigger, produced some big news in 2024. Here’s a look at the top stories of the year.
Kamala Harris makes history in Houston
More than 30,000 Houstonians – the majority of them Black – showed up to support Vice President Kamala Harris’ Oct. 25 campaign rally at the Shell Energy Stadium, determined to be part of a historic night. More than 1.5 million people registered but security capped the entry at 30,000 attendees – making that rally the largest event in the Harris campaign. Even more impressive, the biggest star in the universe, Beyoncè Knowles-Carter, opened for the headliner Harris.
Houston loses giants Lawson and Jackson Lee
Houston lost two giants in 2024 with the passing of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church’s founding pastor, Reverend William A. “Bill” Lawson, and longtime U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Though Lawson and Jackson Lee were each Houston transplants, they more than made Houston their home once they arrived. In fact, the history of Houston cannot be told without including the contributions each made in the areas of education, civil rights, criminal justice reform, environmental justice, and many more. Jackson Lee and Lawson left an indelible mark upon the fabric of Bayou City life in ways too numerous to count. A telling sign of their impact was witnessed in the local, national, and international outpouring of love and condolences each received during their multi-day celebration of life events.
District 18 sees a whirlwind
With Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s declaration to run for Houston’s mayoral seat, a stampede of local politicos registered to run to represent the historic District 18 in the U.S. House. However, after losing to John Whitmire, Jackson Lee ran to return to Congress. That race came down to Jackson Lee running against former Houston City Councilmember Amanda Edwards. Though Edwards supporters made the race one of the closest Jackson Lee faced, the nearly 30-year congressional vet retained her seat. Jackson Lee’s death in July resurrected hopes for several persons who sought to represent the 18th. Jackson Lee’s daughter, Erica Lee Carter, won the race to finish out her mother’s last term. Edwards battled Houston’s former mayor, Sylvester Turner, to be the Democratic nominee. Turner won.
New mayor takes office
For the first time in nearly a decade, Houston welcomed a new CEO, Mayor John Whitmire. On the campaign trail, Whitmire fired off a law-and-order-driven public safety message. Whitmire has reveled in his victory in securing a $650 million settlement deal for Houston firefighters. But he’s faced his fair share of storms, as well. These include contentious battles and seeming turf wars with multiple city and county officials, as well as actual storms — May’s derecho and July’s Hurricane Beryl. The year-one progress report is coming soon for Whitmire, the longtime state senator-turned-city-leader.
Multiple storms ravage Houston
Seemingly out of nowhere, a major wind storm (derecho) blew through Houston in May, causing significant damage throughout the city and surrounding areas. But the glass that covered downtown Houston streets, from blown-out skyscraper windows, was just foreshadowing days to come. In July, Hurricane Beryl wreaked its own havoc, leaving 2.7 million Houston businesses, schools and homes without power for weeks. For many, Beryl exposed not only the lack of pre-storm city planning but a vast divide between Houston’s “haves” and “have nots” regarding power restoration.
Abbott removes two million plus from voter rolls
In September, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the suspension of over two million voters from state voter rolls. The move sparked widespread concern due in part to the action being taken roughly two months before the 2024 presidential election. Additionally, voting advocates decried the move as researchers argued relying solely on mailers to notify voters of pending registration cancellations was insufficient. “The state of Texas under Gov. Greg Abbott has had a long track record of finding ways to make sure that people he doesn’t like can’t vote,” said State Rep. Gene Wu. Abbott touted the move as a “crackdown on illegal voting.”
Harris County DA Kim Ogg unseated
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, a two-term incumbent, was unseated in the Democratic primary election by challenger Sean Teare. Teare, who spent six years working under Ogg as a prosecutor, received 75% of the vote, compared to 25% for Ogg. Teare defeated Dan Simons in November’s general election.
New Texas curriculum whitewashes history
There’s nothing (love thy) neighborly about the State Board of Education’s moves to push a white evangelical (conservative) read of Bible stories into Texas public school curriculums while also doing what some describe as “whitewashing” history. Texas students will learn a revised rendition of America’s founding. Critics say it oversimplifies and sanitizes key events, failing to provide an accurate or inclusive understanding of the nation’s past. That’s not good for our present or our future.
Area witnesses court cases galore
Houston/Harris County had an overabundance of “big” court cases, criminal charges and lawsuits. The biggest involved five Houston-area educators criminally charged with running a $1 million teacher certification cheating ring. The ring is said to have allowed more than 210 unqualified teachers to work in local school districts. Harris County DA Kim Ogg, at the behest of Gov. Abbott, investigated supposed improprieties during the 2022 Harris County general election. Big surprise: none were found. In September, Texas AG Ken Paxton, no stranger to legal problems, sued Harris County, declaring its revised guaranteed income program (Uplift Harris 2.0) unconstitutional. However, in late October the 165th District Court denied Paxton’s request to halt the program. Additionally, Ogg’s office reported in November that former county health director Barbie Robinson is facing a felony charge for her alleged involvement in a multimillion-dollar bid-rigging scheme.
Crazy political happenings ensue
Beyond a new mayor and multiple District 18 races, Houston had some wild political happenings all year long. In January, there was a concerted effort to discredit multiple Black women judge candidates ahead of the March 5 election using a new Texas law. Still, Takasha Francis, Erica Hughes and Amber Boyd-Cora rose and defeated their all-white male judicial competition. This summer, leaders demanded city accountability for the slow response to Hurricane Beryl. And organizations galore pushed to get folks registered for the Nov. 5 election. Longtime State Rep. Shawn Thierry also left the Democratic Party to join the GOP.
