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    Most Popular Stories

    CultureMap's 10 most popular stories: New AstroWorld, Michelle Obama's jewels, Osteen's mansion top list

    Clifford Pugh
    Sep 14, 2014 | 5:36 pm

    Since CultureMap launched in late 2009, we've published more than 21,000 stories on a wide variety of subjects. Some topics we thought would be hits with readers weren't, while others skyrocketed. Here are the 10 most popular stories in our last five years, as measured by Google analytics.

    1. The new AstroWorld sets an opening date: Houston's next theme park to blast off in 2015(published November 7, 2013)

    CultureMap readers love theme parks and gobbled up details about the hotly-anticipated Grand Texas Theme Park, capturing the imaginations of those longing for a worthy successor to the long-shuttered Six Flags AstroWorld. The story was shared nearly 45,000 times on Facebook.

    2. Michelle Obama dazzles in New York, wearing diamond bangles by H-Town's Katie Decker (published September 21, 2011)

    Shelby Hodge's story about the fancy diamond cuffs made by the 23-year-old jewelry designer Katie Decker took off after it was posted on the Drudge Report and conservatives howled that the first lady wore such expensive jewelry. (Fox News omitted the line in our story that the jewels were loaned to the first lady for the evening in its report.) Response was so intense that it nearly crashed the CultureMap site.

    3.  After move to $10.5 million River Oaks mansion, Joel Osteen offers Tanglewood land for $1.1 million(published July 9, 2010)

    The Houston minister's 17,000-square-foot stone mansion, with six bedrooms, six bathrooms, three elevators and five wood-burning fireplaces, a one-bedroom guest house and pool, continues to draw heated comments from supporters and critics of Osteen's lavish lifestyle.

    4. Sorry, Johnny Manziel is not humiliated: Smug, taunt-happy Alabama hasn't "solved" Texas A&M wonder (published September, 4, 2013)

    After Texas A&M nearly knocked off No. 1 Alabama in one of the season's first games in 2013, Chris Baldwin's column about how "the Most Interesting Man In College Football once again refused to play by anyone else's script" was a must-read for sports fans.

    5. AstroWorld replacement is no longer a pipe dream: New $205 million Houston theme park gets its land (published July 8, 2013)

    News that investors, headed up by developer Monty Galland, officially closed on 600 acres in New Caney for a new theme park thrilled CultureMap readers.

    6. Jeremy Lin unfairly crucified as McHale throws him under bus, while Beverley given free pass for turnover(published April 28, 2014)

    Chris Baldwin stirred the pot again with a defense of Rockets guard Jeremy Lin in a tough playoff loss against Portland that had the star's fans and detractors rushing to the comments section.

    7. The 10 best Bruce Springsteen songs of all time: Bowing out as an HBO documentary beckons(published August 8, 2010)

    The Boss's fans love to debate his best songs; contributor Jim Beviglia picked three from one Springsteen album in his final 10, which provoked endless discussion.

    8. The 10 Best Crawfish Restaurants in Houston: Honor thy mudbugs by eating them right(published March 4, 2014)

    If there were every any doubt that Houstonians love mudbugs, it was dispelled by the popularity of food writer Eric Sandler's column picking the best crawfish restaurants in Houston.

    9. Look out! The Real Housewives of Houston are coming! Producers quietly casting now(published May 25, 2010)

    With producers scouring Houston for a potential Real Housewives edition set in the Bayou City, we came up with a list of local stars and their odds of being selected. Alas, the Houston setting never materialized, but the list remains a fun read.

    10. Houston hip-hop DJ lands in the middle of LeBron James girlfriend love triangle rumors hip-hop(published June 12, 2011)

    Houston DJ Qui West was labeled the "Woodward & Bernstein of Baby Mama Drama" after Washington Wizards forward Rashard Lewis called him on air to talk about the LeBron James' baby mama rumors and their effect on the NBA Finals. The interview demonstrated changes in the media world "where a hip-hop radio station is much more likely to have unfiltered access to the athletes than an old staid, traditional newspaper," Chris Baldwin wrote.

    -----------

    CultureMap is celebrating its fifth birthday with a big party on Oct. 10 from 7 - 10 p.m. at the new JW Marriott Houston Downtown, with a portion of proceeds going to Casa de Esperanza. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online.

    Johnny Manziel's great game against Alabama won over a lot of readers.

    Johnny Manziel hop
      
    Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images
    Johnny Manziel's great game against Alabama won over a lot of readers.
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    taking it to the streets

    Houston charity's gifts 66 wheelchair-accessible vans to needy families

    Jef Rouner
    May 20, 2025 | 4:30 pm
    Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Houston Children’s Charity President and CEO Laura S. Ward, and Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott in front of a gifted wheelchair accessible vans.
    Photo provided by Houston Children's Charity
    A fleet of wheelchair accessible vans were handed out Tuesday at the Post Oak Hotel

    More than 60 underprivileged children will now have wheelchair-accessible vans thanks to a nearly $4 million giveaway by the Houston Children's Charity on Tuesday.

    “Our mission is to provide life-altering programs and support to underserved children across Houston,” said Laura S. Ward, Houston Children’s Charity President and CEO, “We are honored to be able to empower these families facing daunting challenges by providing them the transportation necessary to not only attend medical and physical therapy appointments but go on road trips, the parks, or on other adventures with their entire family.”

    The 66 vans (known as Chariots), allow users to easily enter and exit the vehicles, making transportation much easier. Many families struggle to afford such vans, which can cost up to $80,000. Often, families resort to crowdfunding to acquire one. The vans can vastly improve the quality of life for wheelchair users, thanks to increased travel options.

    The gift is the largest the Houston Children's Charity has ever coordinated. To date, they have handed out 438 Chariots. The Fant Foundation, a Houston-based organization founded in 1994 to improve living conditions for disadvantaged people, provided 30 of the vehicles.

    The Gift of Mobility event featured a who's who of Texas political powerhouses, including Mayor John Whitmire, Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta, and Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott, whose husband, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, is a wheelchair user himself.

    Houston Children's Charity is one of the city's largest non-profits, serving 3.5 million children since it was founded in 1996. Its programs include A Better Night’s Sleep, which provides new beds and mattresses to children whose families cannot afford them; Back2School, a partnership with the Rod Ryan Show that distributes school supplies; and Family Emergency Fund at Texas Children’s Cancer Center. In 2023, they spent $5.1 million on their various outreach programs and charity work for children in Houston.

    Families in need of a van are placed on a waiting list by the Houston Children's Charity until they become available. The next giveaway in 2026 will be funded at HCC’s 28th Annual Gala on October 18. Tickets can be purchased here.

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