Rain or Shine, Sleet or Snow

A little cold weather doesn't hamper return of City Hall Farmers Market

Nearly every vendor made it, and rewarded their supporters for braving the cold.
Photo by Caroline Gallay
Mayor Parker snuck out of a City Council meeting to address the small butimpressive crwod.
Photo by Caroline Gallay
It's amazing the reflection pool was still fluid.
Photo by Caroline Gallay
The crowd was small but, given the weather, impressive.
Photo by Caroline Gallay

If you ventured to the kick-off of the downtown farmers market's permanent home at Houston City Hall, the cauliflower brie bisque from Brennan's chef Danny Trace made it totally worth it.

"Farmers are sturdy folk," Mayor Annise Parker said in a brief address, during a quick escape from her City Council meeting. "Let's hope their customers are equally sturdy."

Parker emphasized that the 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. market would be held at Hermann Square Plaza every Wednesday — rain or shine, sleet or snow.

We grabbed a hot brat from the Eatsie Boys, who served their bratwurst and andouille sausage with spicy St. Arnold Amber-flavored homemade mustard and fresh salad. Nearly every vendor made it out, and we couldn't leave without snagging a loaf of Shirley Ann's banana chocolate bread.

The crowd was small but — given the weather — still impressive. Vendors made sure to thank supporters with freebies like hot chocolate, the aforementioned Brennan's soup and an extra box set from the olive oil guys, who man a booth at the market every week.

Next Wednesday, there are no excuses — the forecast is 60 degrees and sunny.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”