Wheel of Good Fortune

Wheel of good fortune: Le Grande XL debuts at RodeoHouston carnival midway

Le Grande XL ferris wheel at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo midway carnival

The Le Grande XL ferris wheel towers off in the distance on the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo grounds.

Photo by Clifford Pugh

With the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo underway, there's a new kid on the block. The Le Grande XL ferris wheel made its worldwide debut on the rodeo carnival midway Tuesday, dominating the two other ferris wheels and multitude of rides near NRG Stadium and the Astrodome.

The gigantic "portable observation wheel," dubbed the largest in the western hemisphere, towers 130 feet high, allowing for a panoramic view of the Astrodome, the Texas Medical Center and downtown Houston in the distance. It has 36 air-conditioned cabins, holding up to six people each, with padded leather seats and floor-to-ceiling windows. It takes 3 to 3-1/2 minutes to make the full circle, although the ride is longer that that as passengers enter and disembark.

"Every year we strive to bring our rodeo fair partners the newest rides out there. The folks here deserve it," said Chris Lopez, vice president of Ray Cammack Shows Inc. (RSC), which operates the midway. "This is the only rodeo/fair/festival that we know of where you have the choice of three giant wheels to choose from. We invite everyone to come on down and ride all of them and let us know what you think."

The Le Grande XL can hold up to 2,000 passengers an hour. The cost for the ride is $10 (the equivalent of 20 tickets).

Lopez said the ferris wheel was built in Europe at a cost of $6 million and ferried to the U.S. by boat. Then it traveled in 23 52-foot semi-trailers to Houston, where it took 10 days to assemble it.

It will take about that long to take it apart after the rodeo ends on March 26. Then it will travel to Indio, California, for the Coachella Music Festival in mid April.

houston-rodeo rodeo

no more trips to Colorado

Bill to legalize marijuana in Texas filed by Dallas Democrat

Photo courtesy of Texas Original

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Texas Rep. Jessica González (D-Dallas) has filed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Texas. House Bill 1208 would legalize the cultivation, manufacturing, transportation, and sale of cannabis.

The bill would allow adults 21 and older to use, possess, and transport up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal use. Adults could also keep up to 10 ounces of cannabis in their residence, as long as it is stored in a secure location.

Smoking or consuming cannabis while in a public place or in a car on a public road would not be allowed.

Gonzalez filed the bill in mid-November, one in a suite of bills that also included expanding insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization for LGBTQ couples; and requiring landlords to disclose all fees before a rental lease is signed.

Her bill was filed prior to an initiative launched by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on December 4 to ban THC products in Texas entirely.

In addition to legalizing recreational use, the bill also makes provisions for its production and sale including requiring that the packaging be child-resistent and clearly labeled, so that it's not confused for candy.

Businesses looking to grow, transport, test, or sell cannabis would need to be licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. A 10 percent tax would be imposed on the sale of all cannabis and cannabis products. Some of the profits would go towards funding public schools.

If passed, the bill would take effect on September 1, 2025.

Medical cannabis is currently legal in Texas under the Texas Compassionate Use Program, which allows low-THC cannabis to be prescribed for conditions such as epilepsy, MS, autism, cancer, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Some cities have also approved decriminalization for the possession of four ounces or less of marijuana, including Austin, Bastrop, Dallas, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and Lockhart.

politics marijuana