A new AstroWorld

The next AstroWorld? It's full speed ahead for new Houston theme park with iconic ties

Grand Texas Theme Park developer Monty Galland is making moves on property in East Montgomery County, and as the closing date looms, excitement builds about a new amusement park in the Houston area. CultureMap first wrote about the proposed new park back on Feb. 20 and the attention is definitely spreading.

"If there was an AstroWorld, we probably wouldn't have even pursued this development," Galland tells KPRC Local 2. "But the reality is that this market really cries out for a major entertainment venue like Grand Texas."

(And EarthQuest Adventures, the much-publicized mega-park that was expected to open in the area, doesn't seem to be going anywhere.)

Galland expects to finalize the purchase of the land (a plot near the corner of U.S. 59 and FM 242) in May, at which time the first phase of the $200 million project will begin. Investors are already in place — and the development team includes a former AstroWorld general manager.

"The great thing about it is that we have enough land that we can create a lot of the elements AstroWorld had, and it doesn't detract from the other areas of the park," Galland said.

"We're not going to compete with Disneyland. We want to create an entertainment value that's similar to going to the movies or going bowling."

Or riding a roller coaster and then milking a cow.

Watch KPRC's full report below:

Though Grand Texas Theme Park won't finish signing on the property until May, it has already set an opening date for the East Montgomery County attraction — March 12, 2015 — and released a page of travel tips.

Grand Texas Theme Park Facebook

Though Grand Texas Theme Park won't finish signing on the property until May, it has already set an opening date for the East Montgomery County attraction — March 12, 2015 — and released a page of travel tips.

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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.”