remembering barbara bush

HPD releases road closures, safety details on Barbara Bush funeral

Houstonians can expect closures and heightened security ahead of the services.

Map courtesy of ABC13

As Houston prepares to welcome former presidents and international dignitaries for the visitation and funeral for Barbara Bush, the Houston Police Department and other agencies have released safety and road closure information.

With the Obamas, the Clintons and Melania Trump expected to attend the private funeral on April 21, locals can expect delays and heightened security and scrutiny.

Visitors who plan to attend the public service at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church — at the corner of Woodway Drive and Sage Road in the Tanglewood/Uptown area — must first go to the Second Baptist Church campus at 6400 Woodway Dr. — enter the parking lots via Voss Road — to park and go through security.

A shuttle service from Second Baptist to St. Martin’s and back (for both days) will be provided, as no one is allowed to walk up or drive to St. Martin’s.

As for closures and safety:

Woodway eastbound will be closed from Chimney Rock to Post Oak Lane.
Woodway westbound will be closed from the West Loop to Pine Shadows Drive.
Sage northbound from Longmont to Woodway will be closed, except to residents.
Photography and firearms will not be permitted inside the church.
St. Martin’s will close at midnight April 20, but the lines will close at Second Baptist prior to midnight based on the number of people in line.
St. Martin’s also asks that visitors turn off all cellular devices out of respect for the Bush family.
On April 20, parking at Second Baptist opens at 10 am; shuttle service begins at 11:30 am.
On April 21, parking opens at 8 a.m., and shuttle service runs from 8:30 am to 10 am before the private funeral begins.
The West End Brew Run 5K, which starts at West End Pub on Westheimer and Yorktown on April 21, has been moved up to a 7:45 am start time, to accommodate the services.

The Bush family motorcade will travel through Memorial Park on the way to the George H.W. Bush Library and Museum at Texas A&M University in College Station. It will enter College Station from northbound Highway 6 and proceed north on to Texas Avenue, according to information from Texas A&M. (Get map information here.)

Those wishing to pay their respects as the motorcade passes through College Station are asked to be in place by 2 pm.

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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.”