beach (kinda) open

City of Galveston announces beaches will partially reopen to the public

Some Galveston beaches will be open on Monday, April 27.

Photo courtesy of ABC13

With the state of Texas eyeing a return to normal operations, City of Galveston officials have voted on a partial opening of its public beaches.

This comes after the dire need for social distancing coupled with hordes of out-of-town and local visitors forced the City of Galveston and Galveston County to close all public beaches on March 29. Bolivar Peninsula beaches, which are unincorporated in the area, then reopened on April 13.

Beginning Monday, April 27, public beaches will be open in the morning to pedestrians for exercise only, according to a City of Galveston press release. The public beaches will be open from 6 am to 9 am daily.

Access to the beach will be closed during all other hours, and violation is a Class C misdemeanor and will carry a $500 fine. Vehicular traffic will not be allowed, per the order.

Beach access is limited to exercise only and other non-stationary activities. Visitors will be allowed to surf, swim, wade fish, and access rock groins during these hours only. However, setting up chairs, tents, or beach picnics is not allowed.

The City of Galveston and other neighboring cities in the region also remain under stay-at-home orders that prohibit nonessential travel.

However, Galveston residents and visitors are not required to wear masks, as CultureMap news partner, ABC13, reports. In a recent Facebook post Galveston County Judge Mark Henry deemed the mandatory wearing of face coverings unconstitutional.

“America was built upon the fabric of individual liberty and freedom,” wrote Henry. “It's important now more than ever that we stress personal responsibility. Covering your face while in public is being recommended by national and local health authorities. While we encourage that you consider these recommendations for your own safety and the safety of others around you, I will not be mandating it because I believe it is unconstitutional to do so.”

city-news-roundup

Thanks, Queen Bey

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

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

undefined

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.”