This Week's Hot Headlines

Eatsie Boys shake-up and swank party palace head up the 5 most popular stories this week

Editor’s note: Another week has passed by, but we’ve got your back with a recap of the most popular stories on CultureMap from this past week:

1. Closing of Montrose cafe offers new beginning for two popular food truck vendors. Eatsie Boys partners Ryan Soroka and Alex Vassilakidis announced that their brick-and-mortar restaurant on Montrose will be closing April 30, soon to be converted into the permanent home of food cart Melange Creperie.

2. Houston's swankiest new party palace is quickly becoming the go-to place for celebrations of all kinds. Recently opened in the Heights, The Astorian is on track to become the venue for the city's hottest parties. The incredibly designed 14,000-square-foot space has barely been open a month and has already attracted fashion shows, galas and trunk shows.

3. Houston billionaire couple pledges $10 million for Bayou Greenways project adding more park space and trails. Philanthropic billionaires Mindy and Jeff Hildebrand are supporting the Houston Parks Board's exciting Bayou Greenways 2020 project with a $10 million donation. The project will add 1,500 acres of park space and 80 miles of trails to the city's park system.

4. Steve Harvey drives Houston philanthropist to tears on national TV — and gives her the surprise of her life. Kristi Schiller, founder of the K9s4COPS program, was asked to appear on the Steve Harvey Showto honor her efforts supporting the program which provides law enforcement agencies with K9 partners. While on the show, Schiller received a surprise that left her "crying like Miss America."

5. Inside the new El Tiempo: Laurenzos put their stamp on massive Montrose location with a lot of history. Although the future of the restaurant's current Montrose location is uncertain, El Tiempo's 1308 Annex on Westheimer has opened its doors, offering the same delicious Tex-Mex cuisine as the locally based chain's other six locations.

Melange Creperie owner Sean Carroll, left, with Eatsie Boys partners Ryan Soroka, Alex Vassilakidis and Matt Marcus.

Photo by Eric Sandler

Melange Creperie owner Sean Carroll, left, with Eatsie Boys partners Ryan Soroka, Alex Vassilakidis and Matt Marcus.

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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.”