Final flight for Endeavour

We have liftoff: Giffords watches as Space Shuttle Endeavour has a perfectlaunch

The second time's the charm.

With Arizona congresswoman Gabrille Giffords and the families of other astronauts watching from a few hundred yards away at the Kennedy Space Center, the space shuttle Endeavour had a perfect liftoff Monday morning at 7:56 Houston time.

This was the 25th and final liftoff for Endeavour, and the second-to-last shuttle launch ever.

Giffords, who is undergoing rehabilitation at TIRR Memorial Hermann after suffering gunshot wounds on Jan. 8, stayed out of view. Her husband, Mark Kelly, is commanding the 16-day space mission.

Kelly took Giffords' wedding ring with him into space just as he has in previous missions. But this time, CNN reports that Kelly gave his wedding ring to Giffords before takeoff to keep until his return. The ring was too big for Giffords' finger, so she plans to wear it in a chain around her neck.

The space shuttle crew also wore wristbands emblazoned with the words "Love, Peace, Gaby" in Giffords' honor.

The launch was originally scheduled to take place April 29, but was scrubbed at the last minute due to a faulty switch box.

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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.”