So many Browns

"Turn the heat down": Harsh words but no sanctions for attorneys in Brown HandCenter doc divorce

Rachel Brown in 2011 photo
Photo via My Fox Houston/Channel 26
Michael Brown

The second day of oral hearings in the divorce of Michael and Rachel Brown found attorneys struggling to find time to address all the issues in front of the court, from custody to property issues.

But in a break from witness testimony, the dozen or so attorneys involved in the case gathered around judge Sheri Y. Dean to address the motion for sanction filed by the female attorneys representing Michael Brown and his related corporate entities against Rachel Brown's attorney Marshall Davis Brown. Brown, the attorney, was accused of making statements to and about the female counsel that were "extreme, outrageous and sexually inappropriate."

"If your mama wouldn't like it you probably shouldn't be saying it," Dean said.

He filed a counter-motion that didn't exactly deny making the statements, but did add some colorful details as to the situation when some of the named offenses occurred, in addition to launching similar accusations against Michael Brown attorney Robert Kuehm.

Judge Dean did not single out Brown or any attorney for censure but did express her displeasure at the alleged behavior between the parties.

"To do anything to personally insult someone, to harass them because of their gender, it's inappropriate, whether it's to that person or a third party," said Dean. "If your mama wouldn't like it you probably shouldn't be saying it."

Dean noted that the state bar does not take incidents like this lightly and that all parties should be concerned about their licenses. She granted the request to require all attorneys to refrain from making sexually suggestive comments or insults based on gender, which was unanimously supported.

Admitting that it's natural to get wrapped up zealously defending their clients in a high-profile case, Dean had one final word of advice for the lawyers: "Turn the heat down a little bit."

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good for the soul

Houston blooms as No. 3 best city for urban gardening in the U.S.

Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash

Let's get gardening, Houston

Folks in the Bayou City have plenty of reasons to develop a green thumb: Houston has harvested new acclaim as the No. 3 best city in America for urban gardening in 2026.

Lawnstarter's annual report, "2026’s Best Cities for Urban Gardening," compared 500 U.S. cities based on their respective public access to community gardens, climate, the prevalence of nurseries and gardening supply stores, and the number of regional gardening clubs and online groups.

Atlanta topped the list as the No. 1 best U.S. city, followed by Miami (No. 2); St. Louis (No. 4); and Jacksonville, Florida (No. 5).

For the uninitiated, urban gardening is the practice of growing plants or food in densely populated areas. Local examples include Blackwood Skyfarm, which is the largest rooftop farm in Texas, or Urban Harvest's 160 affiliate gardens – but backyards, apartment balconies, and vacant lots could also fit the bill. Additionally, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department has an Urban Garden Program where residents can volunteer to help locate sections of local parks to turn into community gardens.

Houston was No. 1 nationally in the "supplies" rank, and Lawnstarter said the city is home to 253 landscaping equipment shops – the most in the U.S. – and the second-highest number of gardening stores (276) and nurseries (132). The city also earned a respectable No. 6 rank for its "support and interest" of urban gardening, meaning many residents are searching terms like "community gardens," "vertical gardening," and others.

Here's how the city fared in the remaining three categories:

No. 115 – Public access
No. 157 – Climate
No. 390 – Private access (based on average yard size for starting an at-home garden)

Cathy Walker, president of the American Community Gardening Association, offered some tips for first-time gardeners to help get their hands in the soil: choose only a few easy growing plants to start; learn which growing zone you're in to determine the plants that will thrive in your area; watch how much sunlight your garden space gets daily; and prioritize keeping soil healthy with compost and mulch.

Ecoregions are also helpful for understanding what plants will thrive. Whereas zones are about temperature, ecoregions are much more detailed groups. Planters can learn about their ecoregion and get personalized growing tips from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation in its new native planting app, Wild Thumb.

Starting your own garden can also have a financial benefit, the report suggested. However, up-front costs can get high in gardening, so gardeners might have to stick to it for a few seasons to see savings.

"With grocery prices projected to rise by 3.1 percent in 2026, there’s never been a better time to grow your own food," the report's author wrote. "Estimates show that growing a 600-square-foot plot for fruits and vegetables can save you around $600 in a single season."

The top 10 best cities for urban gardening in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Atlanta
No. 2 – Miami
No. 3 – Houston
No. 4 – St. Louis
No. 5 – Jacksonville, Florida
No. 6 – Orlando
No. 7 – Cincinnati
No. 8 – Fort Meyers, Florida
No. 9 – Tampa
No. 10 – Austin

urban gardening gardening houston