orange you glad they're back?

Buzzy fitness studio announces reopening dates for 25 Houston gyms

Orangetheory will open its 25 Houston-area locations on Monday, May 25.

As many Houston gyms slowly reopen after Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive, another popular fitness brand has announced plans to reopen its 25 local studios.

Orangetheory Fitness Houston will open its 25 Houston-area locations on Monday, May 25. In a statement, the company says it will reopen studios with reduced class sizes.

As the Houston studios reopen, Orangetheory says it has implemented new standard procedures that are “in line with or surpassing CDC recommendations and with counsel from Orangetheory’s Medical Advisory.” The company has provided the following protocols to the media:

Reduced capacity: Orangetheory Houston studios will temporarily reduce class sizes with social distancing measures in place.
Increased sanitation protocols: Orangetheory will allow for a minimum 15 minutes of cleaning between each class, where studios will be completely emptied of members to enable staff to disinfect with CDC- and EPA-approved agents, in addition to normal member disinfection protocols.
Staff PPE: Staff and coaches will be required to wear personal protective equipment at all times while in the studio.
Social distancing practices: Workouts will be designed to minimize and control what equipment members use during class via verbal instructions from coaches. Additionally, workout stations will be distanced and pre-assigned to reduce any cross contamination.
New lobby procedures: To further reduce risk for members, all Orangetheory members will be asked to wait outside or in their cars before coming into class to avoid potential crowding and will have their temperature taken via a thermal thermometer. Showers will also be temporarily closed.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the support of our members during this time and we’re excited to say that our doors will begin to open at a safe and staggered pace next week,” said owner Jim Potesta, in a statement. “Orangetheory is known for its tight-knight community, and now more than ever, we are eager to provide an outlet for fitness and mental health for that community while also ensuring safety as the very top priority.”

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Unhappy holidays

Porch pirates swipe nearly $2B in packages from Texas homes this year

Porch Pirate Person in Glasses Steals Packages

Getty Images

The Grinch isn't the only one stealing Christmas these days.

’Tis the season for porch pirates. If past trends are an indicator, the Grinch will swipe close to $2 billion worth of packages delivered to Texas households this year, with many of those thefts happening ahead of the holiday season.

An analysis of FBI and survey data by ecommerce marketing company Omnisend shows porch pirates stole more than $1.8 billion worth of packages from Texans’ porches last year. Porch pirates hit nearly one-third of the state’s households in 2024, according to the analysis.

Omnisend’s analysis reveals these statistics about porch piracy in Texas:

30.1 million residential package thefts in 2024.
An average household loss of $169 per year.
An annual average of 2.9 package thefts per household.

“Most stolen items are cheap on their own, but add them up, and retailers and consumers are facing an enormous bill,” says Omnisend.

Another data analysis, this one from The Action Network sports betting platform, unwraps different figures regarding porch piracy in Texas.

The platform’s 2025 Porch Pirate Index ranks Texas as the state with the highest volume of residential thefts, based on 2023-24 FBI data.

Researchers at The Action Network uncovered 26,293 reports of personal property thefts at Texas residences during that period. The network’s survey data indicates 5 percent of Texas residents had a package stolen in the three months before the pre-holiday survey.

The Porch Pirate Index calculates a 25.8 percent risk of a Texas household being victimized by porch pirates, putting it in the No. 5 spot among states with the highest risk of porch piracy.

The Action Network included online-search volume for terms like “package stolen” and “porch pirates.” Sustained spikes in these searches suggest that “people are actively looking for guidance after something has happened. Search trends serve as an early warning system, revealing emerging-risk areas well before annual crime statistics are released,” the network says.

Tips to avoid being a victim
So, how do you prevent porch pirates from snatching packages that end up on your porch? Omnisend, The Action Network and Amazon offer these eight tips:

Closely monitor deliveries and quickly retrieve packages.
Schedule deliveries for times when you’ll be home.
Use delivery lockers or in-store pickup when possible.
Ask delivery services to hide packages in out-of-sight spots outside your home.
Install a visible doorbell camera or security camera.
Coordinate deliveries with neighbors or building managers if you’ll be away from your home when packages are supposed to arrive.
Request that delivery services hold your packages if you can’t be home when they’re scheduled to come.
Illuminate the path to your doorstep and keep porch lights on.

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