code red

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo raises COVID-19 threat level to red, urges residents to stay home

Under the highest threat level, Hidalgo advises residents to stay home.

With Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s closure of Texas bars already in order, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo increased the COVID-19 threat level in the area to red, or severe, on Friday, June 26. Under this warning, locals are urged to stay home.

The color-coded system is designed to help provide guidance on the severity of novel coronavirus infections in the county and how residents can protect themselves.

The indicator dial can be found at ReadyHarris.org.

“The harsh truth is that our current infection rate is on pace to overwhelm our hospitals in the very near future,” said Hidalgo. “We hope this serves as a wakeup call to everyone that the time to act is now.”

Under the level one threat, residents are urged to:

Stay home, unless you need to make trips to the grocery store for food and medicine
Avoid and cancel all gatherings of any size
Practice special precautions to prevent spread if you're an essential worker. Check Harris County's guide for more on those workplace safety guidelines
All vulnerable individuals (65 years old or over or with pre-existing health conditions) stay home
Self-quarantine for 14 days if in close and prolonged contact with someone who has tested positive with COVID-19
Wear face coverings to protect others
Avoid non-essential business and personal travel
Avoid public transportation where possible
Cancel visits to nursing homes, long term care facilities, and hospitals
Avoid and cancel all indoor and outdoor gatherings, including concerts, rodeos, large sporting events, etc. Schools and after-school activities for youth close, as directed by educational authorities

Here are the four threat level and their instructions:

Level 1 - Severe (red) Stay Home
Level 2 - Significant (orange) Minimize All Contacts
Level 3 - Moderate (yellow) Stay Vigilant
Level 4 - Minimal (green) Resume Normal Contacts

As CultureMap news partner, ABC13, notes, Hidalgo said she would be issuing an advisory similar to the initial “Stay Home, Work Safe” order issued in March. She also pleaded with locals to observe safety guidelines:

“Since when did we decide as a society that instead of saving a life and preventing the spread of the virus, we would treat human lives, the lives of our neighbors as collateral damage to be dealt with,” she asked.

health city-news-roundup

are you happy?

Houston continues sad streak as one of the 'unhappiest' U.S. cities

Photo by Damaris Martin on Unsplash

Even with a poor ranking, you still shouldn't ask us to "smile more."

A new nationwide study analyzing the happiest cities in America has determined Houston is slightly happier than it was last year, but it still appears to be one of the unhappiest U.S. cities in 2026.

Houston currently ranks as the 128th happiest U.S. city. Last year, it was No. 151.

WalletHub determined the happiest cities in America based on 29 relevant metrics based on "positive-psychology research" across three main categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment. As with most WalletHub studies, it compared the 182 most populous U.S. cities.

Fremont, California claimed the top spot as the happiest city nationwide for another year. Bismark, North Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona, respectfully, rounded out the top three.

Here's how WalletHub ranked Houston across the three key dimensions:

No. 107 – Emotional and physical wellbeing
No. 148 – Income and employment
No. 158 – Community and environment

Despite its low ranking, Houstonians are working hard to improve their city's quality of life year after year, whether its through opening new restaurants, inviting Houston-born stars to perform at the rodeo, or having a strong job market. We also have some of the best museums, a diverse culinary scene, and iconic institutions like the Johnson Space Center. And considering that people keep moving here, Houston must be happier than other places.

Having a good job and a fun social life can qualify as factors that measure happiness, but WalletHub separately emphasized that making more money doesn't necessarily mean "more" happiness.

"For decades, researchers have explored the science of happiness and identified several core factors, including mental well-being, physical health, strong social ties, job satisfaction, and financial stability," the report said. "Still, income has its limits — studies show that earning more than $75,000 a year does not lead to greater happiness."

Elsewhere in Texas
The Dallas suburb Plano and its residents' happiness far outshines the rest of Texas, according to WalletHub. Plano ranked as the 16th happiest U.S. city, and the No. 1 happiest statewide. Austin was the only other Texas city to rank among the top 50, landing in the No. 39 spot.

This is how other Texas cities ranked in the report:

No. 70 – Irving
No. 92 – Garland
No. 106 – Grand Prairie
No. 111 – Dallas
No. 113 – Fort Worth
No. 119 – Arlington
No. 135 – Lubbock
No. 137 – El Paso
No. 140 – Laredo
No. 143 – Amarillo
No. 150 – Brownsville
No. 154 – San Antonio
No. 155 – Corpus Christi

reports san antonio wallethub